Temple Art and Architecture under the Chalukyas of Badami (6th-8th century CE) - Part I

“The temple is the concrete shape (murti) of the Essence; as such it is the residence and vesture of God. The masonry is the sheath (kosa) and body. The temple is the monument of manifestation. The devotee who comes to the temple, to look at it, does so as a seer, not as a spectator” – Stella Kramrisch

The Early Chalukyan or the Badami, Western Chalukyan cave and temple architecture has been a subject of deep and long drawn research since the times of James Fergusson. Yet in the popular discourse and historical narratives the development in the South gets overshadowed by the study of either the glorious Gupta art in the North or the magnificent caves of Western India.

The Early Chalukyan temple territory is small if we consider the core of their construction in the Malaprabha valley (Mahakuta, Badami, Aihole, Pattadakal set in a 25 kilometers long Malaprabha river valley) in the present day northern Karnataka, though their overall footprint was large, spread across up to Alampur in present day Andhra Pradesh. But, they are well laid out, with much evidence to study the chronology and development from the monuments themselves, supported by inscriptions. From the cave temples of Badami to the free-standing temples at Aihole and the final culmination in profusion of forms and styles seen at the Pattadakal complex, the development of temple architecture under Early Chalukyas presents a fascinating study.

They were the pioneers in the South supporting large number of religious building activity from rock cut caves to free standing structures. “Mahakuteshwar, Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal were the laboratories of temple architecture, both structural and cave. In Aihole and Pattadakal, temple building became almost like a movement in architecture. It was all the more difficult as there was no precedent or benchmark. While Aihole conceived an idea in grammar and composition, Pattadakal executed it—a group of sturdy yet rhythmic structures,” as Haimanti Dey puts it in her article on ‘Gifts from the Chalukyas’.

The astonishing fact about the Early Chalukyan temple architecture is their prolific construction activity, sheer number of sizes and shapes attempted, experiments with various types resulting in unbelievable diversity of forms at a single location earning sobriquets like Aihole is the nursery of temple architecture or Pattadakal a cradle of temple architecture. They had a dash with the Dravidian style, fluently played with the Nagara style created an unique idiom Karnata-Dravida or the Vesara style. Not only that they came up with smaller, and larger mandapa style or the flat roofed temples, the apsidal temples, all within the small area of Malaprabha valley. This phenomenon was a significant feature of the Chalukya rule because in no other place do we come across the construction of temples in different styles side by side, says S.Rajashekara.

Brief History of Early Chalukyas

“Here, nature with its fine sandstone raw-material, and man with his well-nigh seven-century old familiarity with another soft medium, namely, Trap – found inadequate by now for structural temple architecture -  co-conspired to make the land the very cocoon, as it were, of the earliest temple modulations, while history almost anticipatingly overtook nature and man by witnessing the rise of one of the most venturesome, colourful and deeply religious Hindu dynasties of early India – the Chalukyas of Vatapyadhisthana, the present day Badami” – K.V.Soundara Rajan ‘Early Temple Architecture in Karnataka and its Ramifications’

Pulikesi I (535-66) is considered the founder of the Chalukya rule, and the Early Chalukyan rule lasted for over 200 years from 535 CE to 757 CE till they were overthrown by the Rashtrakutas. Pulikesi I established his rule performing several sharuta sacrifices including Ashwamedha and built a strong fortress at Badami (Vatapi).

The kingdom was further expanded by his son Kirtivarman I (566/67 – 597/98) establishing victories over Kadambas of Banvasi, Mauryas of Konkan, and Nalas of the Bastar area.

He was succeeded by his brother Mangalesa as his son Pulikesin II was still a minor at the time of his death. Mangalesa too added to the power and prosperity of the Chalukyas and as a worshipper of Vishnu excavated a cave for Vishnu in 578 CE at Badami.

Pulikesi II who would eventually emerge as the most powerful of the Early Chalukyas wrested power from Mangalesa after a civil war establishing his rule in 610. He established Chalukyan rule over Deccan and parts of South India after several conquests till he lost power to Pallava king Narasimhavarman I of Kanchi. During Pulikesi II’s period the Upper and Lower Shiavalayas at Badami and the Megudi at Aihole were built.

After the occupation of Badami by Pallavas for 13 years, Pulikesi II’s son Vikramaditya I regained power in 655 CE. He went on to launch successive campaigns against Pallavas, aligning with their other southern foes, Pandyas. If Mangalesa was known as Parama Bhagavata, Vikramaditya I was known as Parama Mahesvara after conversion to Saivism. There was a resurgence of temple construction activity during his rule, and his conversion to Saivism is credited for lot of that activity.

Vinayaditya followed him ruling from 681-696 CE credited with building Svarga Brahma temple at Alampur. This together with large number of inscriptions of Vikramaditya I found at Andhra Pradesh is taken to suggest that the Chalukyas spent their time away there during the occupation of Badami by Pallavas.

Vijayaditya (696-733) who followed Vinayaditya and his son Vikaramaditya II (733-44) were significant in their contribution to Chalukyan art and architecture. While Vijayaditya built the first Chalukya temple, Sangameshvara (Vijayesvara) temple at Pattadakkal, extending their glorious work that began at Aihole and Badami, Vikramaditya II’s wives built Virupaksha and Mallikarjuna temples. Vikramaditya II returned from Kanchi after a campaign after having inscribing the name of his father at the Kailasanatha temple, Kanchi, a Pallava masterpiece. An official in Vikramaditya II’s court built the Durga temple at Aihole.

The Early Chalukyan rule came to an end with Kirtivarma II, son of Vikramaditya II when he was defeated by Rashtrakuta Krishna I in 757 CE. Though he had to face many military challenges during his reign, several temples at Aihole, Badami, Pattadakal and Mahakuta were built, specifically the fine Papanatha temple at Pattadakal.