Kirtivarman II also known as Rahappa (reigned 746 – 753 CE) was the last ruler in the Badami

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

. He succeeded his father Vikramaditya II. His reign was continuously troubled by the growing power of the

Rashtrakutas The Rashtrakuta Empire was a royal Indian polity ruling large parts of the Indian subcontinent between the 6th and 10th centuries. The earliest known Rashtrakuta Indian inscriptions, inscription is a 7th-century copper plate grant detailing th ...

and Pandyas and finally succumbed to them.

Conflict with the Pandyas

Kirtivarman and his Ganga feudatory Sripurusha came into conflict with the

Pandya The Pandya dynasty (), also referred to as the Pandyas of Madurai, was an ancient Tamil dynasty of South India, and among the four great kingdoms of Tamilakam, the other three being the Pallavas, the Cholas and the Cheras. Existing sinc ...

ruler Maravarman Rajasimha I who was extending the Pandya empire on to the Kongu country which was adjacent to the Ganga kingdom. Rajasimha crossed the

Kaveri The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery) is a Rivers of India, major river flowing across Southern India. It is the third largest river in the region after Godavari River, Godavari and Krishna River, Krishna. The catchment area of the Kaveri basin i ...

and engaged Kirtivarman and Sripurusha in a big battle at Venbai on the banks of the river Kaveri. The Chalukya king was defeated.

Diminishing power

Kirtivarman was steadily undermined by the activities of Rashtrakuta Dantidurga who was establishing the Rashtrakuta Empire. Dantidurga was a feudatory of the Chalukyas and was beginning to establish an independent kingdom around Ellora. Kirtivarman II was plagued by intense outside pressure: by the Pandays under Rajasimha in the south, and Rashtrakutas under Dantidurga in the north. Dantidurga managed to wrest control of the northern provinces of the Chalukyan kingdom, he also completely surrounded the Chalukya in the east and the south by conquering the Telugu provinces, Kalinga and Kosala kingdoms. Dantidurga also went into an alliance with the

Pallava The Pallava dynasty existed from 275 CE to 897 CE, ruling a significant portion of South India, the Deccan, also known as Tondaimandalam. The Pallavas played a crucial role in shaping in particular southern Indian history and heritage. The ...

Nandivarman II Nandivarman II (718 CE – 796 CE) was a Pallava monarch who reigned in southern India. Sen states Nandivarman reigned from 731 CE to 796 CE and built the Vaikuntha-Perumal Temple. He was born in the country of Champa (present-day Vietnam), ...

. Thus isolated, Kirtivarman could not turn to any direction for help. In 750 CE, the Chalukyas conceded their southern provinces to Rajasimha in a huge defeat at Veṇbai. The final assault on Kirtivarman came in 752 and completely overwhelmed the Chalukyan kingdom. Kirtivarman II was the last king of the Badami dynasty.

Vijayaditya II

Vijayaditya II (born CE), son of Kirtivarman II, was crown prince of the Badami Chalukya dynasty until its destruction in 753 by the

. The young prince narrowly escaped a grim fate at Vātāpi (Badami) by fleeing south. At a young age, Vijayaditya II married a princess from the neighboring Ganga kingdom, a subordinate kingdom to the southwest. When Dantidurga's army reached Vātāpi in 753, Vijayaditya II and his wife escaped the bloodshed by fleeing to Ganga territory, where he lived for many years by the grace of the Ganga king Sripurusha. He departed on a journey north in 774 CE, after which his whereabouts are unknown. Vijayaditya II's descendant,

Tailapa II Tailapa II (r. c. 973-997) also known as Taila II and by his title ''Ahavamalla'', was the founder of the Western Chalukyas, Western Chalukya Empire in peninsular India. Tailapa claimed descent from the earlier imperial Chalukyas of Vatapi (Bad ...

, would go on some 220 years later to found the

Western Chalukya Empire The Western Chalukya Empire ( ) ruled most of the Deccan Plateau, western Deccan, South India, between the 10th and 12th centuries. This Kannada dynasty is sometimes called the ''Kalyani Chalukya'' after its regal capital at Kalyani, today's ...

, reviving the lost dynasty in 973.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirtivarman 02 750s deaths Early Chalukyas 8th-century Indian monarchs Chalukya kings