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The Age of Imperial Karnataka is a period in India's history that refers to the Rashtrakuta Dynasty of Manyakheta's expansion between the 8th amd the 10th centuries during which the empire came to power in modern day Karnataka and ruled most of south and central India. After conquering the Ganga - Yamuna doab region, large areas in the north, it ruled significant areas of Northern India as well. During this time, the Rashtrakuta armies were successful in suppressing the imperial Gurjara Pratiharas of the northwest and the Pala Dynasty of Bengal. It has been said that during these times the drums of the deccan were heard from the Himalayan caves to the shores of the Malabar. Arab travellers and traders to India at that time lavished praise on the "Balhara Kings" (as they called the Rashtrakutas) praising them as one among the four principle empires of that contemporary world and the largest in India.. Even after the decline of the Rashtrakutas, the empires that came to rule from modern Karnataka held sway over large areas up unto 16th century.

The origins of the rise of the Karnataka region as an imperialistic power dates back to the 4th century with the birth of the Kadamba Dynasty, the earliest of the native rulers to come to power in the land, giving administrative powers for the first time to Kannada, the language of the soil, in addition to Sanskrit. In the history of Karnataka, this era serves as the historical starting point in the study of the development of the region as an enduring geo-political entity and Kannada as an important regional language. The Kadambas were followed by the imperial Badami Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Western Chalukyas, Hoysalas and the Vijayanagara Empire, each of them leaving behind a lasting cultural and architectural impression on modern Karnataka and India.

In addition to these empires who ruled from the Karnataka region, historians have discussed and debated the possibility that kingdoms of Kannada origin were established in various parts of India as well. The Karnatas of Mithila, the Chalukyas of Gujarat, Chalukyas of Vengi (Eastern Chalukya), the Seuna Yadavas of Devagiri, The Rashtrakuta family ruling from Berar, The Rashtrakutas branch of Gujarat, the Karnatak dynasty of Nepal, The Sena Dynasty of Bengal, the Chindaka Nagas of central India and the Gangas of Kalinga, were all kingdoms created by immigrants from the Karnataka region.

Two

--HISTORY OF POLITICAL EXPANSION--

Three

See also: Kadamba Dynasty and Western Ganga Dynasty

Kadamba Territories, 500 CE

The era of Kadamba Dynasty of Banavasi, begining in the fourth century, served to identify the Karnataka region as not only an independent political entity but also one that earned the respect of the contemporary imperial powers of northern India, specifically the Vakatakas and the Gupta Dynasty. Mayurasharma, a brahmin native of Talagunda (present day Shimoga district) who was humiliated by a Pallava guard, rose in rage against the Pallava control of the Banavasi region and declared its independence in 345. After many wars, the Pallava King had to accept the independent sovereignty of Banavasi and Mayurasharma, the founding king, coroneted himself at Banavasi in the present day Uttara Kannada district.

Proof of their powerful position comes from fact that they enjoyed marital ties with eminent empires of their time, the Vakatakas and the Gupta Dynasty. Kakusthavarma, the "ornament of the Kadamba family" gave one daughter in marraige to Vakataka Narendrasena and another to Skanda Gupta, grandson of Chandra Gupta II of the Gupta dynasty. Further, their rise to power is acknowledged by historians from the examination of contemporaneous Sanskrit writings, Aichitya Vichara Charcha by Kshemendra, which quotes portions of Kunthalesvara Dautya by the famous poet Kalidasa. Here Kalidasa describes that when he visited Kuntala as an ambassador, he was not offered a seat in the court of the Kadamba king and had to sit on the ground. This act is seen by historians as an act of assertion by the Kadambas that they considered themselves equal to the imperial Gupta dynasty.

As to architecture, some historians feel that the Kadambas were the originators of the the Karnataka architectural tradition although there were a few things in common with the structures built by contemporaneous Pallavas of Kanchi. Their oldest surviving structure is one dating to late fifth century in Halasi. The most prominent feature of their architectural style, one used many centuries later by the Hoysalas and even the Vijayanagar kings, is the Kadamba Shikara (Kadamba tower) with a Kalasa (pot) on top. Family fueds and conflicts brough about the end of their rule in the middle of sixth century when the last Kadamba ruler Krishna Varma II was subdued by Pulakesi I of the Chalukya clan, ending the sovereign rule of the Kadambas. The Kadambas would continue to rule parts of Karnataka and Goa for many centuries but never again as an independent kingdom.

