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LESSON 12
SOUTH INDIAN KINGDOMS – II
CHALUKYAS AND RASHTRAKUTAS
Learning Objectives
Students will acquire knowledge about

1. The achievements of Chalukya ruler Pulakesin II.

2. Administration, social life and art and architecture under the Chalukyas.
3. Political history of the Rashtrakutas.

4. Administration and society under the Rashtrakutas.

5. Art and architecture of the Rashtrakutas.

Besides the Pallavas, the Western Chalukyas and the Rashtrakutas in the
Deccan constitute important political forces. Both these kingdoms had their rivals in
the far south, namely the Pallavas and later the Cholas. Their period has also been
important in the history of India for their cultural contributions.
Chalukyas (543 – 755 A.D.)

The Western Chalukyas ruled over an extensive area in the Deccan for about
two centuries after which the Rashtrakutas became powerful. The family of Western
Chalukyas had its offshoots like the Eastern Chalukyas of Vengi and the Chalukyas of
Kalyani. Pulakesin I was the founder of the Chalukya dynasty. He established a small
kingdom with Vatapi or Badami as its capital.

Pulakesin II (608-642 A.D.)

The most important ruler of this dynasty was Pulakesin II. The Aihole inscription
issued by him gives the details of his reign. He fought with the Kadambas of Banavasi
and the Gangas of Mysore and established his suzerainty. Durvinita, the Ganga ruler
accepted his overlordship and even gave his daughter in marriage to Pulakesin II.
Another notable achievement of Pulakesin II was the defeat of Harshavardhana on
the banks of the river Narmada. He put a check to the ambition of Harsha to conquer
the south. In his first expedition against the Pallavas, Pulakesin II emerged victorious.
But he suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Narasimhavarman I near Kanchi.
Subsequently, the Chalukya capital Vatapi was captured and destroyed by the Pallavas.
The most important event in the reign of Pulakesin II was the visit of Hiuen Tsang to his
kingdom.

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The successor of Pulakesin II was Vikramaditya. He once again consolidated

the Chalukya kingdom and plundered the Pallava capital, Kanchi. Thus he had avenged
his father’s defeat and death at the hands of the Pallavas. Kirtivarman II was the last
of the rulers of the Chalukyas.He was defeated by Dantidurga, the founder of the
Rashtrakuta dynasty.
Administration and Social Life under the Chalukyas

The Chalukya administration was highly centralized unlike that of the Pallavas
and the Cholas. Village autonomy was absent under the Chalukyas. The Chalukyas
had a great maritime power. Pulakesin II had 100 ships in his navy. They also had a
small standing army.
The Badami Chalukyas were Brahmanical Hindus but they gave respect to other
religions. Importance was given to Vedic rites and rituals. The founder of the dynasty
Pulakesin I performed the asvamedha sacrifice. A number of temples in honour of
Vishnu, Siva and other gods were also built during this period. Hiuen Tsang mentioned
about the decline of Buddhism in western Deccan. But Jainism was steadily on the
path of progress in this region. Ravikirti, the court poet of Pulakesin II who composed
the Aihole inscription was a Jain.

Art and Architecture

The Chalukyas were great patrons of art. They

developed the vesara style in the building of structural
temples. However, the vesara style reached its culmination
only under the Rashtrakutas and the Hoysalas. The
structural temples of the Chalukyas exist at Aihole, Badami
and Pattadakal. Cave temple architecture was also famous
under the Chalukyas. Their cave temples are found in CAVE TEMPLE
Ajanta, Ellora and Nasik. The best specimens of Chalukya AT AJANTA
paintings can be seen in the Badami cave temple and in the Ajanta caves. The reception
given to a Persian embassy by Pulakesin II is depicted in a painting at Ajantha.

The Chalukya temples may be divided into two stages. The first stage is
represented by the temples at Aihole and Badami. Among the seventy temples found
at Aihole, four are important.
1. Ladh Khan temple is a low, flat-roofed structure consisting of a pillared hall.

