Discovery of temples in Telangana shows spread of Chalukya reign

Context: An excavation was undertaken, in Telangana, in the village of Mudimanikyam on the banks of river Krishna, which was part of the kingdom ruled by Badami Chalukyas.

More information: 

• After the end of the Kingdom (ruling present-day Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh), Mudimanikyam continued to have a thriving community, believing in the Hindu gods of Vishnu and Shiva. 
• As per the new discovery, the Jogulamba temples at Alampur and the submerged Yeleswaram sites in Telangana, are evidences that show the reach of Chalukya Badami kingdom (ruling from 543 AD to 750 AD). 
• An inscription dating to the rulers of Badami Chalukyas was also discovered.
• The discovered temples highlight the ‘Deccan cosmopolitanism’ where there was space for more than two religions to co-exist. Along with Brahmanical religion, there was space for Buddhism and Jainism to flourish. 

Chalukyas of Badami: 

Introduction: 

• Chalukyas ruled over the Deccan plateau in India for over 600 years.
• During this period, they ruled as three closely related, but individual dynasties.
  • Chalukyas of Badami (also called Early Chalukyas), who ruled between the 6th and the 8th century.
  • Chalukyas of Kalyani (also called Western Chalukyas or Later Chalukyas)
  • Chalukyas of Vengi (also called Eastern Chalukyas).

Badami Chalukyas: 

• In the 6th century, with the decline of the Gupta dynasty and their immediate successors in northern India, major changes were seen in the areas south of the Vindhyas, the Deccan and Tamilakam.
• The age of small kingdoms had given way to large empires in this region.
• The Chalukya dynasty was established by Pulakeshin I in 543.
• Chalukyas of Badami, ruled over an empire that comprised the entire state of Karnataka and most of Andhra Pradesh in the Deccan.
• At their peak, the Chalukyas ruled a vast empire stretching from the Kaveri in the south to the Narmada in the north.
• Pulakeshin I took Vatapi (modern Badami in Karnataka) under his control and made it his capital.
• Pulakeshin II, commanded control over the entire Deccan and is perhaps the most well-known emperor of the Badami dynasty.
  • Pulakeshin II extended the Chalukya Empire up to the northern extents of the Pallava kingdom.
  • He halted the southward march of Harsha by defeating him on the banks of the river Narmada.
  • Pallava Narasimhavarman, in 642, attacked and occupied Badami temporarily. Pulakeshin II, died in the battle. 
  • The Aihole inscription/prashasti, is a Sanskrit inscription at Meguti Jain temple in Aihole, Karnataka.
  • The eulogy dated 634–635 CE, was composed by the Jain poet Ravikirti in honour of his patron king Pulakesin Satyasraya (Pulakeshin II). 

• The dynasty went into a brief decline following the death of Pulakeshin II due to internal feuds. Badami was occupied by the Pallavas for a period of thirteen years.
• It recovered during the reign of Vikramaditya I, who succeeded in pushing the Pallavas out of Badami and restored order to the empire.
  • Vikramaditya I took the title ‘Rajamalla’. 
• The empire was its peak again during the rule of the Vikramaditya II (733–744).
  • He is known for his repeated invasions of the territory of Tondaimandalam (historical region located in the northernmost part of Tamil Nadu and southernmost part of Andhra Pradesh). 
  • He defeated Pallava Nandivarman II, and thus, avenged the earlier defeat of the Chalukyas by the Pallavas. He engraved a Kannada inscription on the victory pillar at the Kailasanatha Temple, in Kanchipuram. 
  • Vikramaditya II later overran the other traditional kingdoms of Tamil country, the Pandyas, the Cholas and the Cheras in addition to subduing a Kalabhra ruler.
• The last Chalukya king, Kirtivarman II, was overthrown by the Rashtrakuta king Dantidurga in 753. 

Architecture: 

• Their style of architecture is called ‘Chalukyan architecture’ or ‘Karnata Dravida architecture’.
• The building material they used was a reddish-golden Sandstone.
• The temple building activity was mostly concentrated in a relatively small area within, Aihole, Badami, Pattadakal and Mahakuta in modern Karnataka state. 

(Aihole Inscription)

Temple building activity can be categorised into different phases: 

1.The early phase began in the last quarter of the 6th century: 

• Cave temples developed at Aihole (one Vedic, one Jain and one Buddhist), followed by four developed cave temples at Badami (of which cave 3, a Vaishnava temple, is dated accurately to 578 CE).
  • The Vedic temples sculpted images of Mahishasuramardhini, Varaha, Vishnu seated on Anantha (the snake) and Nataraja (dancing Shiva). 

2.The second phase of temple building was at Aihole and Badami: 

• 70 structures exist at Aihole and has been called one of the cradles of Indian temple architecture.
  • Lad Khan Temple (dated to 450 but more accurately to 620).
  • Meguti Jain Temple shows progress in structural design.
• The structural temples at Pattadakal, built in the 8th century and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, marks the culmination and mature phase of Badami Chalukyan architecture. 
  • There are ten temples at Pattadakal, six in southern dravida style and four in the northern nagara style.
  • Well known are the Virupaksha Temple (740–745) and the Mallikarjuna Temple (740–745) in the southern style.