Contemporary to the Kadambas were the Western Ganga Dynasty who came to power initially from Kolar later moving their capital to Talakadu on the banks of the Kaveri River in modern Mysore district in the 5th century. They ruled the region historically known as Gangavadi comprising most of the modern southern districts of Karnataka. Acting as a buffer state between the Kanarese Kingdoms of Karnataka region and the Tamil Kingdoms of Tamilakam, their architectural innovations show mixed influences. Their soveriegn rule ended around the same time as the Kadambas when they came under the Badami Chalukyas. The Gangas continued to rule as feudatories till the begining of the 11th century when they were defeated by the Cholas of Tanjore. Important among the Gangas were King Durvinita, hailed as an able warrior and an early writer in Kannada language, King Shivamara II and minister Chavundaraya, both known to be courageous warriors and writers in Kannada and Sanskrit. The most important architectural contributions of the Gangas are the monuments and Basadi's of Shravanabelagola, the monolith of Gomateshwara and the Basadi at Kambadahalli.

a

---Start of Imperialism---

Badami Chalukya Territories in the reign of Pulakesi II, 640 CE

See also: Chalukya dynasty

The Chalukya dynasty, natives of the Aihole-Badami region in Karnataka were initially feudatories of the Kadambas. came into their own when Pulakesi I made the hill fortress in Badami his center of power. During the rule of Pulakesi II, for the first time a south Indian empire sent expeditions past the Tapti River and Narmada River and successfully defied Harshavardhana, the King of Northern India (Uttarapatheswara). The Aihole inscription of Pulakesi II, dated 634, proclaims his victories against the kingdoms of Kadambas, Gangas, Alupas, Mauryas of Puri, Kingdom of Kosala, Malwa, Lata and Gurjaras and describes how King Harsha of Kannauj lost his Harsha (joyful disposition) on seeing a large number of his war elephants die in battle against Pulakesi II

These victories gave him the title Dakshinapatha Prithviswamy (lord of the south). Pulakesi II continued his conquests in the east where he subdued all kingdoms in his way and reached the Bay of Bengal in present day Orissa. A Chalukya viceroyalty was set up in Gujarat and Vengi (coastal Andhra) and princes from the Badami family were dispatched to rule over them. Having subdued the Pallavas of Kanchi he accepted tributes from the Pandyas of Madurai, Chola dynasty and Cheras of Kerala region, Pulakesi II thus became the master of India, south of the Narmada River. Pulakesi II is widely regarded as one of the great Kings in Indian history. A century later, Chalukya Vikramaditya II marched victoriously into Kanchipuram to avenge an earlier humiliation of the Chalukyas by the Pallavas and engraved a Kannada inscription on the pillar at the Kailasanatha Temple. Hiuen-Tsiang, a Chinese traveller had visited the court of Pulakesi II at this time and Persian emperor Khosrau II exchanged ambassadors with Pulakesi II.

The most enduring legacy of the Chalukya dynasty is the architecture and art that they left behind. More than one hundred and fifty monuments attributed to the Badami Chalukya, built between 450 and 700, have survived in the Malaprabha basin in Karnataka. The rock-cut temples of Pattadakal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that includes Badami and Aihole, are their most celebrated monuments. Two of the famous paintings at Ajanta cave no. 1, "The Temptation of the Buddha" and "The Persian Embassy" are also credited to them. Further, they influenced the architecture in Gujarat and Vengi as evidenced in the Nava Brahma temples at Alampur.

b

---South conquers North---

See also: Rashtrakuta Dynasty

Rashtrakuta territories in 800 CE, 915 CE

The fall of the Chalukyas in the middle of eight century was caused by the Rashtrakutas of Manyakheta who originally may have ruled from Berar as a feudatory to the Chalukyas (in present day Amravati district of Maharashtra). While many controversies exist regarding the origin of the early Rashtrakuta ruling families in central India and the Deccan in the 6th-7th centuries, the kings of the imperial dynasty in the 8th to 10th century made the Kannada language important in addition to Sanskrit. Rashtrakuta inscriptions are only in Kannada and Sankrit and and they encouraged literature in both languages. Taking advantage of a weak period in the Chalukya rule Dantidurga trounced the great "Karnatabala" (power of Karnata) of the Chalukyas.

