THE BADAMI CHALUKYAS - Part V

WHO IS THE 'SECOND' GREATEST CHALUKYAN EMPEROR?

Historians and scholars are unanimous in their opinion that Pulakeshi II, the fourth emperor in this illustrious line of rulers was not only the greatest monarch to have sat on the throne of Badami but also count him amongst the best rulers in the history of the country. The tragedies that unfolded in the last few years of his reign apart, he won a series of victories in his remarkable military career, the crowning glory of which was his outstanding win over Emperor Harshavardhan when he tried to invade the Deccan. Of course, this is just one aspect of his life; besides being a military genius, he was also an able administrator as confirmed by records of the Chinese pilgrim Xuangzang. However, the question that I would like to attempt to answer in this post is one that has intrigued me for long now - After Pulakeshi II, who is the 'second greatest' Chalukyan emperor? In my opinion, there are five major contenders and over the course of this post, I would like to evaluate each one of these and try to arrive at a 'satisfactory' conclusion.

The first of these is Mangalesa, the uncle and immediate predecessor of Immadi Pulakeshi. Many will be surprised by the fact that I have included him in this exercise; after all, he is not spoken about in 'high regards' even in the dynastic records that generally tend to overrate the achievements of even the 'weakest' of the kings. The reason for him being 'overlooked' in the Chalukyan inscriptions, of course is pretty clear. His refusal to hand over the reins of the government to his nephew when the latter came of age is largely seen as 'act of betrayal' and a display of 'extreme selfishness'. Though he is wrong if you consider the 'law of primogeniture' but I have chosen to ignore this since I believe that his contribution in strengthening the Badami Chalukya clan has largely been overlooked.

Although he inherited a pretty stable kingdom, Mangalesa's conquests along the western coast are extremely important as far as the history of this clan is concerned. Apart from checking the ambitions of chiefs in the region and forcing them to submit to the Vatapi court, it also gave the Chalukyas access to the ports like Goa which were important centres of trade, especially in Arabian horses. Moreover, he was, in my opinion, the first king of Badami to pursue a policy of territorial expansion. His victory over the Kalachuris helped in adding areas in modern day Maharashtra to the Chalukyan kingdom. However, the reason why he fails in the race to be the 'second' best is that in spite of being in power for over a decade he failed to defend his throne against his nephew. This clearly shows that there was a strong coterie in the royal court that opposed Mangalesa and he failed in keeping a watch over their activities.

Another Chalukyan monarch who makes a strong case for himself is Vinayaditya - the sixth ruler of this clan. If the dynastic records are to be believed, he led a strong army and prevailed over a powerful king in the North. Thus while Pulakeshi was successful in repulsing Harsha's invasion, his grandson is credited to have crossed the Narmada and defeated a strong king ruling in the area of the Gangetic plain. He is also hailed as yielding supremacy over the kings of faraway lands like Persia, Ceylon and Kamera which some historians identify as the Khmer kingdom in modern day Cambodia. The problem however is that, at present we have no credible source to corroborate these rather tall claims which sound more like figment of imagination of a royal poet intend to glorify his master's achievements. We still do not have any information about the North Indian ruler who was beaten by Vinayaditya nor is there any mention in the history of Persia and Cambodia that their rulers paid tribute to the Badami kings. Also, in case the dynastic records are right, then Vinayaditya might well be the greatest of all the Chalukyan rulers surpassing even the famous Immadi Pulakeshi.

Most of the Badami Chalukyan kings had imperialistic ambitions and waged wars to win more territories and wealth. A notable exception to this was the third contender - Vijayaditya. His 37 year long reign was the longest for any ruler of his family and was marked by general peace and prosperity. In fact, it was also in the last days of his career that the family won a huge victory over their arch rivals - the Pallavas of Kanchi. Though I place him higher over the likes of Mangalesa and Vinayaditya, I still believe that he was not the 'second' best ruler of this dynasty. The reason is simple; I believe that for a ruler to be in the 'great' club, a ruler needs to be a great general and an efficient administrator. While Vijayaditya gets full marks for administration, the fact remains that as of now, we are not aware of any of his major military exploits. The lone campaign against the Pallavas too was headed by the crown prince about whom we will discuss next.