2. Durga temple resembles a Buddha Chaitya.

3. Huchimalligudi temple.

4. The Jain temple at Meguti.

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Among the temples at Badami, the Muktheeswara

temple and the Melagutti Sivalaya are notable for their
architectural beauty. A group of four rock-cut temples at
Badami are marked by high workmanship. The walls and
pillared halls are adorned by beautiful images of gods
and human beings.

Cave Temple at Badami The second stage is represented by the temples

at Pattadakal.
There are ten
temples here, four in the northern style and
the remaining six in the Dravidian style. The
Papanatha temple is the most notable in the
northern style. The Sangamesvara temple
and the Virupaksha temple are famous for
their Dravidian style. The Virupaksha temple is
built on the model of the Kailasanatha temple
at Kanchipuram. It was built by one of the Virupaksha temple at
queens of Vikramaditya II. Sculptors brought Pattadakkal
from Kanchi were employed in its construction.
Rashtrakutas (755 – 975 A.D.)

The Rashtrakutas were of Kannada origin and Kannada language was their
mother tongue. Dantidurga was the founder of the Rashtrakuta dynasty. He defeated
the Gurjaras and captured Malwa from them. Then he annexed the Chalukya kingdom
by defeating Kirtivarman II. Thus, the Rashtrakutas became a paramount power in the
Deccan.

His successor Krishna I was also a great conqueror. He defeated the Gangas
and the eastern Chalukyas of Vengi. He built the magnificent rock-cut monolithic
Kailasa temple at Ellora. The next important king of this dynasty was Govinda III. He
achieved victories over north Indian kingdoms.

His successor Amoghavarsha I (815- 880 A.D.) ruled for a long period of 64
years. He had lost control over Malwa and Gangavadi. Yet, his reign was popular
for the cultural development. He was a follower of Jainism. Jinasena was his chief
preceptor. He was also a patron of letters and he himself wrote the famous Kannada
work, Kavirajamarga. He had also built the Rashtrakuta capital, the city of Malkhed or
Manyakheda.
Among the successors of Amoghavarsha I, Krishna III (936- 968 A.D.) was
famous for his expeditions. He marched against the Cholas and defeated them at
Takkolam. He marched further south and captured Tanjore. He went as far as
Rameswaram and occupied it for sometime. He built several temples in the conquered

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territories including the Krishneswara temple at Rameswaram. Throughout his reign he

possessed the Tondaimandalam region including the capital Kanchi. After his death,
the power of the Rashtrakutas declined.
Administration

The Rashtrakuta Empire was divided into several provinces called rashtras
under the control of rashtrapatis. They were further divided into vishayas or districts
governed by vishayapatis. The next subdivision was bhukti consisting of 50 to 70
villages under the control of bhogapatis. These officers were directly appointed by the
central government. The village administration was carried on by the village headmen.
However, the village assemblies played a significant role in the village administration.
Society and Economy

The Hindu sects of Vaishnavism and Saivism flourished during the period of
Rashtrakutas. Yet, they did not affect the progress of Jainism under the patronage
of Rashtrakuta kings and officers. Almost one third of the population of the Deccan
were Jains. There were some prosperous Buddhist settlements at places like Kanheri,
Sholapur and Dharwar. There was harmony among various religions. There was a
college at Salatogi, situated in modern Bijapur district. An inscription gives details of
this educational centre. It was run by the income from the endowments made by the
rich as well as by all the villagers on occasions of functions and festivals.

The economy was also in a flourishing condition. There was an active commerce
between the Deccan and the Arabs. The Rashtrakuta kings promoted the Arab trade
by maintaining friendship with them.
Cultural Contributions

The Rashtrakutas widely patronized the Sanskrit literature. There were many
scholars in the Rashtrakuta court. Trivikrama wrote Nalachampu and the Kavirahasya
was composed by Halayudha during the reign of Krishna III. The Jain literature flourished
under the patronage of the Rashtrakutas. Amogavarsha I, who was a Jain patronized
many Jain scholars. His teacher Jinasena composed Parsvabhudaya, a biography of
Parsva in verses. Another scholar Gunabhadra wrote the Adipurana, the life stories of
various Jain saints. Sakatayana wrote the grammer work called Amogavritti. The great
mathematician of this period, Viracharya was the author of Ganitasaram.

