Shravanabelagola is an important Jain pilgrimage site in South Karnataka. It has an 18-meter-high statue of Lord Gometeshwara Bahubali. It is considered one of the world’s tallest free-standing monoliths. Chamundaraya, a minister and general of Rachamalla IV of the Ganga dynasty, built it in 981 AD. The statue is carved from a single block of granite, on a hilltop, and is visible from up to 30 km away. Nearly 700 steps are cut into the rock to reach the statue.

Chandragupta Maurya is believed to have spent his final days here after giving up his throne, though this is debated. He was accompanied by his guru, Bhadrabahu.

The Western Gangas ruled in Mysore state (Gangavadi) from about 250 to about 1004 CE. They maintained their power through marriages and military alliances with the Pallavas, Chalukyas, and Kadambas. They ruled between the Tungabhadra and Krishna rivers, from Talakad (the capital) to Vatapi. The Cholas conquered them around 1004. Most of the Western Gangas were Jains, but some supported Brahmanical Hinduism. They supported Kannada scholarship, built notable temples, and promoted deforestation, irrigation, farming, and trade across the peninsula. Shravanabelagola and its surroundings have many Jain bastis (of the Digambara sect).

Source: Karnataka Tourism, Brittanica.

The picture is the deity of Gometeshwara Bahubali.

Kakatiyas were powerful rulers of eastern deccan between the 11th and 14th centuries. In the late 13th century the kingdom was ruled by a woman, Queen Rudramba. Her grandson & successor, Pratapa Rudra was a great ruler but was the last and was defeated & taken prisoner by Ulugh Khan (later the Delhi sultan Muhammed Tughlaq).

The Kakatiyan capital was at Warangal. The original city had three concentric ring of walls. The innermost was 1.2 km in diameter and is called as the Warangal Fort. The innermost ring housed a Shiva temple which was demolished in invasions. Only the freestanding entrance portals (Toranas) on the four sides remain. The are about 10 mts in height. They were spared perhaps because they lacked any obvious religious themes.

The temple arch was incorporated into the State emblem along with Charminar immediately after the formation of Telangana State. In 2024, the new Congress Government finalized a new State emblem which replaced both the Kakatiya Arch and the Charminar with a martyr’s symbol. It was supposed to have been unveiled on Telangana State day, June 2, 2024, but was deferred.

Source: George Michelle, “Southern India”; RC Majumdar, “Ancient India”

The picture is the Telangana State Emblem.

The Chalukyas rose to power in the region around Vatapi (near Bijapur) in Karnataka in 540CE. They quickly expanded their territory under warlike kings. The Chalukyas were grand temple builders in Indian history. Their trio of capital cities, Aihole-Vatapi (Badami) & Padatkkal in Karnataka are the cradle of Hindu temple architecture, with temples in all styles – Nagara(northern style), Dravida (southern style) & Vesara (mixed) and in all types – rock cut, brick, stone etc.

Pulakesi II was their greatest ruler. He had defeated Kadambas of Banavasi, Alupas, and Gangas of Mysore. He made expeditions into the eastern Deccan, south Kosala, and Kalinga; and even won against Harshavardhana on the banks of the Narmada. Pulakesi II was eventually defeated & killed by the Pallavas in 642CE. His remarkable achievements were inscribed on the walls of a Jain temple at Aihole. It uses old Kannada script to write Sanskrit. It starts with the now familiar Jain greeting ‘Jai Jinendra.’ It then describes Pulakesi’s family tree & achievements, comparing him to Vedic gods and dating his reign from the Mahabharata war. The family tree helps in dating the Mahabharata war to 3137 BCE. The Chalukyas eventually lost to Rashtrakutas around 750CE.

Source: Upinder Singh, A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India

The picture is of Pattadakal Temples

Cave Number 16 of Ellora is the Kailasanatha temple. It represents an audacity of imagination like none other. It is a massive monolithic rock cut temple. There is nothing like this anywhere else in India or the world. Bulk of the carving of the temple was completed under the patronage of Krishna I of the Rashtrakuta dynasty.

The Kailasanatha temple at Ellora is influenced by the Virupaksha temple at Pattadakal. Krishna I had defeated the Badami Chalukyas who had constructed the Virupaksha temple. It in turn was inspired by the Kailasanatha temple at Kanchipuram built by Pallavas. The Chalukyas had defeated the Pallavas in battle. Thus, the rock cut temple of Ellora traces its origin across three empires.

Ellora’s Kailasanatha was earlier known as Manikeshwar and Ghrishneshwar and was believed to be one of the 12 Jyotirlingas. At present, the Ghrishneshwar temple built by Holkars in Verul, adjacent to Ellora, is worshipped as a Jyotirlinga.