The Rashtrakutas quickly rose to be the most powerful empire of the Deccan, making their initial successful forays into the doab region of Ganga River and Jamuna River during the rule of Dhruva Dharavarsha. The rule of his son Govinda III heralded a new era with Rashtrakuta victories against the Palas of Bengal and Gurjaras of northest western India resulting in the capture of Kannauj. The Rashtrakutas held Kannauj for a few years during a period of tripartite struggle for the resources of the rich Gangetic plains. Because of his victories, historians have compared Govinda III to Alexander the Great and Pandava Arjuna of Mahabharata. The Sanjan inscription states the horses of Govinda III drank the icy water of the Himalayan stream and his war elephants tasted the sacred waters of Ganges River. Amoghavarsha I followed Govinda III and this period is important from the point of culture and literature. Landmark writings in Kannada and Sanskrit, both by the king himself and his court poets and benevolent development of Jain religion were the hallmarks of his rule. Because of his religious temperment, his interest in the arts and literature and his peace loving nature, he has been compared to emperor Ashoka and called "Ashoka of the South". The rule of Indra III in the tenthth century further enhanced their position as an imperial power when they held Kannauj for a longer period. Arab travellers heaped much praise on the "Balhara" Kings, the Rashtrakutas for their might. The Rashtrakuta Kings were called Balharas, a corrupted form of "Vallabharaja", a title the Rashtrakutas inherited after defeating the Chalukyas of Badami (who had used the title "Vallabha").

Sulaiman in his Silsilatuttavarikh of 851 later completed by Abuzaidul Hasan in 916 called the Rashtrakutas one among the four principle empires of the world. Ibn Khurdadba in his Kitab-ul-Masalik-ul-Mumalik of 912 called them the "greatest kings of India". Other books written in their praise are the Murujul Zahab by Al Masudi in 944, Kitabul Akalim by Al Istakhri in 951, Ashkal-ul-Bilad by Ibn Haukal in 976. The Rashtrakutas empire at its peak spread over the areas from Cape Comorin to Kannauj and from Banaras to Broach (Bharuch). While the Rashtrakutas built many fine monuments in the deccan, the most extensive and sumptuous of their work is their creation of the monolithic Kailasanatha temple at Ellora. The temple is a splendid achievement confirming the "Balhara" status as "one among the four principle Kings of the world". In Karnataka their most famous temples are the Kashivishvanatha temple and the Jain Narayana temple at Pattadakal all of which are UNSECO World Heritage sites.

c

---Chalukya Vikrama era---

See also: Western Chalukya Empire

Western Chalukya territories in 1121 CE

In the late tenth century the Rashtrakutas were overthrown by their feudatories, the Western Chalukuas also known as the Kalyani Chalukyas. The genealogy of the kings of this empire is still debated. One theory, based on contemporary literary and inscriptional evidence in addition to the finding that the Western Chalukyas employed titles and names commonly used by the early Chalukyas, suggests that the Western Chalukya kings belonged to the same family line as the illustrious Badami Chalukya dynasty of sixth century. while other Western Chalukya inscriptional evidence indicates they were a distinct line unrelated to the early Chalukyas. Tailapa II, a feudatory ruling from Tardavadi (modern Bijapur district), re-established Chalukya rule and defeated the Rashtrakutas during the reign of Karka II as he timed his rebellion to coincide with the confusion caused in the Rashtrakuta capital of Manyakheta by the invading Paramara of Central India in 973. This era produced prolonged warfare with the Chola Dynasty of Tamilakam for control over the resources of the Godavari River - Krishna River doab region in Vengi. A notable king of this dynasty, Somesvara I successfully curtailed the growth of the Chola Empire to south of the Tungabhdra River region while maintaining control over his feudatories in the Konkan, Gujarat, Malwa and Kalinga areas. For approximately 100 years, beginning in the early 11th century, the Cholas occupied large areas of South Karnataka region (Gangavadi).

The ascent of the most famous king of this Chalukya family, Vikramaditya VI, in 1076 changed the balance of power in favour of the Chalukyas. The fifty year reign of Vikramaditya VI, the most successful of the later Chalukya rulers, was an important period in Karnataka's history and is referred to by historians as the "Chalukya Vikrama era". His victories over the Cholas in the late 11th and early 12th centuries eliminated the Chola influence in the Vengi region permanently. Some of the well known contemporaneous ruling families of the Deccan who were his feudatories were the Hoysalas, the Seuna Yadavas of Devagiri, the Kakatiya dynasty and the Southern Kalachuri. At their peak, the Western Chalukyas ruled a vast empire stretching from the Narmada River in the north to the Kaveri River in the south. Vikramaditya VI was considered one of the great kings of India, and court poet Bilhana, who immigrated from far away Kashmir, eulogized Vikarmaditya VI in his well known work Vikramankadeva Charitam, calling his rule "Rama Rajya" (rule of Lord Rama), and Vijnaneshwara wrote of him as a "king like none other". Important architectural works were created during the rule of these Chalukyas, works that served as a conceptual link between the building idioms of the early Badami Chalukyas and the later Hoysalas. With the weakening of the Chalukyas in the decades following the death of Vikramaditya VI in 1126, the feudatories of the Chalukyas gained their independence.

d

---Hegemony over southern Deccan---

See also: Hoysala empire and Hoysala architecture

Hoysala territories in 1200 CE

During their feudatory the Karnataka region became more powerful and the Hoysala Empire of Halebidu successfully contested their might against the Cholas in the south in the early 12th century, convincingly defeating them in the battle of Talakad. Historians refer to the founders of the dynasty as natives of Malnad Karnataka, based on the numerous inscriptions calling them Maleparolganda or "Lord of the Male (hills) chiefs" (Malepas).

