Kalachuri Dynasty: Founders, Rulers, Capitals and History

The Kalachuri Dynasty was one of the most important royal dynasties among the regional powers after the fall of the Gupta Empire. The rulers of this dynasty ruled in West-Central India from the 6th to 13th centuries AD. However, the Kalachuri Dynasty had mainly two branches.

One of these branches ruled in West-Central India until the 6th–7th centuries AD and it was called the Kalachuri Dynasty of Mahismati. The rulers in Mahismati were called ‘Haihayas’, or ‘Early Kalachuris’. Therefore, this dynasty was also known as the ‘Haihayas Dynasty’.

There was another branch in Tripuri; its name was Kalachuri Dynasty of Tripuri. However, among these two branches, the Kalachuri Dynasty of the Tripuri branch was able to establish dominance as a regional power for a long time. In the sixth century CE, they had the most influence in the regions of Avanti, Nashik, and Gujarat.

The Kalachuri Dynasty of Tripuri, also known as the ‘Chedi Dynasty,’ ruled parts of central India during the 7th to 13th centuries. Their core territory included the historical Chedi region (also known as Dahala-Mandala), and their capital was located at Tripuri (present-day Tewar near Jabalpur, MP).

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Brief information of Kalachuri Dynasty

Kalachuri Dynasty ruled: 6^th– 13^th century AD

Kalachuri Dynasty founder: Kokalla or Kokkal I.

Capital of Kalachuri Dynasty: Tripuri.

Last ruler of Kalachuri Dynasty: Trailokyamalla.

Feudatories: Rashtrakuta and Gurjara Pratihara Dynasty.

Source:

• Inscriptions of Yuvaraja Deva II found on Bilahari Stones.
• Gayaraspur inscription of Prince Valleka (son of Kokalla I).
• Varanasi inscription of karna.
• Khairha inscription of Yashahkarna.
• Karitalai inscription of Lakshmanaraja I.
• Ratnapura Kalachuri Inscriptions.
• Kashmiri poet Jayanaka composed “Prithviraja vijaya.”

List of rulers in Kalachuri Dynasty of Tripuri

Early Kalachuri rulers

The early Kalachuri rulers included Krishnaraja, Sankaragana I, and Buddharaja.

Krishnaraja

He copied the coin designs of the Gupta king Skandagupta and issued new coins with Brahmi script on them.

His coins, which have been discovered in the Ellora and Elephanta caves, indicate that he was involved in the building of Shaivite monuments and Brahminical caverns at these locations.

Shankargana I

Shankaragana, the son of Krishnaraja, ruled between 575 and 600 CE. With inscriptions from his own reign issued from Ujjain and Nirgundipadraka, he is the first dynasty ruler to be attested.

Buddharaj

The last remaining ruler of the early Kalachuri Dynasty was Buddharaja. The Chalukya monarchs of Vallabhi defeated him, and he lost the western Malwa.

Kalachuri Dynasty of Tripuri

By the 10th century, the Kalachuris of Tripuri had consolidated their power by raiding neighboring territories and by fighting wars with the Gurjara-Pratiharas, the Chandelas, and the Paramaras.

They were also married to the Chalukyas of Kalyani and the Rashtrakutas. Some important rulers of the Kalachuri Dynasty of Tripuri and their significant contributions to expanding and maintaining the empire were:

Kokalla or Kokkal I

• Kokalla I, was the founder of the Kalachuri dynasty. He ascended the throne in 845 AD.
• He defeated the Pratihara king Mihirabhoja and the Rashtrakuta king Krishna II. He established marital relations with Rashtrakuta king Krishna III.

Yuvaraja Deva I

• Yuvaraja I was a devotee of Shiva. During his time, Rashtrakuta king Krishna II attacked.
• King Yuvara was the was the first important king in the middle of the tenth century. During his reign, Rajashekhara left Kannauj and came to Tripuri, and here he composed the “Viddhasalabhanjika” book.
• The famous chausath Yogini temple of Bhedaghat (Jabalpur) was built by Yuvaraja I.
• Rajashekhara has called Yuvaraj I as Ujjayini Bhujang.
• During Kokalla I’s reign, the expansion of the Kalachuri dynasty did not happen significantly. It was from his time that the empire expanded independently over a vast area. After the fall of the Rashtrakuta and Gurjara Pratihara Dynasty, this royal dynasty emerged as a powerful empire among the small regional powers that emerged during the time of Yuvaraja-deva I (915-945 CE).

