With the decline of the Gupta dynasty and their immediate successors in northern India in the 6th century, dramatic changes began to occur in the Deccan and southern areas of Vindhyas. In this region, the era of minor kingdoms had given way to the era of huge empires. Pulakeshin I established the Chalukya dynasty in 543 AD. He conquered Vatapi (modern Badami in Karnataka’s Bagalkot district) and proclaimed it his capital. “Chalukyas of Badami” refers to Pulakeshin I and his descendants. They ruled over Deccan.

Background

• Between the 6th and 12th centuries, the Chalukya dynasty ruled vast areas of southern and central India.
• They governed as three separate but related dynasties during this time.
• The “Badami Chalukyas” the first dynasty, ruled from Vatapi (modern Badami) from the middle of the sixth century.
• The Eastern Chalukyas founded an independent state in the eastern Deccan after Pulakeshin II death. They ruled Vengi until the 11th century.
• In the western Deccan, the decline of the Rashtrakutas in the middle of the 10th century led to the emergence of Western Chalukyas. They ruled till the 12th century.
• Badami Chalukyas emerged with the decline of the Kadamba kingdom of Banavasi. They asserted their independence and rose to prominence under Pulakeshin II’s reign.
• Jayasimha was the first ruler of the Chalukya dynasty. But the real founder of the Chalukyan dynasty was Pulakesin I (543–566 CE).
• After him, Pulakeshin II ruled over the whole Deccan and was the Badami dynasty’s most well-known ruler. He is regarded as one of India’s most notable kings.
• By conquering Harsha on the banks of the Narmada, Pulakeshin II pushed the Chalukya Empire up to the northern borders of the Pallava kingdom
• Following the death of Pulakeshin II, the Badami Chalukya dynasty had a brief period of decline due to internal feuds.
• In this period, Badami was invaded by the Pallavas for thirteen years.
• During the reign of Vikramaditya I, who succeeded in driving the Pallavas out of Badami and restoring order to the empire. He took the title “Rajamalla” (Sovereign of the Mallas/ Pallavas).
• After him, Vijayaditya became the new ruler and his thirty-seven-year reign (696–733 AD) was affluent, and he is remembered for his temple-building spree.
• The next ruler was Vikramaditya II (733–744 AD) and the kingdom reached its pinnacle under his reign.
• He was known for his numerous invasions and victories over Pallava Nandivarman II.
• He is also remembered for his compassion towards people and monuments of Kanchipuram, the Pallava capital.
• He avenged the Pallavas’ prior humiliation of the Chalukyas by engraving a Kannada inscription on the Kailasanatha Temple’s victory pillar.
• Vikramaditya II later conquered the three traditional kingdoms of Tamil land i.e. the Pandyas, Cholas, and Cheras.
• In 753 AD, the Rashtrakuta Ruler Dantidurga deposed the last Chalukya king, Kirtivarman II.
• The Chalukyas governed a huge empire that stretched from the Kaveri in the south to the Narmada in the north at their peak.

Pulakesin I (543 – 566 AD)

Pulakesin I was the Vatapi Chalukya dynasty’s first sovereign ruler (modern Badami). In the western and central Deccan region of India, he ruled parts of the present-day states of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. To prove his sovereign status, Pulakesin founded the city of Vatapi and performed the Ashvamedha sacrifice. In the years that followed, the dynasty he formed ruled over a large portion of peninsular India.

• Jayasimha was Pulakesin’s grandfather and Ranaraga was his father.
• His forefathers were vassal monarchs, most likely from the Kadambas or Rashtrakutas.
• Pulakesin’s father is named Vijayaditya in the chronicles of the later Kalyani Chalukyas, who claimed descent from the Vatapi Chalukyas.
• However, these records can be dismissed as untrustworthy, as the Vatapi Chalukya records explicitly name Ranaraga as Pulakesin’s father.
• Jayasimha was the first ruler of the Chalukyan dynasty.
• But the real founder of the Chalukyan dynasty was Pulakesin I (543–566 CE).
• He established a strong fortification at Vapati (modern Badami) in Karnataka’s Bijapur district and declared independence by sacrificing a horse.
• The name ‘Pulakesin’ may be a Sanskrit-Kannada hybrid word meaning “tiger-haired”.
• Also, maybe he got his name from the Sanskrit terms pula or pola (“great”) and keśin (“lion”) i.e. “Great Lion.”

Reign of Pulakesin I

• Pulakesin was his dynasty’s first sovereign king and has been dubbed the “true founder” of his dynasty.
• According to some researchers, Pulakesin was originally a Kadamba vassal who later declared independence by seizing control of the Vatapi region.
• Others speculate that he was a vassal of the Manapura’s Rashtrakutas and captured the erstwhile Kadamba area as a feudatory.
• According to the Chalukya inscriptions, Pulakesin made Vatapi his capital by building a fort there.
• He married Durlabha-devi, who came from the Bappura lineage.
• His first inscription, written under the name Vallabheshvara and dated to 543 CE, was discovered in Badami.
• Pulakesin most likely ascended the throne about the year 540 AD.
• He conducted Ashvamedha sacrifice, according to his Badami inscription from 543 AD.
• However, there are no particular details concerning his military successes in the dynasty’s early records.
• His son and commander-in-chief Kirtivarman I, according to history, was responsible for the Chalukya military victories during his reign.
• The fact that the Chiplun inscription credits Kirtivarman I with building the city of Vatapi backs up this theory.
• However, this statement can alternatively be explained by assuming that the construction of the Vatapi fort was started during Pulakesin’s reign, and was completed during Kirtivarman’s reign.