ashtrakuta (
IAST:
rāṣṭrakūṭa ) was a royal
dynasty ruling large parts of the
Indian Subcontinent between the sixth and 10th centuries. The earliest known Rashtrakuta
inscription is a 7th-century
copper plate grant detailing their rule from Manapura, a city in Central or West India. Other ruling Rashtrakuta clans from the same period mentioned in inscriptions were the kings of
Achalapur (modern Elichpur in
Maharashtra) and the rulers of
Kannauj. Several controversies exist regarding the origin of these early Rashtrakutas, their native home and their language.