1 ‘CHALUKYA-EMPRIE’ OF A ‘TIGER-KING-PULIKESHIN’

A ‘WILD-BOAR-STATE’ OF ‘KANNADA-NADU’ “CHALUKYA IMPLIES A NATURAL ‘WATER-KINGDOM’ OF LAKES, RIVERS AND

‘WATER-RESERVOIRS’ EMANATING FROM ROCKY-HILLS AND MOUNTAINS”

Glorious account of king Pulkeshin-II, Vikramaditya, Kirtivarman and their Chalukya Empire which brought grandeur to Kannada Nadu in not only preservation of ‘nature-mother-earth’ but also carving out wild life in each of their places of worship, in their routine cult of deities of wild animals amidst sanctuaries of their art, craft, relics and antics at Badami, Pattadakal & Aihole.

Story of Chalukya empire, seems to be apparently an ecosystem of rocky mountains and a biome of aquatic water regime. Chalukya refers to the flow of water from the palm of Brihma, the god of creation, springing redundant stream of water, an aquatic torrent of rain gods, unleashing the gushing flow on the terrain of Kannada Nadu along Malaprabha, Tungabhadra, Cauvery, Narmada and Godavari rivers. An empire modeled on the principles of tribute of acclamation of pristine forests, its wilderness by King Pulkeshin, Kirtivaman and Vikramaditya during their tenure from 543 to 756 AD in their arts, craft and culture. A foundation of empire stamped on the immaculate primeval natural ambience, sealed with an impeccable string of ecosystem network of wildlife with a leading figure of biotic indicator of Varaha, the wild boar, which was a national symbol of Chalukya kingdom. Varaha being a third incarnation of God, which was solicited to be defined as the protector of ‘mother-earth-nature’ bhudevi, in Varah Purana of Hindu mythological context.…A K Singh

Oh king the Huli keshi ! “When you decree a war, you behold the stage of a roaring tiger, when you fight in the battlefield, mere touch of your dreaded sight, electrifies hundreds of mighty elephants. Your reinforced mettle, hot and full, dare to bring down lawless-resolute and rage to the ground mightiest chieftains. Your thundering howl, with sharpened bows and clinking swords trounce even the powerful rulers and overlords. In Chalukya state of profuse forests and teeming woodlands, heaven and earth balance in power, nourished by seven divine mother goddesses the Sapta Matrika. Your country which was sick almost to the doomsday with eclipse, has risen with trains of fire and dews of lifeblood in supply of bulls, strong Arabic horses and routine merchandise from Persia and Iraq. If there is any good thing to be done, it is the justice of disputes Pulkeshi II dispensed with, it is guild of merchants, weavers, craftsman and artisans unremittingly hardworking in their work like yellow wasps in beehive. It is the league of ascetics, priests and monks professing in ease and grace happily living in each corner of your kingdom”. Badami, Pattadakal & Aihole at the center. Doing it right, with the majesty of force, with dignity and self esteem is the birth right of people in an empire where privilege and concessions were given to them owning their share of land amidst thick and thin of shrubs and bushes, amid spick and span of lush green

forests, for grazing their cattle, for gathering food and firewood from forests lying around and held in

common. All the lands in villages which no body owns is the property of the king. A green state of Chalukya is an exhorted treasure in the womb of earth, a forested province between Narmada and Cauvery river, a landscape teeming with hordes of animals in wild and farmer’s fields. A land of wild

boars, adopted as third incarnation of God. Do it right with genuine intent of discipline, it was the Chalukyan rule which fused new style of living in harmony with disciples of Budhda, Jaina and Shiva. Descended from Kadambas of Banavasi, connected with Ayodhya as a migrant to Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal striking with intellect, power and supremacy dealt a heavy blow to the mockery of superstition, falsity and misconception. A Kingdom

extravagant in overseas trade and commerce of foreign merchants, travelling extensively along land and sea routes, dealing in sapphires, moonstones, pearls, rubies, diamonds, lapis lazuli, onyx, topaz, carbuncle, emeralds. It harrows us in fear and wonder as to how the broken peace comes again in business of cardamoms, cloves, sandal, camphor, musk spices and perfumes ? Guilds of merchants hawking on their

King Pulikeshin II 628 AD

Pulikeshi II and Mahamalla Pallava fighting a ferocious battle on elephants.

