Reference
A History of South India
The classic survey of the south, from prehistory to the fall of Vijayanagara.
Chalukyas of Badami
Dynasty
Level 2
★ Major power
c. 543 CE – c. 753 CE
Deccan power under Pulakeshin II, who halted Harsha on the Narmada.
- Capital
- Vatapi (Badami)
- Region
- Deccan
- Duration
- 210 years
- Main period
- Post-Gupta / Early Medieval
Changing extent
Approximate extent over time (solid = latest, dashed = earlier).
At a glance
Move along the chart to read any year; click a ruler or event to open the map there.
Rulers
- Pulakeshin I Kingc. 543 CE – c. 566 CEFounder.
- Kirtivarman I Kingc. 566 CE – c. 597 CE
- Mangalesha Kingc. 597 CE – c. 609 CE
- Pulakeshin II Kingc. 610 CE – c. 642 CEDefeated Harsha on the Narmada; Aihole inscription.
- Vikramaditya I Kingc. 655 CE – c. 680 CE
- Vikramaditya II Kingc. 733 CE – c. 744 CETook Kanchi; Virupaksha temple, Pattadakal.
- Kirtivarman II Kingc. 746 CE – c. 753 CEOverthrown by Dantidurga.
Selected rulers; gaps in the list are not gaps in the dynasty.
Key events
| Year | Event | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 543 CE | Pulakeshin I fortifies Vatapi Pulakeshin I founded the Chalukya dynasty in the mid-6th century CE; its capital Vatapi — present-day Badami in Karnataka — is famous for its Hindu and Jain cave temples. |
Badami |
| c. 618 CE | Pulakeshin II defeats Harsha on the Narmada Harsha tried to extend his empire south beyond the Narmada but was held in check by Pulakeshin II of the Chalukyas. A Sanskrit inscription by the court poet Ravikirti, on a Jain temple atop Meguti Hill, records Pulakeshin’s victories over Harsha. The Narmada became the southern limit of Harsha's empire. |
Narmada river |
| 634 CE | Aihole inscription of Ravikirti At Aihole — the earlier Chalukya capital, with over a hundred Hindu, Buddhist and Jain temples — a long Sanskrit inscription by the court poet Ravikirti on the Meguti temple praises the Chalukyas and records Pulakeshin II’s victories over Harsha. |
Aihole |
Sites & monuments
Badami Cave Temples
Religious monument · 578 CE
Pattadakal
Religious monument · c. 740 CE
UNESCO group of monuments.
Personalities
📚 Recommended reading on the Chalukyas of Badami
Textbook
Our Pasts I, II & III (Classes 6–8)
The simplest possible start: short, illustrated and the base of countless exam questions.
Textbook
Themes in Indian History, Parts I–III (Class 12)
Source-based chapters on Harappa, Vijayanagara, the Mughal court and 1857 — essential for UPSC.
Textbook
An Introduction to Indian Art, Part I (Class 11)
The standard base for art and architecture questions — stupas, temples and sculpture.
We may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. See all recommended books →
📄 Research papers
Paper🏛 Library access
🇮🇳 Indian scholarship
How feudal was Indian feudalism?
The case for 'Indian feudalism' after the Guptas: land grants, decline of trade and dependent peasants.
Paper🏛 Library access
🇮🇳 Indian scholarship
Was there feudalism in Indian history?
The best-known critique of the feudalism model; read it alongside R. S. Sharma's reply.
Paper🏛 Library access
🇮🇳 Indian scholarship
Politics, violence and war in Kāmandaka's Nītisāra
Ideas of kingship, power and war in the Nītisāra, an early medieval text on statecraft.
Paper🏛 Library access
🇮🇳 Indian scholarship
Urbanisation in South India: The Role of Ideology and Polity
How temples and royal power drove the growth of towns in early medieval South India.
🕸 Connections 21 links
Explore connections full screen ↗Everything on YugMap linked to this page — and why. Hover a dot in the graph, or pick from the list.
