History of Indian and Eastern Architecture v1.c20.8

v1.c20.8

The first prince of whom we know more than the name is Pulikesin I., who began to rule at Bâdâmi about A.D. 550, under whose two sons in succession the kingdom was largely extended, towards the west at the expense of the Kâdambas of Banawâsi, and—pushing northwards into Gujarât, where they were checked by Sîlâditya I. of Valabhi. Early in the next century Pulikesin II. (609-642) further extended his dominions, held at bay the forces of the great Harshavardhana of Kanauj, invaded the Chola and Pallava territories, and placed his brother Kubja-Vishnuvardhana over the country about the deltas of the Godâvarî and Krishnâ rivers, who—about 617—established the eastern Chalukya dynasty at Vengî. About 626 Pulikesin II. seems to have received an embassy from Khosru II. of Persia;¹ and in 640 or 641, Hiuen Tsiang traversed his kingdom and apparently visited his temporary capital—probably at Nâsik.² But very soon after, towards the close of his reign, his rule was upset by the Pallava King Narasimhavarman, who took and plundered Bâdâmi or Vâtâpi, as it was then called. By 655 Vikramâditya I. had recovered the Chalukya dominions and even entered Kânchî.³