The Battle of Vatapi was a decisive engagement which took place between the

Pallavas The Pallava dynasty existed from 275 CE to 897 CE, ruling a significant portion of South India, the Deccan, also known as Tondaimandalam. The dynasty rose to prominence after the downfall of the Satavahanas, Satavahana dynasty, with whom they ...

and

Chalukyas The Chalukya dynasty () was a Classical Indian dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th centuries. During this period, they ruled as three related yet individual dynasties. The earliest dynas ...

near the Chalukya capital of

Vatapi Badami, formerly known as Vatapi, is a town and headquarters of a taluk by the same name, in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka, India. It was the regal capital of the Badami Chalukyas from CE 540 to 757. It is famous for its rock cut monuments ...

(present day

Badami Badami, formerly known as Vatapi, is a town and headquarters of a taluk by the same name, in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka, India. It was the regal capital of the Badami Chalukyas from CE 540 to 757. It is famous for its rock cut monumen ...

) in 642. The battle resulted in the defeat of the Chalukya king Pulakeshin II in 642 CE and the commencement of Pallava occupation of Vatapi lasted until 654.

Causes

In about 630, Pulakeshin II invaded the Pallava kingdom defeating the king

Mahendravarman I Mahendravarman I (600–630 CE) was a Pallava emperor who ruled the Southern portion of present-day Andhra region and Northern regions of what forms present-day Tamil Nadu in India in the early 7th century. He was a scholar, painter, architect ...

and proceeded as far south as the

Cauvery River The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery, the anglicized name) is one of the major Indian rivers flowing through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The Kaveri river rises at Talakaveri in the Brahmagiri range in the Western Ghats, Kodagu dist ...

on the northern frontier of the Chola country.

Dikshit Dikshit (ISO: , ; also spelled as Dixit or Dikshitar) is traditionally a Hindu family name. Origin The word is an adjectival form of the Sanskrit word ''diksha'', meaning provider of knowledge. ''Dikshita'' in Sanskrit derives itself as a person ...

, p 94 The Pallavas long wished to avenge the humiliation suffered at the hands of Pulakeshin II and over the next few years, strengthened their forces in preparation for a counter-attack. In 630, Mahendravarman I was succeeded by his son

Narasimhavarman I Narasimhavarman I was a emperor of the Pallava dynasty who ruled South India from 630 CE – 668 CE. He shared his father Mahendravarman I's love of art and completed the work started by Mahendravarman in Mamallapuram. During his reign famo ...

under whom the Pallava kingdom emerged as a powerful state. This prompted Pulakeshin II to lead a second expedition into the Pallava country.

, p 96 According to

K. A. Nilakanta Sastri Kallidaikurichi Aiyah Nilakanta Sastri (12 August 1892 – 15 June 1975) was an Indian historian who wrote on South Indian history. Many of his books form the standard reference works on the subject. Sastri was acclaimed for his scholarship and ...

, Pulakeshin II first defeated the Banas, who were feudatories of the Pallavas, before advancing into the Pallava country. Narasimhavarman I met the Chalukyas and defeated them in three separate encounters in Pariyala, Suramana and Manimangala, all close to the Pallava capital Kanchi, forcing them to retreat.

Heras Heras may refer to: * Heras (company), a temporary fencing company * ''Heras'' (moth), a genus of moths * Heras (surname), a surname * Heras (physician) (Ήρας), a Greek physician from Cappadocia, probably in the 1st century BC. See also * Hera ...

, p 35 The Pallavas, then, took the offensive and pursued the fleeing Chalukya forces deep into their territory.

, p 98-99

Events

In 642, a formidable Pallava force under

Paranjothi Paranjothi ( ta, பரஞ்சோதி), popularly known as Sirruthondar was an army general of the great Pallava king Narasimavarman I who ruled South India from 630–668 CE. He also led the Pallava army during the invasion of Vatapi in 6 ...

was sent by

to capture Vatapi, the capital of the Chalukyas.

, p 38 Pulakeshin II met the Pallavas on the outskirts of his capital and is presumed to have lost his life in the ensuing battle. The Pallavas achieved a decisive victory over Pulakeshin II. The victorious Pallavas then took the capital and ruled it for 12 years (642-654). The Kuram plates of

Paramesvaravarman I Parameswaravarman I was a Pallava emperor who ruled in South India in the latter half of the 7th century, 670-695 AD. He ascended to the throne after the death of his father Mahendravarman II in 670 CE. His grandfather Narasimhavarman I had al ...

describe the battle thus The Udayachandramangalam plates state According to the Velurpalaiyam plates

Aftermath

Narasimhavarman I constructed a Mallikarjuna Temple at Vatapi to commemorate his victory. He also adopted the title "Vatapi-kondan" or "taker of Vatapi".

, p 39 He carved an inscription recording his victory on the walls of the Teggina-Irappa temple in Vatapi.

, p 38 Paranjothi brought numerous items of war booty to the Pallava kingdom from Vatapai, including a famous icon of the god

Ganesha Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu d ...

(Ganapati) - known as Vatapi Ganapati, which he enshrined in his home-town.

In Popular Culture

The Battle of Vatapi is the final climactic battle in the

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...

novel ''

Sivagamiyin Sapatham ''Sivagamiyin Sapatham'' ( ta, சிவகாமியின் சபதம், ', , literally 'The vow of Sivagami') is a Tamil historical novel written by Kalki, first serialized in kalki during January 1944 June 1946, and published as a ...

'' by

Kalki Krishnamurthy , birth_name = Ramasamy Aiyer Krishnamurthy , birth_date = , birth_place = Puthamangalam, near Manalmedu , death_date = , death_place = Chennai, India , occupation = journalist, critic and writer , nationality = Indian , education = ...

, where the Chalukyan King Pulakeshin II is defeated and killed by the Pallava Army general Pranjothi as a revenge for the defeat of

in the

Battle of Pullalur The Battle of Pullalur was a battle fought between the Chalukya king Pulakesin II and the Pallava king Mahendravarman I in the town of Pullalur or Pollilur in about 618–19. Causes The rapid expansion of the Chalukya Empire had resulted ...

and also to avenge Sivagami's vow.

References

Bibliography

* * {{coord missing, Karnataka

7th century in India 642 History of Karnataka Pallava dynasty Chalukya dynasty