A History of India, Third Edition

THE REGIONAL KINGDOMS OF EARLY MEDIEVAL INDIA

the Shailendra king of Shrivijaya, arranged for the construction of a
monastery for monks from his realm at Nalanda around 860, and
Dharmapala granted five villages to this monastery in the thirty-ninth year
of his reign. With the spread of Mahayana Buddhism in Tibet and
Southeast Asia the style of Palal art also made an impact on those
countries. The painting of Thangkas in Tibet and the sculptures of
Southeast Asia provide evidence for this impact of the Pala style.

The Chalukya dynasty of Badami

The Chalukyas had originally been tributary princes under the Kadamba
dynasty which ruled the Kanara coast from about the fourth century. In the
sixth century, the first Chalukya king Pulakeshin I established his capital at
Vatapi (Badami) and celebrated the great horse sacrifice so as to declare his
independence from the Kadambas.
The Chalukyas emerged as great patrons of art and architecture.
Whereas earlier scholars have often regarded them as mere brokers or
mediators who copied northern styles in the South, more recent detailed
studies have shown that Chalukya art was very creative in its own right.
Perhaps one may even say that the Chalukya sculptors were among the
greatest creators of Hindu iconography. Many figures of Hindu mythology
were portrayed by them for the first time in beautiful stone sculptures
along the lines of the Late Gupta style. Three beautiful cave temples were
cut out of the rock near the fortress of Badami and decorated with a
wealth of sculptures. The dancing Shiva (Nataraja) and Vishnu-
Trivikrama, who recovers the universe from the demons in his dwarf-
incarnation, were figures which directly influenced Pallava art as shown by
the sculptures of the ‘Rathas’ (chariots) at Mahabalipuram which were cut
out of solid rock at the behest of the Pallavas soon after they had captured
Badami in 642. But the Pallavas soon had an opportunity to pay back this
artistic ‘debt’. When the Chalukya king, Vikramaditya II, captured the
Pallava capital, Kanchipuram, in 740 he took some Pallava artists back
with him who constructed two famous temples in 746 to 747. These
temples in turn influenced the art of the Rashtrakutas who displaced the
Chalukyas. The Rashtrakuta king, Krishna I (c. 756 to 773), got the
enormous Kailasa Temple of Ellora cut out of rock and it showed definite
traces of the Pallava style. This is a good example of the mutual impact
which the regional styles of medieval India made on each other.

The Pallava dynasty of Kanchipuram

The Pallavas were the first South Indian dynasty which succeeded in
extending political control beyond the initial nuclear area—
Tondaimandalam—which served as the base of their power. Their