Kirttivarman I (IAST: Kīrtti-varman; r. c. 566-592) was a ruler of the Chalukya dynasty of Vatapi (present-day Badami) in India. He ruled parts of present-day Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.
Kirttivarman was the son of his predecessor Pulakeshin I, the first sovereign ruler of the dynasty. He expanded the Chalukya kingdom by defeating the Nalas, the Mauryas of Konkana, the Kadambas, the Alupas, and the Gangas of Talakad.
Names and titles
Some of the dynasty's inscriptions call him Kirtti-raja. The Godachi inscription calls him Katti-arasa, which is probably a Kannada language variant of his name.
Besides the regal title Maharaja, the dynasty's inscriptions accord him the Chalukya family epithets Shri-prithvi-vallabha, Vallabha, and Satyashraya. The Mahakuta pillar inscription of his brother Mangalesha compares him to the legendary king Puru, calling him Puru-rana-parakrama ("valourous in war like Puru").
Early life
Kirttivarman I was a son of Pulakeshin I, the first sovereign ruler of the Chalukya dynasty. The Amminabhavi inscription, which is the last extant record from Pulakeshin's reign, is dated to the 566-567 CE (Shaka year 488). The 578 CE Badami inscription, which was issued during the 12th regnal year of Kirttivarman, is dated to the 31 October 578 CE (the Karttika Paurnamasi of Shaka year 500). Thus, Kirttivarman must have ascended the throne in 566-567 CE.
Military conquests
The 578 CE Badami inscription and the Godachi inscription issued during Kirttivarman's reign do not provide any information about the political events of his reign. The Aihole inscription of Pulakeshin II states that Kirttivarman was "the night of doom" for the Nalas, the Mauryas, and the Kadambas. The Mahakuta Pillar inscription of Kirttivarman's brother and successor Mangalesha credits him with victories over rulers of several other kingdoms, but this is an obvious exaggeration.
Kadambas
Apart from the Aihole inscription, several other Chalukya records credit Kirttivarman with victory over the Kadambas, whose capital was located at Vaijayanti (modern Banavasi), and whose various branches ruled in the adjacent areas. The Mahakuta Pillar inscription states that the ruler of Vaijayanti was one of the kings vanquished by Kirttivarman. The inscriptions of the later Kalyani Chalukyas, who claimed descent from the Vatapi Chalukyas, poetically describe Kirttivarman "as an axe that cut at the very roots of the Kadambas" (kadamba is also the name of a tree).
Kirttivarman's father Pulakeshin I appears to have achieved some military successes against the Kadambas. Kirttivarman adopted a more aggressive policy against them, and annexed their capital to the Chalukya kingdom. The Chalukya inscriptions do not mention the contemporary Kadamba king, but he was most probably Ajavarman, the son of Krishnavarman II.
The Chalukya inscriptions issued during and after the regency of Vijaya (r. ) state that Kirttivarman obtained "pure fame" by defeating the rulers of Banavasi and other mandalas (provinces), which suggests that he defeated the Kadambas of Banavasi, but also the rulers of other Kadamba branches. The Aihole inscription states that he broke up a confederacy of the Kadambas: this confederacy may have included the Gangas and the Sendrakas, who were allowed to rule as Chalukya vassals after Kirttivarman's victory.
Nalas
The Nala dynasty ruled in and around present-day Chhattisgarh during the 6th century. Besides the Aihole inscription, Kirttivarman's victory over the Nalas is also mentioned in the later Chalukya records which state that he destroyed the habitations (nilaya) of the Nalas.
During the time of Kirttivarman's grandson Vikramaditya I and his successors, the Chalukya empire had a vishaya (province) named Nalavadi, whose name may have derived from its former rulers, the Nalas.
Mauryas of Konkana
The Mauryas of Konkana (modern Konkan) ruled the coastal region of present-day Maharashtra, from their capital at Puri, which is generally identified with Gharapuri on the Elephanta Island. After defeating the Mauryas, Kirttivarman appears to have appointed a new governor for the former Maurya territory.