Skip to main content

VAKATAKA DYNASTY, HARSHAVARDHANA, THE CHALUKYAS OF BADAMI



VAKATAKA DYNASTY
  • The Vakataka Dynasty ruled parts of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradhesh from the third to fifth century
  • The Vakatakas are mentioned in the Puranas
  • The Vakataka Dynasty was founded by Vindhyashakti in 250 CE
  • The Dynasty had two branches: Pravapura-Nandivardhana branch and Vatsagulma branch
  • The Vakatakas patronised the building of Buddhist viharas and chaityas at the Ajanta Caves
Important Vakataka rulers
  • Vindhayashakti (250-270 CE) was the founder
  • Pravarasena I (270-330 CE) expanded the realm from Bundlekhand in the north to present Andhra Pradesh in the south
  • Harishena (475-500 CE) expanded the kingdom to include Avanti (Malwa) in the north, Kosala (Chattisgarh) in the east, Nasik in the west and Kuntala (southern Maharashtra) in the south
  • The rock-cut vihara of Ajanta cave XI was built by Varahadeva, a minister of Harishena
HARSHAVARDHANA
Overview
  • Harshavardhana (540-647 CE) was a ruler who ruled northern India for 41 years
  • The Vardhana dynasty (although formally not known as such) was founded by Harshavardhana’s father, Prabhakar Vardhana
  • Harshavardhana was crowned king in 606 CE, at the age of 16
  • Harshavardhna rule is important for the stability it brought to northern India following the collapse of the Gupta Empire in the 6th century
  • The Harshacharita, written by Banabhatta, is a biography of emperor Harsha. The Harshacharita was the first composition by Bana and the first historical work in Sanskrit
  • After Harsha’s death in 647 CE, without any heirs, his empire died with him
Harsha’s rule
  • Harsha established his capital at Kanauj
  • The extent of Harsha’s territory included Gujarat in the west, Punjab in the northwest, Magadha in the east and the river Narmada in the south
  • Harsha was prevented from conquering south of Narmada by Chalukya king Pulakesi II, who defeated Harsha’s army in 620 CE
  • Harsha converted to Buddhism
  • Harsha was the author of the Sankrit plays Nagananda, Ratnavali and Priyadarsika
  • Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang visited Harsha’s kingdom in 636 CE and is a valuable source of information
  • Harsha established the fist diplomatic relations between China and India, by sending a mission in 641 CE
THE CHALUKYAS OF BADAMI
This post focuses on the early Chalukyas (6th-8th centuries CE) of Badami. The later Chalukyas (Western and Eastern) will be dealt with in later posts
Chalukya of Badami kingdom
 

Overview
Chalukya territories under Pulakesi II (c. 630 CE)
  • The Chalukyas ruled large parts of central and southern India between the 6th and 12th centuries
  • The Chalukyas consisted of three related dynasties
    • Badami Chalukyas – earliest dynasty, 6th-8th centuries CE
    • Eastern Chalukyas – 6th – 11th centuries
    • Western Chalukyas – 10th-12th centuries
  • Chalukya rule was concentrated around present day Karnataka
  • The Chalukyas were the earliest known proponents of Kannada and were an important contributor to the growth of Kannada language
  • Inscriptions from Chalukya period are mainly in Kannada and Sanskrit
About the Chalukyas of Badami
  • The Chalukya kingdom was established by Pulakesi I in 543 CE
  • The capital of the Chalukya kingdom was Vatapi (modern Badami)
  • This family of early Chalukyas is known as Chalukyas of Badami
  • The Chalukyas of Badami ruled over all of Karnataka and parts of Andhra Pradesh
About Pulakesi II
  • Pulakesi II, the son of Pulakesi I, was the most famous Chalukya emperor
  • Pulakesi II defeated Harshavardhana on the banks of the Narmada and halted the southern expansion of Harsha’s kingdom
  • Pulakesi II also extended the Chalukya kingdom up to the northern portions of the Pallava kingdom in the south
  • Pulakesi II is famous for the Aihole inscription, which gives details regarding his defeat of Harsha
Chalukyas and Pallavas
The Virupaksha Temple at Pattadakal, Karnataka
  • The Chalukyas of Badami and the Pallavas (of Kanchipuram) were in constant and continuous conflict for more than 200 years
  • Pulakesi II defeated the Pallava king Mahendravarman I and occupied large parts of northern Pallava kingdom
  • However, Mahendravarman’s son Narasimhavarman I defeated Pulakesi II, annexed large parts of the Chalukya kingdom and occupied Badami temporarily
  • This was again reversed by Chalukya Vikramaditya II who defeated Pallava Nandivarman II and carved a Kannada inscription on the Kailasanatha temple at Kanchipuram
Architecture under the Chalukyas of Badami

