[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Studies](https://indike.org/pramana/ins) › [General history and culture](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general) › [Early History of the Dekkan down to the Mahomedan Conquest](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884) › c19 # Early History of the Dekkan down to the Mahomedan Conquest c19: Section XIII. The Kalachuris Early History of the Dekkan down to the Mahomedan Conquest c19 - **Language:** English ### Section XIII. The Kalachuris ### [c19.2](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19.2) THE earliest mention of a family of this name that we have is in connection with Mangalîsa of the early Châlukya dynasty Vinayâditya is represented in one of his inscriptions to have subdued the Haihayas and Vikramâditya II married, as we have seen, two girls who were sisters belonging to the family ¹ The later Râshṭrakûṭa princes were also connected by marriage with the Haihayas Thus family known also by the name of Kalachuri or Kulachuri² ruled over Chedi or the country about Jabalpur The Kalachuris of Kalyâna must have been an offshoot of this family One of the titles used by Vijjana was \*Kâlañjarapuravarâdhîsvara\* "or Lord of the best city of Kâlañjara "³ Kâlañjara was a stronghold belonging to the rulers of Chedi⁴ and was probably their capital, though Tripura, the modern Tevur, is also known to have been the principal seat of the family The title, therefore, connects the Kalyâna branch of the Kalachuris with the Chedi family This branch was founded by Krishna, who in the Belgaum grant⁵ is spoken of as "another Krishna," the incarnation of Vishnu, and as "having done wonderful deeds even during his boyhood " He was succeeded by his son Jogama, and Jogama by his son Paramardin Paramardin was the father of Vijjana Vijjana before his usurpation called himself only a Mahâmaṇḍaleśvara or minor chief, and is first mentioned as a feudatory of Jagadekamalla, the successor of Someśvara III⁶. The manner in which he drove away Taila III from Kalyâṇa, and having raised himself to the supreme power in the state gradually assumed the titles of a paramount sovereign, has already been described. But soon after, a religious revolution took place at Kalyâṇa, and Vijjaṇa and his family succumbed to it. ### [c19.3](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19.3) ¹ \*Supra\*, Section X ### [c19.4](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19.4) ² See grant published in Arch Surv West Ind, No IV ### [c19.5](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19.5) ³ Jour B B R A S, Vol IX, p 330, No 51 ### [c19.6](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19.6) ⁴ Bilhana's Vikr Ch XVIII, p 93 Karna seems to be represented here to have conquered Kâlañjara ### [c19.7](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19.7) ⁵ Jour L B R A S, Vol XVIII, p 270 ### [c19.8](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19.8) ⁶ P. S. & O. C. Ins. No. 119. ### [c19.9](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19.9) The principal leader of that revolution was a person of the name of Basava. A work in Kanarese entitled Basava Purâṇa gives an account of Basava, but it is full of marvellous stories and relates the wonderful miracles wrought by him. The principal incidents, however, may be relied on as historical. On the other hand there is another work entitled Vijjalarâyacharita, written by a Jaina, which gives an account of the events from the opposite side, since the attacks of the Lingâyatas were chiefly directed against the Jainas, and these were their enemies. ### [c19.10](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19.10) Basava was the son of a Brâhmaṇ named Mâḍirâja, who lived at Bâgevâḍi in the Kalâdgi district. Baḷadeva, the prime minister of Vijjaṇa, was his maternal uncle and gave him his daughter in marriage⁷. After Baḷadeva's death the king appointed Basava his \[94\] prime minister as being closely related to Baḷadeva⁸. The Jainas, however, state that Basava had a beautiful sister named Padmâvatî, of whom the king became enamoured and whom he either married or made his mistress⁹, and it was on that account that he was raised to that office and became a man of influence. There must be some truth in this story, for the Basava Purâṇa narrates that the king gave his younger sister Nîlalochanâ in marriage to Basava, which looks as if it were a counter-story devised to throw discredit on the other which was so derogatory to Basava.