South Indian Dynasties

The medieval south was never one empire; it was a shifting set of strong regional kingdoms. The single most important master-table below is the heart of this chapter for the exam.

• The south is famous for the Dravidian style of temple architecture, pioneered by the Pallavas.
• Vijayanagara and the Bahmani Sultanate came later and are covered in a separate chapter.

The Pallavas ruled from Kanchipuram over south Andhra and north Tamil Nadu, and laid the foundation of South Indian temple art and the Dravidian style.

• "Pallava" is a Sanskrit word meaning "tender shoot / leaves of a plant"; they are identified with the pulindas of Ashoka's inscriptions.
• Region: south Andhra Pradesh and north Tamil Nadu. Capital: Kanchi (Kanchipuram).
• Founder: Simhavishnu (575–590 CE), who defeated the Kalabhras and began imperial Pallava rule.

• The last great Pallava ruler Aparajitavarman was defeated and killed (897 CE) by the Chola king Aditya I.
• Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, famous for rock-cut temples and sculptures.
• Pallava architecture laid the foundation of the Dravidian style of temple architecture.

• The Pallava kingdom was divided into Kottams; villages were called Nadu; merchant guilds were called Nagaram.
• A group of nagarams was called Mandalam and a group of mandalams a Kottam; village assemblies (sabhas) of Brahmin land grants were called Sabhas / Urs.
• They were great patrons of Shaivism and Vaishnavism; the Nayanars (63 Shaiva saints, the Tevaram hymns) and Alvars (Vaishnava saints, Nalayira Divya Prabandham) enriched Tamil literature.
• The Ghatika (centre of learning) at Kanchi was very famous.

The Kadambas were the first indigenous dynasty to rule Karnataka, ruling from Banavasi before the rise of the Chalukyas of Badami.

• Founder: Mayurasharman; famous ruler Kakusthavarma. Period: roughly 345–525 CE.
• Region: Banavasi and the Konkan. Capital: Banavasi (Vaijayanti).
• They were feudatories of the Chalukyas, who later established their own dynasty with Badami (Vatapi) as capital.

The Chalukyas of Badami were the first great Deccan empire, whose ruler Pulakesin II famously checked Harsha's southward march on the banks of the Narmada.

• First emperor / founder: Pulakesin I (grandson of Jayasimha), who made Vatapi (Badami) the first real sovereign capital.
• Region: entire Karnataka and most of Andhra Pradesh in the Deccan. Capital: Vatapi / Badami (Bagalkot district).
• The Aihole inscription (a prashasti) was composed by the court-poet Ravikirti, eulogising Pulakesin II.

• Pulakesin II acquired the title "Dakshinapatheshwara" (Lord of the South), mentioned in the Aihole inscription.
• He was defeated and killed by the Pallava ruler Narasimhavarman I, who captured Vatapi (c. 642 CE).
• In 757 CE, the Chalukyas of Badami were overthrown by their feudatories, the Rashtrakutas.
• Architecture: the Vesara style was used; the famous Lad Khan Temple is at Aihole (an example of the Vesara / Deccan style — a blend of Dravida and Nagara).

• Kirtivarman II was the last ruler, defeated by Dantidurga, founder of the Rashtrakutas.

A southern branch of the Badami line, the Eastern Chalukyas of Vengi ruled the Telugu country for centuries.

• Region / Capital: Vengi (modern-day coastal Andhra Pradesh).
• They ruled for a long time and were closely linked to Chola politics in the later period.

The Rashtrakutas rose by overthrowing the Chalukyas of Badami and dominated the Deccan, leaving behind the rock-cut Kailasa temple at Ellora.

• Founder: Dantidurga, who defeated Kirtivarman II of Badami (c. 753–757 CE).
• Capital: Manyakheta (Malkhed).
• Other notable kings: Govinda III and Amoghavarsha I (a great patron of letters who wrote the Kannada work Kavirajamarga).
• The Rashtrakutas were finally overthrown by the Western Chalukyas (Kalyani) under Tailapa II in 973 CE.

The Western Chalukyas revived Chalukyan power in the Deccan by toppling the Rashtrakutas, and were great patrons of Kannada literature.

• Capital: Manyakheta and Kalyani (Basavakalyan). They first served as feudatories of the Rashtrakutas.
• Most famous ruler: Vikramaditya VI.
• Kannada's "Three Gems": Ranna, Adikavi Pampa and Sri Ponna.
• Bilhana wrote Vikramankadevacharita in praise of Vikramaditya VI; Vijnaneshwara wrote the legal text Mitakshara.
• In the 12th century, the Hoysala Empire destroyed the Western Chalukya dynasty.

The Cholas built one of the greatest empires of South India, famous for centralised administration, magnificent temples and a powerful navy that reached Southeast Asia.

• They ended Pallava power: Aditya I defeated the last Pallava king Aparajitavarman (897 CE). Capital: Thanjavur (Tanjore).
• Rajaraja I built the Brihadeeswarar Temple and expanded the empire; his son Rajendra I conquered Bengal (title Gangaikondachola), founded Gangaikonda Cholapuram, and sent a naval expedition to Southeast Asia (Srivijaya).
• The Cholas are famous for local self-government through village assemblies (the Uttaramerur inscription records elections to the Sabha) and for superb bronze sculptures (Nataraja).

The Pandyas ruled the deep south from Madurai, patronised the Sangam assemblies and grew rich on the pearl trade.

• Capital: Madurai; famous port Korkai, renowned for pearls.
• They built / expanded the famous Meenakshi Temple at Madurai.
• Travellers Marco Polo and others noted the wealth of the Pandya country; the dynasty declined after the invasions of Malik Kafur (1311 CE).

The Kakatiyas ruled the Telugu country from Warangal, rose from being feudatories of the Western Chalukyas, and are remembered for the great Warangal fort and Ramappa Temple.

• Founder: Betaraja (Betaraja I); the dynasty rose from a feudatory status under the Western Chalukyas.
• Region: parts of present-day Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, eastern Karnataka and southern Odisha.
• Ganapatideva was the most powerful ruler of the Kakatiya dynasty; the religion was tolerant Shaivism with respect for Jainism.

• Prataparudra I (1158–1195 CE) built the Rudreswara temple at Anamkonda; the Kakatiya age is called the "Golden Age" of Telugu culture.

The Yadavas of Devagiri were the last great independent power of the Deccan before the Delhi Sultanate conquered the south.

• Founder: Bhillama V; they began as feudatories of the Western Chalukyas.
• They were strong administrators and patrons of art; their rule laid the foundation for later powers in the Deccan.
• The kingdom was annexed by the Khalji Sultanate in 1317 CE, after the killing of the last Yadava ruler Simhana III (Harapaladeva).

The Hoysalas ruled Karnataka from Halebidu, and are world-famous for their intricately carved star-shaped temples at Belur and Halebidu in the Vesara style.

• Region: Karnataka, from the 10th to the 14th century. Capital: Halebidu (Dwarasamudra).
• Founder: Sala; famous ruler Vishnuvardhana, who built temples at Belur and Halebidu and the Vijaya Narayana (Channakeshava) temple.
• The Vesara style is a unique blend of Dravida (South Indian) and Nagara (North Indian) styles of architecture.
• The court poet Nagachandra ("Pampa II") wrote the Mallinatha Purana; the Ramayana and Mahabharata were rendered in the Bhagavata Purana form.
• Last ruler: Veera Ballala III, son of Narasimha III; defeated by Malik Kafur (c. 1310/1330 CE).

The two flowcharts below tie the southern powers together: first by region/role, then by the great Deccan succession.