Virupaksha Temple
  • The architecture of Badami Chalukyas marked an important phase in development of South Indian architecture
  • Their style of architecture is also called Karnata Dravida architecture
  • Most of their architectural work is concentrated in small area of the Chalukyan heartland in northern Karnataka
  • The earliest phase of architecture consists of cave temples at Aihole and Badami (6th century). These temples had plan exteriors but exceptionally well finished interiors including pillared verandah, columned hall etc
  • The second phase was in Aihole and Badami (7th century).
    Important temples include: Lad Khan Temple (Aihole), and Meguti Jain Temple, Durga Temple, Huccimalli Gudi Temple at Badami
  • The final and mature phase was in Pattadakal and Badami (8th century). Famous temples include: Bhutanatha Temples at Badami, Sangameswara, Virupaksha and Mallikarjuna Temples at Pattadakal
  • Chalukya architecture is known for its fusion of nagara and dravida architectural styles
  • Pattadakal is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site
THE PALLAVAS
Pallava territories under Narasimhavarman I (c. 650 CE)

Pallava Kingdom
Overview
  • The Pallavas ruled northern Tamil Nadu and all of Andhra Pradesh between the 3rd and 9th centuries CE
  • The capital of the Pallavas was Kanchipuram
  • The most famous kings of the Pallavas were Mahendravarman I (600-630 CE) and Narasimhavarman I (630-668 CE)
  • Throughout their reign, the Pallavas were in constant and continuous conflict with the Chalukyas of Badami as well the Cholas and Pandiyas to the south
  • The Pallavas are most famous for their patronage of architecture (eg at Mahabalipuram)
  • Chinese traveller Hiuen Tsand visited Kanchipuram during Pallava rule and extolled their benign rule
  • Pallava Simhavishnu, along with Pandya Kadungon, are credited with ending the much disliked Kalabhra rule in Tamil Nadu c. 600 CE
  • The official language of the Pallavas was Tamil, but they patronised Sanskrit and Telugu as well
About Mahendravarman I (600-630 CE)
  • Mahendravarman I was a great patron of literature, art and architecture
  • He is the author of the Sanskrit play Mattivilasa Prahasana
  • He was initially a Jain, but reconverted to Hinduism under the Saiva saint Appar
  • Mahendravarman I is considered to be the pioneer of rock cut architecture among the Pallavas
  • He also contributed greatly to the Sanskrit dramatised dance worship Kuttiyattam
  • He is also credited with inventing the seven string veena called Parivadhini
About Narasimhavarman I (630-668 CE)
  • Narasimhavarman I was the most famous of Pallava rulers
  • He avenged his father’s defeat at the hands of the Chalukyas by defeating Pulakesi II in 642 CE and occupying Badami (Vatapi) temporarily. He then assumed the title Vatapikondan
  • Narasimhavarman I was also known by the name Mammallan
    (great wrestler)
  • The Chinese Buddhist traveller Hiuen Tsang visited Kanchipuram during his reign
  • The majority of the monuments at Mahabalipuram were constructed during the reign of Narasimhavarman I
About the monuments at Mahabalipuram
The Descent of the Ganges at Mahabalipuram, the largest open air rock-relief in the world
Rock cult at Mahabalipuram
  • The known structures at Mahabalipuram were built by Narasimhavarman I
  • The structures are mostly rock-cut and monolithic
  • The monuments are Mahabalipuram have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site (1984)
  • There are four main categories of monuments at Mahabalipuram
    • Ratha Temples: temples in the form of chariots. There are five such structures making the Pancha Rathas
    • Mandapas: cave sanctuaries covered with bas-reliefs. There are 11 such structures
    • Rock relief: sculpted bas-relief on rocks
    • Temples: temples cut out of rock
List of important structures at Mahabalipuram
Structure
Category
Notes
Decent of the Ganges
(Arjuna’s Penance)
Bas-relief
Giant open-air relief carved out of monolithic rock
Largest open-air rock relief in the world
Interpreted to describe the descent of the river Ganges to earth (or)
to describe the penance of Arjuna to receive a boon from Siva
Also known as Bhagiratha’s Penance
Varaha Cave Temple
Rock-cut cave temple
Small monolithic temple
Other cave temples include Krishna Cave Temple, Pancha Pandava Cave Temple
Five Rathas
Rock-cut temple
The Pancha Rathas consist of five temples, each in the shape of a chariot
The temples were all carved out of a single large piece of stone
Shore Temple
Structural temple
Built with blocks of granite
Sits on the shoreline of the Bay of Bengal
Unlike other temples at Mahabalipuram, this is structural not rock-cut
It is the earliest important structural temple in southern India
Recent archaeological findings at Mahabalipuram
  • There has been a long standing legend about the Seven Pagodas at Mahabalipuram, i.e. seven rock temples supposedly built on the shore. Until recently, no evidence to support the legend was found
  • However, the Indian Ocean Tsunami 2004 disrupted the shoreline and has exposed previously sunken monuments at Mahabalipuram
  • The most significant development was the uncovering of a large lion statue on the shore, dated to the 7th century
  • Also uncovered was a small brick structure dated to the Sangam period, before the time of the Pallavas
  • Following this, the ASI and the Indian Navy explored the waters off Mahabalipuram in 2005 and found remains of two temples, one cave temple and a stone wall
  • Further research is awaited

