KALACHURI DYNASTY
Kalachuri (kaLcuri) or kaTTacuri is a minor royal dynasty that flourished during
the twelfth century in the region which is now known as Hyderabad Karnataka.
Later the kings shifted their capital from Mangalavedhe
(mangaLavEDhe) in
Kalachiris or kaTTacUris have had
a long and chequered history from the sixth century
A.D. right up to tenth century. It was an offshoot of the Haihaya
clan and it ruled in various parts of
Uchita (ucita) (925 A.D. approx.)
is credited with beginning of the Karnataka chapter of Kalachuri
dynasty. Most of the kings who succeeded him such as asaga,
kaNNama, asaga-2, rAja, bijja, kannama-2, jOGama and permADi had undistinguished careers and their relationships
with the Kalyani Chalukya dynasty was always one of
subservience. Marital relations were arranged between these two kingdoms and
they resulted in some increase in the wealth and fame of Kalachuris.
However,
Permadi (permADi) (1118-30)
and Bijjala-2 (1130-1167) were quite powerful and they could afford to neglect
Someshvara-3, the Chalukyan monarch at that point of
time. Someshvara-3 bestowed the title ‘mahAmaMDlEshvara’
to bijjaLa-2. Bijjala fostered a mini rebellion in
1162 A.D. and declared his independence from the Chalukyan
Empire. His rule too was beset with problems of various kinds. He had to
contend with the religious strife among Jainas, Veeashaivas and the vaidic
religion. His relationship with Basaveshvara an
important leader and visionary was quite complex and the details are hazy.
However he had to preside over the dissolution of his short lived kingdom. His
sons and nephews who ruled after him right up to Veerabijjala-3 (1193 A.D.)
could add little to either the political history of the dynasty or contribute
something significant in the cultural domain.
The
kings of this dynasty were too preoccupied with warfare and internal strife to
make any lasting contribution to culture. The launching of the Veerashaiva movement also did not meet with whole hearted
approval of Bijjala. The administrative and economic
practices followed by the Chalukyas were continued. A
gold coin minted by Raya Murari
Sovideva was found in Sataara
district of Maharashtra. It contains three lines
written in the Kannada script. Another coin minted with the word ‘kaLacuri’ inscribed on it, purportedly belongs to the
regime of Immadi Bijjala. A
coin with the name of Basavanna inscribed on it (‘basavanavara baTTaru’) was
unearthed by Girijapathi and Sri Ganesh.
It is surmised that this coin was minted by SOvidEva.