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.