Vikramaditya II, the last of the great Chalukyan kings did something that even Pulakeshi could not; he managed to comprehensively defeat the Pallavas, not once, not twice but on three different occasions. The first of these was as the crown prince during the reign of his father Vijayaditya, the second as the King and third was an expedition led by his son Kirtivarman II. The death of Pulakeshi II on the battle field at the hands of Narsimhavarman I, the subsequent Pallava sacking of Vatapi and the inscription that their king left behind there were a great cause of embarrassment for this family. It was Vikramaditya's triple victories that finally ended this humiliation. Moreover, unlike the Pallavas, the Chalukyas did not ransack their capital; in fact, the Chalukyan emperor left his own inscription in Kanchi wherein it is mentioned that he made several grants to the temples and the priests, clearly indicating that he was a considerate monarch too. Besides, it was during his reign that Avanjijanasraya Pulakeshi of the Lata branch stemmed the advances of an Arab army. Thus, as far as warfare is concerned, Vikramaditya II is perhaps next only to Immadi Pulakeshi as far as the Badami Chalukyas are concerned.

So, is he the 'second' greatest? Ahh, I don't think so. The Chalukyan Empire crumbled within a decade after the death of Vikramaditya II and the seeds of destruction were sowed during his time. Though he won a major victory over the Arabs in the north, I think that this ruler concentrated most of his energies in the south. So determined was he in destroying the Pallavas that he in a sense ignored the meteoric rise of two families in this part of the world - the Rashtrakutas under Dantidurga and the Pandyas who would eventually diminish the glory of the Badami court. Like Pulakeshi II, the constant wars that he waged would have taken a toll on the state exchequer. Lastly, an important mistake that he made was that so involved was he in the politics of southern Deccan that he completely ignored the northern frontier.

The final contender in this race is Pulakeshi's own son Vikramaditya I. As mentioned earlier, after the defeat and death of his father, the great Pallava emperor Narshimavarman I captured and sacked Vatapi. For a period of 13 years, the Chalukyan capital remained in the hands of their bitter rivals. It was a critical period in the history of this dynasty and our understanding of it as yet is quite limited. All we are sure about is that it was Vikramaditya II who succeeded in driving the Kanchi army out of Badami and restoring the Chalukyan pride to some extent. Thus in some ways, he rebuilt the Vatapi kingdom following its devastation at the hands of Narshimavarman I. In his 25 year long reign as the monarch, he is said to have defeated the Pandyas, the Chola sand the Cheras who had allied with the Kanchi king during the Chalukya-Pallava conflict. Also, we know from inscriptions that he continued to get tribute from the Latas, the Gujjaras and the Malavas. Hence, except for Vengi which was by now an independent kingdom, the extent of his empire was next only to his father. He also undertook a campaign against the Kanchi kings but we are not sure as to what was the ultimate result of this conflict as both sides claim victory.

Unlike his namesake, Vikramaditya I could never achieve a complete victory over the Pallavas. However, in my opinion, that cannot be a yardstick to measure greatness. If it was not for him, the Badami Chalukya dynasty would have passed into oblivion following the death of Pulakaeshi II. He literally rebuilt the kingdom from pieces, pushed out the Pallavas and reaffirmed his family's hold over regions up to Southern Gujarat. He was vigilant enough to check the ambitions of his feudatories and the empire survived for nearly a century after his death. Of course, we cannot deny that he was lucky enough to have strong successors like Vinayaditya, Vijayaditya and Vikramaditya II. But then, had it not been for the strong leadership provided by him during the time of crisis, the Chalukyan power would have ended with the death of Pulakeshi II.

Thus, I believe that Immadi Pulakeshi's son and successor Vikramaditya I who was the next best ruler to have occupied the Badami throne followed closely by his great grandson Vikramaditya II at number three.

Read the complete series on Badami Chalukyas here (Link)

THE BADAMI CHALUKYAS - Part II

A CONCISE POLITICAL HISTORY

Serving at the court of Banavasi as feudatories in the early sixth century, the Chalukyas of Badami rose to become the first empire builders of the Deccan in the post-Satavahana era. Though north and central peninsular region formed the core of their territory, at the height of their power, their suzerainty extended over extensive parts of modern day Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and southern Orissa. Considered by many to be one of the greatest monarchs in the history of the country, Pulakeshi II - the warrior king who humbled the mighty Emperor Harshavardhan and checked his imperialistic ambitions also belonged to this distinguished and illustrious clan. As their military conquests brought them fame, their fame spread beyond the realm of Deccan which is evident from the fact that they established diplomatic relations with countries far and wide including Sri Lanka, Persia (Iran) and China. As they provided much needed stability to southern India, trade prospered and arts and crafts flourished. The Badami rulers were prolific builders and it was under them that the unique Chalukyan style of temple building emerged. Besides the magnificent temples in places like Badami, Pattadkal, Aihole and Alampur which have been designated as UNESCO World Heritage sites, amongst their greatest legacies that has endured till date is the development of Kannada as an independent language.

