Western Chalukya Empire
973 – 1189 CE
Overview
Western Chalukyas of Kalyani — successor to the Rashtrakutas and rivals to the Imperial Cholas. Centered on the Karnataka Deccan. Famous for prolific temple architecture (Lakkundi, Itagi, Dambal) and Kannada literature patronage.
Western Chalukya Empire
The Western Chalukyas of Kalyani rose when Tailapa II, a Rashtrakuta feudatory, overthrew Karka II in 973 CE and ruled the Deccan from Manyakheta and later Kalyani (Basavakalyan). Under Vikramaditya VI they reached their peak, patronising Bilhana and Vijnanesvara and building the finest Vesara temples at Itagi, Lakkundi, and Gadag, before fragmenting into Hoysala, Yadava, and Kakatiya successors.
Territory Phases
Western Chalukya (Founding)973 CE – 997 CE
Tailapa II overthrows Karka II, the last Rashtrakuta emperor, in 973 CE and establishes the dynasty from Manyakheta (Malkhed), the former Rashtrakuta capital.
Western Chalukya (Middle)997 CE – 1076 CE
A century of consolidation and Chola wars, from the Tungabhadra frontier to campaigns in Malwa; Someshvara I establishes Kalyani (Basavakalyan) as the new capital and dies in the Tungabhadra (1068).
Western Chalukya (Peak)1076 CE – 1126 CE
Vikramaditya VI inaugurates the Chalukya-Vikrama era (1076), reaches peak territorial extent, and patronises Bilhana (Vikramankadevacharita), Vijnanesvara (Mitaksara), and the finest Vesara temple builders.
Western Chalukya (Late)1126 CE – 1157 CE
Post-Vikramaditya contraction: Someshvara III authors the Manasollasa encyclopaedia (1129); feudatories grow increasingly independent; Kalachuri power rises under Bijjala II.
Western Chalukya (Decline)1157 CE – 1189 CE
Kalachuri interregnum under Bijjala II (from ~1157); Basavanna launches the Lingayat reform; Someshvara IV's brief restoration at Bankapura ends with the Hoysala-Yadava partition (~1189).
Key Rulers
Tailapa II
Ahavamalla, Tailapa, Maharajadhiraja
Also known as: Ahavamalla
973 CE – 997 CE
★★★★★
Founded the dynasty by overthrowing Karka II, the last Rashtrakuta emperor; defeated Paramara king Munja.
Satyashraya
Irivabedanga, Satyashraya
Also known as: Irivabedanga
997 CE – 1008 CE
★★★★
Defended against Rajaraja Chola I's invasion of the Raichur doab; consolidated northern gains.
Vikramaditya V
1008 CE – 1015 CE
★★
Nephew of Satyashraya; brief uneventful reign.
Jayasimha II
Jagadekamalla, Jayasimha
Also known as: Jagadekamalla I
1015 CE – 1042 CE
★★★
Fought Chola Rajendra I; held the Tungabhadra line; patronised Kannada literature.
Someshvara I
Ahavamalla, Trailokyamalla
Also known as: Ahavamalla, Trailokyamalla
1042 CE – 1068 CE
★★★★★
Established Kalyani as capital (~1050); fought the Battle of Koppam (1054) killing Rajadhiraja Chola I; performed jalasamadhi in the Tungabhadra (1068).
Someshvara II
Bhuvanaikamalla
Also known as: Bhuvanaikamalla
1068 CE – 1076 CE
★★★
Deposed by younger brother Vikramaditya VI; reign marked by succession conflict.
Vikramaditya VI
Vikramanka, Tribhuvanamalla, Vikramaditya
Also known as: Vikramanka, Tribhuvanamalla
1076 CE – 1126 CE
★★★★★
Greatest Chalukya ruler; inaugurated the Chalukya-Vikrama era (1076); patron of Bilhana and Vijnanesvara; peak territorial extent; 50-year reign.
Someshvara III
Bhulokamalla, Sarvajna-Bhupa
Also known as: Bhulokamalla, Sarvajna-Bhupa
1126 CE – 1138 CE
★★★★
Scholar-king; authored the Manasollasa (1129), a Sanskrit encyclopaedia of statecraft, music, and culture.
