Q1.
From the previous chapter, do you remember the Western Chālukyas (with their capital at Kalyāṇī or Kalyāṇa) and the Eastern Chālukyas (Fig. 4.10)?
Answer
Yes — they are the two branches of the Chālukya family, and in this chapter both of them come to an end.
| Western Chālukyas | Eastern Chālukyas | |
|---|---|---|
| Capital | Kalyāṇī or Kalyāṇa | Vengi |
| Where (Fig. 4.10) | The Deccan, north of the Kākatīyas; “its rule extending at some point to the Narmada River in the north” | The coastal Andhra country, between the Godāvarī and the Krishna |
| What happens to them here | Worn down by “fierce wars” with the Cholas over Vengi, they “faded away”; the Kākatīyas and Hoysalas grew stronger and eventually replaced them | “Gradually absorbed into the Chola sphere of influence through marriage alliances” |
Two more things to keep straight.
- Their ruler Someśhvara III wrote the Mānasollāsa in the 12th century — an encyclopaedia of astronomy, architecture, music, medicine, cooking and games, and a guide to a king’s duties towards his subjects.
- The Chaulukyas (or Solankis) of Gujarat, met later in the chapter, are a different dynasty despite the similar name. The chapter warns about this in its DON’T MISS OUT box on page 115.
Why Vengi caused so much fighting: the Eastern Chālukyas held the fertile delta country of coastal Andhra. Once marriage alliances pulled them towards the Cholas, whoever controlled Vengi controlled both rich farmland and the road along the east coast — so the Cholas and the Western Chālukyas fought over it until, as the chapter says, the Western Chālukyas had nothing left to fight with.