The Chalukyas Of Badami And The Pallavas Of Kanchi

The Pallava king who was defeated by Pulakeshi is Mahendravarma.

Mahendravarman did not accept the sovereignty of

Pulakeshi, so Pulakeshi defeated him and captured his kingdom.

The dynasty which gave the name Karnataka is TheChalukyas.

The Chalukyas were the ones who gave the name ‘Karnataka’ to this land.

They developed the Kannada land, language, and culture, and protected its religion, literature, art and architecture.

The writer of the Sanskrit drama Hara Parvatiya is Shivabhattaraka.

Hara Parvatiya written by Shivabhattaraka is one of the important Sanskrit dramas during the Chalukyas reign.

The Pallava king who earned the title Vatapikonda is Narasimhavarma I.

Narasimhavarma I took revenge on the Chalukyas by defeating Pulakeshi II and capturing Vatapi. This act won him the title of Vatapikonda.

The painting The Meditation of Arjuna is in Mahabalipuram.

Many temples carved in rocks can be seen in Mahabalipuram. Wonderful monolithic sculptures have been carved in these temples. The carving of ‘Arjuna’s Meditation’ can also be seen here.

Pulakeshi II is the most powerful and noteworthy emperor of the Chalukya dynasty. He extended his empire by overpowering the Gangas, Kadambas, and Alupas. The Pallavas ruler, Mahendravarma did not accept the sovereignty of Pulakeshi so he defeated him and conquered his empire. When the king who was ruling in North India, Harshavardhana, advanced upto the banks of river Narmada, Pulakeshi stopped him. For this, he earned the titles of ‘Dakshinapatheshwara’ and ‘Lord of the Peninsula’.

The earliest dynasty is known as “Badami Chalukyas” ruled from Vatapi. They had a very efficient administrative system. The Chalukya king was always actively involved and he was the highest authority in the state. There was a council of ministers to advise king in internal and also in external matters. The kingdom was divided into districts called vishaya and the vishayadhipati used to look after it. Ther were different judicial, administrative and military departments. The village was the smallest unit of the administration. The village leaders looked after the village accounts.

The Chalukyas patronized literature. They developed their state language, Kannada as well as Sanskrit. Though there are no literary works produced in Kannada at this time, there are many inscriptions written in Kannada. During this period, the tripadi form of poetry came into existence. One of the poems in the inscription of Kappe Arabhatta of Badami is in tripadi form. The Sanskrit scholars of this time are Ravikirti, Vijjika and Akalanka.

Pallava captured Kanchi from Cholas and later Kanchi became capital of Pallava kingdom. Shivaskandavarma was the first king of the Pallava dynasty. Subsequently, Pulakeshi II of the Chalukya dynasty defeated Mahendravarma of the Pallava dynasty. Narasimhavarma I who came later, took revenge on the Chalukyas by defeating Pulakeshi II. And finally, during the reign of Aparajita Pallava, Aditya of the Chola dynasty put an end to the Pallava rule.

Kanchi, the home of Pallavas kingdom, was the center of Sanskrit literature. The Pallavas encouraged both Sanskrit and Tamil. Bharavi, the author of Kiratarjuniya and Dandi, the author of Dashakumar Charita were the poets in the Pallava court.

King Mahendravarma himself wrote a social drama, ‘Matta Vilasa Prahasana’ and a book Bhagavadujjuka.

Kannada literature flourished during Chalukya rule. They patronized and also supported Kanada literature and education. Kings of Chalukya dynasty were a lover of literature and also the creator of literature. That’s why they supported Kannada and also other literary work. They were also great patrons of art developed Vesara style of temple architecture. Many literary works completed during Chalukya rule in the Kannada language like- Vachna literature, Champu metre etc. Basavan also lived during Chalukya and he wrote many literary works in the Kannada language. He composed many Vachna like Shat-Sthala-Vachna.

Tripadi is a native metre in the Kannada language. Tripadi consist of three lines each different from others in the numbers of feet and moras written during 700 CE. That’s why it is known as Tripadi. Sarvjan was a great writer of Tripadis.

Kanchipuram also known as Kanchipuram is a historical place in Tamilnadu not too far from Chennai. Located on the bank of Vegavathy river. The city is historically very important because many great kingdoms British also ruled or operated from here. Here many many historical or architectural temples or other structures are located like Kailashnathar Temple, Vekuntha Perumal Temple, Vardharaj Perumal Temple etc.

Mahabalipuram- Mahabalipuram was also known as the city of temples. Here are many historical temples that’s why this city is known as the city of temples. The site has 400 ancient Hindu temples or monuments. Mahabalipuram is also a UNESCO world heritage site.

I visited Ajanta cave in Maharashtra. Ajanta cave is rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments also UNESCO world heritage site. It is a historically important site. These caves are constructed at different times by different kings or others. These caves include Buddhist structures, Chaitra, vihara and depicting stories from Gautama Buddha's life. It is a famous tourist site in Maharashtra attracting thousands of visitors every year.