¹⁰ Basava had another sister named Nâgalâmbikâ, who had a son named Chenna-Basava or Basava the younger. In concert with him Basava began to propound a new doctrine and a new mode of worshipping Śiva, in which the Liṅga and the Nandin or bull were prominent. He speedily got a large number of followers, and ordained a great many priests, who were called Jaṅgamas. Basava had charge of the king's treasury, and out of it he spent large amounts in supporting and entertaining these Jaṅgamas, who led a profligate life. Vijjaṇa had another minister named Mañchaṇṇâ, who was the enemy of Basava, and informed the king of his rival's embezzlements.¹¹ In the course of time Vijjaṇa was completely alienated from Vasava and endeavoured to apprehend him. But he made his escape with a number of followers, where-upon the king sent some men in pursuit. These were easily dispersed by Basava, and then Vijjaṇa advanced in person. But a large number of followers now joined Basava, and the king was defeated and had to submit to his minister. Basava was allowed to return to Kalyâṇa and reinstated in his office.¹² There was, however, no possibility of a complete reconciliation, and after some time the leader of th new sect conceived the design of putting the king to death. The circumstances that immediately led to the deed and the manner in which it was perpetrated are thus stated in the Basava Purâna ### [c19.11](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19.11) ⁷ Basava Purâṇa, Jour. B. B. R. A. S., Vol. VIII, p. 67. ### [c19.12](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19.12) ⁸ Jour. B. B. R. A. S., Vol. VIII, p. 69. ### [c19.13](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19.13) ⁹ \*Ib.\*, p. 97. Sir W. Elliot's paper, Jour. R. A. S., Vol. IV, p. 20. ### [c19.14](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19.14) ¹⁰ Jour. B. B. R. A. S., Vol. VIII, p. 70. ### [c19.15](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19.15) ¹¹ Ib., pp. 78 & 89. ### [c19.16](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19.16) ¹² Jour. R. A. S., Vol. IV, p. 21; Jour. B. B. R. A. S., Vol. VIII, p. 89. ### [c19.17](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19.17) At Kalyâna there were two pious Lingâyatas named Halleyaga and Madhuveyya, who were the devout adherents of their master Basava Vijjana, listening to the calumnious accusations of their enemies, caused their eyes to be put out All the disciples of Basava were highly indignant at this cruel treatment of these holy men, and assembled in their master's house Basava ordered Jagaddeva to murder the king, pronounced a curse on Kalyâna, and left the town Jagaddeva hesitated for a moment, but his mother spurred him on, and with two companions, Mallaya and Bommaya, went straight to the palace of the king, and rushing through the throng of courtiers, counsellors, and princes, they drew their poignards and stabbed Vijjana Thence they went into the streets, and brandishing their weapons proclaimed the reason of their perpetrating the deed Then arose dissensions in the city, men fought with men, horses with horses, and elephants with elephants, the race of Vijjana was extinct, Kalyâna was a heap of ruins, and the curse pronounced \[95\] by Basava was verified Basava went in haste to his favourite shrine of Sangamesvara, situated on the confluence of the Malaprabhâ with the Krishnâ, and there in compliance with his prayers the god absorbed him in his body ¹³ ### [c19.18](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19.18) ¹³ Jour B B R A S, Vol VIII, p 96, \*Wilson's Mackenzie\* MSS, pp 309-310 ### [c19.19](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19.19) The account given by the Jainas is different Vijjana had gone on an expedition to Kolhâpur to reduce the Sîlâhâra chief Bhoja II to subjection In the course of his march back to the capital he encamped at a certain place on the banks of the Bhîmâ, and, while reposing in his tent, Basava sent to him a Jangama disguised as a Jaina with a poisoned fruit Vijjana, who is said to have been a Jaina himself, unsuspectingly took the fruit from the hands of the seeming Jaina priest, and as soon as he smelled it, he became senseless His son Immadi Vijjana and others hastened to the spot, but to no purpose Vijjana, however, somewhat recovered his senses for a short while, and knowing who it was that had sent the poisoned fruit, enjoined his son to put Basava to death Immadi Vijjana gave orders that Basava should be arrested and all Jangamas, wherever found, executed¹⁴ On hearing of this, Basava fled, and being