Chalukyas of Vatapi & Eastern Chalukyas

The Chalukyas of Vatapi — Overview

Badami Capital · c. 543–753 CE · Karnataka

The Chalukyas of Vatapi (Badami) ruled from their fortified capital Vatapi (modern Badami, Bagalkot district, Karnataka) from approximately 543 CE until 753 CE, when the Rashtrakutas overthrew them. They were the dominant power of the western Deccan for two centuries, controlling the region between the Narmada (north) and the Tungabhadra (south).

Pulakesi I and Kirtivarman I

Pulakesi I (c. 543–566 CE) founded the dynasty and fortified Vatapi (Badami). He performed the Ashvamedha sacrifice — asserting independent sovereign status. His son Kirtivarman I expanded the kingdom by defeating three regional powers: the Nalas, the Mauryas of Konkan, and the Kadambas of Goa. The dynasty's rock-cut art programme at Badami began under Kirtivarman's brother Mangalesa, who dedicated Cave 3 in 578 CE.

Pulakesi II (c. 609–642 CE)

Greatest Chalukya King · Diplomatic Contacts · Deccan Supremacy

Pulakesi II is one of the most formidable rulers in early medieval India. He came to power after a fratricidal conflict (killing his uncle Mangalesa) and spent his first years consolidating the Deccan. He then expanded in all directions: subdued the Kadambas of Goa, defeated the Latas, Malavas, and Gurjaras in the north, brought the Gangas and Cholas into submission in the south, and controlled the entire Deccan between the Narmada and the Tungabhadra.

Defeat of Harsha at the Narmada

c. 618–619 CE · Narmada = Border · Chalukya–Harsha Conflict

Around 618–619 CE, Harsha of Kanauj — the dominant northern emperor — attempted to cross the Narmada southward. Pulakesi II halted him decisively at the Narmada River, which became the de facto border between north and south. This victory established Pulakesi II's reputation as the only contemporary ruler capable of matching Harsha.

The Aihole Inscription (634 CE)

Composed by Ravikirti · Most Important Chalukya Inscription

The Aihole Inscription (634 CE) was composed by Pulakesi II's court poet Ravikirti on the occasion of Pulakesi's victory celebrations. It is inscribed at the Meguti temple at Aihole (Karnataka) — one of the earliest structural stone temples in the Deccan.

Death of Pulakesi II and Pallava Occupation

Around 642 CE, Pallava king Narasimhavarman I (Mamalla) invaded, killed Pulakesi II in battle, and sacked Vatapi. The Chalukya capital was occupied by the Pallavas for approximately 13 years. This is why Narasimhavarman earned the title "Vatapi-Konda." Pulakesi II's son and successor Vikramaditya I eventually recaptured Vatapi and re-established Chalukya power.

Vikramaditya I (c. 655–680 CE)

Vikramaditya I recaptured Vatapi from the Pallavas and then went further — sacking the Pallava capital Kanchipuram in retaliation. He received the title Rajamalla and is credited with restoring Chalukya prestige after the trauma of his father's defeat. The tit-for-tat dynamic of Chalukya–Pallava warfare reached its most intense under his reign.

Vikramaditya II and the Arab Invasion

c. 733–744 CE · Repelled Arab Advance into Gujarat

Vikramaditya II is notable for repelling the Arab invasion of Gujarat (c. 738 CE). The Umayyad Caliphate, having conquered Sind (712 CE under Muhammad bin Qasim), attempted to push further north into Gujarat. Vikramaditya II's forces, led by his general Avanijanashraya Pulakesi, defeated the Arab army and pushed them back. This is one of the few recorded defeats of the Arab expansion in Asia and is often cited alongside Charles Martel's Battle of Tours (732 CE) as a simultaneous check on Islamic expansion.

He also sacked Kanchipuram (again) — this time he reportedly showed magnanimity, did not loot the temples, and installed an inscription praising the Pallava temples' architecture. The Pattadakal temple complex saw major additions under his patronage.

Badami Cave Temples

4 Caves · Shaiva + Vaishnava + Jain · 6th–7th Century CE

Aihole and Pattadakal

Architectural Laboratories · UNESCO Site

Beyond Badami, the Chalukyas developed two nearby sites as architectural laboratories:

Aihole (Karnataka) — with over 125 temples built between the 4th and 12th centuries, Aihole is called the "cradle of Indian temple architecture." The Durga Temple (misnamed — not dedicated to Durga but built over an older Buddhist structure) at Aihole has an apsidal plan with a circumambulatory passage — an early experiment in temple forms. The Meguti Temple (634 CE, site of the Aihole Inscription) is one of the earliest dated structural stone temples in the Deccan.

Pattadakal (Karnataka) — a UNESCO World Heritage Site (1987), Pattadakal contains the finest flowering of Chalukya architecture. The Virupaksha Temple (c. 740 CE, built by Queen Lokamahadevi to celebrate Vikramaditya II's victories over the Pallavas) is the largest and best-preserved. It was modelled on the Pallava Kailasanatha at Kanchipuram — demonstrating the artistic borrowing that occurred even between rival dynasties. The Chalukyas of Vatapi stood at the junction of the northern Nagara and southern Dravidian styles, and their temples experimented with both.

The architectural vocabulary developed at Badami, Aihole, and Pattadakal fed directly into the Rashtrakuta Kailasanatha at Ellora and eventually the Imperial Chola tradition.

Eastern Chalukyas of Vengi

Kubja Vishnuvardhana · Andhra Pradesh · c. 624–1070 CE

When Pulakesi II conquered the eastern Deccan (modern Andhra Pradesh), he appointed his younger brother Kubja Vishnuvardhana as viceroy of Vengi (modern Eluru region). After Pulakesi II's death, Kubja Vishnuvardhana declared independence, founding the Eastern Chalukyas of Vengi (c. 624–1070 CE).

The Eastern Chalukyas ruled for nearly 450 years, patronising Telugu literature (they are credited with the patronage of early Telugu literary texts) and Shaivite temples in the Krishna-Godavari delta. In the 11th century, the Eastern Chalukya prince Kulottunga I inherited the Chola throne through his mother (a Chola princess), merging the two dynasties and ruling as the Chalukya-Chola.