🗂 Era 1
- Medieval IndiaPart of this era
⏳ Periods 1
- Post-Gupta / Early MedievalBelongs to this period
🏛 Kingdoms & empires 2
- Pallava Dynasty 275 CE – 897 CEExisted at the same time (210 years)
- Pushyabhuti (Vardhana) Dynasty 500 CE – 647 CEExisted at the same time (104 years)
👑 Rulers 6
- Pulakeshin I 543 CE – 566 CERuled it
- Kirtivarman I 566 CE – 597 CERuled it
- Mangalesha 597 CE – 609 CERuled it
- Pulakeshin II 610 CE – 642 CERuled it
- Vikramaditya I 655 CE – 680 CERuled it
- Vikramaditya II 733 CE – 744 CERuled it
👤 People 1
- Ravikirti active c. 634 CELived under it
⚔ Events 3
- Pulakeshin II defeats Harsha on the Narmada c. 618 CEHappened in it
- Pulakeshin I fortifies Vatapi 543 CEHappened in it
- Aihole inscription of Ravikirti 634 CEHappened in it
📍 Places & sites 2
- Badami Cave Temples 578 CEA place of this polity
- Pattadakal c. 740 CEA place of this polity
📄 Research 3
- How feudal was Indian feudalism? R. S. Sharma · 1985Research on this topic
- Was there feudalism in Indian history? Harbans Mukhia · 1981Research on this topic
- Politics, violence and war in Kāmandaka's Nītisāra Upinder Singh · 2010Research on this topic
📚 Books 2
- A History of South India K. A. Nilakanta SastriRecommended reading
- Our Pasts I, II & III (Classes 6–8) NCERTRecommended reading
Contemporaries
Powers that coexisted with the Chalukyas of Badami for a significant part of its history. The bar shows when, within its own span.
Anuradhapura Kingdom ★
Sri Lanka · c. 437 BCE – c. 1017
Overlap: 210 years
Pallava Dynasty ★
South · c. 275 CE – c. 897 CE
Overlap: 210 years
Pushyabhuti (Vardhana) Dynasty ★
North · c. 500 CE – c. 647 CE
Overlap: 104 years
Chahamanas (Chauhans) of Shakambhari ★
West · c. 650 CE – c. 1194
Overlap: 103 years
Kalabhra Interregnum
South · c. 250 CE – c. 600 CE
Overlap: 57 years
Western Ganga Dynasty
South · c. 350 CE – c. 1000
Overlap: 210 years
Kamarupa
Northeast · c. 350 CE – c. 1140
Overlap: 210 years
Licchavi Kingdom of Nepal
Himalaya · c. 400 CE – c. 750 CE
Overlap: 207 years
Maitraka Dynasty
West · c. 475 CE – c. 776 CE
Overlap: 210 years
Rai Dynasty of Sindh
Northwest · c. 489 CE – c. 632 CE
Overlap: 89 years
Later Guptas of Magadha
East · c. 490 CE – c. 750 CE
Overlap: 207 years
Maukhari Dynasty
Gangetic Plain · c. 550 CE – c. 606 CE
Overlap: 56 years
Gauda Kingdom (Shashanka)
East · c. 590 CE – c. 626 CE
Overlap: 36 years
Pandya Kingdom (First Empire)
South · c. 590 CE – c. 920 CE
Overlap: 163 years
Eastern Chalukyas of Vengi
Deccan · c. 624 CE – c. 1075
Overlap: 129 years
Karkota Dynasty of Kashmir
North · c. 625 CE – c. 855 CE
Overlap: 128 years
Brahmin Dynasty of Sindh (Chach)
Northwest · c. 632 CE – c. 712 CE
Overlap: 80 years
Turk Shahis
Northwest · c. 665 CE – c. 822 CE
Overlap: 88 years
Kalachuris of Tripuri
Central · c. 675 CE – 1212
Overlap: 78 years
Umayyad Caliphate — Sindh province
Northwest · c. 712 CE – c. 750 CE
Overlap: 38 years
Guhilas of Medapata
West · c. 728 CE – 1303
Overlap: 25 years