kingdom · South Asia

Kalachuris of Kalyani

1156 CE – 1184 CE · capital Kalyani

A short-lived dynasty that seized the Western Chalukya capital of Kalyani, remembered for the rise of the Lingayat movement under Basava.

Origins

The Kalachuris were feudatories of the Chalukyas of Kalyani holding territory in the northern Deccan. As Chalukya power weakened, their chief Bijjala II, a commander and minister of the Chalukya king Taila III, took control of the capital Kalyani around 1156 and by 1162 proclaimed himself emperor.

Rule and society

The dynasty ruled much of the former Chalukya realm in northern Karnataka. Its reign coincided with the career of Basava, a minister at Bijjala's court, who led the Virashaiva or Lingayat reform movement, rejecting caste hierarchy and temple ritual and promoting vachana poetry in Kannada. Tensions between the movement and orthodox society led to unrest in Kalyani.

Decline and legacy

Bijjala was killed around 1167, and his sons ruled weakly amid revolts. In 1184 the Chalukya prince Someshvara IV recovered Kalyani, ending Kalachuri rule. The region soon passed to the Hoysalas and the Seuna Yadava dynasty, while the Lingayat tradition endured.

Lineage

Western Chalukya Empire 973 CE – 1189 CEKalachuris of Kalyani

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kalachuris of Kalyani. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kalachuris-of-kalyani
MLA
“Kalachuris of Kalyani.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kalachuris-of-kalyani. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Kalachuris of Kalyani.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kalachuris-of-kalyani.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kalachuris of Kalyani’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kalachuris-of-kalyani (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