Jagadekamalla II
1138 CE – 1151 CE
★★
Weak reign; feudatories (Hoysala, Kalachuri, Kadamba) grew increasingly independent.
Tailapa III
1151 CE – 1163 CE
★★
Defeated and captured by Kakatiya Prola II; throne effectively usurped by Kalachuri Bijjala II from ~1157.
Bijjala II
1157 CE – 1167 CE
★★★★
Kalachuri feudatory who declared independence (~1162); Basavanna served as his minister; assassinated 1167.
Someshvara IV
1184 CE – 1189 CE
★★★
Last Chalukya ruler; briefly restored Chalukya rule at Bankapura after Kalachuri collapse, before Hoysala and Yadava partition.
Key Events
Overthrow of the Rashtrakutas973 CE
Manyakheta (Malkhed)
Tailapa II, feudatory of Tardavadi-1000, defeated and deposed Karka II (the last Rashtrakuta emperor) in 973 CE, restoring Chalukya sovereignty over the Deccan. The last Rashtrakuta prince Indra IV retreated to Shravanabelagola where he performed sallekhana (Jain fasting unto death) in 982.
Battle of Koppam1054 CE
Koppam (Krishna River)
Someshvara I Ahavamalla defeated the Imperial Chola army on the banks of the Krishna River at Koppam; Rajadhiraja Chola I was killed in battle, though his brother Rajendra II was crowned on the field and claimed a Chola victory. The battle effectively maintained the Tungabhadra as the frontier. (Some sources date this 1052; Nilakanta Sastri's canonical study settles on 1054.)
Inauguration of the Chalukya-Vikrama Era1076 CE
Kalyani (Basavakalyan)
Vikramaditya VI, having deposed his elder brother Someshvara II, inaugurated his own calendar era — the Chalukya-Vikrama Varsha — replacing the Saka era in Chalukya inscriptions for the duration of his 50-year reign.
Bilhana Composes the Vikramankadevacharita1088 CE
Kalyani (court of Vikramaditya VI)
The Kashmiri poet Bilhana, appointed Vidyapati at Vikramaditya VI's court in Kalyani, composed this 18-canto Sanskrit mahakavya celebrating the king's life and exploits. It remains the principal literary source for Vikramaditya VI's reign.
Vijnanesvara Composes the Mitaksara1100 CE
Kalyani (court of Vikramaditya VI)
The scholar Vijnanesvara, at Vikramaditya VI's court in Kalyani, composed the Mitaksara, a commentary on the Yajnavalkya Smriti that became the most influential school of Hindu inheritance law across India (excepting Bengal). It continues to be cited in modern Indian jurisprudence.
Dedication of the Mahadeva Temple at Itagi1112 CE
Itagi (Koppal district)
Built by Mahadeva, a commander (dandanayaka) of Vikramaditya VI, the Mahadeva Temple at Itagi (Koppal district) is inscribed 1112 CE and is considered the apex of Western Chalukyan Vesara architecture — the foundation inscription calls it "Devalaya Chakravarti" (Emperor of Temples).
Someshvara III Composes the Manasollasa1129 CE
Kalyani
King Someshvara III authored the Manasollasa (Abhilashitarthachintamani), an encyclopaedic Sanskrit work covering statecraft, entertainment, music, gastronomy, and natural history. Dated 1129 CE in the text's colophon, it is one of the most comprehensive Indian royal encyclopaedias.
Bijjala II Seizes Effective Power1157 CE
Kalyani
The Kalachuri feudatory Bijjala II, governor of Tardavadi, wrested effective control from Tailapa III around 1157 and declared formal independence as sovereign by ~1162, establishing the Kalachuri interregnum at Kalyani while the Chalukyas were reduced to nominal claimants.
Basavanna and the Veerashaiva Reform1162 CE
Kalyani
Basavanna (Basava, c. 1131-1167), serving as finance minister to Bijjala II at Kalyani, established the Anubhava Mantapa — the gathering of Sharanas — which produced the Vachana literature in Kannada and launched the Veerashaiva/Lingayat movement rejecting caste hierarchy. Bijjala was assassinated in 1167 and Basava withdrew to Kudalasangama.
