Kalachuri dynasty
Kalachuris of Mahishmati | |||||||||||||||||||||
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c. 550 CE–c. 625 CE | |||||||||||||||||||||
Silver coin of king Krishnaraja (r. c. 550-575) of the Kalachuri dynasty, on the model of the Western Satraps.
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1500 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Capital | Mahishmati | ||||||||||||||||||||
Common languages | Sanskrit | ||||||||||||||||||||
Religion | Shaivism | ||||||||||||||||||||
Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||||||||||||
History | |||||||||||||||||||||
• Established | c. 550 CE | ||||||||||||||||||||
• Disestablished | c. 625 CE | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Today part of | India |
The Kalachuris (
The origin of the dynasty is uncertain. In the 6th century, the Kalachuris gained control of the territories formerly ruled by the
Origin
The origin of the Kalachuris is uncertain.
According to numismatist Pankaj Tandon, they may have been descendants of Arjunayanas, a Kshatriya republic.[8][self-published source?]
Some earlier scholars, such as
Territory
According to the Kalachuri inscriptions, the dynasty controlled
The dynasty also controlled
In addition, the Kalachuris conquered northern Konkan (around Elephanta) by the mid-6th century. Here, they succeeded the Traikutaka dynasty.[2]
History
Krishnaraja
Krishnaraja (r. c. 550-575) is the earliest known Kalachuri ruler, and probably established the dynasty with its capital at Mahishmati. The political situation in the region around 550 CE likely favoured him: the death of
No inscriptions of Krishnaraja survive, but his coins have been found at several places, including in present-day Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra. The find spots cover a vast region extending from Rajasthan in north to
Krishnaraja's extant coins are all of silver, round in shape, and 29
A
Shankaragana
Krishnaraja's son Shankaragana ruled during c. 575-600 CE.[11] He is the earliest ruler of the dynasty to be attested by inscriptions from his own reign, which were issued from Ujjain and Nirgundipadraka.[14]
Shankaragana's 597 CE (
The Abhona inscription describes Shankaragana as the lord of a vast territory extending from the western ocean to eastern ocean. Another inscription, found at Sankhera and issued by Shankaragana's military officer Shantilla from his "victorious camp" at Nirgundipadraka (in present-day central Gujarat). This confirms that Gujarat on the western coast was part of his territory. He adopted the titles of the Gupta emperor Skandagupta, which suggests that he conquered western Malwa, which was formerly under the Gupta authority.[14] Abhona is in present-day Maharashtra, which suggests that his empire extended from Malwa in the north to northern Maharashtra in the south.[16]
Like his father, Shankaragana described himself as a Parama-Maheshvara (devotee of Shiva).[14] According to K. P. Jayaswal, king Gana-shankara mentioned in the 8th century text Arya-manju-shri-mula-kalpa, may be identified with the Kalachuri king Shankara-gana.[16]
Buddharaja
Buddharaja succeeded his father Shankaragana around 600 CE, and is the last known ruler of the early Kalachuri dynasty.[16][14]
During Buddharaja's reign, the
According to one theory, Mangalesha could not consolidate his gains against the Kalachuris because of rebellions, first by his subordinate Svamiraja and then by Pulakeshin II.[16] Buddharaja probably lost his sovereignty during a second Chalukya invasion, by Mangalesha,[18] or by his nephew Pulakeshin II.[14] According to one theory, Mangalesha was the Chalukya ruler responsible for ending the Kalachuri power as his inscriptions mention his victory over the Kalachuris, while no inscriptions credit Pulakeshin with this achievement.[18] According to another theory, Pulakeshin's Aihole inscription alludes to his victory over Buddharaja: the inscription states that Pulakeshin conquered Konkana and the "three Maharashtras", which probably refers to the territories of the Kalachuris and their feudatories. The unnamed adversary referred to in this inscription may have been Buddharaja.[19]
