Maitraka Dynasty
| Maitraka of Valabhi | ||||||||||
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 Maitrakas and their contemporaries in India in 590 CE
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| Capital | Vallabhi | |||||||||
| Languages |
Sanskrit Prakrit Sauraseni Apabhramsa |
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| Religion |
Shaivism Buddhism Jainism Sun-worship |
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| Government | Monarchy | |||||||||
| Paramabhataraka | ||||||||||
| • | c. 475 - c. 493 CE | Bhatarka | ||||||||
| • | c. 762 - c. 776 CE | Siladitya VI | ||||||||
| History | ||||||||||
| • | Established | c. 493 CE | ||||||||
| • | Disestablished | c. 776 CE | ||||||||
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The Maitraka dynasty of Vallabhi ruled Gujarat in western India from c. 475 to c. 776 CE.
Early scholars like Fleet had misread copperplate grant and considered Maitrakas as some foreign tribe defeated by Bhatarka. Bhagwanlal Indraji believed that Maitrakas were foreign tribe while Bhatarka, who defeated them, belonged to indigenous dynasty. Later readings corrected that Bhatarka was himself Maitraka who had succeeded in many battles. The earlier scholar had suggested the name Maitraka is derived from Mithra, the Sun or solar deity, and their supposed connection to Mihira and their sun-worshiping inclination. Though Mitra and Mihira are synonyms for the sun, the Sanskrit literature do not use it in sense of sun-worshipers. Dharapatta is the fifth and the only king of all Maitraka kings connected with sun-worship. All other kings were followers of Shaivism.
The copperplate grants do not help in identifying their origin, they describe only that the dynasty was born from war-like tribe whose capital was at Vallabhi and they were Shaivas. Chinese traveller Hieun-Tsang visited Vallabhi during second quarter of 7th century had described the ruler as a Kshatriya. Later Mahayana Buddhist work Manju-Shri-Mula-Kalpa had described them as Varavatya Yadava. The late Jain traditional work Shatrunjaya-Mahatmaya of Dhaneshwara describes Shiladitya as the Yadavas of Lunar race.
Virji concludes that Maitrakas were a Kshatriya of Lunar race and their origin was probably from Mitra dynasty which once ruled region around Mathura (now in Uttar Pradesh, India). Several scholars like Benerjee, D. Shastri, D. R. Bhandarkar agree with her conclusion.
The Maitrakas ruled from their capital at Vallabhi. They came under the rule of Harsha in the mid-7th century, but retained local autonomy, and regained their independence after Harsha's death.
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Wikipedia