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Chalukya Empire
Western Chalukya Empire during Pulakesi II (c. 640 CE), Vikramaditya II (c.735 CE) Vikramaditya VI (c.1120 CE) Official languages Prakrit
Kannada Capitals Early Chalukyas: Vatapi
Later Chalukyas : Manyakheta, Kalyani Government Monarchy Preceding state Satavahana, Rashtrakuta Succeeding states Hoysala, Yadava, Kakatiya, Southern Kalachuri

The Chalukya Dynasty was a powerful Indian royal dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th century C.E. They began to assert their independence at the decline of the Satavahana empire and rapidly rose to prominence during the reign of Pulakesi II (609 – 642) C.E. Immadi Pulakesi (Immadi in old Kannada means "II") extended the Chalukyan Empire up to the northern extents of the Pallava kingdom and halted the southward march of Harsha by defeating him on the banks of the river Narmada. He also defeated the Vishnukundins in the southeastern Deccan. He is considered as one of the great kings in Indian history. Pallava Narasimhavarman however reversed this victory by attacking and occupying the Chalukya capital Vatapi (Badami).

The Chalukyan dynasty witnessed some determined struggles for political hegemony over the Deccan. It also saw some remarkable achievements in the myriad realms of culture, particularly in the evolution and proliferation of architectural styles.

The Chalukya Empire went in to a brief decline following Pulakesi II due to internal feuds. It recovered during the reign of the equally illustrious Vikramaditya II who defeated the Pallava Nandivarman II and captured Kanchipuram.

After the rise of the Rashtrakutas the Chalukyas of Badami went in to an eclipse to be recovered in the tenth century C.E. by Tailapa II (973 – 997) C.E. These later Chalukyas ruled from Kalyani. These 'Western Chalukyas' were in constant conflict with the Imperial Cholas over the control of the Eastern Chalukya kingdom of Vengi.

After almost three hundred years of glory, the Western Chalukyan power finally succumbed to the Hoysalas and Yadavas. Somesvara IV 1184 – 1200 C.E. was the last recognised Chalukyan ruler.

Chalukyas have left behind their legacy of some of the most beautiful architecture and literature. The Chalukyan style of architecture was a combination of the South Indian and the North Indian building styles.

Origin of Chalukyas

Natives of Karnataka

While opinions vary regarding the origins of the Chalukyas, there is consensus on the opinion that they were natives to the Karnataka region. Well known historians like Dr. S. C. Sircar, Prof. K. A. Nilakanta Sastri, ASI epigraphist Sri. N. Laxminarayana Rao and Professor S. C. Nandinath have emphatically asserted that the Chalukyas were Kannadigas and very much the natives of Karnataka. Their inscriptions are in Kannada and Sanskrit. The names of some Chalukya kings end with the Kannada term arasa ("king" or "chief"). The Rashtrakuta inscriptions speak of Chalukyas of Badami as Karnataka Bala. They claim that the Chalukyas were descendants or were related to the Kadambas of Banavasi. The Chalukyas took control of the territory formerly ruled by the Kadambas. The famous Badami cliff inscriptions (578 CE) of Kirtivarman I, the Mahakuta Pillar inscription (602 CE) of Mangalesa, the Aihole inscription (620 CE?) of Pulakeshi II and Kappe Ara Bhatta inscriptions of 7th c. CE. in early Kannada provide more evidence of the Chalukyan language. The earliest inscirption dated 543CE of Pulakesi I is a Sanskrit inscription written in Kannada script and gives details of the Badami fort.

Aihole inscription mentions Pulkeshi as king of three Maharashtras consisting of 99,000 thousand villages. The Solanki (chale/chalukya), one among of 96 Maratha clans are descendants of the Chalukya clan of Kshatriyas whose oldest known area of residence may be in present-day Karnataka.

Chinese notes

Huien-Tsang, a Chinese traveller speaks of Pulkeshi as king of Maharashtra and a kshatriya. This must have been a terminology describing the entire territory between Kaveri and Narmada.

