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{{short description|former dynasty of India}}
{{about|Kalachuris of Mahishmati}}
{{use dmy dates|date=November 2016}}
{{use Indian English|date=November 2016}}
{{Infobox country
| common_name = Kalachuri dynasty
| conventional_long_name = Kalachuris of Mahishmati
| year_start = 6th century
| year_end = 7th century
| image_map =<center>
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| image_map_caption =
| government_type = monarchy
| capital = [[Mahishmati]]
| p1 = Vakataka dynasty
| p2 = Vishnukundina
| p3 = Traikutaka dynasty
| p4 = Second Aulikara dynasty
| s1 = Chalukya dynasty
| religion = [[Hinduism]]<ref>{{cite book | title=Religious life in Kalachuri empire | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v0gqAAAAYAAJ&q=Kalachuri+dynasty+jainism | author=Minoti Chakravarti Kaul|year = 1999|isbn = 9788186791189}}</ref>
| common_languages = [[Sanskrit]]
| today = [[India]]
}}

The '''Kalachuris''' ([[IAST]]: Kalacuri) also known as '''Kalachuris of Mahishmati''' were an Indian dynasty that ruled in west-central India between 6th and 7th centuries. They are also known as the [[Heheya Kingdom|Haihayas]] or as the "early Kalachuris" to distinguish them from their later namesakes.

The Kalachuri territory included parts of present-day [[Gujarat]], [[Madhya Pradesh]], and [[Maharashtra]]. Their capital was probably located at [[Mahishmati]]. Epigraphic and numismatic evidence suggests that the earliest of the [[Ellora Caves|Ellora]] and [[Elephanta Caves|Elephanta]] cave monuments were built during the Kalachuri rule.

The origin of the dynasty is uncertain. In the 6th century, the Kalachuris gained control of the territories formerly ruled by the [[Gupta Empire|Guptas]], the [[Vakataka]]s and the [[Vishnukundina]]s. Only three Kalachuri kings are known from inscriptional evidence: Shankaragana, Krishnaraja, and Buddharaja. The Kalachuris lost their power to the [[Chalukyas of Vatapi]] in the 7th century. One theory connects the later Kalachuri dynasties of [[Kalachuris of Tripuri|Tripuri]] and [[Kalachuris of Kalyani|Kalyani]] to the Kalachuris of Mahishmati.

== Territory ==

According to the Kalachuri inscriptions, the dynasty controlled [[Ujjayini]], [[Vidisha]] and [[Vadnagar|Anandapura]]. Literary references suggest that their capital was located at [[Mahishmati]] in the [[Malwa]] region.{{sfn|Charles Dillard Collins|1988|p=9}}[[File:East-Hem 600ad.jpg|thumb|The approximate extent of the Kalachuri territory.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Schwartzberg |first1=Joseph E. |title=A Historical atlas of South Asia |date=1978 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |location=Chicago |page=146, map XIV.2 (b)|isbn=0226742210 |url=https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/schwartzberg/pager.html?object=183}}</ref>]]

The dynasty also controlled [[Vidarbha]], where they succeeded the [[Vakataka]] and the [[Vishnukundina]] dynasties.{{sfn|Charles Dillard Collins|1988|p=9}}

In addition, the Kalachuris conquered northern [[Konkan]] (around [[Elephanta Caves|Elephanta]]) by the mid-6th century. Here, they succeeded the [[Traikutaka dynasty]].{{sfn|Charles Dillard Collins|1988|p=9}}

== History ==
The origin of the Kalachuris is uncertain.{{sfn|Charles Dillard Collins|1988|p=9}}.Theories claim them to be of Abhira origin.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Siṃhadeba|first=Jitāmitra Prasāda|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2ypuAAAAMAAJ|title=Archaeology of Orissa: With Special Reference to Nuapada and Kalahandi|date=2006|publisher=R.N. Bhattacharya|isbn=978-81-87661-50-4|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Singh|first=Nagendra Kr|url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=T4IRAQAAIAAJ&dq=editions:ISBN8126106913&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=Haihayas|title=Encyclopaedia of Jainism|date=2001|publisher=Anmol Publications|isbn=978-81-261-0691-2|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Solanki|first=A. N.|url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=b8EKAQAAIAAJ&dq=kalachuri+of+trikuta&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=trikuta|title=The Dhodias: A Tribe of South Gujarat Area|date=1976|publisher=Maria Enzersdorf : Elisabeth Stiglmayr|language=en}}</ref> They were also closely connected with [[Traikutaka dynasty|Traikutakas-Abhira]] who also claimed haihaya<ref>{{Cite book|last=Mirashi Vasudev Vishnu.|url=http://archive.org/details/dli.ernet.53719|title=Inscriptions Of The Kalachuri-chedi Era Vol-iv Part-i (1955)|date=1955|publisher=Government Epigraphist For India.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Vaidya C. V.|url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.16652|title=History Of Medieval Hindu India|date=1921}}</ref> lineage.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Mirashi Vasudev Vishnu.|url=http://archive.org/details/dli.ernet.53719|title=Inscriptions Of The Kalachuri-chedi Era Vol-iv Part-i (1955)|date=1955|publisher=Government Epigraphist For India.}}</ref><ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite book|last=India)|first=Oriental Institute (Vadodara|url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=YFljAAAAMAAJ&dq=haihayas+trikuta&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=Haihayas|title=Journal of the Oriental Institute|date=1981|publisher=Oriental Institute, Maharajah Sayajirao University.|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Vaidya C. V.|url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.16652|title=History Of Medieval Hindu India|date=1921}}</ref>

