Kuntala country

The Kuntala country is an ancient Indian political region that probably included the western Deccan and some parts of southern Karnataka (erstwhile north Mysore). Its history extended into the early centuries of the Christian era. Kuntala formed one of the divisions of Southern India as late as 10th-12th centuries A.D. (other regions were:Chola, Chera, Pandya and Andhra). Each developed its own culture and administration.

Scriptural references

Copperplates issued by the Yadavas of Devagiri mention the Nāgas as its oldest known rulers.^[1]Rashtrakutas, Satavahanas, Vakatakas, Chalukyas, Chutus, Vishnukundina have ruled Kuntala, as suggested by stone inscriptions and copperplates.^[2] Kuntala is identified with Raṭṭapāḍi which is translated as settlements of the Raṭṭas.^[3] Copperplates of Pulakeshin II speak of him as the king of three Mahārāṣṭras, Kuntala being one of the Maharashtra(other two being Vidarbha, and Western regions of present-day Maharashtra and adjoining parts of the Deccan) consisting of 99,000 villages.

Kalidasa mentions Kuntala and the lord of Kuntala (as Kuntalānāmadhīśa,Kuntalādhipati,Kuntalādhīśa) in his works.^[4]

Citations

1. Moraes, George Mark (1931). The Kadamba Kula: A History of Ancient and Mediaeval Karnataka (AES reprint,illustrated ed.). Asian Educational Services. pp. 1–7. ISBN 9788120605954.
2. Encyclopaedia of Ancient Indian Geography, Volume 2 (Edited by Subodh Kapoor ed.). Genesis Publishing Pvt Ltd. 2002. pp. 403–404. ISBN 9788177552997.
3. Karnataka State Gazetteer: Belgaum. Director of Print, Stationery and Publications at the Government Press,. 1987.
4. Satara district (Revised edition). "Maharashtra state gazetteers" (PDF). Government of Maharashtra. Retrieved 4 October 2014.