________________
in THE CHALUKYAN KINGS.
The Chalukyas were a ruling line of powerful Ksatriyas, who ruled throughout the Bombay presidency, Deccan and Mysore state during the 5th to 12th centuries A. D. Their ancestors belonged to the regal house of Chandrawansi Ksatriyas of Ayodhya, the central seat of Jainism from hoary antiquity. The Chalukyas · were without doubt, great supporters of Jainism.? . · "Amongst the earlier Chalukyas of Badami ( Bijapur District ), Satyashraya Pulakesin I was a paramoun tmonarch. He came to the Chalukyan thione in 609 A. D. and by his skill, statesmanship and valour, became the greatest monarch of the time. He had great leanings towards Jainism and patronised the Jain poet Ravikirti. Ravikirti ‘indeed was a celebrated poet at the royal court, "who composed royal charters. He constructed a beautiful Jain temple at Aihole and the King Pulakesin gave a grant for it.
Amongst the Eastern Chalukyas who followed we come across more than one king, who was either the follower or the patron of Jainism. They were powerful kings and protected well their kingdoms. King Vishnuvardhan III's queen Ayyana Mahadevi was 1. Smith, Early History of India, p. 444. 2. Sitalaprasada, loc. cited, pp. 100-101. .