=== Krishnaraja ===
[[File:Silver coin of Krishnaraja Kalachuri.jpg|thumb|300px|Silver coin of Krishnaraja]]
[[File:Kalachuri Feudatories in Malwa and Vidarbha King Kalahasila Circa AD 575-610.jpg|thumb|300px|Coin of King Kalahasila, a Kalachuri feudatory. Circa (575-610).]]
Krishnaraja (r. c. 550-575) is the earliest known ruler of the dynasty. He issued coins featuring [[Brahmi script]] legends, imitating the design of earlier coins issued by the Traikutaka and the Gupta kings. His coins featuring a bull are based on the coins issued by [[Skandagupta]]. His silver coins were circulated widely for around 150 years after his reign.{{sfn|Charles Dillard Collins|1988|p=9}}

Krishnaraja's coins describe him as ''Parama-Maheshvara'' (devotee of Shiva). An inscription of his son Shankaragana states that he was devoted to Pashupati (Shiva) since his birth.{{sfn|Charles Dillard Collins|1988|p=9}} Historical evidence suggests that he may have commissioned the Shaivite monuments at the [[Elephanta Caves]] and the earliest of the [[Brahmanism|Brahmanical]] caves at [[Ellora]], where his coins have been discovered.{{sfn|Charles Dillard Collins|1988|pp=9-10}}{{sfn|Geri Hockfield Malandra|1993|p=6}}{{sfn|Charles Dillard Collins|1988|p=9}}

=== Shankaragana ===

Shankaragana (r. c. 575-600) is the earliest ruler of the dynasty to be attested by his own inscriptions, which were issued from Ujjain and Nirgundipadraka. His Ujjain grant is the earliest epigraphic record of the dynasty.{{sfn|Charles Dillard Collins|1988|p=10}}

Shakaragana's adopted the titles of the [[Gupta Empire|Gupta]] emperor [[Skandagupta]]. This suggests that he conquered western Malwa, which was formerly under the Gupta authority. His kingdom probably also included parts of the present-day Gujarat.{{sfn|Charles Dillard Collins|1988|p=10}}

Like his father, Shankaragana described himself as a ''Parama-Maheshvara'' (devotee of Shiva).{{sfn|Charles Dillard Collins|1988|p=10}}

=== Buddharaja ===

Buddharaja is the last known ruler of the early Kalachuri dynasty. He was a son of Shankaragana.{{sfn|Charles Dillard Collins|1988|p=10}}

Buddharaja conquered eastern Malwa, but he probably lost western Malwa to the [[Maitraka|ruler of Vallabhi]]. During his reign, the [[Chalukyas of Vatapi|Chalukya]] king [[Mangalesha]] attacked the Kalachuri kingdom from the south, sometime after 600 CE. The invasion did not result in a complete conquest, as evident by Buddharaja's 609-610 CE (360 [[Kalachuri Era|KE]]) Vidisha and 610-611 CE (361 KE) Anandapura grants.{{sfn|Charles Dillard Collins|1988|p=10}} Buddharaja probably lost his sovereignty during a second Chalukya invasion, by Mangalesha,{{sfn|Durga Prasad Dikshit|1980|p=57}} or by his nephew [[Pulakeshin II]].{{sfn|Charles Dillard Collins|1988|p=10}} The Chalukya inscriptions mention that Mangalesha defeated the Kalachuris, but do not credit Pulakeshin with this achievement; therefore, it is likely that Mangalesha was the Chalukya ruler responsible for ending the Kalachuri power.{{sfn|Durga Prasad Dikshit|1980|p=57}}

Like his father and grandfather, Buddharaja described himself as a ''Parama-Maheshvara'' (devotee of Shiva). His queen Ananta-Mahayi belonged to the [[Pashupata Shaivism|Pashupata sect]].{{sfn|Charles Dillard Collins|1988|p=10}}

=== Descendants ===

No concrete information is available about the successors of Buddharaja, but it is known that by 687 CE, the Kalachuris had become feudatories of the [[Chalukya]]s.{{sfn|Charles Dillard Collins|1988|p=10}}

