Kingdoms of the Deccan or Dakshinapatha regions ( Southern India )

The Deccan or the Dakshinapatha regions are the part of Southern India.

The Deccan part witnesses the rise of the Chalukyas and the Rashtrakutas during the medieval period.

This period also witnessed the expansion of the Delhi sultanate like the Khiljis and the Tughluqs into South India.

The Vindhya and the Satpura mountains, the Narmada and Tapti rivers, and the dense forests separate the Deccan from Northern India.

The Chalukyas

This period can be broadly classified into three and they are :

1. The early western Chalukyas
2. The later western Chalukyas
3. The Eastern Chalukyas

1. The early western Chalukyas (of Kalyani)
   • They rose into power in 6^th century AD in Karnataka.
   • Vatapi (modern Badami) was their capital.
   • Rulers:
     1. Pulakeshin II
        • He was the real founder and the greatest ruler of this dynasty.
        • During his reign, the Chalukya kingdom expanded to cover most of the Deccan region in peninsular India.
        • He defeated Malavas and the Gurjaras.
        • In 637 AD, he defeated Harsha’s attack in the north.
        • He was defeated and killed during an invasion by the Pallava king Narasimhavarman I.
        • He was a Vaishnavite but was tolerant of other faiths, including Buddhism and Jainism.
     2. Vikramaditya I
     3. Vijayaditya
     4. Vikramaditya II
     5. Kirtivarman II (he was the last Chalukya king of Badami)
2. The later western Chalukyas
   • The founder of this dynasty brought the Rashtrakuta rule to an end.
   • The important rulers of this dynasty were:
     1. Someshwara II
     2. Vikramaditya VI
     3. Someshwara IV ( he was the last ruler)
3. The Eastern Chalukyas
   • Vishnu Vardhana, brother of Pulakeshin II was the founder of the Eastern Chalukya Empire of Vengi.
   • Kulottunga Chola was one of their descendants.
   • Contribution of the Chalukyas
     • They followed Hinduism.
     • Telegu literature developed during this period.
     • Ravikirti, the court poet of Pulakeshin II composed the Aihole inscription.
     • Virupaksha temple at Pattadakal.

The Hoysalas of Dwarasamudra (11^th– 14^th century AD)

• Hoysala Empire was a Kannadiga power originating from the Indian subcontinent, which ruled most of what is now Karnataka, India.
• The capital of Hoysalas was initially located at Belur but was moved to Halebidu.
• The Empire is remembered today primarily for Hoysala architecture.
• The Hoysala rulers also patronized the fine arts, encouraging literature to flourish in Kannada and Sanskrit.
• Rulers:
  1. Nripa Kama II (1026- 1047)
     • He was an early king of the Hoysala Empire from the Malnad region of Karnataka.
  2. Vinayaditya (1047-1098 CE)
     • He was a Jain king of the Hoysala Empire who distinguished himself as an able feudatory of the Kalyani Chalukyas during his long reign.
     • After the complete disappearance of the Gangas during Chola occupation of Gangavadi, Vinayaditya bought some small portions of Gangavadi under his control.
     • He helped bring many small Malnad chiefs like the Kongalvas, Chengalvas, Santharas of Humcha Shimoga, and the Kadambas of Bayalnadu under control.
  3. Ereyanga (1098-1102 CE)
     • He was the son of Vinayaditya.
     • He was a Jain by faith.
     • He distinguished himself as a Chalukya feudatory during their campaigns against Dhara of Malwa.
  4. Veera Ballala I(1102-1108 CE)
     • His rule was short and uneventful other than subduing the Chengalvas and the Santharas.
  5. Vishnuvardhana ( 1108- 1152 CE)
     • Vishnuvardhana ascended the throne after the death of his elder brother Veera Ballala I.
     • Vishnuvardhana took the first steps in creating an independent Hoysala Empire in South India through a series of battles.
     • Hoysala literature in the Kannada language began to proliferate under the patronage of Vishnuvardhana.
  6. Narasimha I ( 1152-1173 CE)
     • His victory over his overload Western Chalukya Empire king Tailapa III paved the way for the declaration of independence by his successor.
  7. Veera Ballala II (1172-1220 CE)
     • He was the most notable monarch of the Hoysala Empire.
     • His successes against the Yadavas of Devagiri, the Southern Kalachuris, the Pandyas of Madurai, and the Western Chalukya Empire took the Hoysalas to the peak of their power.
     • His court was adorned with some of the most notable of medieval Kannada language poets including the Jain poets Janna and Nemichandra, and the Brahman poet Rudrabhatta.
  8. Vira Narasimha II (1220-1235 CE)
     • During his reign the Hoysalas gained much influence in the affairs of the Tamil country.
     • He defeated the Kodavas and the Pandyas and levied a tribute.
  9. Vira Someshwara (1235-1263 CE)
     • The preoccupation of Vira Narasimha II in the affairs of Tamil country resulted in the neglect of northern territories and he had to face Seuna incursions south of the Tungabhadra River.
  10. Narsimha III (1263-1292 CE)
      • During his rule, an internal feud between the king and his brother Ramanatha’s ruling from Kannanur came to the forefront.
  11. Vira Ballala III(1292-1343 CE)
      • Ballala III was the last great ruler of this dynasty.
      • In 1310A.D. he was defeated by Malik Kafur.
  12. Ballala IV
      • His son Ballala IV continued his struggle with the Muslims. 
      • With his death the Hoysala Kingdom came to end.