By 630 CE, the Nashik area - formerly part of the Kalachuri kingdom - was under Chalukya control, as Pulakeshin's inscription records his village grants in this region. This suggests that the Buddharaja's reign ended sometime before 630 CE.[19]
The Chinese traveler
Like his father and grandfather, Buddharaja described himself as a Parama-Maheshvara (devotee of Shiva). His queen Ananta-Mahayi belonged to the Pashupata sect.[14]
Descendants
No concrete information is available about the successors of Buddharaja, but it is possible that the Kalachuris continued to rule at Mahishmati. A 687 CE inscription of the Chalukya king Vinayaditya suggests that the Kalachuris had become Chalukya feudatories by this time. The Chalukya inscriptions suggest that the two dynasties may have established matrimonial relations in the later years.[20]
An inscription issued by a prince named Taralasvamin was found at Sankheda (where one of Shankaragana's grants was also found). This inscription describes Taralasvamin as a devotee of Shiva, and his father
V. V. Mirashi connected the
Cultural contributions
Elephanta
The
The Kalachuris appear to have been the rulers of the Konkan coast, when some of the Elephanta monuments were built.[13] Silver coins of Krishnaraja have been found along the Konkan coast, on the Salsette Island (now part of Mumbai) and in the Nashik district.[13] Around 31 of his copper coins have been found on the Elephanta Island, which suggests that he was the patron of the main cave temple on the island.[12] According to numismatist Shobhana Gokhale, these low-value coins may have been used to pay the wages of the workers involved in the cave excavation.[14]
Ellora
The earliest of the Hindu caves at
Rulers
The following are the known rulers of the Kalachuri dynasty of Malwa with their estimated reigns (
- Krishnaraja (Kṛṣṇarāja), r. c. 550-575 CE
- Shankaragana (Śaṃkaragaṇa), r. c. 575-600 CE
- Buddharaja (Buddharāja), r. c. 600-625 CE
See also
- Kalachuri Era, used by the Kalachuris and so named after them
References
- ISBN 0226742210.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Charles Dillard Collins 1988, p. 9.
- ^ P. 124 History and Culture of South India, to 1336 A.D. By H. V. Sreenivasa Murthy
- ^ a b c R. K. Sharma 1980, pp. 2–3.
- ISBN 9788179750155.
- ISBN 9788179750155.
- ^ R. K. Sharma 1980, p. 2.
- ^ "Kalachuris coins".
- ^ Om Prakash Misra 2003, p. 13.
- ^ Charles Dillard Collins 1988, p. 6.
- ^ a b c d e R. K. Sharma 1980, p. 4.
- ^ a b Charles Dillard Collins 1988, pp. 9–10.
- ^ a b c d e Geri Hockfield Malandra 1993, p. 6.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Charles Dillard Collins 1988, p. 10.
- ^ R. K. Sharma 1980, pp. 4–5.
- ^ a b c d e f R. K. Sharma 1980, p. 5.
- ^ R. K. Sharma 1980, pp. 5–6.
- ^ a b Durga Prasad Dikshit 1980, p. 57.
- ^ a b c R. K. Sharma 1980, p. 6.
- ^ R. K. Sharma 1980, pp. 6–7.
- ^ Charles Dillard Collins 1988, pp. 10–11.
- ^ V. V. Mirashi 1974, p. 376.
- ^ Ronald M. Davidson 2012, p. 37.
Bibliography
- Charles Dillard Collins (1988). The Iconography and Ritual of Siva at Elephanta. SUNY Press. ISBN 9780887067730.
- Durga Prasad Dikshit (1980). Political History of the Chālukyas of Badami. Abhinav. OCLC 8313041.
- Geri Hockfield Malandra (1993). Unfolding A Mandala: The Buddhist Cave Temples at Ellora. SUNY Press. ISBN 9780791413555.
- Om Prakash Misra (2003). Archaeological Excavations in Central India: Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Mittal Publications. ISBN 978-81-7099-874-7.
- R. K. Sharma (1980). The Kalachuris and their times. Sundeep. OCLC 7816720.
- Ronald M. Davidson (2012). Indian Esoteric Buddhism: A Social History of the Tantric Movement. Columbia University Press. ISBN 9780231501026.
- ISBN 9788120811805.