What if the history you know is just the tip of an iceberg, with centuries of stories ignored and forgotten lying beneath? That’s what ‘Lords of the Deccan’ does to anyone reading it.
This one book change the way I looked at history.
History books in school were restricted to the Guptas or Mughals or British colonial period or the post-independence phase. As if the history took grasshopper leaps across centuries!
History books mentioned the dynasties and rulers from the subcontinent in a small 100-150 words paragraphs, more like an afterthought. Everything condensed into less than half a page.
I know this firsthand from studing history at school and later creating content for history books for school curriculum when working as a freelancer. I was comfortably unaware of my ignorance.
During one of the book club meets, discussions veered towards the unexplored past, when a friend described her enchanting trip to Hampi.
And that’s how my search began. I went through many books recommended by friends, Amazon, Goodreads and other helpful sources before I zeroed in on ‘Lords of the Deccan’ by Anirudh Kanisetti.
Why It Makes An Impression
Just as a everyone from below the Vindhya is ‘Madrasi’, similarly the Chalukyas, Pallavas, Rashtrakutas and Cholas are all unfairly clubbed together and taught as the regional powers who made sporadic appearances in the historical timeline of the subcontinent.
That’s far from the truth.
‘Lords of the Deccan’ brings focus on the dynamic and turbulent history of peninsular India, exploring the political and cultural landscape of medieval southern India between 6 to 12th centuries CE.
The narrative’s easy flow breathes life into the lives of the rulers, warriors and people of the subcontinent. He successfully destroys the stereotypes of southern India confined to temples and art by revealing it’s lesser known role in shaping the global history through trade, conquest and diplomacy.
The 3 Parts of the Book
The first part of the book is about the rise of the Chalukyas from pastoralists to the masters of medieval Indian geopolitics.
The upstart Chalukyas waged war with every stronger and wealthier neighbour to conquer them and break into their Indian Ocean trade network.
The book brings to attention how a Chalukya king, Pulakesin II, halted Harsha’s northern expansion in a decisive battle on the banks of Narmada river. It was a defining moment as it marked Deccan’s independence from northern hegemony.
They shrewdly used the changing tides and religious beliefs by promoting Bhakti devotion to Shiva and patronised the use of Sanskrit in South India.
Their influence spread across the deccan plateau and most of western coast. The power and strength of their armies can be seen when a vassal of the Chalukyas defeated the seemingly invincible army of the Umayyad Caliphate which until then had conquered every kingdom in its path to reach India.
The second part of the book focuses on the Vallabha, or Rashtrakutas, who rapidly occupied the position vacated by the Chalukyas. This was a period when trade was at its peak with the Abbasid caliphate on the West and the Tang dynasty to the east.
You’ll not believe it but it’s true – at the peak of their power, Rashtrakutas ruled territories stretching from Karnataka to Central Asia? Mind-blowing, isn’t it? The vast network of trade and diplomacy thrived across continents.
Stunning archaeological discoveries dating back to 6th – 11th centuries, like the bronze Buddha from Kashmir or a bronze ladle from North Africa, have been found on the Swedish island of Helgo near Stockholm.
While trade was flourishing, their armies were invading the lands in the Gangetic plains. Art and literature saw a period of great growth and found generous patronage under them. Kannada language gained dominance and provided a serious challenge to Sanskrit.
They also patronised a unique form of Jainism, that was an equal to Hinduism earlier.
The third part shows the collapse of the Rashtrakutas, which coincided with the rise of the Cholas, the most famous of all South Indian dynasties.
They were ruthless and focused in their quest for power and dominance. Not just the Deccan kingdoms and the East Coast, the Cholas attacked Indonesia by crossing the Bay of Bengal in an armada of unheard of size. A remarkable feat in that time.
Their naval expeditions laid the foundation for cultural ties that persist to this day. The temple architecture and Hindu influence are proof of that. The sea-borne raid and subsequent victory over the Srivijayan Confederation, is still talked about in hushed reverence.
This period also saw the reemergence of the Chalukyas. The Chalukya Vallabhas and Cholas were equally matched in the size and strength of their armies, bejewelled temples and courts and capitals, and their burning passion to destroy each other.
The later generations tried to bring about a reconciliation from this self-destructing hatred but it was too late.
Changes were unfolding rapidly in the northern plains along with the rise of the Vijayanagara and the Deccan Sultanates.
Wrapping Up
The book is full of pictures of the many beautiful temples and elaborate sculptures of unparalleled talent and creativity. These monuments, some of which have survived the assaults of time, are astounding proofs of architectural and scientific brilliance.
The book has made it easier to follow the many families, marriages, and growth of the dynasties by including several genealogical maps. That explains better the interconnections and also the subsidiary off-shoots of the dynasties.
Overall, a must read to fill in the gaps in our understanding of the history. And more importantly to understand that each of the dynasties, be it the Guptas or the Chalukyas or anyone else, did not exist in isolation. There were overlaps of time and continuum. They influenced and learnt from the others and kept the momentum of progress moving.
In short, history cannot be seen as episodes or time periods. What fascinated me most was the manner in which the contributions of the southern dynasties got ignored so effortlessly and completely by the historians, depriving the children of some noteworthy history lessons. Their mastery at diplomacy and trade, and even war, is something vital lost in the over simplified and constricted history textbooks.
Time to relook the history with a fresh perspective and open mind.