The Kannada literature saw its beginning during the period of the Rashtrakutas.
Amogavarsha’s Kavirajamarga was the first poetic work in Kannada language. Pampa
was the greatest of the Kannada poets. His famous work was Vikramasenavijaya.
Ponna was another famous Kannada poet and he wrote Santipurana.

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Art and Architecture

The art and architecture of the Rashtrakutas were found

at Ellora and Elephanta. At Ellora, the most remarkable temple is
the Kailasa temple. It was excavated during the reign of Krishna
I. It is carved out of a massive block of rock 200 feet long, and
100 feet in breadth and height. The temple consists of four parts
- the main shrine, the entrance gateway, an intermediate shrine
for Nandi and mandapa surrounding the courtyard. The temple
stands on a lofty plinth 25 feet high. The central face of the plinth
has imposing figures of elephants and lions giving the impression
KAILASA TEMPLE
that the entire structure rests on their back. It has a three-tiered AT ELLORA
sikhara or tower resembling the sikhara of the Mamallapuram
rathas. In the interior of the temple there is a pillared hall which has sixteen square
pillars. The Kailasa temple is an architectural marvel with it beautiful sculptures. The
sculpture of the Goddess Durga is shown as slaying the Buffalo demon. In another
sculpture Ravana was making attempts to lift Mount Kailasa, the abode of Siva. The
scenes of Ramayana were also depicted on the walls. The general characteristics of
the Kailasa temple are more Dravidian.

Elephanta is an island near Bombay. It was originally called Sripuri. The

Portuguese after seeing the large figure of an elephant named it Elephanta. The
sculptural art of the Rashtrakutas reached its zenith in this place. There is a close
similarity between the sculptures at Ellora and those in Elephanta. They might have
been carved by the same craftsmen. At the entrance to the sanctum there are huge
figures of dwara-palakas. In the walls of the prakara around the sanctum there are
niches containing the images of Shiva in various forms - Nataraja, Gangadhara,
Ardhanareesvara and Somaskanda. The most imposing figure of this temple is
Trimurthi. The sculpture is six metre high. It is said to represent the three aspects of
Shiva as Creator, Preserver and Destroyer.

Learning Outcome
After learning this lesson the students will be able to explain

1. The political history of the Chalukyas of Badami.

2. Art and architecture of the Chalukyas.

3. Achievements of the Rashtrakuta rulers.

4. Cultural contributions of the Rashtrakutas.

5. Literary developments during the Rashtrakuta rule.

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MODEL QUESTIONS

I. Choose the correct answer.

1. Aihole inscription was issued by

(a) Amoghavarsha I (b) Pulakesin II

(c) Govinda III (d) Dantidurga

2. Who among the following defeated the Cholas at Takkolam?

(a) Pulakesin II (b) Amoghavarsha I

(c) Vikramaditya I (d) Krishna III

II. Fill in the blanks.

1. __________ was the capital of Rashtrakutas.
2. The founder of the Rashtrakuta dynasty was ____________
3. Sripuri was renamed as Elephanta by ______________
III. Match the following.

1. Ravikirti a) Vikramasenavijaya
2. Amoghavarsha I b) Ganitasaram
3. Pampa c) Aihole inscription
4. Viracharya d) Kavirajamarga
IV. Find out the correct statement. One statement alone is right.

a) Ellora is an island near Bombay.

b) The Kailasa temple is at Ellora.

c) The temples at Ellora were built during the Chalukya rule.

d) The Kailasa temple at Ellora was built by Pulakesin II.

V. State whether the following statements are True or False.

1. iuen Tsang visited the Deccan during the reign of Amoghavarsha I.

2. The beginning of Kannada literature commenced during the Rashtrakuta rule.

3. Dantidurga was the last ruler of the Chalukyas.

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VI. Write short notes (Any three points).

1. Aihole inscription
2. Pattadakal

3. Ellora
4. Elephanta

VII. Answer briefly (100 words).

1. Give a brief account of the achievements of Pulakesin II.

2. Give an estimate of Amoghavarsha I.

VIII. Answer in detail (200 words).

1. Give an account of the development of art and architecture under the Chalukyas
of Badami.
2. Evaluate the cultural contributions of the Rashtrakutas.

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