Cultural contributions: Literature: The Chalukyas of Kalyana followed the great tradition of the Chalukyas of Badami and made rich contributions to the culture of Karnataka, espectially in literature, art and architecture. Kannada and Sanskrit literature developed during this period. The famous Kannada poet Ranna was the court poet of Satyashraya.
He wrote Sahasabhimavijaya (Gadhayuddha) and Ajithanatha purana. He was bestowed upon with the title ‘Kavichakravarlhi’ and was honoured in the court of Tailapa II. Nagavarma-I wrote Karnataka Kadambari and Chandombudi. Chavundaraya – II wrote Lokopakara which deals with Astronomy, Astrology, Sculpture and Medicine. Sreedharacharya wrote Jaatakatilaka which was the first work in Kannada on Astrology.
Kirti varma wrote Govaidya, a work on Veterinary science. King Someshwara-III wrote Manasollasa or Abhilashithartha Chinthamani, which is considered as the first encyclopedia in Sanskrit. The great court poet of Vikramadithya- VI, Bilhana wrote Vikraman ka Devacharitam. Vijnaneshwara another great scholar, wrote Mitakshara Samhita, Nayasena wrote Dharmamrutha, and Durgasimha wrote Panchatantra in Kannada. Shantinatha wrote Sukumara Charithe. Vikramaditya’s Queen Chandralekha was a great exponent of dance and music, and she had the titles Nritya Vtdyadhari and Abhinaya Saraswati.
Art and Architecture: Chalukyas of Kalyana were great patrons of art and architecture. They continued the architectural style of the Chalukyas of Badami.
The Kalyana Chalukyas’ period consists of certain distinctive, features of architecture. They are:
i) The tower of the temple was pyramidical in shape, the Garbhagriha (Sanctum) was enclosed by the inner pradakshinapatha.
(ii) The doorways of the temples were richly carved,
(iii) The decorations of the exterior walls of the temples were an amalgam of both Nagara and Dravidian styles,
(iv) The pillars of the temples added to the artistic beauty of the whole structure.
The earliest examples of the Kalyana Chalukyan style are found at Kukkanur. Kalleshwara and Navalinga temples at Kukkanur resemble the temples of Aihole and Pattadakallu. The Jai n temple at Lakkundi (Gadag) forms the next step in the improvement of their style, introducing a greater ornamental effect in the treatment of the surface.
The Shiva temple at Jalasanghvi (near Humnabad):, has the most wonderful sculpture of dancing Ganapathi on the wall of the temple. The Doddabasappa temple at Gadag has been built in star-shape. Kashivishweshwara temple at Lakkundi, Mallikarjuna temple at Kuruvatti, Someshwara temple at Laxmeshwara, Kalleshwara temple at Hirehadagali, Dambala – Doddabasaveshwara, Hanagal-Tharakeshwara, and Mahadeva temple at Itagi etc are fine examples for the later Chalukyan architecture. The Mahadeva temple at Itagi (near Gadag) built by Mahadeva, the Dandanayaka of Vikramaditya-VI is called as the ‘Emperor of Temples’. Chalukyas contributed immensely to the culture of Karnataka and have left an indelible impression on the style of architecture in India.