As far as the origins of this clan are concerned, I must confess that I am truly impressed by the 'creativity' of the poets and the writers that were patronized by the Chalukyas, especially those ruling from Kalyana and Vengi in the later period. Surely, they can give modern authors and Bollywood script writers a run for their money. In a bid to glorify their history and legitimize their right to rule, the dynastic records claim that they were descendants of great mythological warriors like Chuluka - a great warrior created by Lord Brahma on the request of the Gods to rid the world of Adharma as well as Lord Rama - the protagonist of the epic Ramayana who is considered by Hindus till date as an ideal ruler. They claim that they received the 'boar' or the 'Varaha' emblem from Lord Vishnu and ruled for over 50 generations at Ayodhya before migrating to the south. As far as the original home of the Chalukyas is concerned, some scholars believe that there may be some element of truth in the above mentioned legends and that may have come from the north. Others associate them with Gujarat, few believe that they hailed from Central Asia whereas another school of thought states that their native country was in the peninsula itself; whether it was Andhra or northern Karnataka is another matter of debate.

THE EARLY CHALUKYAS

Though I consider the Chalukyas to be the political successors of the Kadambas, there is a gap of nearly two decades between the death of Harivarma - the last ruler of the latter dynasty in AD 525 and the establishment of the Badami kingdom in AD 543. What exactly transpired in these 18 years and how the Chalukya kingdom was established is as yet, unclear. Anyway, historians are unanimous of the opinion that Pulakeshi I (543-566) was the founder of this clan. As per the inscriptions, he is believed to have performed several elaborate Vedic ceremonies including the Ashwamedha Yagjna (Horse Sacrifice) and further strengthened the fortifications around the metropolis of Vatapi (Badami) which served as their capital. His son and successor Kirtivarman I (566-597) helped stabilize the nascent kingdom by subjugating the ruling clans of Karnataka including the Konkan Mauryas, the Alupas, the Gangas and the Nalas in his three decade long reign. Following his death, his younger brother was appointed as the Regent to the crown prince Ereya who was still a minor. Though he was to look after the administration in the name of his nephew, the inscriptions of Mangalesa (597-609) make it amply clear that he was the third monarch in this line. He is accredited with waging a successful war against the Kalachuris and annexing their territories and capturing Goa. Unfortunately, his reluctance to hand over the throne to his nephew when he came of age led to a civil war in the kingdom that ended in favor of Ereya.

THE AGE OF PULAKESHI - II

The ascension of Ereya on the throne of Badami marks an important epoch in the history of India in general and that of the Deccan in particular. Taking up the title of Pulakeshi II (610-642), he made the whole of Deccan submit to him at the height of his power. The Aihole inscription penned by his court poet Ravikirti gives a detailed account of his reign, especially the campaigns in his three decade long career.

The fratricidal war that saw him depose his uncle took its toll on the Chalukyan kingdom, shaking its very foundations. Some officers in the administration who were appointed by Mangalesa were averse to him whereas many of the vassal states refused to acknowledge his overlordship. Using his military prowess and shrewd diplomatic skills, the young monarch overcame all these challenges. He saw off the rebellion of Appayika and Govinda, invaded Banavasi, perhaps to dismantle the remnants of the erstwhile Kadamba kingdom and forced a host of sub-ordinate chiefs to submit to his authority either by force or by entering into matrimonial alliances with them. In the next few years, he extended his domain up to the banks of the river Narmada and the received tribute from the Latas, the Pratiharas and the Malawas.

