Among the Rashtrakutas, the title was first adopted by Dantidurga, an 8th-century ruler of the Deccan and the founder of the Rashtrakuta dynasty. Prithvi means the earth and vallabha means either head of household or lover, thus the title can be loosely translated as Lord of the Earth. Since Prithvi was also the name of an earth goddess controlled by Lord Vishnu, the title went so far as to equate Dantidurga and his heirs with the Hindu god Vishnu. The title was abbreviated to vallabha and was written by Muslim observers as Balhara.