The Name Chalukya

In the Maruturu inscription of Pulakesin II, a village that was granted by him is presumed to be situated in the Chalukya Vishaya. It is therefore clear that the original word of Chalukya was applied to a territorial division or a Vishaya of a kingdom. The territorial division came to be known as Chalukya after the Chalukyan clan.

The provenance of the Maruturu grant and also the other factors mentioned in it clearly prove that this Chalukya Vishaya must have comprised portions of the ceded districts of Andhra Pradesh including perhaps parts of the Mahboobnagar district of Telangana, Hence the Chalukyas were the original residents of this area.

According to the earliest Chalukyan Kanarese legend preserved in an inscription dated 578 C.E. at Badami, the Chalukyas were worshippers of the feet of the sacred Lord Kartikeya and belonged to Manavyasa Gotra and had themselves purified by the performance of several yajnas. They were Kshatriyas. They were nourished by the Saptamatrikas, acquired great merit and prosperity and obtained the Varaha Lanchana by the divine favour and grace of Vishnu.

Legends

Vidyapati Bilhana, the famous poet in the court of Vikramaditya VI of the Western Chalukya family of Kalyana, mentions an amusing legend in his work, Vikramankadeva Charita.

• Indra once requested Brahma to create a hero who would put an end to godlessness in the world and punish the wicked. Agreeing to his request, Brahma looked into his Chuluka (hollow of the hands) while performing the Sandhya, and lo! From there sprang a mighty warrior. He was called Chalukya and he became the eponymous ancestor of the line. In it were born two great heroes, Harita and Manavya who raised the Chalukyas into distinct position. This story is repeated and elaborated in the Ramastipundi grant of Vimaladitya of the Eastern Chalukya family.

Another version of this legend is found in the Nilagunda Record of Vikramaditya VI and is repeated by Bilhana. According to this legend, the Chalukyas originally hailed from Ayodhya where fifty-nine kings of this family ruled and afterwards sixteen more ruled from Dakshinapatha to which region they had migrated. After a dark interval, the glory of the dynasty was restored by Jayasimha. The Handarike inscription of Vikramaditya VI tells us that the Chalukyas were born in the interior of the Chuluka of the sage Haritipanchashikhi when he was pouring out libations to the Gods. Further, the Chalukyas claimed to have been nursed by the Sapta Matrikas (Seven Mothers).

Periods in Chalukya history

Chalukyas of Badami

The Chalukya dynasty was established by Pulakesi I c. 550 C.E. The name probably meant "the great lion' Pulakesi I took Vatapi (Badami in Bagalkot district, Karnataka) under his control and made it his capital. They are referred to as Chalukyas of Badami.

Pulakesi I and his descendants ruled over an empire that comprised of the entire state of Karnataka and most of Andhra Pradesh in the Deccan. Pulakesi II was perhaps the greatest emperor of the Badami Chalukyas.

• Pulakesi I (543 – 566 C.E.)
• Kirtivarman I (566 – 597 C.E.)
• Mangalesa (597 – 609 C.E.)
• Pulakesi II (609 – 642 C.E.)
• Vikramaditya I (655 – 680 C.E.)
• Vinayaditya (680 – 696 C.E.)
• Vijayaditya (696 – 733 C.E.)
• Vikramaditya II (733 – 746 C.E.)
• Kirtivarman II (746 – 753 C.E.)

Kirthivarman was overthrown by the rise of the Rashtrakuta Dandidurga in 753 C.E.

Chalukyas of Kalyani

The Chalukyas revived their fortune in 973 C.E. after their period of decline under the Rashtrakutas. Tailapa II, overthrew the Rashtrakuta Krishna III and re-established the Chalukyasn kingdom and recovered most of the Chalukya empire.Later legends and tradition hailed Tailapa as an incarnation of the God Krishna who fought 108 battles against the race of Ratta (Rashtrakuta) and captured 88 fortresses from them (KAN Sastri) This dynasty came to be known as the Western Chalukya dynasty.