pursued went to the Malabar coast and took refuge at a place called Ulavi¹⁵ The town was closely invested and Basava in despair threw himself into a well and died, while his wife Nilâmbâ put an end to her existence by drinking poison When Vijjana's son was pacified, Chenna Basava surrendered all his uncle's property to him and was admitted into favour¹⁶ He now became the sole leader of the Lingâyatas, but, even before, his position was in some respects superior to that of Basava The religious portion of the movement was under his sole direction, and it was he who shaped the creed of the sect In him the \*Pranava\* or sacred syllable \*Om\* is said to have become incarnate to teach the doctrines of the Vira Saiva faith to Basava,¹⁷ and, according to the Chenna-Basava Purâna, "Chenna-Basava was Siva, Basava, Vrishabha (or Siva's bull, the Nandin), Bijjala, the door-keeper, Kalyâna, Kailâsa, (and) Siva worshippers (or Lingâyatas), the Śiva host (or the troops of Śiva's attendants)'"¹⁸ ### [c19.20](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19.20) ¹⁴ Wilson's Mackenzie MSS, p 320 ### [c19.21](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19.21) ¹⁵ Jour R A S, Vol IV, p 22 ### [c19.22](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19.22) ¹⁶ Wilson's Mackenzie MSS p 322 ### [c19.23](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19.23) ¹⁷ \*Ib\*, p 311 ### [c19.24](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19.24) ¹⁸ Jour B B R A S, Vol VIII, p 127 ### [c19.25](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19.25) Vijjana's death took place in Śaka 1089 (1090 \*current\*), or A D 1167 He was succeeded by his son Soma, who is also called Sovîdeva or Somesvara The Belgaum copper-plate charter was issued by him on the twelfth of the bright half of Kârttika in Śaka 1096, the cyclic year being \*Jaya\*, to confirm the grant of land to fourteen Brâhmans and the god Somesvara made by one of his queens named Bâvaladevî The king had given her his consent to make the grant as a reward for a beautiful song that she sang on an occasion when the most influential persons belonging to his own and other kingdoms had gathered together in his audience-hall Soma reigned till Śaka 1100 and was followed by his brother Samkama, whose ### [c19.26](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19.26) inscriptions come down to the cyclic year \*Śubhakṛit\* In an \[96\] inscription at Baḷagâmve the cyclic year \*Vikârin\* (S 1101) is called the third of his reign,¹⁹ while in another at the same place the same year is spoken of as the fifth ²⁰ In other inscriptions we have two names Samkama and Âhavamalla and the cyclic years \*Śârvarin\* (Ś 1102) and \*Plava\* (Ś 1103) are represented as the third year of his or their reign, which is possible, and \*Śubhakṛit\* (Ś 1104) as the eighth ²¹ About Śaka 1104 the Châlukya prince Someśvara IV wrested some of the provinces of his ancestral dominions from the Kalachuris, and the rest ### [c19.27](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19.27) ¹⁹ P S & O C Ins No 183 ### [c19.28](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19.28) ²⁰ \*Ib\* No 189 ### [c19.29](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19.29) ²¹ \*Ib\* Nos 190, 192 and 193 ### [c19.30](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19.30) must have been conquered by the Northern Yâdavas, so that about this time the Kalachuri dynasty became extinct During the period occupied by the later Châlukya dynasty and the Kalachuris (S'aka 895-1110 or A D 973-1188), the old state of things as regards the religious and social condition of the country may be said to have finally disappeared and the new ushered in First, we have in this period what might be considered the last traces of Buddhism In the reign of Tribhuvanamalla or Vikramâditya II, in the cyclic year \*Yuvan\*, and the nineteenth of his era (Saka 1017), sixteen merchants of the Vaisya caste constructed a Buddhistic \*vihâra\* or monastery and temple at Dharmavolal, the modern Dambal in the Dhârvâd district and assigned for its support and for the maintenance of another \*vihâra\* at Lokkigundi, the modern Lakkhundi, a field and a certain amount of money to be raised by voluntary taxation ²² In Saka 1032 the Silâhâra chief of Kolhâpur constructed a large tank and placed on its margin an idol of Buddha along with those of Siva and Arhat, and assigned lands for their support ²³ Jainism ceased in this period to be the conquering religion that it was, and about the end received an effectual