Chakravyuha
(“circular phalanx”) A circular military
formation described in the Mahabharata,
one of the two great Hindu epics (along
with the Ramayana). The Chakravyuha
was widely believed to be unconquer-
able because each person in the forma-
tion was protected by those behind
him. During a battle in the Mahabharata
war, Abhimanyubecomes trapped in
the chakravyuha by his enemy. Because
his father, Arjuna, is the only person
who knows how to get out, Abhimanyu
is killed.
Chalukya Dynasty
(7th–8th c. C.E.) Central Indian dynasty
whose capital was at Badami, in
the Deccan plateau in modern
Karnataka. The greatest Chalukya ruler
was Pulakeshin II, who defeated the
northern Indian emperor Harsha, stop-
ping his southern advance. He also
killed the Pallava dynasty ruler
Mahendravarman, setting off a series of
wars between the Chalukyas and the
Pallavas in which each dynasty was able
to defeat the other in battle, but neither
was strong enough to retain control of
the other’s empire. Aside from the
Chalukya dynasty based at Badami,
there were two other smaller dynasties
by the same name, both of which flour-
ished between the tenth and thirteenth
centuries. One of these later dynasties
was in the Gujaratregion, and the other
was in the Karnataka region.Chamar
In traditional northern Indian society,
the chamars were a jati(“birth”) whose
hereditary occupation was tanning
leather and making shoes. The jatis
were subgroups of traditional Indian
society whose social status was deter-
mined by their hereditary occupation.
The chamars were traditionally consid-
ered among the lowest of the untouch-
ables since their work brought them in
continual contact with dead animals
and their skins, which are considered
extremely impure. The most famous
chamar is the poet-saint Ravidas, whose
poetry focuses on the difference
between worldly status and devotion.Champaran
Region in the northern part of the state
of Bihar, between the Gandaki RiverChakravyuha
A shoemaker in Agra. Shoemaking and leather tanning are traditional occupations of the Chamar social group.