The Aulikara Empire was a short-lived power founded by

Yashodharman Yashodharman ( Gupta script: ''Ya-śo-dha-rmma'', ) (r. 515 – 545) was a ruler of Malwa, in central India, during the early part of the 6th century. He probably belonged to the Second Aulikara dynasty. He conquered much of the Indian subco ...

Malwa Malwa is a historical region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic upland north of the Vindhya Range. Politically and administratively, it is also syno ...

, who belonged to the

Aulikara dynasty The Second Aulikara dynasty (Late Brahmi script: ''Au-li-ka-rā'') was a royal dynasty that ruled over the Malwa plateau, and at its peak under Yashodharman Vishnuvardhana controlled a vast area, consisting of almost all of Northern India and p ...

. It was centred around the

plateau, bordered by the

Brahmaputra River The Brahmaputra is a trans-boundary river which flows through Tibet, northeast India, and Bangladesh. It is also known as the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibetan, the Siang/Dihang River in Arunachali, Luit in Assamese, and Jamuna River in Bangla. It ...

and the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...

in the east and west, and the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

and

Mahendra Mahendra is a Sanskrit compound word deriving from Maha (Highest position) and Indra Deva (the King of Gods) from Hindu mythology.{{Citation needed, date=April 2022 It has been used in compound royal styles. History and politics Royalty * M ...

mountains to the north and south.Ojha, N.K. (2001). ''The Aulikaras of Central India: History and Inscriptions'', Chandigarh: Arun Publishing House, , pp.19-20 The Aulikara Empire was ruled by the

Second Aulikara dynasty The Second Aulikara dynasty (Late Brahmi script: ''Au-li-ka-rā'') was a royal dynasty that ruled over the Malwa plateau, and at its peak under Yashodharman Vishnuvardhana controlled a vast area, consisting of almost all of Northern India and p ...

Establishment

Aulikara rulers such as Adityavardhana and Dravyavardhana expanded their kingdom and one of their successors

conquered vast territories from the

Hunas Hunas or Huna (Middle Brahmi script: ''Hūṇā'') was the name given by the ancient Indians to a group of Central Asian tribes who, via the Khyber Pass, entered the Indian subcontinent at the end of the 5th or early 6th century. The Huna Kin ...

and

Guptas The Gupta Empire was an ancient Indian empire which existed from the early 4th century CE to late 6th century CE. At its zenith, from approximately 319 to 467 CE, it covered much of the Indian subcontinent. This period is considered as the Gol ...

after the

Battle of Sondani The Battle of Sondani was a large military encounter fought in 528 CE, between the Alchon Hun emperor Mihirakula and a confederation of Indian rulers led by king Yashodharman of Malwa. Background The Alchon Huns under their able leader Toramana ...

, defeating the Huna Chief Mihirakula around 528 A.D., thus establishing the short-lived Aulikara empire.Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum Vol
p.145
/ref>Foreign Influence on Ancient India by Krishna Chandra Saga
p.216
/ref> Yashodharman's capitol was almost certainly

Dashapura Mandsaur is a city and a municipality in Mandsaur district located on Border of Mewar and Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh state of central India. It is the administrative headquarters of Mandsaur District. The ancient Pashupatinath Temple is l ...

, probably established by Yashodharman though initially thought to have been Ujjayinī, which has since been disproven. Kingdoms such as the

Later Guptas The Later Gupta dynasty ruled the Magadha region in eastern India between the 6th and 8th centuries CE. The Later Guptas succeeded the imperial Guptas as the rulers of Magadha, but there is no evidence connecting the two dynasties; these appear ...

and

Maukhari dynasty The Maukhari dynasty ( Gupta script: , ''Mau-kha-ri'') was a post-Gupta dynasty who controlled the vast plains of Ganga-Yamuna for over six generations from their capital at Kannauj. They earlier served as vassals of the Guptas and later of Hars ...

were their vassals.

Decline

Most of the empire disintegrated after

's death and his son,

Shiladitya Shiladitya (IAST: Śīlāditya) is the title of a 7th-century Indian king mentioned in the writings of the Chinese traveler Xuanzang (Hieun Tsang). Xuanzang mentions him in Fascicle V of ''Dà Táng Xīyù Jì'' (''Great Tang Records on the Wester ...

was left only with

, the core

Aulikara The Aulikaras (Late Brahmi script: ''Au-li-ka-rā''), also referred to as Aulikara dynasty or Olikara dynasty, were an ancient Indian clan from the Maurya era, that emerged into a kingdom between the 4th-century CE and 6th-century CE. They w ...

territory. Nothing is known about the dynasty after his death, and

was conquered by the

Kalachuris of Mahishmati The Kalachuris (IAST: Kalacuri), also known as Kalachuris of Mahishmati, were an Indian dynasty that ruled in west-central India between 6th and 7th centuries. They are also known as the Haihayas or as the Early Kalachuris to distinguish them ...

. After the collapse of Aulikara power in Northern India, the

and

Maukharis The Maukhari dynasty (Gupta script: , ''Mau-kha-ri'') was a post-Gupta dynasty who controlled the vast plains of Ganga The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Ban ...

began fighting for imperial supremacy.

List of rulers

References

History of Malwa {{India-hist-stub

Establishment

Decline

List of rulers

See also

References