check by the rise of the Lingâyata sect This new creed spread widely among the trading classes, which before were the chief supporters of Jainism There is a tradition in some parts of the country that some of the existing temples contained Jaina idols at one time and that afterwards they were thrown out and Brâhmanic ones placed instead This points to a change of feeling with reference to Jainism, the origin of which must be referred to this period The worship of the Purânic gods flourished, and as in the times of the early Châlukyas the old sacrificial rites were reduced to a system, so during this period the endeavours of the Brâhmans and their adherents were for the first time directed towards reducing the civil and the ordinary religious law to a system, or towards its codification, as it might be called The texts or precepts on the subject were scattered in a great many Smṛitis and Purânas, and often there were apparent inconsistencies and the law was doubtful Nibandhas or digests, of which we have now so many, began to be written in this period, but the form which they first took, and which even now is one of the recognized forms, was that of commentaries on Smṛitis Bhoja of Dhârâ, who belongs to the first part of this \[97\] period, must have written a treatise on the subject, since under the name of Dhâresvara he is referred to by Vijñânesvara in his work He was followed by Vijñâneśvara, who, as we have seen, lived at Kalyâna in the reign of Vikramâditya II Aparârka, another commentator on Yâjñavalkya, who calls his work a \*nibandha\* on the Dharmaśâstra or institutes of Yâjñavalkya, was a prince of the Śilâhâra family of northern Konkan and was on the throne in Śaka 1109 (A D 1187) and in the cyclic year \*Parâbhava\* ²⁴ Or, if he was the earlier prince of that name, he must have flourished about fifty years before This movement was continued in the next or thirteenth century by Hemâdri, and by Sâyana in the fourteenth \*Genealogy of the Châlukya family between Vijayâditya and Tailapa as given in the Mîraj grant of Jayasiṁha dated Śaka 946\* ### [c19.31](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19.31) ²² Ind An, Vol X, p 18 ### [c19.32](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19.32) ²³ Jour B B R A S, Vol XIII, p and \*infra\*, Section XIV ### [c19.33](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19.33) ²⁴ Jour B B R A S, Vol XII, pp 334-335 ### [c19.35](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19.35) Vijayâditya ### [c19.36](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19.36) | . . . . . | | ### [c19.37](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19.37) Vikramâditya II Another son ### [c19.38](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19.38) Kîrtivarman II Kîrtivarman ### [c19.39](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19.39) Tailapa ### [c19.40](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19.40) Vikramâditya ### [c19.41](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19.41) Ayyana, married the daughter of Kṛishṇa ### [c19.42](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19.42) Vikramâditya, married Boṅthâdevî, the daughter of Lakshmaṇa, king of Chedi ### [c19.43](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19.43) Tailapa \*Genealogy of the later Châlukyas\* ### [c19.44](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19.44) \[Figure: 1 TAILAPA I ( Śaka 895-919, A D 973-997 ) ├── 2 SATYÂŚRAYA, Irivibhujanga ( Śaka 919-930 A D 997-1008 ) └── Daśavarman ├── 3 VIKRAMÂDITYA I (Śaka 930-940 A D 1008-1018 ) └── 4 JAYASIMHA, Jagadekamalla I ( Śaka 940-962 A D 1018-1040 ) └── 5 SOMÊŚVARA I, Âhavamalla, Trailokyamalla I ( Śaka 962-991 A D 1040-1069 ) ├── 6 SOMÊŚVARA II, Bhuvanaikamalla (Śaka 991-998 A D 1069-1076 ) ├── 7 VIKRAMÂDITYA II, Tribhuvanamalla (Śaka 998-1048 A D 1076-1126 ) │ └── 8 SOMÊŚVARA III, Bhûlokamalla (Śaka 1048-1060 A D 1126-1138 ) │ ├── 9 JAGADEKAMALLA II (Śaka 1060-1072 A D 1138-1150 ) │ └── 10 TAILAPA II, Nurmadi Taila, Trailokyamalla II (Śaka 1074-1087 ? A D 1150-1165 ) │ └── 11 SOMÊŚVARA IV (Śaka 1104-1111 ? A D 1182-1189 ) ## Linked texts (3) - [Basavapurāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/in.sampradaya.saiva.virasaiva.basavapurana) — Sanskrit - [Indian Antiquary](https://indike.org/pramana/inp.epigraphy.corpora.ia) - [Vikramāṅkadevacarita](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.historical.daksinatya.vikramankadeva) — Bilhaṇa, Sanskrit --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.bhandarkar-1884.c19) · Pramāṇa