An inscription issued by a prince named Taralasvamin was found at Sankheda (where one of Shankaragana's grants was also found). This inscription describes Taralasvamin as a devotee of Shiva, and his father [[Maharaja]] Nanna as a member of the "Katachchuri" family. The inscription is dated to the year 346 of an unspecified era. Assuming the era as Kalachuri era, Taralasvamin would have been a contemporary of Shankaragana. However, Taralasvamin and Nanna are not mentioned in other Kalachuri records. Also, unlike other Kalachuri inscriptions, the date in this inscription is mentioned in decimal numbers. Moreover, some expressions in the inscription appear to have been borrowed from the 7th century Sendraka inscriptions. Because of these evidences, [[V. V. Mirashi]] considered Taralasvamin's inscription as a spurious one.{{sfn|Charles Dillard Collins|1988|pp=10-11}}

V. V. Mirashi connected the [[Kalachuris of Tripuri]] to the early Kalachuri dynasty. He theorizes that the early Kalachuris moved their capital from Mahishmati to [[Kalanjara]], and from there to Tripuri.{{sfn|V. V. Mirashi|1974|p=376}}

== Cultural contributions ==

=== Elephanta ===
[[File:Elephanta Caves (27737333312).jpg|thumb|[[Elephanta Caves]]]]
The [[Elephanta Caves]] which contain [[Shaivite]] monuments are located along the [[Konkan]] coast, on the [[Elephanta Island]] near [[Mumbai]]. Historical evidence suggests that these monuments are associated with Krishnaraja, who was also a Shavite.{{sfn|Geri Hockfield Malandra|1993|p=6}}

The Kalachuris appear to have been the rulers of the Konkan coast, when some of the Elephanta monuments were built.{{sfn|Geri Hockfield Malandra|1993|p=6}} Silver coins of Krishnaraja have been found along the Konkan coast, on the [[Salsette Island]] (now part of Mumbai) and in the [[Nashik district]].{{sfn|Geri Hockfield Malandra|1993|p=6}} Around 31 of his copper coins have been found on the Elephanta Island, which suggests that he was the patron of the main [[Elephanta Caves|cave temple]] on the island.{{sfn|Charles Dillard Collins|1988|pp=9-10}} According to numismatist Shobhana Gokhale, these low-value coins may have been used to pay the wages of the workers involved in the cave excavation.{{sfn|Charles Dillard Collins|1988|p=10}}

=== Ellora ===

[[File:Ellora, cave 29, Ravana shaking Mount Kailasa (9841650413).jpg|thumb|[[Ellora]] Cave No. 29]]
The earliest of the Hindu caves at [[Ellora]] appear to have been built during the Kalachuri reign, and possibly under Kalachuri patronage. For example, the Ellora Cave No. 29 shows architectural and iconographic similarities with the Elephanta Caves.{{sfn|Geri Hockfield Malandra|1993|p=6}} The earliest coin found at [[Ellora]], in front of Cave No. 21 (Rameshvara), was issued by Krishnaraja.{{sfn|Charles Dillard Collins|1988|p=9}}

== Rulers ==

The following are the known rulers of the Kalachuri dynasty of Malwa with their estimated reigns ([[IAST]] names in brackets):{{sfn|Ronald M. Davidson|2012|p=37}}

* Krishnaraja (Kṛṣṇarāja), r. c. 550-575 CE
* Shankaragana (Śaṃkaragaṇa), r. c. 575-600 CE
* Buddharaja (Buddharāja), r. c. 600-625 CE

== See also ==
* [[Kalachuri Era]], used by the Kalachuris and so named after them

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

=== Bibliography ===
{{ref begin}}
* {{cite book |author=Charles Dillard Collins |title=The Iconography and Ritual of Siva at Elephanta |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pQNi6kAGJQ4C |publisher=SUNY Press |year=1988 |isbn=9780887067730 }}
* {{cite book |author=Durga Prasad Dikshit |title=Political History of the Chālukyas of Badami |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lEB11tKmCgcC&pg=PA152 |year=1980 |publisher=Abhinav |oclc=8313041 }}
* {{cite book |author=Geri Hockfield Malandra |title=Unfolding A Mandala: The Buddhist Cave Temples at Ellora |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MU44LPu3mbUC |publisher=SUNY Press |year=1993 |isbn=9780791413555 }}
* {{cite book |author=Ronald M. Davidson |title=Indian Esoteric Buddhism: A Social History of the Tantric Movement |publisher=Columbia University Press |year=2012 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nwyeIyWTlEMC |isbn=9780231501026 }}
* {{cite book |author=V. V. Mirashi |author-link=Vasudev Vishnu Mirashi |title=Bhavabhuti |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |year=1974 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hLGgZOzTYzsC&pg=PA376 |isbn=9788120811805 }}
{{ref end}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite book |author=R. K. Sharma |title=The Kalachuris and their times |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iK0BAAAAMAAJ |year=1980 |publisher=Sundeep |oclc=7816720 }}

==External links==
{{commons category|Kalachuri Empire}}
*[http://coinindia.com/galleries-kalachuri-mahismati.html Coins of the Early Kalachuris]

[[Category:History of Gujarat]]
[[Category:History of Madhya Pradesh]]
[[Category:History of Maharashtra]]
[[Category:Dynasties of India]]

Kalachuri dynasty - Revision history

imported>JohnFromPinckney at 03:08, 21 August 2021