Indian ruling house originating in the central Deccan in the mid-3rd century AD, the empire of which is believed to have extended from Mālwa and Gujarāt in the north to the Tungabhadra in the south and from the Arabian Sea in the west to the Bay of Bengal in the east. The Vākāṭakas, like many of the contemporary dynasties of the Deccan, claimed Brahmanical origin. Little is known, however, about Vindhyaśakti (c. AD 250–270), the founder of the family. Territorial expansion began in the reign of his son Pravarasena I, who came to the throne c. 270 and reached the Narmada in the north by annexing the kingdom of Purikā.

Pravarasena's kingdom was partitioned after his death. The main line continued with Rudrasena I (c. 330), his son Pṛthvīṣeṇa I (c. 350), and Pṛthvīṣeṇa's son Rudrasena II (c. 400). In the period of Pṛthvīṣeṇa the Vākāṭakas came into contact with the powerful Gupta (Gupta dynasty) family of North India, which was making a bid to expand in the west at the expense of the Western Kṣatrapas. Because of its territorial position, the Vākāṭaka family was recognized as a useful ally; Prabhāvatī Gupta, the daughter of Candra Gupta II, was married to Rudrasena II. In this period, Gupta impact was significant in Vākāṭaka polity and culture. Rudrasena's death was followed by a lengthy regency of Prabhāvatī Guptā during the minority of her sons Divākarasena and Dāmodarasena. After the Guptas became involved in a war against the Hūṇas, the Vākāṭaka dynasty was free to expand in central India, and in the period of Narendrasena (c. 450–470), son of Pravarasena II, Vākāṭaka influence spread to such central Indian states as Kosala, Mekala, and Mālava. This power, however, ultimately brought the Vākāṭakas into conflict with the Nalas and caused a setback to the family. Its power was temporarily revived in the reign of Pṛthvīṣeṇa II, the last known king of the line, who acceded to the throne c. 470.

Apart from this senior line was the Vatsagulma (Bāsim, in Akola district) line, which branched off after Pravarasena I and occupied the area between the Indhyādri Range and the Godāvari River. The Vākāṭakas are noted for having encouraged arts and letters.