Ancient History of the Deccan c6.s4: § 3. The Châḷukyas
Ancient History of the Deccan c6.s4
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§ 3. The Châḷukyas
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The genealogy and the chronology of the Western Châḷukyas present no difficulty: Jayasimha (of the Mânavya gôtra)
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Raṇarâga
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Raṇavikrama Puḷakêśin I (circ. 550 A. D.)
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Kîrtivarman I (566-597), Maṅgaḷêśa (597-608),
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Puḷakêśin II., Kubjâ-Viṣṇuvardhana (609-642) (founder of the Eastern Châḷukya dynasty)
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The origin of this dynasty is obscure [the legend given in the “grant of Vira-Choḍa,” S. I. I., Vol. 1., page 50, has nothing historical in it ]. In 1905, (J. R. A. S., for 1905, page 360) Fleet found out that the hypotheses formed on this subject were all of them baseless. I shall, however, make a remark: the grant of Uṇḍivâṭika (Ep. Ind., Vol. VIII., page 163) which is probably dated in the first half of the VI century says that the commander of the fort of Harivâtsakoṭṭa was a certain Jayasimha (see also Ind. Ant., Vol XXX). Can this Jayasimha be the founder of the Châḷukya dynasty?
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Puḷakêśin I., who probably came from a town called Indukânti installed himself about 550 A. D., at Vâtâpi (Bâdâmi). We have said that this military operation could have been effected only by having defeated the Kadamba king (probably Harivarman) who reigned, with Halsi for capital, over the modern provinces of Kaladgee, Belgaum, and Dharwar. The historical documents say that he performed a horse sacrifice. We know also (Bâdâmi insc., Ind. Ant., Vol. III, page 305; Vol. VI, page 363; Vol. X, page 58) that he married Durlabhadêvî of the Batpûra family. This family lived probably not far from Goa at Rêvatîdvîpa (Goa plates; J. B. B. R. A. S., Vol. X., page 348). His eldest son Kirtivarman I. succeeded him in 566-7 A. D.
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The inscription of Mahâkûṭa (near Bâdâmi) [Ind. Ant., Vol. XIX, page 7] says that Kirtivarman gained victories in the following countries : Vaṅga and Aṅga (E. and W. Bengal), Kaliṅga, Vaṭṭûra, Magadha, Madraka, Kêraḷa, Gaṅga, Mûshaka, Pâṇḍya, Dramiḷa, Chôḷiya, Âḷuka (the Âḷuvas or Âḷupas, in the N.-E of Banavâsi) and Vijayanti. Again, the Aihole inscription says that Kirtivarman was a "night of doom to the Naḷas, the Mauryas and the Kadambas." The Naḷas probably occupied Naḷavâḍi (mentioned in plates of Vikramâditya I) near Bellary and Karnûl districts. The Mauryas were a people of Northern Koṅkaṇ (see Bombay Gazetteer, Vol. I, Part. II., page 282). A stone discovered at Vâḍa in the Thâna district (see Bombay Gazetteer, Vol. XIV, page 373) mentions the Maurya Seketuvarman. We have already spoken of the defeat of the Kadambas a little before 570 A. D. It would appear that Kirtivarman defeated a confederation of Kadamba princes probably Kṛishṇavarman II and his feudatories. In the 12th year of his reign, Kirtivarman had as Yuvamahârâja his young brother Maṅgaḷêśa; and it is this prince that had one of the caves of Bâdâmi dug in the year 500 of the Śaka era, which corresponds to 578 A. D. (Ind. Ant., Vol. III, page 305; Vol. VI, page 363; Vol. X, page 58). Kirtivarman married a princess of the Sêndraka family who was the daughter of Sênânanda râja (Chipḷuṇ plates, Ep. Ind., Vol. III, page 51). Of this union was born a son named Puḷakêśin II. This prince was probably very young when his father died and the crown passed to Maṅgaḷêśa, the brother (or half-brother, Ind. Ant., Vol. XIX., page 15) of Kirtivarman I.
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The inscription of Mahâkûṭa which is dated in the 5th year of the reign of Maṅgaḷêśa i-e. 601-602 A. D. say (Ind. Ant., Vol. XIX, page 7) that this king vanquished Buddha, and the Nerûr plates (Ind. Ant., Vol. VII., page 166) say that he "put to flight Śaṃkaragaṇa's son Buddharâja and killed Swâmirâja of the Châlikya family (see also Ind. Ant., Vol. VI, page 363). We have already spoken of the defeat of Buddharâja when studying the Kalachuri dynasty. The Aihole inscription (Ep.
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Ind., Vol. VI, No. 1, page 8) says that Maṅgalêśa “took in marriage the Fortune of the Kaṭachchuris” and seized upon the isle of Rêvatî; it was perhaps in this island that Svâmirâja reigned. The Aihole inscription adds: “when his elder brother’s son named Pulakêśin had formed the resolution to wander abroad as an exile, that Maṅgalêśa abandoned together with the effort to secure the kingdom for his own son, both his kingdom and his life”. This event took place in 608 A. D. Pulakêśin was formally crowned in the following year.
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The Aihole inscription (Ep. Ind. Vol. VI, page 4) gives us the following description of the exploits of Pulakêśin II.
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Two chiefs, Appâyika and Gôvinda having tried to conquer the country to the north of the river Bhîma, one is repulsed and the other submits and becomes the ally of the Châlukyas. Pulakêśin then lays siege to Vanavâsî and subdues the Gaṅgas, the Âlupas who reigned in this region, as also the Mauryas of Koṅkan. He then besieges Purî, an important town on the coast of the western ocean (Arabian sea); the Lâṭas, the Mâḷavas and the Gûrjaras surrender as well as the inhabitants of the Vindhyas, the banks of the Rêvâ and the three Mahârâshṭras. In the North-east, Pulakêśin subdues the kingdoms of Kaliṅga and Kôsaḷa. He seizes the citadel of Pishṭapura and fights near the waters of the Kunâḷa; then he turns to the south, routs the king of the Pallavas (Mahêndravarman I.) of Kâñchî, crosses the Kâvêrî, causes “prosperity to the Chôḷas, Kêraḷas, Pâṇḍyas” and returns to his capital Bâdâmi. These exploits took place at the beginning of his reign, circ. 609 A. D. The conquest of the Telugu country comprising the districts of Godavari, Krishna and Guntur is a landmark in the history of the Deccan, owing to the creation of an important kingdom, that of the Eastern Châlukyas.
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It is noteworthy that the Aihole inscription which bears the date 634 A. D. makes no mention of king Harsha Vardhana. The documents posterior to it mention the victory gained by Pulakêśin over Harsha. It is probable that it was about the year 636 A. D. that Harsha vanquished Dhruvasêna II, king of Valabhi; Harsha wished to extend his conquests much more, but was stopped by Pulakêśin. This event probably took place about 637 or 638 A. D.
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We close the "Ancient History of the Deccan" with the year 610 A. D. At this epoch, Puḷakeśin II. has become master of the whole of the Deccan; the Pallavas have been repulsed in the south, and all the other old dynasties have been destroyed. From 610 A. D. the documents have become more numerous, and chronology has become more precise; we enter into a new epoch in the history of the Deccan, the middle ages.
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Pondicherry, December 1919.