Labels:
Location: 6JP9+83 Dandudi, West Bengal, India

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Number System -2

Rules of counting numbers: 1. Sum of all first natural numbers: = {n(n+1)}/2 Ex 1 Sum od 1+2+3+....100= {100(100+1)}/2=50*101 =5050 2. Sum of first n  odd Numbers= n^2 (where "n" is numbers) Ex. 1+3+5+...20th odd numbers= 20^2= 400 3. Sum of first n even numbers= n(n+1) Ex. Sum of 2+4+6... 100= 50 th even numbers then =50(50+1)= 2550 4. Sum of square of first n numbers ={n(n+1)(2n+1)}/6 Ex. 1 to 10th sqare sum is {10(10+1)(2*10+1)}/6 5. Sum of Cube of first numbers= [{n(n+1)}/2]^2 Ex. 1 to 6 cube sum = [{6(6+1)}/2]^2 = 21^2= 441 In the first n counting number if n is even the number of odd numbers is n/2 and the even number is also n/2.\ If the first n counting number is odd the number of odd numbers is (n+1)/2 and the even number is (n-1)/2. Ex.  Rule-2 Difference between squares of all consecutive numbers is always an odd number. Ex: 4^2 and 5^2. difference is 25-16=9 = odd number Rule-3 Difference between squares of consecutive numbers is the sum of these numbers. Ex. 5^2-...
Post a Comment
Read more

Chalukyas and Pandas

THE (LATER) CHALUKYAS Overview This article deals with the later Chalukyas, who ruled south central India including Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra in the 10 th -12 th centuries CE For the earlier Chalukyas who ruled in the 6 th century from Badami, see this earlier article The later Chalukyas were divided into two contemporaneous kingdoms: Western Chalukyas who ruled from Kalyani (Karnataka) Eastern Chalukyas who ruled from Vengi (Andhra Pradesh) Both the Western Chalukyas and Eastern Chalukyas were descendants of the Chalukyas of Badami. In a sense they were cousins, but they were in conflict with each other The Eastern Chalukyas were allied with the Cholas, and the Eastern Chalukya kingdom was absorbed into the Chola Empire in the 12 th century. On the other hand, the Western Chalukyas were bitterly opposed to the Cholas, and the two were in constant conflict for over two ce...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Sungas

THE SUNGAS The Sunga Empire was established upon the fall of the Mauryas The Sungas ruled Magadha from c. 185 BCE to c. 73 BCE The capital of the Sungas were Pataliputra and Vidisha (Besnagar) The founder of the Sunga dynasty was Pushyamitra Sunga His son, Agnimitra Sunga, was the hero of Kalidasa’s drama Malavikaagnimitra Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras and Mahabhasya were composed during this period The Sungas were succeeded by the Kanvas in about 73 BCE THE SATAVAHANAS The Satavahanas were a dynasty that ruled central India from c. 230 BCE to c. 220 CE The Satavahanas are also known as Andhras. They were among the earliest adopters of Telugu The capital cities of the Satavahanas were Kotilingala (Karimnagar), Pune, Paithan The founder of the Satavahana dynasty was Simuka (c. 230 – 207 BCE) Other important rulers of the Satavahana dynasty include Satakarni (c. 180 – 124 BCE) and Gautamiputra Satakarni (78 – 106 CE) The Sa...
Post a Comment
Read more