Dhruv took over the reins of the Rashtrakuta dynasty by overthrowing his forefather Govind II. There is no clear knowledge of the date of Dhruva's accession. Jinsen's 'Jain Harivanshpuran ' It is said that Krishna's son Srivallabh (Kshirvallabh) was ruling in the south in 783 AD.
Although in articles for both Govind II and Dhruv, Shrivallabh But Govind had died before 783 AD, so the Srivallabh mentioned by Jinsen in the Jain Harivamsa Purana was Dhruva, not Govind II. It is also known from the Dhulia copper plates that in 779 AD, Dhruva was ruling under Govind. Thus it seems that Dhruva may have assumed the rule as an independent ruler around 780 AD.
Dhruv assumed the title of Dharavarsha and Nirupam (unique) on the occasion of his coronation. Later the titles Kalivallabh (the one who loves war), Srivallabh etc. have also been used for this. The daughter of Vengi King Vishnuvardhana IV Shilbhattarika It had a princess.
Dhruv's military achievements
Dhruv began to rule under Govind II and around 780 AD defeated Govind II and abducted the throne of the Rashtrakuta dynasty. So after assuming the rule he had to face some internal problems. First of all, Dhruva strengthened his position in the capital by suppressing the rebellious feudal lords and ministers and tried to instill faith in his sovereignty among the subjects. He then planned to punish the forces who had supported Govind II against him in the civil dispute.
Campaign Against the Ganges: After consolidating his position in the capital, Dhruva first attacked his southern neighbor, the Gangwadi kingdom. During the period of Krishna I, the Ganga rulers accepted the suzerainty of the Rashtrakutas, but it seems that they later declared their independence by taking advantage of the internal strife of the Rashtrakutas.
Ganga ruler of Krishna I who, due to his old age, had entrusted the responsibility of administration to his son Shivmar II. Shivamara II was less a warrior, more a scholar. It is also said that he had also composed a treatise on palmistry.
When the armies of the Rashtrakuta ruler Dhruva invaded the Ganges kingdom, the Ganges, led by Shivamar, faced it with great valor. According to the Ganga inscriptions, initially Shivamara had some success against the Rashtrakutas, but eventually Dhruva defeated Shivamara and took him captive. The defeat of the Ganges by Dhruva is confirmed by the Rashtrakuta inscriptions as well as the Ganga inscriptions.
Dhruv annexed the Ganges kingdom to the Rashtrakuta kingdom and appointed his son, Stambh Ravaloka, as the ruler of Gangwadi. Thus, with the conquest of the Ganges kingdom, the southern border of the Rashtrakuta Empire reached Kaveri.
Campaign against Pallavas: After conquering the Ganga kingdom, Dhruva probably campaigned against the Pallavas of Kanchi, as the Pallavas also supported Govind II against Dhruva. In this campaign also Dhruva got success against his contemporary Pallava ruler Dantivarman. It is said in the Radhanpur grant letter that 'The Pallava king was frightened by being surrounded between the real sea on one side and the sea of innumerable army of Rashtrakutas on the other and he dedicated many elephants of his army to Dhruva to protect the Pallava kingdom'-
Nishkrishtasi Bhatoddhaten Vihardgrahatibhimen Ch.
Mataganmadvariniranjharmuchah prayayanatapallavat,
Tachitram madleshampyanudinam yasparshva na quichit.
Thus Dhruva was able to bring the Pallava ruler under his control by defeating him in petty battles. The defeat of the Pallavas secured the southern border of the Rashtrakuta kingdom. In these wars, Dhruva also received military assistance from his father-in-law, Venginresha Vishnuvardhana IV.
Vengi's struggle with the Chalukyas: Possibly in connection with the campaign against the Pallavas, Dhruva had a conflict with Vishnuvardhana IV of Vengi. Although Vishnuvardhana IV, the Chalukya ruler of Vengi, was Dhruva's father-in-law, he probably also helped his brother Govinda against Dhruva. In the campaign against Vengi, Dhruva got help from his Chalukya feudator Arikesari I of Vemulvad. With the help of Arikesari, Dhruva defeated the Chalukya ruler of Vengi and occupied Trikalinga and the Chalukya king accepted to rule under the suzerainty of the Rashtrakutas. As a result of these victories, Dhruva became the most powerful emperor of South India and he became a force to be reckoned with throughout the Deccan.