End of the Western Chalukyas and Deccan Partition1189 CE
Bankapura
After Someshvara IV's brief restoration at Bankapura (from ~1184), Hoysala Veera Ballala II and Yadava Bhillama V partitioned the former Chalukya heartland around 1189-1190 CE, extinguishing the Western Chalukya dynasty after over two centuries of Deccan dominance.
Related Civilisations
Sources
- Yazdani, G. (ed.) (1960) The Early History of the Deccan, 2 volumes(Two-volume reference on the early history of the Deccan including detailed treatment of the Rashtrakutas and their predecessors. Standard reference for Deccan regional history.)
- Kamath, Suryanath U. (1980) A Concise History of Karnataka(Standard regional history of Karnataka. Provides maps and detailed chronology for the Badami Chalukyas and their Karnataka context.)
- Altekar, A.S. (1934) The Rashtrakutas and Their Times(The standard monograph on the Rashtrakuta dynasty. Comprehensive political, social, and cultural history of Manyakheta from Dantidurga to Karka II. Widely cited in all subsequent Rashtrakuta scholarship. Available on archive.org.)
- Bilhana. Vikramankadevacharita. Ed. Georg Buhler. Bombay Sanskrit Series No. 14. Bombay: Government Central Book Depot, 1875(Primary source for Vikramaditya VI; accession 1076; Chalukya-Vikrama era; court life.)
- Cousens, Henry. The Chalukyan Architecture of the Kanarese Districts. Archaeological Survey of India New Imperial Series vol. 42. Calcutta: Government of India, 1926(Temple architecture; Itagi (1112), Lakkundi, Gadag, Kuruvatti monuments.)
- Desai, P.B. (ed.). A History of Karnataka: From Pre-history to Unification. Dharwar: Kannada Research Institute, Karnatak University, 1970(Broader Karnataka context; Lingayat movement; dynasty transitions. Ed. P.B. Desai with S.H. Ritti and B.R. Gopal.)
- Dikshit, G.S. Local Self-Government in Mediaeval Karnataka. Karnatak University Research Series, 5. Dharwar: Karnatak University, 1964(Nadus and Tardavadi-1000 administrative structure; feudatory relationships.)
- Epigraphia Indica vol. V. Calcutta: Archaeological Survey of India, 1898(Kalyani Chalukya copper plates and stone inscriptions.)
- Fleet, J.F. Dynasties of the Kanarese Districts of the Bombay Presidency. Bombay Gazetteer vol. I pt. II. Bombay: Government of Bombay, 1896(Epigraphic dating of Chalukya kings; Kalyani-area inscriptions; regnal chronology.)
- Nilakanta Sastri, K.A. (1955) The Cōḷas (2nd edition)(THE standard monograph on the Chola dynasty. Two volumes covering the entire Imperial Chola period (848-1279). Foundational for all subsequent Chola scholarship.)
- Rice, B. Lewis. Epigraphia Carnatica. Vol. 2. Bangalore: Mysore Government, 1889(Shravanabelagola inscription on Indra IV (982 CE); Hoysala emergence; Kannada inscriptions.)
- Ritti, Shrinivas. The Seunas: The Yadavas of Devagiri. Dharwar: Karnatak University, 1973(Yadava independence under Bhillama V (~1187); Seuna-Chalukya succession edge.)
- Somesvara III. Manasollasa (Abhilasitarthacintamani). Ed. G.K. Shrigondekar. 3 vols. Baroda: Oriental Institute, 1925(Primary source for Someshvara III; 1129 CE composition; Chalukya court culture.)
- Vijnanesvara. Mitaksara on the Yajnavalkya Smriti. Ed. J.R. Gharpure. Bombay: Collection of Hindu Law Texts, 1914(Primary source for the Mitaksara law code composed at Vikramaditya VI's court; multi-volume series, parts published 1914-1939. J.R. (Jagannath Raghunath) Gharpure, ed./tr.)