This article is about the History of the Chalukyas of Badami also known as the Early Chalukyas. This dynasty ruled large part of Karnataka between sixth to eighth century.
The region over which Chalukyas of Badami ruled
The Chalukyas of Badami or the Early Chalukya is among the most prominent dynasty of the early medieval era. The glory of Karnataka begins with their rise and they become the first dynasty to rule over an undivided kingdom of Karnataka stretching from the Godavari in the North to the Kaveri in the South.
The Divine Origin of the Chalukyas of Badami
Most dynasties have stories of divine origin to make themselves acceptable and it also gave them the special rights to rule. The same goes with Chalukyas too.
According to the legend, once atrocities and lawlessness increased on earth. Lord Indra got anxious on this development and went to Lord Brahma for the solution.
When he reached at Brahma’s abode it was already dusk and Lord Brahma was busy with his sandhya rituals and had water in his palm. When Indra told him about the purpose of visit, he looked steadily in his palm and from that intense gauge originated the progenitor of the Chalukya dynasty.
As his birth was from the “Chullu ka jal” the dynasty got its name Chalukya.
Religious inclinations of the Chalukyas of Badami
This first person of the Chalukya dynasty was nourished by Saptamatrika. The Chalukya dynasty worshiped many gods of Hindu Pantheon. The Saptamatrika’s were worshiped as mother goddess.
Their emblem was boar linked to the Varaha Avatar of Vishnu. The royal emblem had a conch, chakra (wheel) and a mirror along with the Varaha. Probably it meant that till the time Sun and Moon would be there Chalukyan Empire would flourish by the grace of Lord Vishnu (Boar and shankha representing him).
Vikramaditya-I broke the family tradition and became more of a Shiva devotee than a Vaishnav. Jainism also flourished under the dynasty and there is mention of Vikramaditya-I’s daughter Kumkuma Devi requesting a royal grant for a Jaina Temple.
History and the genealogy of the Chalukyas of Badami
From the inscriptions and copper plate records, we deduce that the genealogy of the Chalukya dynasty started with Jayasimha-I who was a vassal of the Kadamba Kings.
He probably declared himself an independent King when the Kadamba dynasty weakened. His successor was Ranaraga. However not much record has survived of these two early Kings, except for the copper plates and the stone inscriptions mentioning the genealogy of the dynasty.
Pulakeshin I – The real architect of the Chalukya dynasty
The real architect of the empire was Pulakeshin-I, the name meaning ‘the Great Lion’. He built the fort of Badami in 543-44 AD and ruled from there. Badami was known as Vatapi at the time by the name of a demon who was killed by sage Agastya.
From an inscription on the cliff of a hill near Badami we learn that after constructing the fort invincible from top to bottom, Pulakeshin-I performed Ashvamedha yagna and extended the territories of his empire. The Ashvamedha yagna was performed at the Ladkhan Temple of Aihole.
History of the Chalukyas of Badami – The Reign of Keertivarman-I
He had two sons, Keertivarman-I and Manglesh, from his two wives Durlabha-Devi and Indukanti respectively. After Pulakeshin-I his son Keertivarman-I ascended the throne and further expanded the territory at the cost of his neighbors.
He defeated Mauryas of Konkan, Nalas and Kadambas. When Keertivarman-I got old, his son Pulakeshin-II was still a minor, so he appointed Manglesh as the regent with a promise that he would handover the empire to Pulakeshin II when he come of age.
History of the Chalukyas of Badami – The Reign of Manglesh
Manglesh also had many victorious expeditions, though his expeditions were more to loot and gather bounty from defeated Kings than to expand the territories of the empire. Manglesh is credited with patronizing the cave 3 of Badami that has intricate Viashnav carvings.
History of the Chalukyas of Badami – The Meghuti Inscription at Aihole
From the Meghuti inscription at Aihole, composed by Ramkeerti, a friend of Pulakeshin II, we learn that with time it become obvious that Manglesh had no intention to pass the baton to Pulakeshin-II, instead he wanted to secure crown for his own son.
Pulakeshin II fought back and wrested the throne. This inscription of Ramkeerti is written in Sanskrit in Vaidarbi style poetry. In the inscription, Ramkeerti likens himself as the Kalidas and called Pulakeshin II, the bridgeroom of Vatapi. Pulakeshin II proved himself to be the ablest of monarch in the dynasty and ruled for over thirty-five years.
Pulakeshin-II – The real maker of the Chalukya of Badami Empire
Among the monarchs of the dynasty, Pulakeshin-I provided solid foundation to the empire and Pulakeshin-II was the real maker of the empire – a luminous star responsible for the firmament of the dynasty’s rule.
Meguti inscription sheds light on Pulakeshin-II’s brilliant military career. According to it during the internal feud when he dethroned his uncle Manglesh, the empire went into chaos; several chieftains raise their heads against him but all of them were eventually subdued.
He also subdued the kings of Godavari region and appointed his brother Vishnuvardhan as governor of the eastern coastal section of this vast empire in 615 AD. Later this dynasty became independent and founded Eastern Chalukya dynasty with Vengi as its capital. Ganga ruler Durvinita married one of his daughters to Pulakeshin II.
