Kakusthavarma () or Kakusthavarman was a ruler of the

Kadamba dynasty The Kadamba dynasty were an ancient royal family from modern Karnataka, India, that ruled northern Karnataka and the Konkan from Banavasi in present-day Uttara Kannada, Uttara Kannada district in India. The kingdom was founded by Mayurash ...

South India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...

. He succeeded his brother

Raghu Raghu () is a ruler of the Suryavansha dynasty in Hinduism. According to the '' Raghuvamsha'', he is the son of King Dilīpa and Queen Sudakshina. The history of his dynasty is elaborated upon by the poet Kalidasa in his ''Raghuvamsha''. He ...

as king. Under Kakusthavarma's rule the Kadamba kingdom attained the height of its power and influence, and the Kadambas enjoyed close diplomatic relations with the great royal houses of India. The

Talagunda Talagunda is a village in the Shikaripura taluk of Shivamogga district in the state of Karnataka, India. Many inscriptions found here have provided insights into the rise of the Kadamba Dynasty. History Talagunda was earlier known as Sthanaku ...

and

Halmidi inscription The Halmidi inscription is the oldest known Kannada-language inscription in the Kadamba script. While estimates vary slightly, the inscription is often dated to between 450 CE - 500 CE. The inscription was discovered in 1936 by Dr. M. H. Kris ...

s praise Kakusthavarma as a formidable Kadamba warrior.

Early life

Kakusthavarma was born to King

Bhageerath Bhageerath (reigned c. 385 – 410 CE) was a king of the Kadamba dynasty in South India. He succeeded his father Kangavarma on the Kadamba throne. Bhageerath is praised as a "king loved by his kingdom just as a husband is held dear by his brid ...

, the third ruler of the Kadamba dynasty. Upon his father's death, Kakusthavarma's elder brother Raghu assumed the throne of the Kadamba kingdom, with Kakusthavarma as ''Yuvaraja'' or

Crown Prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent. ''Crown prince ...

. Kakusthavarma held court as the heir apparent, perhaps at Palashika (present-day

Halasi Halasi (Kannada: ಹಲಸಿ, also Halsi or Halshi, in earlier times also called Halasige or Palasige) is a town in Khanapur Taluk, Belgaum District in Karnataka, India. It is 14 km from Khanapur and about 25 km from Kittur. As known ...

) from where he is known to have issued land grants. In due course, he succeeded his brother on the Kadamba throne.

Reign

Kakusthavarma's reign is notable for the marriage alliances that he contracted with other powerful dynasties. Most importantly, Kakusthavarma married one of his daughters into the imperial

Gupta Gupta () is a common surname of Indian origin, meaning "guardian" or "protector". Origins and distribution The name is based on the Sanskrit word गोप्तृ ''goptṛ'', which means "guardian" or "protector". According to historian ...

family. It is also likely that Kakusthavarma married another one of his daughters to the

Vakataka The Vakataka dynasty () was an ancient Indian dynasty that originated from the Deccan in the mid-3rd century CE. Their state is believed to have extended from the southern edges of Malwa and Gujarat in the north to the Tungabhadra River in the ...

prince

Narendrasena Narendrasena () was a ruler of the Nandivardhana-Pravarapura branch of the Vakataka dynasty. He succeeded his father Pravarasena II as Maharaja. Early life Narendrasena was possibly born to Ajnakabhattarika, who may have been the chief queen ...

, as the Vakataka records describe Narendrasena's wife Ajjhitabhattarika as a princess of the

Kuntala country The Kuntala country is an ancient Indian political region which included the north-western parts of Mysore and the southern parts of the Bombay Presidency. Kuntala coins are available since estimated 600-450 BCE.> Kuntala formed one of the di ...

which probably corresponds to the Kadamba kingdom. Kakusthavarma appears to have been a great builder and avid patron of secular architecture as well as of religious causes. He is described as possessing numerous palaces adorned with ''

gopura A ''gopuram'' or ''gopura'' (Tamil language, Tamil: கோபுரம், Telugu language, Telugu: గోపురం, Kannada: ಗೋಪುರ, Malayalam language, Malayalam: ഗോപുരം) is a monumental entrance tower, usually ornate ...

s''. Kakusthavarma's son and successor, Santivarma, records in his Talagunda pillar inscription that his father had constructed a great water tank near a

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

temple at which

Satakarni Satakarni (also called Sātakarnī I, Brahmi script: 𑀲𑀸𑀢𑀓𑀡𑀺, ''Sātakaṇi'') was the third of the Satavahana kings, who ruled the Deccan region of India. His reign is generally dated to 70-60 BCE, although some authors have ...

and other kings of the past had worshipped. Kakusthavarma himself appears to have had Jain religious tendencies, as in his grant at Halasi he begins with an invocation to Jinendra, the lord of the Jinas, and likely patronized a Jain temple at this place.

Successors

Upon Kakusthavarma's death, the Kadamba kingdom appears to have been divided between his progeny. One of Kakusthavarma's sons, Santivarma, succeeded his father at

Banavasi Banavasi is an ancient temple town located near Sirsi in Karnataka. Banavasi was the ancient capital of the Kadamba dynasty that ruled all of modern-day Karnataka state. They were the first native empire to bring Kannada and Karnataka to pro ...

and ruled over the northern part of the Kadamba realm. Another one of Kakusthavarma's sons, Krishnavarma, seems to have founded a

cadet branch A cadet branch consists of the male-line descendants of a monarch's or patriarch's younger sons ( cadets). In the ruling dynasties and noble families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets (realm, titles, fiefs, property and incom ...

of the Kadamba dynasty at Triparvatha, in the southern part of the Kadamba realm.Sastri (1997), pp. 272–273

References

{{reflist Kadamba kings 5th-century Indian monarchs