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Shankaragana III

• Shankaragana III ascended the throne in 970 CE by adopting an aggressive expansion policy.
• During his reign, he defeated many contemporary rulers, among whom he probably defeated the Gurjara Pratihara King Vijayapala. However, he died on the battlefield while fighting against the rulers of the Chandela Dynasty.

Yuvaraja Deva II

• Yuvarajadeva II ascended the throne in 980 CE. After that, he established a marital relationship with the Kalyani Chalukya ruler Tailapa II.
• But this marital alliance was not auspicious for the stability of the empire. Because Tailapa II’s enemy, Paramara king Munja, attacked the capital Tripuri and looted everything before leaving.

Gangeya-Deva

• After ascending the throne, Gangeya-Deva won one war after another and expanded the empire. Various inscriptions provide evidence that he used to adopt different titles as symbols of his victories in wars.
• The Piwan Rock Inscription of 1038 CE and the Mukundpur Inscription of 1019 CE reveal that he adopted the titles ‘Paramabhattaraka’, “Maharajadhiraja’, ‘Parameshwara’, and ‘Maharha-Maha-Mahattaka’, ‘Maharaja’, respectively.
• In addition, he adopted the titles “Vikramaditya” and “Trikalingadhipati.”
• He issued Lakshmi-type gold coins. Which he borrowed from Govindachandra Gahadavala, the ruler of the Gahadavala Dynasty. On one side of this coin was the image of Goddess Lakshmi, and on the top was written Srimad Gangeya Deva in Devnagari script.

Lakshmikarna

• Lakshmikarna was the son of Gangeya-Deva. He ascended the throne in 1014 CE. As soon as he took charge of the empire, he continued to rebel against the neighboring kingdoms and won. After this military victory, he adopted the title “Chakravartin.”.
• Lakshmikarna was able to maintain his dominance over some northern areas of the Paramara, Chandela, and Gahadavala dynasty for some time. But after his death, the conquered kingdoms started slipping away one by one.

Karna-deva

• Gangeyadeva’s son Karna-deva managed to maintain the power of the Kalachuri Dynasty for the last time, even if only slightly.
• He, along with Chalukya King Bhima of Gujarat, defeated Parmara King Bhoja.
• Karnadeva was married to Hun princess Amvaladevi, from whom he had a son Yashkarna.
• Dipankar Atisha had made the kapal sandhi between Vigrapal III and Kalachuri karna. Vigrahapala III married Yauvnashree, daughter of Karnadeva.

Trailokyamalla

• Trailokyamalla was last ruler of the Kalachuri dynasty. However, it is not known exactly how long he reigned. Various sources only reveal that his reign probably ended in 1212 CE.
• Towards the end of the 13th century, Paramara and Chandelas started occupying its areas one after another. Finally, the Kalachuri Dynasty came under the Delhi Sultanate empire, and after the fall of this dynasty in the thirteenth century, the Paramara Dynasty was established. A branch of the dynasty ruled at Ratnapura (now Ratanpur) in present-day Chhattisgarh.

Religion of Kalachuri Dynasty

The rulers of this dynasty were worshippers of the Shaiva religion. However, they were also devoted to other religions. Along with the establishment of Shiva temples, Jain temples and Vishnu temples were also seen. In the Gyaraspur Inscription of Kokalla’s son Valleka, evidence of a Jain temple was found, which suggests that there were no incidents of religious intolerance at that time.

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Architecture of the Kalachuri Dynasty

The contribution of Kalachuri Dynasty in the field of architectural construction was immense. Some notable temples of this period and their characteristics are:

The temples are:

• Karna Temple at Amarkantak, built by Lakshmikarna.
• Pataleshwar Temple.
• Machendranatha Temple.
• Chausath Yogini Temple.
• Virateshwar temple at Sohagpur.
• Karna-Meru temple at Varanasi, built by Lakshmikarna.

Characteristics of the temples

The features of each temple included the sanctum sanctorum, courtyard, and ornate mandapa. In addition, the temples had high spires, and the sanctum sanctorum was pyramidal. All kinds of temples, from Shiva temples to Vishnu temples, were notable. In some temples, we can see the characteristics of the Nagara Style of Temple Architecture. One such temple is the Karna Temple, or Trimukhi Temple.

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