Yashodharman, the King of the Malavas between 515 and 545 AD significantly expanded the kingdom and conquered the territories of Huns.

The Malavas had been a tribe from northwestern India who conquered and established their rule over the Malwa region sometime after the fall of the Kingdom of Avanti (61 BC).

Jayavarman, a Malava chief, deposed the republican government and established the Kingdom of Daśapura and the House of Aulikara.

The Kingdom of Daśapura remained independent until at least 423 AD, after which Viswavarman accepted the suzerainty of Kumaragupta I, the Gupta emperor.

[9] The earliest known member of the second Aulikara dynasty is Drumavardhana (c. 5th century[10]), whom the Rīsthal inscription describes as a Senapati (warlord).

[10] Dániel Balogh considers the reading to be "Drapa" based on a comparison of the various occurrences of the ligatures "pa" and "ma", and finds "not the slightest indication" of an "u" matra (vowel symbol).

This inscription mentions that Prakashadharma defeated the Huna ruler Toramana, sacked his camp and had taken away the ladies of his harem.

[14] An undated fragmentary Mandsaur inscription provides a name of a suzerain ruler Adityavardhana and his feudatory Maharaja Gauri.

[16] The Chhoti Sadri inscription dated Malava Samvat 547 (490 CE) and written by Bhramarasoma, son of Mitrasoma supplies a genealogy of Adityavardhana's feudatory ruler, Maharaja Gauri.

The undated pillar inscriptions, which were also written by poet Vasula, son of Kakka say that his feet were worshipped by the Huna ruler Mihirakula.

These also state that his feudatories from the vicinity of the river Lauhitya (Brahmaputra) in the east, from the Mahendra mountains (Eastern Ghats) in the south, up to the Himalayas in the north and the Paschima Payodhi (Western Ocean) in the west came to the seat of his empire to pay homage.

[14] Yashodharma's dated inscription informs us that in 532 CE, Nirdosha, his Rajasthaniya was governing the area between the Vindhyas and the Pariyatras (Aravalis) and his headquarters was Dashapura.

Probably the rule of the Aulikaras ended with Yashodharma[17] In Line 5 of the Mandsaur pillar inscription, Yashodharman is said to have vanquished his enemies and to now control the territory from the neighbourhood of the (river) Lauhitya (Brahmaputra River) to the "Western Ocean" (Western Indian Ocean), and from the Himalayas to mountain Mahendra.

[20][21] Yashodharman thus conquered vast territories from the Hunas and the Guptas,[22] although his short-lived empire would ultimately disintegrate between 530 and 540 CE.

Historian Ajay Mitra Shastri theorizes that Dravyavardhana was a distinct king who flourished sometime after Yashodharman alias Vishnuvardhana.

According to Shastri, Varahamihira holds Dravya-vardhana in high regard, mentioning his work before other reputed authorities (such as the Seven Sages and Garga), and using the honorific Shri only for him.

[24] Shastri's main argument is that according to the Risthal inscription, Drapa-vardhana was a senapati (warlord), while according to Varahamihira, Dravya-vardhana was a maharajadhiraja (emperor).

Balogh notes that Varahamihira actually uses the term nrpo maharajadhiraja-kah (nrpa or ruler "connected to the emperor") for the king and that only one manuscript reads maharajadhirajah, which he considers to be unimportant as it doesn't fit the metre; three others have maharajdhiraja-jah; through this he concludes indicates that the actual title of Drapa-vardhana was nrpa, which is much closer to senapati in status.

Utpala, the author of the earliest extant commentary on Bṛhat Saṃhitā, interprets the term maharajadhiraja-kah to mean "born in the dynasty of the (or an) emperor".

[25] Hans Bakker interprets the term to maharajadhiraja-kah as a governor installed at Ujjayini by the contemporary Gupta emperor.

Shashthidatta's son Varaha is identified with Varahadasa of the Chittaurgarh fragmentary inscription of his grandson by a historian D.C. Sircar.

[29] The most significant monuments which definitely belong to the Aulikara period are two freestanding victory pillars of Yashodharma Vishnuvardhana bearing his inscriptions.

These almost identical pillars, situated at Sondani, a suburb about 2 kilometers to the southeast of the Aulikara capital of Mandsaur, are made of sandstone.