The Western Chalukyas ruled for another 250 years and were in constant conflict with the Cholas and their cousins the Eastern Chalukyas of Vengi. Satyasraya 997 – 1008 C.E.,, Somesvara I 1042 – 1068 C.E. and Vikramaditya VI (1076 – 1126 CE) were some of the greatest emperors of this dynasty.

• Tailapa II (973 – 997 C.E.)
• Satyasraya (997 – 1008 C.E.)
• Vikramaditya V 1008 - 1015 C.E.
• Jayasimha II 1015 – 1042 C.E.
• Somesvara I 1042 – 1068 C.E.
• Somesvara II 1068 – 1076 C.E.
• Vikramaditya VI 1076 – 1126 C.E.
• Somesvara III 1126 – 1138 C.E.
• Jagadhekamalla II 1138 – 1151 C.E.
• Tailapa III 1151 – 1164 C.E.
• Jagadhekamalla III 1163 – 1183 C.E.
• Somesvara IV 1184 – 1200 C.E.

The Western Chalukyas went into their final dissolution c. 1180 C.E. with the rise of the Hoysalas, Kakatiya and Yadavas.

Eastern Chalukyas

Pulakesin II (c. 608 – 644 C.E) conquered the eastern Deccan, corresponding to the coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh c. 616 C.E., defeating the remnants of the Vishnukundina kingdom. He appointed his brother Kubja Vishnuvardhana as Viceroy. The word Kubja means 'hunchback' pointing to a possible physical deformity of the king. On the death of Pulakesin II, the Vengi Viceroyalty developed into an independent kingdom. Eastern Chalukyas of Vengi outlived the main Vatapi dynasty by many generations. Till around the middle of 9th century, they continued to encourage Kannada language in the Vengi region. Thereafter, inscriptions show a gradual shift towards Telugu with the appearance of Telugu stanzas written in old Kannada script.

• Kubja Vishnuvardhana (624 – 641 C.E.)
• Jayasimha I (641 – 673 C.E.)
• Indra Bhattaraka (673 C.E.)
• Vishnuvardhana II (673 – 682 C.E.)
• Mangi Yuvaraja (682 – 706) C.E.)
• Jayasimha II (706) – 718 C.E.)
• Vishnuvardhana III (719 – 55 C.E.)
• Vijayaditya I (755 – 772 C.E.)
• Vishnuvardhana IV (772 – 808 C.E.)
• Vijayaditya II (808 – 847 C.E.)
• Vishnuvardhana V (847– 849 C.E.)
• Vijayaditya III (848 – 892 C.E.)
• Bhima I (892 – 921 C.E.)
• Vijayaditta IV (921 C.E.
• Amma I (921 – 927 C.E.
• Vikramaditya II (927 – 928 C.E.)
• Yuddamalla II (928 – 935 C.E.)
• Chalukya Bhima II (935 – 947 C.E.)
• Amma II (947 – 970 C.E.)
• Danamava (970 – 973 C.E.)
• Jata Choda Bhima (973 - 1000 C.E.
• Saktivarman I (1000 - 1011 C.E.
• Vimaladitya (1011 – 1018 C.E.
• Rajaraja Narendra (1018 – 1061 C.E.)
• Saktivarman II
• Vijayaditya VII (1063 – 1068 C.E. , 1072 – 1075 C.E.)