In this period, distinctive Kannada literary metres became widely accepted. The Sangatya metre used in compositions, Shatpadi, Tripadi metres in verses (seven and three line) and Ragale (lyrical poems) became fashionable. Vesara architecture, spawned by the Badami Chalukyas, culminated in articulation and style in the construction of the Chennakesava Temple at Belur and the Hoysaleswara temple at Halebidu, both in commemoration of the victories of the Hoysala Vishnuvardhana against the Cholas , as well as in the Chennakesava Temple at Somanathapura built later during the rule of Narasimha III. Veera Ballala II, the ablest of the Hoysala rulers, defeated the aggressive Pandya when they invaded the Chola kingdom and he assumed the titles "Establisher of the Chola Kingdom" (Cholarajyapratishtacharya), "Emperor of the south" (Dakshina Chakravarthi) and "Hoysala emperor" (Hoysala Chakravarthi). The Hoysalas extended their foothold in areas known today as Tamil Nadu around 1225, making the city of Kannanur Kuppam near Srirangam a provincial capital and giving the Hoysalas control over South Indian politics that began a period of Hoysala hegemony in the Southern deccan.

With the Hoysala power remaining unchallenged in the southern Deccan, in the early 13th century, the first of the Muslim incursions into South India began. After two decades of waging war against a foreign power, Veera Ballala III died in the battle of Madurai in 1343 and the sovereign territories of the Hoysala empire were merged with the areas administered by Harihara I in the Tungabhadra region. A new kingdom with its capital city of Vijayanagara on the banks of the Tungabhadra River later thrived in Karnataka and came to be called the Vijayanagara Empire.

e

---Consolidation of the Peninisula--

See also: Vijayanagara Empire and Vijayanagara Architecture

Vijayanagara territories in 1446 CE, 1520 CE

The Vijayanagara Empire quickly rose to imperial status as early as the late 14th century. During the reign of Bukka Raya I, the island of Lanka paid tributes and ambassadors were exchanged with the Ming Dynasty of China. The empire's most famous rulers were Deva Raya II and Tuluva King Krishnadevaraya. Deva Raya II (Gajabetekara or hunter of elephants) succeeded to the throne in 1424 and was possibly the most effective of the Sangama dynasty rulers. He quelled rebelling feudal lords and the Zamorin of Calicut and the Quilon in the south. He invaded the island of Lanka and became overlord of the kings of Burma at Pegu and Tanasserim. Arab traveller Abdur Razzak wrote of the regal capital Vijayanagara (in modern Karnataka}, "a city like this had not been seen by the pupil of the eye nor had an ear heard of anything equal to it in the world". The empire reached its peak in early 16th century during the rule of Krishnadevaraya when the Vijayanagara armies were consistently victorious. Portuguese traveler and writer Domingo Paes described Krishnadevaraya as "a king who was perfect in all things". The empire annexed areas formerly under the Sultanates in the northern Deccan and the territories in the eastern Deccan, including Kalinga, while simultaneously maintaining control over all its subordinates in the south.

Many important monuments Hampi were either completed or commissioned during the time of Krishnadevaraya. The enduring legacy of this empire is the vast open air theatre of monuments at their regal capital, Vijayanagara, a the UNESCO World Heritage site. Vijayanagara architecture is a vibrant combination of the Chalukya, Hoysala, Pandya and Chola styles, idioms that had prospered in previous centuries. In a prolific age of literature in Kannada, Telugu, Tamil and Sanskrit, the Telugu language attained its heighth in popularity reaching its peak under the patronage of Krishnadevaraya. With the demise of the Vijayanagara Empire after a major defeat in the Battle of Talikota in 1565 by Deccan sultanates, the Karnataka region and South India in general fragmented and came under the rule of various former feudatories of the Vijayanagara Empire. A diminished Vijayanagara Empire now moved its capital to Penukonda in modern Andhra Pradesh and later to Chandragiri and Vellore before going out of existance. In the coastal and south Karnataka region, the Kingdom of Mysore, Keladi Nayaka of Shimoga were the main rulers while the northern regions were under the control of the Adilshah Sultanate. The Nayaka kingdom lasted into the 18th century before merging with the Kingdom of Mysore. The Mysore Kingdom remained a princely state until Indian Independence in 1947 although they came under the British Raj in 1799 after the death of Tipu Sultan.