Pulakeshi's greatest feat was his victory over emperor Harshvardhan of Kannauj who was keen to expand his empire down south after humbling most rulers of the north and the east. However, his invasion was repulsed by the mighty Chalukyan army which is believed to have inflicted a heavy defeat on their worthy foe. Following this, the river Narmada was chosen as the boundary between the territories of the two rulers. Next, he undertook a series of conquests in the east that included a victory over the Vishnukundins and the capture of Vengi. He appointed his brother Kubuja Vishnuvardhan as the Viceroy of these newly acquired regions; in course of time, Vishnuvardhan laid the foundation of the Chalukya kingdom of Vengi. Turning his attention to the south, he undertook a successful campaign against the Pallava king Mahendravarman I and defeated him, thereby sowing the seeds of enmity between the two dynasties that would last for over a century. Thus, Pulakeshi converted the shaky kingdom that he had 'forcefully' acquired into a huge empire stretching between the Arabian on one side and the Bay of Bengal on the other. A painting in the Ajanta caves depicts him receiving an ambassador from the King of Persia. Besides, the accounts of Chinese travelers like Xuanzang and Hieun-tsang speak highly of the conditions prevalent in his empire. At this point in history, the power of the Badami Chalukyas was unrivaled across the whole of the peninsula.

Unfortunately, his successes against his southern adversary was rather short-lived; the new Pallava monarch Narsimhavarman I who is considered to be the greatest ruler of his clan regrouped his forces and mounted a counter-invasion to avenge the humiliation suffered by his father. With the support of subordinates like the Cholas, the Pandyas and the Cheras, he beat the Chalukyan army and eventually captured and sacked Vatapi. It is generally believed that the great warrior king Pulakeshi perished on the battle field defending his capital against his rivals. The Pallavas held on to the Chalukyan capital for about 13 years which is regarded as the 'darkest period in the family's history'. Again, what happened in this period is largely unknown though we can conclude that at least two of Pulakeshi's sons - Chandraditya and Adityavarman had taken up royal titles as can be seen from their inscriptions.

THE LATER CHALUKYAS

It was Pulakeshi's son Vikramaditya I (655-680) who beat the Pallavas and ended their occupation of the Chalukyan capital. A worthy son of a great father, he went about the task of rebuilding the kingdom and re-affirmed his hold up to the river Narmada in the north. Besides, he is believed to have led his army on a southern campaign against the rulers of Kanchi and their allies. While the Chalukyan sources claim that the war ended in favor of Vikramaditya, the records of their adversaries say that it was the Pallava army that emerged victorious. His son Vinayaditya (680-696) who succeeded him is said to have led a victorious expedition to the Gangetic plain as per Chalukyan records. Besides, he is believed to have extracted tribute from the kings of Lanka, Persia and Kamera which some scholars have identified with Khmer or Cambodia; of course, while this would be gross exaggeration, it still shows that this empire had deep ties with rulers and peoples outside the Sub-continent. The reign of Vijayaditya (696-733) that lasted for over three decades, the highest amongst the kings of this line, is largely marked by peace and saw the construction of several temples around Vatapi.

The next ruler in this family - Vikramaditya II (733-746) was the last great ruler of this dynasty. Up till now, it was the Pallavas who held the upper hand in the clash between the two southern empires for supremacy of the peninsula. However, the tide turned in favor of the Vatapi king during his time. As a crown prince, he is said to have invaded the territories of the king of Kanchi and defeated him. Once on the throne, he undertook a second conquest that saw him capture the Pallava metropolis. However, instead of destroying the city, the Chalukyan ruler is said to have made handsome grants to the temples here. This was in sharp contrast to the conduct of the Pallava emperor Narasimhavarman I when he had conquered Badami about a century ago. Thus, Vikramaditya avenged the defeat of his great great grand-father Pulakeshi II by the Pallavas and their subsequent capture of Vatapi. Moreover, his son and crown prince Kirtivarman too is said to have invaded the Kanchi kingdom some years later and defeated their army. Moreover, it was during his reign that his governor of Lata - Avanjijanasraya Pulakeshi a Chalukyan scion repulsed the Arab invasion.

THE END

In spite of leading his army to a victory over their arch rivals at such an early stage in his life, the last king Kirtivarman II (746-753) proved to be incompetent as new families began to rise in the Deccan. While they were pre-occupied with exterminating the Pallavas, the Pandyas and the Rashtrakutas were consolidating their position. Kirtivarman is believed to have been defeated by Pandya ruler Maravarman Rajasimha and then by Dantidurga, the founder of the Rashtrakuta dynasty. As he occupied Maharashtra and Gujarat, a substantial part of the south territories were lost to the Pandyas. With his death, sometime in mid 750s, the illustrious line of the Badami Chalukyas is believed to have come to an end.

Read the complete series on Badami Chalukyas here (Link)