Legacy of Badami Chalukyas

Art and Literature of Kalyani Chalukyas

The Kalyani Chalukyas patronized great Kannada poets like Ranna. He was the court poet of Tailapa II and Sathyashraya. Ranna was the first poet to write under the Chalukyas of Kalyani. Ajitapurana Sahasabhimavijaya, Parashuramacharitha, Sahasa Bhima Vijaya or Gadaa Yudda, Ranna-Kanda are his famous works. There were many other well known Kannada scholars of this time. Among them Chandraraja wrote Madanatilaka, a work on erotics , Shridharacharya wrote Jatakatilaka a work on astrology, Kirtivarma wrote Govaidya on veterinary science , Nayasena wrote Dharmamritha, Nagavarma wrote Kavyavalokana, Brahmashiva wrote Samayaparikshe, Rajaditya wrote Kshetraganita, Vyavaharaganita, and Lilavati, Jagaddala Somanatha's work on medicine was Karnataka Kalyanakaraka . Devara Dasimayya, who wroteVachanas, belonged to this period. Even ministers like Durgasimha wrote panchatantra and army commander Chavundaraya II wrote Lokopakara, a collection of useful knowledge. In short, this was a golden age in Kannada literature.

Sanskrit Literature

The Chalukya rulers of Kalyani gave encouragement to Sanskrit scholars like Vadiraja who wrote Yashodharacharitam and Parshvanatha Charitam . Bilhana immortalized the name of his patron Vikramaditya VI through his Vikramankadeva Charitha. Vijananeshvara achieved fame by writing Mitakshara. Someswara III himself complied an encyclopedia of all arts and sciences. Jagadekamalla wrote Sangithachudamani.

Architecture

The buildings of later Chalukya style in Bellary, Dharwad and Hyderabad Karnataka areas constitute a link between the early Chalukyan and the Hoysala temples.According to Percy Brown. The Kalyani style of architecture reaches its maturity and culmination in the 12th century, with over a hundred temples built across the deccan, more then half of them in Karnataka. The Kalyani Chalukyas were also famous for their ornate stepped wells or Pushkarni. Kasi Vishveshvara at Lakkundi in Gadag district, Mallikarjuna at Kuruvatii in Davangere district and Mahadeva at Itagi in Koppal district are the finest examples produced by the later Chalukya architects. The 12th Century Mahadeva Temple with splendid sculptures is said to be one of the finest examples in the country in respect of magnificence and decorative details. The exquisite carvings on walls, pillars and towers speak volumes about the Chalukyan taste and culture. An inscription dated 1112 C.E. in the temple premises describes the temple as Emperor among temples and being constructed by Mahadeva Dandanayaka (army general) of king Vikramaditya VI. History has it that when the legendary sculptor/architect, Amarashilpi Jakanachari was asked by the Hoysalas to build the famous Belur temple, he first visited the Mahadeva temple to gain his inspiration. The Kalyani Chalukya style placed emphasis on ornate pillars and stepped wells called Pushkarni or Kalyani.

The Kalyani Chalukyas built over fifty temples in Dharwad, Gadag and Haveri regions of Karnataka. They also added many ornate temples in Badami and Aihole during its second phase of temple building activity, like the Mallikarjuna and Yellamma temples. They evolved a new style, which is known as the Gadag architecture. It has been described as belonging to the vesara style, a combination of the South Indian or Dravida and the North Indian or Nagara Styles.

"The Chalukya art zone of Karnataka has been described by K. V. Soundara Rajan as "The Prayaga of coalescing formal trends in temple styles…" Moreover, the building activities of the period were, as Percy Brown observes, "clearly the result of an enthusiasm which was religious in origin and in intensity of purpose." History of Karnataka, Mr. Arthikaje.

"In Karnataka history, Chalukyan period is considered as golden age. Besides political expansion it represented efficient administration, social security, spread in education and other cultural activities increase in trade and commerce, growth in literature, art and architecture. It also brought in unique religio-social reformation of Basaveswara which gave birth to Veerashaivism". Dr. Jyotsna Kamat

An yearly celebration called Chalukya utsava, a three-day festival of music and dance organized by the government of Karnataka is held every year at Pattadakal, Badami and Aihole. A Kannada movie of the 1960's called Immadi Pulakeshi celebrates the life and times of the great king.

Coinage

Notes