The Kadamba dynasty was an ancient royal dynasty of Karnataka that ruled from Banavasi in present day Uttara Kannada district. The dynasty was founded by Mayurasharma in AD 345. It is believed that he went to Kanchipuram to study the Vedas, but fought with a Pallava guard there, and left. In frustration, he went to war with the Pallavas, and conquered some of their territories.
One of his successors, Kakusthavarma, was a powerful ruler, and even the kings of the Gupta dynasty cultivated relationships with his family. One of the later descendants, king Shivakoti adopted Jainism after being tired of endless battles. The Kadambas have won a special place in history for being the first dynasty to use Kannada at the administrative level.
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