INDIA , THAT IS BHARAT -A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE, #BHARAT[PART-53][EP-282]

EMPEROR PULAKESHIN II

PULAKESHIN II , popularly known as IMMADI PULAKESI , who ruled from 610 AD to 642 AD , was the greatest CHALUKYA EMPEROR of BADAMI . During his reign , CHALUKYAEmpire spread over most of the DECCAN region in peninsular INDIA . He was the son of KIRTTIVARMAN I , who succeeded his elder brother MANGALESHA by overthrowing him from the throne forcibly . A staunch HINDU , he had issue like ADITYAVARMAN , CHANDRADITYA , RANARAGHAVARMAN , VIKRAMADITYA I , DHARASHRAYA and JAYASIMHAVARMAN . He was a warrior of an excellent order . He suppressed a rebellion by APPAYIKA and GOVINDA . He also defeated the KADAMBAS of BANAVASI in the south . And the ALUPAS and the GANGAS of TALAKAD recognized his suzerainty . By subjugating the MAURYAS of KONKAN , he consolidated the CHALUKYA EMPIRE over the western coast of INDIA . His AIHOLE INSCRIPTION describes how he subjugated the LATAS , the MALAVAS , and the GURJARAS in the north INDIA . It also mentions about his matrimonial relations with the KADAMBAS. The most notable military achievement of PULAKESHIN II was his victory over the powerful Emperor of the Northern INDIA , HARSHA VARDHANA . He repulsed the first ARAB CALIPHATIC invasion over INDIA in 636 AD . The second CALIPH , UMAR ibn al-KHATTAB of ARAB , who was on a proselytizing mission to ISLAMIZE the whole world , appointed USMAN for this purpose . USMAN of the SAKIF tribe became successful in his mission in BAHRAYN and OMAN . After that USMAN sent a Naval expedition to capture THANE on the western coast of INDIA . But the Imperial CHALUKYAN Navy under PULAKESHIN II successfully repulsed the Naval expedition of USMAN .They returned to OMAN and thus , the first ISLAMIC raid on INDIA was defeated by the strong Naval Forces of PULAKESHIN II . Moreover , the AIHOLE INSCRIPTION states that the rulers of KOSALA and KALINGA accepted PULAKESHIN’S suzerainty without any resistance . Later , KOSALA was being called as DAKSHINA KOSALA . PULAKESHIN II had defeated the rulers of VISHNUKUNDINA kingdom , located in the lower KRISHNA-GODAVARI VALLEY .

HIUEN-TSANG’S VISIT TO PULAKESHIN’S EMPIRE

The CHINESE traveler HIUEN-TSANG visited PULAKESHIN’S Empire in 641-42 AD . He has called the CHALUKYA Emperor as the ruler of MO-HO-LA-CHA (CHINESE NAME OF MAHARASTRA) and corroborated PULAKESHIN II’S success against Emperor HARSHA VARDHANA . He had visited the PULLAVA kingdom before arriving in the CHALUKYA Empire . HIUEN-TSANG has described PULAKESHIN II as “a man of farsighted resource and astuteness who extends kindness to all”. His accounts of CHALUKYA Empire during PULAKESHIN II further states that the Emperor’s subjects were “tall and sturdy in nature and ….. carefree by nature….. grateful for kindness and revengeful for injustice”.They preferred death to disloyalty and always ready for duel if they or their families were insulted .The Emperor was war-like and loved ‘military arts’ because he was a KSHATRIYA by birth . His well disciplined troops comprised several thousands of men , several hundreds of war elephants . A peculiar thing about his war elephants was that they were intoxicated with wine before battles . Such war elephants were used for breaking the enemy’s front line . HIUEN-TSANG has also mentioned that when the Generals were defeated in wars , they were not punished . Rather they were humiliated by being ordered to wear women’s dresses or commit suicide as a matter of honour . HIUEN-TSANG has mentioned that there were five STUPAS in an around the capital city of CHALUKYAS . To him , these STUPAS were built by the earlier MAURYAN Emperor ASHOKA and were several hundred feet high . About 5,000 BUDDHIST MONKS lived in over 100 monasteries in the Empire  . He considered AJANTA CAVES as the largest monastery of the Empire .

DEFEAT OF PULAKESHIN II BY THE PAHLAVAS

The PULLAVAS were the southern neighbour of the CHALUKYAS . As we know that the VISHNUKUNDINS were subjugated by PULAKESHIN II knowing full well that the former were the allies of the PULLAVAS . It brought him in conflict with the PULLAVAS . Several battles were fought between the two without conclusive results .The AIHOLE INSCRIPTION states that the PULLAVA ruler opposed the rise of PULAKESHIN II , who forced the enemy to take shelter behind the walls of the PULLAVA capital KANCHIPURAM . On the other hand , the KASHAKUDI INSCRIPTION of the PULLAVAS states that the PULLAVA Monarch MAHENDRAVARMAN I defeated an unknown enemy at PALLALURA . However , these two accounts appear to refer to the same battle which remained inconclusive .The AIHOLE INSCRIPTION further suggests that PULAKESHIN II won over the CHOLA , the CHERA and the PANDYA kings as his allies in his struggle against the PULLAVAS . He marched towards KANCHIPURAM , but the PULLAVA  INSCRIPTIONS suggest that he suffered reverses in battles fought at PARIYALA , SURAMARA , and MANIMANGALA near KANCHIPURAM . But the PULLAVA king NARASIMHAVARMAN I , ultimately besieged the CHALUKYA capital VATAPI (BADAMI) in 642-43 AD . PULAKESHIN II was probably killed , when a PULLAVA army led by General SHIRUTTONDAR PARANJOTI captured VATAPI . In 641 AD , even during the lifetime of PULAKESHIN II , his brother VISHNU VARDHANA carved out an independent kingdom in the eastern part of CHALUKYA Empire . And thus , the CHALUKYA DYNASTY of VENGI was established .

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TO BE CONTINUED ……………….

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