kingdom · South Asia
Kadamba dynasty
Origins
According to the Talagunda inscription, Mayurasharma, a Brahmin scholar, was insulted by a Pallava guard while studying at Kanchipuram. He took up arms, gathered forest chiefs and forced the Pallava dynasty to recognise him as ruler of the region around Banavasi in the mid-4th century.
Rule and society
Mayurasharma's descendants took the warrior title varma and ruled from Banavasi, with a branch at Triparvata. Kakusthavarma made marriage alliances with the Gupta Empire and the Vakataka dynasty. The Halmidi inscription, from around 450, is the oldest known inscription in Kannada, though Sanskrit remained the main court language. The kings patronised Brahmins and Jains, and their temple style influenced later Karnataka architecture.
Decline and legacy
Weakened by divisions between branches, the Kadambas were conquered around 540 by Pulakeshin I of the Chalukyas of Badami. Later families claiming Kadamba descent ruled smaller states, notably the Kadambas of Goa and the Kadambas of Hangal.
Lineage
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- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kadamba dynasty. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kadamba-dynasty
- MLA
- “Kadamba dynasty.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kadamba-dynasty. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Kadamba dynasty.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kadamba-dynasty.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kadamba dynasty’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kadamba-dynasty (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