Badami Chalukya Temples discovered

Context (TOI): Two Badami Chalukya temples at least 1,300-1,500 years old and a 1,200-year-old label inscription were recently discovered in Mudimanikyam village along the banks of River Krishna in Nalgonda district, Telangana.
These temples are exceptional as they are in Kadamba Nagara style in the Rekha Nagara format.
The label inscription, dating back to 8^th or 9^th century AD, also from the Badami Chalukya period, reads as ‘Gandaloranru’ and is inscribed on a pillar of a group of five temples in the village.

Chalukya Dynasty

Chalukyas ruled over central Indian plateau of the Deccan from 6th and 12th century.

It is mainly divided into 3 dynasties and ruled individually even though all were related to each other.
1. Chalukya’s of Badami
2. Chalukya’s of Vengi/ Eastern Chalukya’s
3. Chalukya’s of Kalyani/ Western Chalukya’s

Pulakesin I established the Chalukya dynasty in 550.
- He made Badami or Vatapi as his capital.
- He adopted the title Vallabheshvara and performed the ashvamedha.
He was succeeded by Kirtivarman I (566-597) who further extended the kingdom by defeating the Mauryas of North-Konkana, the Nalas of Nalavadi (Bellari) and the Kadambas of Banavasi.
It was, however, in the reign of Pulakesin II (609-42 CE) that the Chalukya territory expanded to a large extent.
Pulakesin II came head-on against his greatest northern adversary, Harsha of Kanauj, who was planning to attack the Deccan and won a decisive victory on the banks of the Narmada.
- Ravikirti’s Aihole inscription speaks in detail the victory of Pulakesin II over Harsha. After the victory, Pulakesin II assumed the title of Parameshvara (Supreme Lord).
- He then defeated the Vishnukundins in the southeastern Deccan.
- Hiuen-Tsang, a Chinese traveller, visited the court of Pulakesin II.
- Later, Persian emperor Khosrau II exchanged ambassadors with Pulakesin II.

The Pallava King Narasimhavarman I (A.D. 630-668) occupied the Chalukya capital at Vatapi in about 642 A.D., when Pulakesin II was probably killed in fight against the Pallavas.
The Badami Chalukya dynasty went into a brief decline following the death of Pulakesin II due to internal feuds.
The Chalukyan rule in Badami was replaced by the Rashtrakutas in about 750 CE when Rashtrakuta feudatory Dantidurga gave a final blow and defeated the Chalukyan king Kirtivarman II.

More than 150 monuments attributed to the Badami Chalukya, and built between 450 and 700, remain in the Malaprabha basin in Karnataka.
The rock-cut temples of Pattadakal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Badami and Aihole constitute their most celebrated monuments.
In Aihole, the Durga temple (sixth century), Ladh Khan temple (450), Meguti temple (634), Hucchimalli and Huccappayya temples (fifth century), Badami Cave Temples (600) provide examples of early Chalukyan art.

The empire was divided into Maharashtrakas (provinces), then into smaller Rashtrakas (Mandala), Vishaya (district), Bhoga (group of ten villages) similar to Dasagrama unit of Kadambas.
Many autonomous regions existed ruled by feudatories like Alupas, Gangas, Banas, and Sendrakas.
Local assemblies looked after local issues.
Groups of mahajanas (learned brahmins), looked after agraharas (like Ghatika or place of higher learning) like the ones at Badami (2000 mahajans) and Aihole (500 mahajanas).

The Hindu caste system appeared and the government recognized prostitution.
Sati may have been absent as widows like Vinayavathi and Vijayanka are mentioned in records.
Women enjoyed political power in administration. Queens Vijayanka, a noted Sanskrit poetess; Kumkumadevi, the younger sister of Vijayaditya; and Lokamahadevi, queen of Vikramaditya II who fought wars, stand as three examples.

They initially followed Vedic Hinduism, as seen in the various temples dedicated to many popular Hindu deities.
Later, from the time of Vikramaditya I, the people took an inclination towards Shaivism and sects like Pashupata, Kapalikas and Kalamukhas existed.
They actively encouraged Jainism, attested to by one of the Badami cave temples and other Jain temples in the Aihole complex. Buddhism had begun a decline.

The army consisted of infantry, cavalry, elephant corps and a powerful navy.

The coins had Nagari and Kannada legends. They minted coins with symbols of temples, lion or boar facing right, and the lotus.
The coins weighed four grams, called honnu in old Kannada and had fractions such as fana and the quarter fana, whose modern-day equivalent being hana (literally means, money).