The Second Battle of Eran, which took place around 510 CE, was a pivotal battle between the Gupta Empire's Emperor Bhanugupta and the Huna army of Toramana. The battle, which finds mention in the Eran inscription, was fought at the cost of the death of Bhanugupta's general, Goparaja. It was a key battle in halting the Huna invasion of eastern Malwa or attempting to expel them from the region. The battle was the first of a series of reverses for the Huna conqueror. In his battle against the invaders, Bhanugupta might have had the support of King PrakÃÂÃ Âadharman, the king of Mandasor.
The fertile plains around Eran, also referred to as Airikana or the "Refreshing Fields," at the junction of the Betwa and Bina rivers, became a battleground between the great powers. This historically significant locality had a religious complex dedicated to Vishnu, the patron deity of the Gupta Empire, built during the time of Emperor Budhagupta. Two local feudatories, Maharaja MÃÂtá¹Âviá¹£á¹Âu and his younger brother Dhanyaviá¹£á¹Âu, raised a twin temple, under the shadow of the 13-meter-tall 'Column of Janardana' (Vishnu/Krishna), marking the area's religious and cultural significance. [[File:Budhagupta gold coin , 477-487 CE , India.jpg|thumb|center|upright=1.4| The First Battle of Eran was a turning point battle between the Gupta Empire and the Hunas, led by Toramana. Eran inscriptional evidence reveals that by the first year of Toramana's reign, Dhanyaviá¹£á¹Âu, a renowned local official, defected from the Guptas to the Hunas. This defection, carved in a temple inscription, marks the rise in the power of the Hunas and their ability to influence regional political forces.
Goparaja's posthumous inscription at Eran, dated 510 CE, is of particular significance here. It refers to King Bhanugupta as "the bravest man on the earth" and reports a great battle at Eran, in which his general Goparaja was killed. The battle would have been against the Huna invaders, either to check their advance into eastern Malwa or to expel them from the region entirely. If the aim had been to check their advance, it is safe to put Toramana's conquest of eastern Malwa around 510 CE; otherwise, if the aim had been expulsion, the battle would have occurred earlier. Although the occupation of the region by the Huna cannot be pinpointed as accurately as we would like, it can be inferred that Toramana's penetration into India proper occurred some years after 500 CE, and the Hunas were initially confined to Gandhara. By 510 CE, Toramana's hold over Malwa may be assumed to be firmly in place.
According to Hans T. Bakker, the inscription does not contain an explicit statement regarding the success or failure of the battle. From the events that follow, it may be inferred that the inscription marks the beginning of a chain of woes for the Huna conqueror. In his struggle against the invader, Bhanugupta might have had the backing of the person of King PrakÃÂÃ Âadharman, the king of Mandasor.
[[File:Male head, northern India, Kushan or Gupta period, 5th-6th century CE, terracotta, HAA.JPG|thumb| The connection in question is most likely due to the sister of Bhanugupta (or another close relation), who was wedded to Ravikërti, the amÃÂtya of RÃÂjyavardhana, father of PrakÃÂà Âadharman. Bhagavaddosa, Ravikërti's son and BhÃÂnugupta's nephew (or another relation), was prime minister to PrakÃÂà Âadharman and may have participated in military campaigns under his maternal uncle. It is presumed that this new line of Mandasor kings, referred to as the 'Later Aulikaras', was to challenge their erstwhile Gupta overlords.
Resistance to foreign threats and instability grew in the second half of the 6th century, focusing on a group of Aulikaras who asserted independence in the area. The Rësthal Inscription of MÃÂlava Year 572 (515 CE) documents the successful reestablishment of order in Daà Âapura by King PrakÃÂà Âadharman with the help of the powerful Naigama merchant family. Principal members of this family were rÃÂjasthÃÂnëyas (viceroys) to the later Aulikaras and helped stabilize the region.
[[File:Risthal inscription rubbing.jpg|300px|thumb| This period of resilience is not only verified by inscriptions but also by the architectural monuments built by the new rulers of Daà Âapura. This religious change emphasized the revival, as the sixth-century Aulikara rulers dropped Vaisnavism, the original state religion, in favor of a vigorous and militant form of Shaivism. This form of Shaivism, which was linked with the PÃÂà Âupata movement, was from the region between the Narmadàand Mahë and became established in Gujarat and Rajasthan, backed by an interconnected system of temples and Mathas.
The following example illustrates the development of Shaivism as a leading cultural force in this era. Though already an established popular faith, Shaivism was revitalized by the PÃÂà Âupata school, which was embraced by the political aristocracy to consolidate their ideological system of domination. Vaishnavism, the former state religion, on the other hand, lost its place in this culture. Shaivism introduced new characteristics, such as the appearance of à Âiva in the form of the Brahmin named Lakulëà Âa, which provided ordinary people access to superhuman powers (siddhi) and divine weapons through instructions learned from human gurus (achÃÂryas) who were said to be the very personification of the Lord himself in ritual practice. [[File:Shiva with Trisula Panjikent 7thâÂÂ8th century CE Hermitage Museum.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1| This change benefited the Aulikara rulers, as attested by their great architectural achievements. First among these are the colossal à Âiva à Âà «lapÃÂá¹Âi stele in Daà Âapura, perhaps commissioned by Bhagavaddosa under the patronage of King PrakÃÂà Âadharman in the PrakÃÂà Âeà Âvara Temple, which, according to the Rësthal Inscription, was "the ornament of BhÃÂratavará¹£a (India)." About 3 meters in height, this stele rivaled its Vaiá¹£á¹Âava counterpart, the VarÃÂha statue of Eran, erected by Dhanyaviá¹£á¹Âu during the conquest of ToramÃÂá¹Âa and similarly renowned as "the pillar of the universe."
The actions that occurred in 515 CE, as borne witness to by the Rësthal Inscription, are regarded as a significant turn of events in Indian history. The inscription boasts of PrakÃÂà Âadharman on account of canceling the title of "Overlord" (adhirÃÂja) bestowed upon the Hà «á¹Âa general, a title that had been well established during the reign of ToramÃÂá¹Âa, a king whose authority had previously made other kings prostrate before him.