Pulakeshin-II and his illustrious victory over Harshavardhana
His most illustrious victory was over the king of Kannauj, Harshvardhan, in AD 612. Harshvardhan was defeated and many his elephants were captured. According to the Book, “Lords of the Deccan” by Anirudh Kanisetti
The army of Harsha with access to vast amounts of infantry, elephantry and cavalry, was especially suited to this sort of fighting. The Deccan could not muster or feed the same numbers of infantry, nor did it have access to the overland routes of the horse trade, emerging as they did from Central Asia.
If Pulakeshin had fought Harsha in north India, his army would easily have been surrounded and crushed. But in 618, to punish Pulakeshin for his audacious move on southern Gujarat, Harsha had to cross the Narmada river into the Deccan — which tilted the odds in Pulakeshin’s favour.
With his control over the northern Deccan solidified by his policy of economic and political integration, Pulakeshin could now easily scout out Harsha’s route of attack and contest the northern emperor’s attempts to cross the great river. Even if Harsha’s probably larger army were to cross the Narmada, this unwieldy force of infantry, cavalry and elephants had to enter the thickly forested Vindhya foothills in order to capture or defeat Pulakeshin — potentially negating their advantage in numbers.
In addition to local intelligence and favourable terrain, Pulakeshin had access to the tanks of the ancient world. Elephants. These deadly creatures possessed the mass and sheer shock value needed to break almost any immobile enemy formation sent against them
Lords of the Deccan” by Anirudh Kanisetti
What makes this victory of Pulakeshin II special was that this was the only defeat in the brilliant military career of Harshvardhan. This is the reason why even after getting defeated, in the Meghuti inscription he is addressed with respect by Pulakeshin II.
The two monarchs signed a treaty making the river Narmada as the boundary between the Chalukya empire and Harsha’s empire. This victory over Harshavardhana enhanced Pulakeshin II’s reputation and made him undisputed master of south – Dakshinapatheshwara.
Trade during the reign of Pulakeshin-II
Pulakeshin-II was an able administrator and a wise king. He encouraged trade by sending emissaries to other countries. It is believed that king Khusru of Iran deputed his embassy to the Chalukyan court to which Pulakesin-II reciprocated by sending his own embassy to Iran.
In-fact Pulakeshin-II could match the resources of Harsha because of the trade through sea-route with the kingdoms of South-East Asia, Persia and Arabs.
Pulakeshin-II – A great admirer of art, literature and poetry
He was also a great admirer of art, literature and poetry. The three prominent Kannada poets in his kingdom were Adikavi Pampa, Sri Ponna and Ranna. The famous Chinese scholar and traveler Hiuen Tsang also visited the empire during the reign of Pulakeshin II.
Hiuen Tsang vividly described the manner and customs of the people of his country. In his travelogues he has also described the fervor during wartime in Chalukya army when its martial hero led the army into the battleground. They went into war intoxicated and even the war-elephants were made drunk before any engagement with the enemy.
According to him, Pulakeshin II treated his vassals with benevolent sway and they also reciprocated with complete loyalty.
Sixth Century – Era of conflict among the Chalukyas of Badami, the Pallavas of Kanchi and the Pandyas of Madurai
This era, starting from the sixth-century including the one of Pulakeshin II’s reign is also remembered as the era of conflict among the three powerful empires of the South, the Chalukyas of Badami, the Pallavas of Kanchi and the Pandyas of Madurai. Among these the Pandyas of Madurai were relatively less powerful. The common factor among these three empire was that all three of them rose to prominence in the sixth century.
Pulakeshin-II’s conflict with the Pallava Dynasty
As Chalukyas become powerful under Pulakeshin II, they attacked Pallava King Mahendravarman to expand their territory. Mahendravarman was defeated and lost some of its territories but was still able to save his kingdom.
Later Mahendravarman’s son Narsimhvarman-I succeeded his father. Pulakeshin-II attacked him too. However, this time Pulakeshin-II lost the war.
Encouraged by this victory and to settle old scores Narasimhavarman later attacked Badami. The Chalukyas armies war resources were highly depleted due to years of continuous wars and also because of the advanced age of Pulakeshin II, his leadership weakened too and it was not effective. In this battle Chalukyas not only lost, Pulakeshin-II was killed, and Pallavas become the master of Badami.
Pallavas winning Badami and Chalukya dynasty going into Oblivion for thirteen years
Pallavas devastated Badami and took away all the wealth that made Badami glorious during the reign of Pulakeshin-II. Also rubbing salt over the wounds of Chalukyas, Narsimhavarman got an inscription etched over the cliff of a hill where his victory was compared with the victory of saint Agastya over the demon Vatapi.
It also states that the Pallavas took away with them the pillar of victory installed by Pulakeshin II and Narsimhavarman conferred himself with title ‘Vatapikonda’. This defeat was the blot that Chalukya dynasty carried over for generations and pushed them in obscurity for thirteen years.