2 shoulders paying sunka and filling the royal treasury with gold and jewels sealing deal with brokers of Arabia and Parsia. When stars soar high above the sky eastward to the west, hundreds of merchants and vendors travelling on mules and bullocks as carriers make their fortunes, in that part of heaven, partying and rejoicing in mercantile de affairs, selling and buying Indian commodities in periodical fairs and carnivals. Pulikeshi also known as Huli keshi, a Tiger King, a great warrior on earth and waters, in order to end the evils on earth, his Chalukya empire sprang out from Chuluk Jala, a water oblation palm of Brihma, the God of foundation of nature, as claimed by Bilhana his court poet. As the good effects spring from words of love, so the Chalukyan glory leapt from Varaha, the wild boar third incarnation of God for revival of mother nature. The mighty king of Chalukya empire of Karnataka Pulkeshin II minted first time, gold coins of South India as “Varaha” which were popular till late, like pagoda or rupaiah. When demon Hiranyaksha who destroys the goddess of earth the Bhudevi, wild boar Varaha appears to rescue her, slewing the demons of enemy of wildlife, natural resources and wealth of nature. Varaha

lifting the earth on his tusk, is considered to restore earth, the bhudevi, ecological wealth to her rightful place. Once Ravikirthi court poet cried, “Fields of Kannada mother roars with sounds of clouds, thunder and lightening. Fragrance of lush green forests spread far and wide. Dust of ignorance, fear and disease rises up again and again. Whole Kannada Nadu was shrouded in darkness, sick in fortunes. Wisdom of nature has soaked in dusk and gloom. Ereya the prince, young Pulikeshi II, shaping his course in a country new and fresh in Kolar, armed with force of horses and elephants will over power his regent Mangalesha his uncle, one day or the other. Eraya will ascend the throne of Chalukya. He will triumph the universe from all heavens of earth”. With shields decked, sword in hand and armour he had on, ambitious and resolute Pulkeshin II embarked on series of conquests on Konkan, Kosala, Kalinga, Elephanta island and Andhra almost whole of central south India. Pulikeshi filled with confidence, marched so nightly toiling the subject of the land in 630 CE, employing powerful implements of war but he had to beat a retreat against Harshvardhana of Kanauj unable to prevail upon him, was titled “lord of south India”.

The king Huli Kesha, raging in vengeance with fury and annoyance, like a ferocious haired tiger, obstinate and unyielding, always was honored in pride and was admired in armed battles. Hulikesha raided the war field to vanquish Pallava King Vishnuvarman with mightiest and robust elephants. Pachyderms frenzied, inebriated and drunk in liquor. Riding on elephants who erupted in anger and ferocity, Pulkeshin fortified on horses, with sounding bows and tinkling swords, fought days together with all might, thunder and lightening lost his capital Vatapi (Badami ) to Pallava king Narsimhavarman for twelve years in 630 AD.

Rays of the morning sun splashes light, on long silken curtains dangling from facades of palace. King Pulikeshi II, distinguished in necklaces of pearls and thick rings of gold hanging around, swinging from his breast, crown etched in gems and diamonds, his head held high, commands hill tribes of all forests and woodlands in his empire. He recruits his army in time of war. With break of danger, quarreling chieftains scuffle around in villages, then a brave and fearless hill tribe leader settles the peace. Palace, courts and citadels lavishing in festive ceremonies with heaping

humor and sparkling hilarity were the assurances to the commons to play, sing and dance. Pulikeshi tampered with natural resources like rock cutting for place of

worship and meditation, carving out varanda and big halls embellishing ganas, gandharvas and kinnara, glowing in marvels of amusing

postures, personifying natural spirits of wild boars, beautiful birds, strong horses, pretty fairy tales humming with melody of music, as a singer in the court of Gods. Pride and pomposity dazzling in metropolis centers, the palaces often adorned with thousands of live war elephants wearing colorful clothes, with knife sharpened tusks. Markets were traded in Arabic horses, indigenous boars, fowls, hares, partridges and birds in abundance. The glory of Chalukya of Badami is chiseled in reddish golden sandstone temples, shrines and sanctuaries in the heartland of Aihole, Pattadakal and Mahakuta embedded on the banks of Malaprabha river basin depicting the power of Harihara fusion of Vishnu and Shiva, denoting the unity of existence soliciting the idea that true self, the soul is real. Soul can be

