ceremony at Ujjain. After a short while, he marched to Mahakosala or
Chattisgarh District of Madhya Pradesh. Thus, by AD 75, he had become the
master of the whole of Madhya Pradesh and central and southern Gujarat. He
then attacked and overthrew his suzerain, Kirtivarman II, the Chalukya
emperor and proclaimed himself the paramount ruler of the Deccan. He did
not live long after this victory.
Krishna I Dantidurga died childless and was succeeded by his uncle
Krishna I. After securing his position in Maharashtra and Karnataka, Krishna
I advanced southwards and invaded Gangawadi (modern Mysore), which was
then under the sway of its Ganga ruler Sripurusha. He returned home after
permitting Sripurusha to rule as a feudatory. In the east, Krishna I came to
grips with the Chalukyas of Vengi. He sent the crown prince Govinda to
Vengi and its ruler Vijayaditya I made his submission without a fight. Great
as a conqueror, Krishna was equally great as a builder. He constructed the
magnificent rock-cut monolithic temple at Ellora, now known as Kailasa.
                             Kailash Temple at Ellora
Govinda II Krishna I was succeeded by his eldest son Govinda II. He
practically left the whole administration to the care of his younger brother,