The Come back of Chalukya Dynasty
After thirteen years, Vikramaditya-I, son of Pulakeshin-II, fought back with the support of his maternal grandfather Durvinta and his son Vinayaditya and grandson Vijayaditya. He was able to push back Narasimhavarman from Badami and was able to win the empire back. Still The empire could not attend the same glory as at the time of Pulakeshin-II.
History of the Chalukyas of Badami – the reign of Vinayaditaya
Later his son, Vinayaditaya occupied the throne. He tried to expand the empire towards North. He got initial success but in one of these expectations his son, Vijayaditya, was defeated and captured.
Later he somehow escaped but by the time he reached Badami, Vinayaditya had already breathed his last with the shock and heartbreak. Vinayaditya is credited with the construction of Galagnatha Temple at Patadakkal.
History of the Chalukyas of Badami – the reign of Vijayaditya
Vijayaditya is credited with making Hampi his second capital. He is also credited with constructing Vijayeshwara temple in Pattadakal which is currently known as the Sangameshwara temple. This is the first temple constructed in Dravida style.
History of the Chalukyas of Badami – the reign of Vikramaditya-II
Things started to change after his son Vikramaditya II ascended The throne; Within ten years the Chalukya empire was much stronger and powerful than under the regime of his father and grandfather.
His greatest desire was to uproot their hereditary enemy, the Pallavas. He was succeeded in that too and Pallava dynasty could never recover from three subsequent defeat suffered against Vikramaditya-II. Vikramaditya-II also defeated Arabs who established themselves in Sindh.
Construction of Virupaksha and Mallikarjuna Temple in Patadakkal
His two Queens were real sisters belonging to the Kalachuri family – Lokamahadevi was the senior queen and Trailoka-mahadevi was the junior queen.
The two queens are credited for the construction of famous Virupaksha and Mallikarjuna Temple respectively in Patadakkal. The elder Queen did not have a son and after Vikramaditya-II his son kirtivarman-II from the junior Queen ascended The throne.
History of the Chalukyas of Badami – the reign of Kirtivarman-II
Kirtivarman-II proved his mettle by participating in war raised by his father against the Pallavas. While he continued engaged in these and other wars, Dantidurga, progenitor of the Rashtrakuta dynasty, caught hold of the opportunity and captured Chalukyan throne by defeating tired Chalukyan army under Kirtivarman-II.
This defeat gave a significant blow to the Chalukya dynasty. Though the dynasty continued as petty chiefs but the significance of early Chalukyas was eclipsed forever after that.
The great Chalukyan dynasty that ruled for around two hundred years from approx. 544 AD to 744 AD, collapsed after that. As the Chalukyan kings were responsible for the construction of the temples of Pattadakal, hence I introduced the dynasty before we talk about the splendors of the place and its temples.
Some interesting facts about the Chalukyas of Badami:
- The script used in Early Chalukya inscriptions is Telugu-Kannada script. The script of the two languages was common at that time that became increasingly separate after 12th-13th century CE.
- The Meguti-inscription mentions the name of Kalidasa and Bharavi, signifying that both of them were already popular in 7th century CE.
- The same inscription mentions that 3735 years have passed after the war of Mahabharata. Hence, according to the inscription, the date of war of Mahabharta in modern calendar comes to about 3101-3102 BCE.
- The Early Chalukya kings were first to mention the dates in Shaka Era in Karnataka. The earliest data mentioned in one of the inscription is Shaka 465 (i.e 543 CE)
- The earliest mention of the days of the week is in two important inscriptions: The day of Brihspativara (Thursday) is mentioned in the copper plate inscription of king Pulakesin – II in 631 CE. And the day of Shanaishchara vara (Shanivara-Saturday) is mentioned in one of the copper plate inscription of Vinayadaitya – 692 CE.
- When king Narasimhavarman of Pallava dynasty captured Badami, his inscription was in Pallava Grantha script.
- In revenge, when Vikramaditya -II, captured Kanchipuram in 738 CE, his victory inscription was in Kannada script.
- The introductory verse of the Sanskrit Pattadakal pillar inscription of Keertivarman II, dating year 754, commences with a verse extolling Hara(Shiva) and Gauri (Parvati). The verse does not praise their power and glory, their wisdom and insights, their mercy and compassion, nor does it praise their physical beauty alone. Rather the verse extols the union off the God and the Goddess and stresses their intimacy.
Om! Om! Reverence to Shiva. Victorious! Victorious, be that union of Hara and Gauri, in which the face and the breasts of the Goddess are passionately kissed by the left arm of the God; in which the fingers of the God separate themselves among the curled tresses (of the Goddess) that imitates the quivering moment of a swarm of black bees; and which resembles in the beauty of a fully expanded white water lily (of the god), enhanced by the sweetness of a yellow waterlily (of the Goddess) brought to maturity by the rays of the sun.
(This is taken from a book by Vidya Dehejia: “The body adorned: Sacred and profane in Indian Art)
References
- Lords of the Deccan – Anirudh Kanisetti
- The Body adorned: Sacred and profane in Indian Art – Vidya Dehejia
- Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta (1955). A History of South India: From Prehistoric Times to the Fall of Vijayanagar
- Political History of the Chalukyas of Badami by Durga Prasad Dikshit
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