The Kakatiyas of Warangal

• It was a South Indian dynasty whose capital was Orugalla, now known as Warangal.
• It was eventually conquered by the Delhi sultanate.
• Rulers
  1. Prola II
     • He captured the territory between the Krishna and the Godavari from the Chalukyas and ruled over it with Hanumakonda as its capital
  2. Prataparuda I
     • He was the son of Prola II.
     • It was during Prataparuda’s reign, in 1163, that the Kakatiyas declared an end to their status as feudatory chiefs of the Chalukyas.
  3. Ganapati
     • He significantly expanded Kakatiya lands during the 1230s when he launched a series of the attack outside the dynasty’s traditional Telangana region.
  4. Rudrama Devi
     • She is one of the few queens in Indian history.
     • She continued the planned fortification of the capital, raising the height of Ganapati’s wall.
     • She abdicated the throne in favor of her grandson Prataparuda II
  5. Prataparuda II
     • Malik Kafur invaded Warangal in 1309 AD, during his rule.
     • He paid Malik Kafur an immense treasure in return.

• Kohinoor (the famous diamond belonged to Kakatiyas) 
  Kohinoor unearthed in Kollur on the banks of the Krishna River    

• Decline: 
  Ulugh Khan, the son of Ghiasud-din Tughluq captured Warangal in 1323 AD and sent Prataparuda II to Delhi.

The Yadavas of Devagiri

• Its territory included present-day Maharashtra, north Karnataka and parts of Madhya Pradesh.
• The Yadavas initially ruled as feudatories of the Western Chalukyas.
• The Yadava kingdom reached its peak under Simhana II and flourished until the early 14^th century when it was annexed by the Delhi Sultanate.
• Rulers:
  1. Bhillama V (1175-1190 A.D.)
     • The Yadava ruler took advantage of the declining power of the Later Western Chalukyas of Kalyani and rose to power.
     • He defeated Someshwara-IV and declared his independence.
     • He came into conflict with Vira Ballala-II (1173-1220 A.D.), a Hoysala ruler.
  2. Jaitrapala (1191-1210 A.D.)
     • He was the son of Bhillama V.
     • He defeated Kalachuris, Gurjaras, and Kakatiyas.
  3. Singhana (1210-1247A.D.)
     • He was the son of Jaitrapala.
     • He was the most distinguished ruler of this dynasty.
     • He defeated Mahadeva, a Kakatiya ruler.
     • He also defeated Vira Ballala-II, the Hoysala ruler, and expanded his dominion beyond the River Krishna.
     • He invaded Gujarat many times and captured Kolhapur which belonged to the Silhara dynasty.
  4. Krishna (1247-1260 A. D)
     • Krishna was the grandson of Singhana and succeeded him.
  5. Mahadeva (1260-1271 A.D)
     • He was brother Krishna.
     • He captured North Konkan and ended the Silhara dynasty.
  6. Ramachandra Deva (1271-1 309 A.D.)
     • He was the last great ruler of this dynasty.
     • Alauddin Khilji defeated him and made him as a vassal of the Delhi Sultanate.
  7. Sankara Deva (1309 – 1312 A.D.)
     • He was the son and successor of Ramachandra Deva
     • Malik Kafur defeated and killed him in 1312 A.D.
     • Harapala, brother-in-law of Sankara Deva raised the flag against the Khiljis.
     • Mubarak, son of Ala-ud-din Khilji defeated and killed Harapala. Thus the Yadava dynasty came to an end.
• Contribution of the Yadavas : 
  1. Devagiri fort
  • Built during the reign of the Yadavas.
  • It was one of the strongest forts in India
  • The Jama Masjid and Chand Minar were added by the Delhi Sultans later.

End of the Deccan Kingdoms 
The attacks on the Deccan Kingdoms by the Sultans of Delhi ever since the rule of Alauddin Khilji led to their decline.