Rashtrakuta emperor Indra III captured Kannauj during Mahipala I's reign. But Mahipala I soon brought Kannauj under control. His court poet Rajasekhara calls him "Maharajadhiraja of Aryavarta". According to "Kavyamimansa" of Rajasekhara, Mahipala controlled land from the Beas River in the northwest to Kalinga (present Orissa) in the southeast, and from the Himalayas to the Chera country in the south. During the end of Mahipala I's reign, the kingdom was attacked by the Rashtrakutas.