Papanatha Temple at Pattadakal

Varaha, the Wild Boar national emblem of Chalukya dynasty

3 controlled by celibacy. Liberation of the real spirit is the essence of life. Freedom of recycling of soul is through Vedantic philosophy of Sankhya, Yoga and Nyaya attainment of which is by devotion, by bhakti to natural life of Jaina or dedication to green God Shiva, and allegiance to natural way of living of Vishnu. Chalukya period was the time of Karnataka in making. Evolving on Vedic lines of natural living where temples were the centers of power and administration. Shrines and reliquaries were pivotal in divine living of spiritual life. Giving a message of life of intellectual superiority of Braham. Aham Brihma Asmi or I am the Briham. Human body requires an exercise of purity, virtue and abstinence. In practice the life was connected to the Gods, an imperium super imperium. Living a routine life of each individual as an entrepreneur, being industrious in his vocation. Less matter with more art. This led to institution of caste upholding the social fabric based on trade, commerce and industry. Temples were accepting the gifts, contributions and donations of all classes of people in society. Solicitude of nobles and chieftain was devoted to the temple centric learning, dutiful to the conduct of ethical and religious accomplishment of scholarship in different arts and crafts. Temples kept on regulating the charge de affairs of administration for distribution of lands to combatants and warriors. Each caste was inclined to live in their sphere of existence supervising their own characteristic habits and customs. Aihole sanctuary of seventy temples is termed as one of the “Cradle of Indian Architecture”. Together with Jaina and Hindu, a unique experiment of construction of Buddhist Chaitya was made to connect vestibule to the sanctum, a mature and advanced style of Badami Chalukya architecture was declared as UNESCO World Heritage Site. Credit goes to Chalukyan architects Revadi Ovajja, Narasobba and Anivarita Gunda who acted upon the commands of Loka Mahadevi queen of Vikrmaditya II in commemoration of the victory of Chalukyan over Pallavas of Kanchi. Kailashnatha Temple of Ellora at Aurangabad was also

excavated on the same plan of construction of Virupaksha Temple of Pattadakal. Society of Chalukya empire had devoted sophists who had been incurring lives to sincere studies and discourses. Most of them were woodland dwellers, spending their most of the time in caves, cavities and hollows of rock cut shrines which were quite popular since the emergence of Jainism and Buddhism. Monks, priests and clerics were dedicated to Vedic mode of religious life of rituals, sacrificial customs and puritanical practices worshipping deities, divinities and local gods. They lived in forests, spending most of the time in wilderness, interacting with wild animals,

experimenting with wild fruits, herbs and shrubs, wearing garments made of bark, leaves and grasses. Quarter of the population was living in jungle corresponding to the vanaprastha order of Hindu philosophy of Manu evolving during vedic period around 600 BC established in early Maurya age. Herdsman, shepherds and hunters lived in forests were assigned the task of clearing the agriculturally

cultivable lands of all sorts of wild beasts, birds, carnivores which depredated the seeds, saplings and

young crops grown by husbandmen. Hunting the wild animals and trapping the pests was routine those days. Antelopes, deers and bovines were hunted by ladies, hero men and carried to the homestead. Early Chalukya princes used to be crowned at Pattadakal, a great laboratory of temple construction in nagara and dravida vimana style in delicate details carved in

gods, demi gods, gandharva narrating stories from Ramayana, Mahabharata and Bhagvadgita. A

unique style of shaping the existing huge rocks of sandstones into monolithic temples and sculpting enormously big boulders, naturally embedded in earth molding them into love couples, in the form of ornate designs of lotus, roses, leaves, birds and wild animals. Varah the wild boar protecting the mother earth from destruction, asking humanity to have love for nature, affection for ecological setting and respect for ecosystem functioning. Narsimha the half lion and half human clad in jewels and ornaments in vigorous elegance and forceful facial expressions, delivering a message to amalgamate with nature, be one with

Durga Temple of Chalukya at Aihole 700 AD, built in Elephant back Gajaprastha

style. Symbol of Pechidermal Durga Shakti.

Mallikarjuna and Kashivishvanatha Temples at Pattadakal.

