Kalachuri
As Kalachuri several Indian dynasties designated, in particular in the Middle Ages. Apart from the dynasty name and perhaps the belief in a common origin, they have nothing in common.
The early Kalachuri
The Kalachuris were an old ruling dynasty in Mahishmati (today no longer localizable city, probably Maheshwar south of Ujjain). Before the Kalachuris, the Vakatakas ruled the region. They both belong to the followers of Shaivism . How and when exactly the change from the Vakatakas to the Kalachuris took place remains unclear. There is, however, the representation that the grandchildren of the last and most powerful ruler of the Vakatakas, King Harisena, were rescued during political unrest by the wandering Gupta prince Visruta or Subandhu, who then took over the empire and married Harisena's granddaughter.
Krishnaraja (ruled approx. 550-575), the son or perhaps also grandson of Subandhus and first great Kalachuri ruler, would therefore also be a descendant of Harisena. His son Sankaragana ruled from around 575–600, which means that both he and his father have the possibility of having been ruler of Elephanta Island and founder of the famous cave temple located on it. Both Krishnaraja and his son are called "parameshvara", that is, servants of Shiva . Krishnarajana is also referred to as a direct follower of the Pashupatas sect, which specifically worships Shiva as Lakulisha . There are also two such Lukulisha images in the Elephanta Cave. This reinforces the presumed affiliation of the Elephanta Cave to the Kalachuri dynasty. Sankaragana expanded his father's dynasty to western Malwa , which originally belonged to the Guptas . Both Ujjain , Vidisa and Anandapura belonged to his empire .
His son Buddharaja (ruled approx. 600–620) was the last of his dynasty. Almost after the year 600 he was first attacked by the Chalukya ruler Mangalesha, who initially allowed him to continue to rule in a subordinate position. Later, the Chalukya Pulakeshin II (609-642) finally took over the sole rule. From then on, the members of the Kalachuris were also called "Kalachuri Haihanyas".
The late Kalachuri
Kalachuri in Tripuri, eastern Madhya Pradesh
The late Kalachuri existed from 675 to 1210, their capital being Tripuri near Jabalpur (in Madhya Pradesh , now Tewar). Alternative names in literature are Kalachuri-Haihayas, Kalachuris from Chedi or Kalachuris from Kosala. This branch claimed a Rajput origin, or perhaps actually came from the aristocracy of the Gupta period.
They gained considerable influence under Kokkala at the end of the 9th century when Krishna II. Rashtrakuta and Bhoja Pratihara warred, and then they were among the vassals of Indra III. Rashtrakuta.
Under Lakshmana (reigned approx. 950–975) they came under the pressure of the rising Chandella (house keeper of the Pratihara), and Yuvaraja II had to submit, but got de facto through the excesses of Chandella Ganda (reigned 1002–1025) the government in hand.
Their most powerful kings were Gangeyadeva (ruled approx. 1015–40) and Karna (ruled approx. 1041–1072), who after the defeat of the Chandella against the Muslim conqueror Mahmud of Ghazni (ruled 997–1030) at the expense the Pala and Paramara spread. Karna was a conqueror who also tried to inherit the Pratihara and failed. After the destruction of Bhoja by Dhara (a Paramara, ruled 1021-65), he became too powerful for his neighbors, so that the Chalukya under Someshvara allied with the Chandella, Paramara and Pala and overthrew him.
Karna's successor Yasahkarna (approx. 1070–1125) had little success, and after his death the empire was divided into Dahala-Tripuri and Ratnapur.
Kings
- Kokalla Deva I. ca.875
- Mugdhatunga (Prasiddhadhavala) about 900
- Balaharsha
- Keyuravarsha (Yuvaraja Deva) approx. 925
- Lakshmana Raja approx. 950-975
- Sankaragana Deva ca.970
- Yuvaraja Deva II ca.975
- Kokalla Deva II. Approx. 1000
- Gangeya Deva Vikramaditya approx. 1015-1040
- Karna Deva approx. 1041-1072
- Yasahkarna Deva approx. 1070-1125
- Gayakarna Deva approx. 1125-1152
- Narasimha Deva approx. 1152/55
- Jayasimha ca.1177
- Vijayasimha around 1180/95
Kalachuri in Ratanpur
These Kalachuri resided in Ratanpur (in the Bilaspur district in Chhattisgarh ) from 980 to 1745 and were replaced by the Marathas ( Bhonsle clan ). They were a branch line of the kings in Tripuri and left only a few monuments, a Shiva temple in Pali and another in Tuman (Tumbhan). Their third king Ratnadeva founded Ratanpur in the mid-11th century, and in the last quarter of the 14th century another king named Ram Chandra (or his son Brahma Deo) founded Raipur .
Kalachuri in Sarayupara
This branch existed between the middle of the 8th and the late 11th centuries in Sarayupara along the Ghaghara ( Uttar Pradesh ).
The Southern Kalachuri in Karnataka
These Kalachuri ruled Karnataka between 1130 and 1184 and were actually vassals of the Chalukya . They were Jainas and their coins were inscribed in the Kannada language. Their most famous representative was Bijjala Kalachuri (r. 1130–1167), who usurped the Chalukya throne in Kalyani. His minister Basava (around 1160) was the founder of the influential Lingayat or Vira Shaiva sect.
Web links
Remarks
- ^ Walter Spink: Ajanta: The end of the Golden Age, p. 37 u. a. For example, Mahismati's Barwani inscription dates to 486 and thus the Vakataka collapse to a few years earlier.
- ↑ Walter Spink: Ajanta: The end of the Golden Age, pp. 169-178.
Literature on the early Kalachuris
- Collins, Charles Dillard: The Iconography & Ritual of Śiva at Elephanta. State University of New York, Albany, USA 1988.
- Hiranand Shastri: A guide to Elephanta. Kanak Publication, New Delhi, India 1978.
- Michell, George: The Arcitectur of Elephanta: An Interpretation. In: "Elephanta - The cave of Shiva", Princeton University Press, New Jersey, 1983.