Military-Operation in North India
Dhruv was not going to be satisfied only with the conquest of the Deccan. He also planned to interfere in the politics of North India after the conquest of Deccan. PB Desai believes that Dhruva first campaigned against North India and later conquered the southern states. But this view is not rational. It was not appropriate for Dhruva to go for the conquest of North India without establishing his sovereignty in the Dakshinapath and the far south. In fact, Dhruv would have invaded North India only after consolidating his position in the Dakshinapath and the far south.
Political Situation in North India: During the northern campaign of Dhruva I, a thorny rivalry was going on between the Gurjara Pratiharas of Malwa and Rajputana and the Palas of Gaur (Bengal) to take control of Kanauj in North India. In fact, from the time of Harshavardhana, Kanyakubja (Kannauj) had become the center of the politics of North India. At this time a weak puppet king named Indra Yudh was ruling in Kannauj. In Malwa and Rajputana, the Gurjara Pratihara ruler Vatsaraja was ruling, while his rival Pal Naresh Dharmapala was the ruler of Gaur (Bengal) region.
The Gwalior Prashasti of Bhoja I shows that Pratihara Vatsaraja attacked Kanauj after 783 AD and defeated Indra Yuddha and appointed him as his feudatory ruler of Kanauj. did. This success of Vatsaraja was an open challenge to Dharmapala, the Pala ruler of Gaur, who was probably also a relative of Indra Yuddha. Dharmapala attacked Kannauj, but he was defeated at the hands of Vatsaraj. According to Radhanpur article, Vatsaraj defeated Dharmapala and snatched both his white kings-
Helasapproved Gaudarajya Kamalamattam Pravenyachirat,
Dumargim marumadyam prativarlaryo vatsarajam balaih.
Gaudiya Sharadindupadadhavalanchhatradvayam Kevalam,
Tasmanahrit, however, located in Kukubham province immediately. Radhanpur article
Vani Dindori article also reveals that Vatsaraj had become darpyukt after defeating the Gaur king. After this defeat, Dharmapala again gathered power and decided to fight with Pratihara Vatsaraja and stationed a part of his army in the Ganga-Yamuna doab.
Struggles with Pratiharas: Meanwhile, in 786 AD, Dhruv intervened in the politics of North India. But there is controversy regarding the reasons for Dhruva's campaign against northern India. Some scholars speculate that Vatsaraja invaded Malwa and Dhruva attacked Vatsaraja to help Karka II, the ruler of his feudal Lat.
Some scholars suggest that Dhruva campaigned against Vatsaraja at the invitation of Dharmapala because Dharmapala was married to Rattadevi, the daughter of Parbala, a Rashtrakuta feudatory. Although the identity of Parbal is not clear, it is believed to have been a Rashtrakuta feudatory. But there is no clear evidence of Dharampala inviting Dhruv and the Sanjan article shows that Dhruv later defeated Dhruv as well.
BP Historians like Sinha are of the view that Dhruva, attracted by the economic prosperity of the Ganges valley and the political prestige of Kanauj, conducted military campaigns in northern India. In fact, the Pratihara ruler Vatsaraja had assisted his brother Govind against Dhruva, so probably the main objective of Dhruva's northern campaign was to punish the Pratihara ruler Vatsaraja and get wealth from North India.
Dhruv gathered his army on the banks of the river Narmada and divided it into several parts and entrusted the responsibility of their operation to his sons- Govind and Indra. At the time when the army of the Pratihara king Vatsaraja was in the Ganga-Yamuna doab to deal with Dharmapala, at the same time Dhruva crossed the Vindhya mountain and attacked the Pratihara kingdom. The Pratihara ruler Vatsaraja was badly defeated in the battle and fled towards the desert of Rajputana. It is known from the Vani Dindori and Radhanpur inscriptions that in this war, Dhruva snatched the fame of Vatsaraj as well as the two royals which he had snatched from the Gaur king.
Clash with sails: After defeating Vatsaraja, Dhruva also defeated the Pala ruler Dharmapala of Bengal in the Ganga-Yamuna doab itself. This victory is confirmed by the Sanjan inscription of Amoghavarsha, according to which Dhruva, while running between Ganga-Yamuna, snatched the liarbindos and white umbrellas of Goddess Lakshmi from Gaudaraja-
Lakshmililarvindani svetachachtrani yoharet. Sanjan Articles
Sanjan article's statement is also supported by the Surat donation paper of Karka Suvarnavarsha, in which both Shiva and Dhruva are said to have blocked the flow of the Ganges. His fame had increased (Gangodha progeny nirodhavriddha kirtih).
