The Chalukyas
Pulakesin I (543-566)
- Pulakesin I (543-566) was the first independent ruler of Badami with Vatapi in Bijapur as his capital.
Kirthivarma I (566-596)
- Kirthivarma I (566-596) succeeded him on the throne. When he died, the heir to the throne, Prince Pulakesin II, was just a baby & so the king’s brother, Mangalesha (597- 610), was crowned the caretaker ruler. Over the years, he made many unsuccessful attempts to kill the prince but was ultimately killed himself by the prince & his friends.
Pulakesin II (610-642)
- Pulakesin II (610-642), the son of Pulakesin I, was a contemporary of Harsha vardhana & the most famous of the Chalukyan kings. His reign is remembered as the greatest period in the history of Karnataka. He defeated Harshavardhana on the banks of the Narmada.
- After conquering the Kosalas & the Kalingas, & the eastern Chalukyan dynasty was inaugurated by his(Pulakeshin II) brother Kubja Vishnuvardana.
- By 631, the Chalukyan empire extended from sea to sea. However, Pulkeshin II was defeated & probably killed in 642, when the Pallavas under Narsimhavarma I attack their capital & captured the Chalukyas capital at Badami.
- The Chalukyas rose to power once again under the leadership of Vikramaditya I (655-681), who defeated his contemporary Pandya, Pallava, Cholas & Kerala rulers to establish the supremacy of the Chalukyan empire in the region.
Vikramaditya II (733-745)
- Vikramaditya II (733-745) defeated the Pallava king Nandivarma II to capture a major portion of the Pallava kingdom.
- Vikramaditya II’s son, Kirtivarma II (745), was disposed of by the Rastrakuta ruler, Dhantidurga, who established the Rashtrakuta dynasty.