Rashtrakutas reigned from the 6th to 10th century, but were at their peak in the 8th to 10th centuries. Their capital was at Manyakheta, a famous city of antiquity. At some point or other, they defeated the great powers of the time such as the Pratiharas, Palas, Eastern Chalukyas, and Cholas. They had invaded Kannauj. Their greatest king was Amoghavarsha who is said to have turned Jain in later life. A muslim traveler called him among the four greatest monarchs of the world. Like most other dynasties, the Rashtrakutas were ecletic in their patronage to sects. They were also instrumental in encouraging the development of Kannada.

Source: M.K. Dhavilkar, Kailasa – Stylistic Development and Chronology; Britannica

The picture is Kailasanatha Temple, Ellora

Hoysalas ruled southern Karnataka, mainly the Hassan, Mysore, Shimoga, Chitradurga districts. Their reign lasted between the 10th and 14th centuries. They extended their influence southwards into the areas ruled by Chola and Pandyan kings. Hoysalas are renowned for their temple architecture.

They used soap stone for their intricate carvings. Soapstone has a high talc (magnesium) content, making it easy to carve. The Hoysala temples display a unique artistic style and extraordinary intricacy of carving. The Hoysala temples at Belur, Halabeidu and Somanathapura are UNESCO heritage sites. There are several hundred Hoysala temples in southern Karnataka. While they have been damaged extensively in invasions, the remains are still magnificent.

Source: William Coehlo, Hoysala Vamsa

The picture is from Hoysaleswara temple of Halabeidu

Satavahana power in the Deccan collapsed by 3rd cent CE. New dynasties rose. Ikshvakus ruled the Andhra region between Godavri & Krishna. They lost power within a century to Pallavas from the South. It is unclear if they were connected to the Ikshvakus of Ayodhya and thus Sri Rama’s lineage. The appearance of names like Kosala & Ikshvaku in the Deccan in the period suggest migration from the north.

The Ikshvakus ruled from Nagarjunakonda. Under their patronage it turned into a prominent university centred around Mahayana Buddhism. The town itself was named after Nagarjuna, the most famous of Mahayana philosophers, who had lived a few centuries earlier. Ikshvakus were eclectic in their patronage and the founder of the dynasty, Chamtamula even performed the traditional Vedic Ashvamedha sacrifice to announce his kingship.

Source: RC Majumdar, “Ancient India.”

The picture is Nagarjunakonda Ayaka pillar inscription of the time of Ishvaku ruler Vira-Purushadatta.

Like the Hoysalas, the Yadavas of Devagiri (now Daulatabad) claimed to be descendants of Krishna. Both rose to power in the 10th century CE when the Rashtrakuta and Chalukya power declined. The Yadavas ruled in Maharashtra, and the Hoysalas ruled in Karnataka. They often fought each other, despite their claimed kinship. They also fought with the Kakatiyas of Andhra.

The three dynasties did not unite against the Sultans and were defeated one by one. The Yadavas were the first to be defeated. Alauddin Khilji defeated Ramachandra Yadav in 1296 CE. Ramachandra took refuge in his fort at Devagiri, which was thought to be impenetrable. However, due to mismanagement of food supplies, he was forced to surrender. A few years later, he refused to pay tribute. Malik Kafur defeated him again in 1307 CE. Ramachandra accepted vassalship, but his son Sankara refused and was killed in a war with Kafur. Ramachandra’s son-in-law Harapala continued the fight but was also defeated, captured, and killed. The Yadava resistance ended, and the Deccan came under Muslim rule.

Source: RC Majumdar, “Ancient India”

The picture is Devagiri Fort

Tenali Ramakrishna was a 16th-century CE Telugu poet in the court of Krishnadevaraya, the Vijayanagara ruler. He was one of the eight prominent poets (astadiggajas) patronized by the court. He wrote several religious works. His work, Panduranga Mahatmya, is considered a landmark in Telugu kavyas. He was also called ‘vikatakavi’ (jester poet) and was known for blending wisdom with humor. Like Birbal, Tenali Rama is known for folktales where he used his wit to solve problems. However, there are no historical sources for these stories.

From the mid-14th to the mid-16th century CE, the Vijayanagara empire influenced the culture south of the Vindhyas. They supported the temple at Tirupati, which is still one of the most visited temples in India. Statues of Krishnadevaraya and his two wives are in one of the temple’s mandapas. The Dussehra celebrations at Mysuru are a Vijayanagara tradition still followed by the Wodeyar royal family, who were feudatories to the empire. The Vijayanagara empire ended after a defeat by the combined forces of the five Deccan sultanates in 1565 CE. The ruins of their capital, Hampi, show the empire’s greatness.