It is also mentioned in the Baroda Copperplate of Cancer that 'Dhruv had attained Uttampada (God) by receiving the subtle waves of Ganga-Yamuna'. Prinsep has taken 'Uttampada' to mean the death of Dhruva I at the confluence of Ganga-Yamuna, but Altekar's suggestion seems logical that Dhruva had experienced heavenly pleasures due to his possession till Ganga-Yamuna.
Dr. Bhandarkar estimates that after the defeat of Vatsaraj, Vatsaraj and Dharmapala fought jointly against Dhruva I. But after the escape of Vatsaraja, the idea of this union becomes baseless. Dhruva got this success against Vatsaraja and Dharmapala probably between 787-790 AD.
In this way Dhruva defeated Vatsaraja and Dharmapala and lashed out at Pala-Pratihara aspirations by 790 AD. But his aim was not to capture Kanauj or to expand his power in North India. As a result, after staying in the banks of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers for some time, he returned to South India around 790 AD with incomparable wealth and royal symbols. Despite this success of Dhruva's northern campaign, the boundaries of the Rashtrakuta Empire remained intact.
Solve succession problem: In the last days of his reign, Dhruva tried to solve the problem of succession. Dhruva had four sons- Karka, Stambh, Govind and Indra. Cancer died during the reign of Dhruva. Stambh was the eldest among the remaining three sons and according to the rules, he was his legal heir. But Dhruva was more influenced by his third son Govind III and wanted to make him his successor. To avoid a possible war of succession, he appointed the pillar of Gangwadi and Indra the independent ruler of Malwa and Gujarat. Dhruva nominated Govind III as his successor and adorned him with the crown symbol -
Yasyakarammanusham Tribhuvanavyapti Rakhochitam,
Krishnasayeva nirikshya yachhati pitrayakadhipatyam bhuvah.
Aastan tat tavaitadpratihata datta tvaya kanthika,
Kinnagyevamaya dhrutoti pitram yukto vacho yombhyadhat.. Radhanpur donation letter
This is also confirmed by the Paithan donation letter. It is also said in the Surat donation papers of Cancer that Govind had not only obtained the title of crown prince from his father, but also the position of emperor-
Coronation Kalasairbhishichyadattam.
Rajadhirajparameshwartam Swapitrah.
Thus Govind III was duly coronated in a huge ceremony in AD 792-93.
Dhruv's evaluation
The power, prestige and prosperity of the Rashtrakuta dynasty increased tremendously during the thirteen-year reign of Dhruva Dharavarsha. उसने पश्चिमी गंगों, वेंगी के चालुक्यों और पल्लवों को पराजित करने के बाद उत्तर भारत के गुर्जर प्रतिहारों और बंगाल के पालों को हराया, जिससे ध्रुव की कीर्ति एवं प्रतिष्ठा संपूर्ण दकन और उत्तर भारत में फैल गई। उसने अपनी विजयों के द्वारा उसने राष्ट्रकूट राज्य को एक विशाल साम्राज्य में परिवर्तित कर दिया और राष्ट्रकूटों को एक अखिल भारतीय शक्ति के रूप में परिवर्तित कर दिया। अब उत्तर या दक्षिण में कोई ऐसा शक्तिशाली शासक नहीं था, जो उसकी चुनौती को स्वीकार करता। सातवाहनों के पतन के बाद पहली बार दक्षिण की किसी शक्ति ने ध्रुव के नेतृत्व में मध्य भारत में अपनी शक्ति का विस्तार किया था।
ध्रुव ने धारावर्ष तथा निरूपम (अद्वितीय) के साथ-साथ कलिवल्लभ (युद्ध से प्रेम करने वाला) , महाराजाधिराज, परमेश्वर तथा श्रीवल्लभ जैसी उपाधियाँ भी धारण की थी। उसकी अग्रमहिषी शीलभट्टारिका के नाम से भी शासनादेश जारी किये गये थे, जो वेंगी के चालुक्य शासक विष्णुवर्धन् चतुर्थ की पुत्री थी। ध्रुव ने लगभग तेरह वर्ष (780-793 ई.) तक शासन किया था।