4 natural spirit, to imbibe what topples the ecosystem so as to stabilize the environment in her natural ambience. Sitting Nandi bull heading towards shiva linga telling the world that livestock aspires to prostrate before gods of fertility, for the sustenance of local upbringing of mother ecosystems. Lokamahadevi, consort of Chalukya king Vikramaditya in commemoration of his victory on Pallavas of Kanchi, cried, “ Oh the king, behold the productivity and luxuriance of this land of Kannada. I sanctify this phallus of Shiva smiling to my heart here placing Virupaksha in Pattadakal. It shall yield bliss of natural wealth. Nataraja the lord of dance, music and cheerfulness shall bring glory to the natural treasure of Kannada Nadu. This country is blessed in natural fortunes in her mountains, fortunate in her vast beautiful lush green meadows and pastures, privileged in her fertile pieces of hillocks and plateaus. Where sages and pontiffs conduct penance punishing their body, laboring their mind and exerting their soul. Where astute saints shower their blessings. Wise demigods sanction thousands of merits and righteousness on the deprived, destitute and helpless people of this nation. Where lions, bulls, peacocks, and antelopes aid the society with copious natural virtues, assist in tender merits with fruits of labour. Where footprints of enormous wild animals are marked on saddle of all hills. Mother earth, the nature delivers therefore heavens to all creatures. Ravana shaking the mount Kailasa can’s survive any longer. Those who curse the nature, those who stain mighty hills and devastate her wealthy assets shall be smashed, shall be trodden and shall be annihilated like Ravana was slayed by God shiva, crushing him under the Kailasa mountain. Thus, therefore, I commission this Ravananugraha here right in the center of Kannada Nadu at Pattadakal for the posterity to be alarmed at the dangers of destruction of the earth, at the perils of polluting this nation. Achar, Vyavahara and Prayashchita shall be judged from now on for proper conduct, modesty of etiquettes and observance of penance in distribution of property, right of succession for inheritance of estates sanctioned by great sage Yagyavalkya evolved in the text of Mitakshara coined by Vigyaneshwara of this Chalukya age.

Lokmahadevi while founding Mallikarjuna temple exclaimed, - “ Oh the king, Kannada Nadu is affluent with natural ambience wreathed in enormous affluence of elephants, leopards and tigers. I am notching here the antic disposition of these animals, on the plinth of this holy place, stretched with charge to protect this land. Here they are stamped in base, shall assist in providence of life of music, verve of melody and essence of song if your subject guard them in the

surrounding forests, bring them to the use of kingdom. As they are encumbered with burden of shielding the horrors of destruction, laden with man’s rapacious greed to fritter away the beauty of nature. Let be the pachyderms, wild tigers and savage lions

live with you for eternity. So be the fate of Kailashnatah

temple at Ellora same as that of this sanctuary here in Aihole and Pattadakal. Sandstone and basalt are the rocks as hard as unyielding, as tough and as unbending as the arrogance of man. Animals of this kingdom raised a sigh so piteous and profound. All the beasts raged in fury and thunder get afflicted by sparking fire of your ruckus on mother earth. These innocent get distraught with blink of your wicked eye, upsetting the poise of mother nature. As saint Ramanuja quoting Brihad Aranyaka recommended three vitues of Self restraint, Charity and Compassion for all life forms reciting, “

“Learn three cardinal virtues-temperance, generosity and benevolence for creatures.”

…Brihad Aranyaka.

A K Singh is the member of Indian Forest Service 1997 serving in the Ministry of Forest, Ecology and Environment

of the Government of Karnataka.Views portrayed here hereinafter are personal which are expressed in the wake of references cited. Contact: 9481180956. aksinghifs@gmail.com References:

1. C V Vaidya, History of Medieval Hindu India. 2. Romila Thapar, The History of Early India. 3. K V Ramesh 1984, Chalukyas of Vatapi 4. Nilkantha Shastri 1955. History of South India from Prehistoric

Times to the Fall of Vijay Nagar. 5. George Micheal. Pattadakal, Monumental Legacy. 6. A P Karmakar 1947. Cultural History of Karnataka from

prehistoric times to present. 7. Henry Cousens 1996. The Chalukyan Architecture of Canaries

District. 8. Concise History of Karnataka Dr Suryanath, & Kamath. 9. Indian Temple Architecture: Form and Transformation of

Karnata Dravida Tradition by Ajay Sinh, Adam Hardy. 10. Michell George M 1990. Pattadakal- A Monumental Legacy.

Oxford University Press. 2002

Sanctuary of Lions, Elephants, Tigers, Wild Boars at Kailashnath Temple Ellora

Ornate buluster of a Lion overpowering elephant at Balligave Shimoga