kingdom · South Asia

Aulikara dynasty

400 CE – 545 CE (approx.) · capital Dashapura

A Malwa dynasty of Dashapura whose king Yashodharman claimed victory over the Huns and boasted of ruling from the Himalaya to the ocean.

Origins

The Aulikaras ruled Dashapura, modern Mandsaur in western Madhya Pradesh, from around 400, at first as allies or feudatories of the Gupta Empire. Their early kings, such as Naravarman and Bandhuvarman, are known from inscriptions dated in the Malava era.

Rule and society

The Mandsaur silk weavers' inscription records how a guild of weavers migrated from Gujarat to Dashapura and built a Sun temple in 436, restoring it in 473, a vivid picture of guild life in a prosperous city. Around 528 Yashodharman set up victory pillars at Sondani near Mandsaur, claiming to have defeated the Hun ruler Mihirakula and to rule lands never held by the Guptas.

Decline and legacy

Yashodharman's dominion seems to have collapsed after his death, and the dynasty disappears from the record by the mid-6th century. Malwa passed to the Kalachuris of Mahishmati and other powers.

Connections (1)

  • Aulikara dynasty was a vassal of Gupta Empire400 CE – 515 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Aulikara dynasty. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/aulikara-dynasty
MLA
“Aulikara dynasty.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/aulikara-dynasty. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Aulikara dynasty.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/aulikara-dynasty.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Aulikara dynasty’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/aulikara-dynasty (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