Source: MAP Academy

The picture is Tenali Rama’s statue at Tenali

The Vakatakas succeeded the Satavahanas. They ruled parts of the Deccan from the mid-3rd to the late 5th century CE, from Nandivardhana, near Nagpur. Their rule overlapped with the Guptas to the north. Chandragupta II gave his daughter Prabhavati Gupta in marriage to the Vakataka ruler Rudrasena II. This was likely to gain Vakataka support for his campaign against the Sakas in Gujarat and Malwa.

After her husband’s death, Prabhavati became regent for her three young sons and later ruled directly for two decades (390-410 CE). The Pune Copper Plate inscription of Prabhavati Gupta mentions the year she became regent. It also identifies her gotra as her father’s dynasty, not her husband’s, and gives details about her father and her mother, who was a Naga princess. This inscription shows that she ruled independently.

Because of her regency, the Guptas and Vakatakas became allies, bringing political unity to a large part of India. Prabhavati is considered the original philosopher queen of India. It is said that Kalidasa, the great Sanskrit poet, was in her court.

Source: Priya Jyoti Samanta, ‘Poona Copper Plate Inscription of Prabhavati Gupta’, Sadvidya – Journal of Research in Sanskrit; RC Majumdar, “Ancient India”

A painting of Prabhavatigupta by Asit Kumar Haldar

The national calendar, based on the Saka Era, was adopted on March 22, 1957, along with the Gregorian calendar for official use. The Saka era started in 78 CE. Historians disagree on the events it marks. A later tradition (after the 13th century CE) suggests the Saka era marks King Shalivahana’s reign.

The Satavahana ruler Gautamiputra Satkarni defeated the Saka satraps of Western India, who were of Iranian origin. This was considered an important event. Other traditions say the Saka era celebrates the Saka rulers.

Satavahanas (also called Shalivahanas) are known as Andhras in the Puranas. They were governors of the Deccan under the Mauryas and became independent in the 1st century BCE. They ruled for 300 years and fought against the Sakas, who were invading India. The Sakas outlived the Satavahanas but were eventually defeated by the Guptas.

Under the Satavahanas, the Konkan coast became a major trading area. A 1st-century CE book by an Egyptian merchant mentions Chaul (Vasai), Sopara, Kalyan, and Gharapuri (Elephanta) as important ports on the Konkan coast. Although they were Saivites, the Satavahanas supported all religious groups. The Konkan area became a stronghold of Buddhism. During their rule, some famous Buddhist cave temples, such as the Karla Caves, were built.

Source: RC Majumdar, “Ancient India”; AS Altekar, writing on Satavahanas in the Maharashtra State Gazetteer.

The picture is Satavahana architecture at Pandavleni Caves at Nashik, during the 2nd century BCE.

Kadambas were a minor dynastic power that held sway in coastal Karnataka between 4th-6th cent CE. Their chroniclers claim that the family migrated from northern India, but other records suggest that they were indigenous to Kuntala (northern Kanara).

An early inscription, the accuracy of which is unknown, describes the dynastic founder, Mayurasharman. He was a learned Brahman who was insulted by a Pallava official. He took up a military career and acquired sufficient territory to bargain with the Pallavas for a feudal principality on the western coast. Pulakesi II, the warlike Chalukya captured their capital Banavasi in the mid 7th cent CE and their rule ended. They reappear in historical records as the rulers of Goa between 10th-14th cent CE, having defeated the Shilaharas.

The Kadambas have left a more lasting impact on Goan history. The bus service in Goa is named after them. Many old houses in Goa still sport the lion emblem of the Kadambas. The Indian navy named one of its bases INS Kadamba.

Source: Britannica

The picture is of INS Kadamba at Karwar

Kempa Gowda was born in Yelahanka, now a suburb of Bengaluru. His family were vassals of Yelehanka for the Vijayanagara empire. In 1537, he erected a mud fort and started a township within it with the permission of the Vijayanagara emperor. He called it the Bengaluru Fort. Contrary to popular stories about the name Bengaluru being linked to Brinjal or Bengal gram, historical inscriptions refer to Bengaluru from 1200 years back.

The fort consisted of eight gates, referring to now popular areas such as Halsoor, Anekal, Kengeri and Yelehanka. He shifted his capital from Yelehanka to Bengaluru. Numerous “pete” areas came up within the fort dedicated to particular professions and goods. The fort is near the areas of Nagarathpet and Chikpet. Kempa Gowda made the mistake of minting his own coin which infuriated the Vijayanagar emperor. Kempa Gowda was imprisoned for five years as a result.

The fort was improved by Tipu Sultan and was eventually brought down the British. Shivaji’s father obtained a Jagir for the Fort and surrounding areas from the Bijapur sultanate. The area passed on to Shivaji’s stepbrother who then lost the Fort to Aurangzeb’s army. They later on sold it to the Wodeyar’s of Mysore.

Source: Fazlul Hasan, “Bangalore through the Centuries.”

The picture is of the remains of Bangalore Fort