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The famous rock-cut cave temples at Badami were mainly excavated under the Chalukya ruler:
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Answer: Option A — Mangalesha
Detailed Solution
The famous Badami cave temples were mainly excavated during the reign of the Chalukya ruler Mangalesha (Mangalesa), in the late 6th century CE.
About Mangalesha:
- He ruled from about 597 to 610 CE (some sources say 592-610).
- He was the younger son of Pulakeshin I, and the brother of Kirtivarman I.
- He became king after Kirtivarman I, possibly as regent for his young nephew (Pulakeshin II).
- He wanted to make his own son the king, which led to a civil war; he was defeated and killed by Pulakeshin II in about 610 CE.
- He conquered the Kalachuris and other kingdoms.
About the Badami cave temples:
- There are four main rock-cut caves, cut into the soft red sandstone cliff at Badami, overlooking the Agastya lake.
- Cave 1: dedicated to Shiva; famous for an 18-armed dancing Shiva (Nataraja).
- Cave 2: dedicated to Vishnu; has images of Trivikrama and Varaha.
Cave 3: dedicated to Vishnu; the largest and finest cave; it has an inscription dated 578 CE (Shaka 500), which records that it was excavated by Mangalesha; it has large images of Vishnu seated on the serpent Shesha, Narasimha, Trivikrama and Varaha, and traces of paintings.
Cave 4: a Jain cave, with images of the Tirthankaras, including Parshvanatha and Bahubali.
The caves show the early stage of the Chalukya style of art.
Other Chalukya monuments:
- Aihole: has early temples, such as the Lad Khan temple and the Durga temple.
- Pattadakal: a UNESCO World Heritage Site (1987), with temples in both the northern and southern styles.
- Badami: also has the Bhutanatha temples and the Malegitti Shivalaya.
About the Chalukyas of Badami:
- They ruled the Deccan from the mid-6th to the mid-8th century.
- Their greatest ruler was Pulakeshin II.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Pulakeshin II was a later ruler.
- ✗Vikramaditya I and Kirtivarman II were later rulers.
Quick tip
Remember: Badami caves = mainly under Mangalesha (Cave 3 inscription, 578 CE; Cave 1 = 18-armed Nataraja; Cave 4 = Jain); Mangalesha was killed by Pulakeshin II (about 610).
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Early Medieval India & South Indian Kingdoms — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Early Medieval India & South Indian Kingdoms, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers India from about the 7th to the 12th century: the Rajput dynasties, the tripartite struggle between the Palas, Pratiharas and Rashtrakutas, and the South Indian kingdoms of the Chalukyas, Pallavas, Cholas and Pandyas, along with the Sangam age and the temple architecture of the period. Questions often ask which dynasty built a temple (the Pallavas built the Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram, and Rajaraja Chola I built the Brihadeeswara Temple at Thanjavur), the capitals of dynasties, and the local self-government of the Cholas. Learning each dynasty with its capital, greatest ruler and one monument is the quickest way to answer these questions. Practise the early medieval India questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.