8th Standard (Karnataka State) Social Science
Chapter – 20
THE RASHTRAKUTAS OF MANYAKHETA AND THE CHALUKYAS OF KALYANA
I. Fill in the blanks with suitable words :
1. The founder of the Rashtrakuta dynasty was Dantidurga
2. The Chalukya king of Kalyana who was responsible for the defeat of the Rashtrakutas was Tailapa II
3. The author of ‘Kavirahasya’ is Halayudha.
4. The famous poem written by Ponna is Shantipurana.
5. The most famous king among the Kalyana Chalukyas was Vikramaditya VI.
6. The person who can be called as ‘the pioneer of the social revolution’ is Basaveshwara.
II. Answer the following questions in brief :
7. How was the administrative system of the Rashtrakutas?
The kingship among the Rashtrakutas was hereditary. There used to be a Council of Ministers to assist the King. There would be a prominent person in the Council of Ministers appointed as the Mahasandhivigrahi to look after the foreign affairs. For the purpose of administrative convenience, the kingdom was divided into Rashtra (Mandala), Vishaya, Nadu and Grama.
The leader of the grama was called gramapati or prabhugavunda. He was the leader of the village army too. He was assisted by the village accountant. There were grama sabhas also. There used to be an official called nadagavunda in the nadus. Similar officials would be there in the vishayas and rashtras. The vishayapati and the rashtrapati were the officers for the vishaya or the district and the rashtra respectively
8. Write about the educational system under the Rashtrakutas.
Mathas and Agraharas were the prominent educational centres in those days. Knowledge was imparted about Sanskrit, the Vedas, astrology, logic and the Puranas. Salotgi in Indi taluk of Vijayapura district was one of the leading centres of learning.
9. Write a short note on the Kailasanatha temple of Ellora?
The Rashtrakuta kings were patrons of art. Their great contribution to Indian art can be seen in the Ellora and Elephanta cave temples. The Kailashnath temple at Ellora built by Krishna I is a monolithic wonder. This temple has been carved from a rock 100 feet high, 276 feet long and 154 feet wide.
10. How did the Kalyan Chalukyas encourage literature?
Literature received encouragement during the period of the Chalukyas. Kannada literature prospered with the support of Jain scholars. The notable works of this period are ‘Gadayuddha’ (Sahasa Bheema Vijaya) written by Ranna, ‘Panchatantra’ written by Durgasimha, ‘Vikramankadeva Charita’ composed by Bilhana, ‘Dharmamruta’ composed by Nayasena and the legal work, ‘Mitakshara’, authored by Vignaneshwara. ‘Manasollasa’ written by King Someshwara III is considered as the sanskrit encyclopaedia. The unique contribution of the Chalukyan period has been the Vachana literature. Basavanna Akkamahadevi, Allamaprabhu, Machayya and others were leading vachanakaras.
IV. Projects :
1. Divide students into four groups and ask them to discuss and prepare a report about the kailash nath temple of ellora. – To Student
2. Collect pictures of Manyakheta. – To Student
3. Write an essay on the life of Basavanna.
The kingdom began to decline during the period of kings who came after Vikramaditya VI and Someshwara III. It became very weak during the period of Someshwara IV and Kalachuri Bijjala occupied Kalyana. and began to rule it. It was at this time that the social revolutionary Sri Jagajyoti Basaveshwara came to the limelight. Because of this the values of Basaveshwara and his contemporary Sharanas who are called Basavadi Shivasharanas in local terms reached the common people. Basaveshwara preached in three forms like soft advice, harsh criticism, strict warning.
He taught that surrendering oneself to Shiva with total devotion the only path to salvation. He declared that “Body is the abode of Lord Shiva” (Kayakave Kailasa). He established Anubhava Mantapa in 1162 C.E. He wrote his vachanas in coloquial Kannada. Respecting his invaluable contributions to socio-cultural inclusiveness, the Government of Karnataka, while unveiling the portrait of Vishwaguru Basavanna on 13-02-2024, declared him as the ‘Cultural Leader of Karnataka’.
Some more questions
- Who are famous Rashtrakuta rulers?
Dantidurga, Krishna, Govinda II, Dhruva, Govinda III, Amoghavarsha, Krishna II, Indra III and Krishna III are famous Rashtrakuta rulers.
2. Write about Amoghavarsha, the great king of Rashtrakutas.
The early reign of Amoghavarsha had to face many obstacles. But he was not interested in feuds and desired peace. Hence he got rid of the enmity by developing matrimonial relations with the Gangas and the Pallavas. Since he was a peace-loving king, he had to give up some territories in the north. The ports of the west coast were busy trading centres and enjoyed great prosperity by developing trade relations with Persia and Arabian. Many travellers and merchants visited the kingdom during this period. Prominent among them was the Arab travaller Sulaiman. He has praised Amoghavarsha as ‘One of the four powerful emperors of the World.’
3. Vikramaditya-VI, is the greatest king of this Chalukyas dynasty. How?
Vikramaditya-VI, the son of Someshwara-I, is the greatest king of this dynasty. He was an extremely courageous warrior and excellent administrator. He began the ‘Chalukya Vikrama era’ in 1076 C.E. He suppressed the revolt of the Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana. He had established contact with the Srilankan King Vijayabahu
