Harishena

Harishena () was the last known ruler of the Vatsagulma branch of the Vakataka dynasty. He succeeded his father Devasena. Harishena was a great patron of Buddhist architecture, art and culture, with the World Heritage monument of Ajanta being his greatest legacy. He is also credited with many conquests. The end of Harishena's reign and the ultimate fate of the Vatsagulma branch is shrouded in mystery, as it seems the Vakataka dynasty came to an end not long after the death of Harishena.

==Reign== Harishena was the most powerful of the Vakataka rulers of the Vatsagulma branch. The Ajanta cave inscription of Harishena's minister Varahadeva describes the king's influence extending over many countries including Kuntala (probably referring to the kingdom of the Kadambas), Avanti (the region of western Malwa), Kalinga, Koshala, Lata, Andhra, and Trikuta (referring to the territories of the Traikutakas around the northern Konkan). In the west, the Traikutaka dynasty seems to have come to an end around 495 following the death of Vyaghrasena, who had no known successors, and the termination of this line of rulers may have been due to conquest by Harishena. In the north, it seems that part of the Anupa region was included in Harishena's kingdom, as the Bagh caves of this region are closely related to those of Ajanta in style and date. The extent of the Vakataka empire under Harishena was thus even greater than what it had been during the reign of Emperor Pravarasena I.