Lords of the Deccan Chapter 1 - Harsha's laughter - an analysis

    Though this chapter is about the war between Harsha and Pulikeshin 2 along the banks of the river Narmada, it dwells more on the origins of Chalukyas as this book is about the medieval south Indian history. The author Anirudh Kanisetti compares Harsha and Pulikeshin 2 in all their capacities from their age to physical appearances. The two main themes in this chapter are "how a king gets legitimacy" and "why wars are fought" 


Comparison of the two kings: 
    The author portrays Harsha to be an established war lord in all in his glory hailing from a prosperous kingdom while Pulikeshin 2's Deccan is portrayed as dry and less populated. Pulikeshin 2 is mentioned to be more duskier and shorter than his counterpart. The author almost makes him look like an underdog in this battle. 

Rituals and ceremonies:
   Anirudh highlights the need for rituals to proclaim the legitimacy of the king. The ashvamedha sacrifice is depicted in detail with several references. The humble beginnings of the Chalukyas who were pastoralists and cultivators in the beginning need such expensive sacrifices for gaining their legitimacy and royal status. 

Hamlet'esque story of Pulikeshin 2:
  The author compares Pulikeshin 2's story to Shakespeare's hamlet as there is a struggle for the throne after the demise of his father. It has to be noted that for a king to gain power over the kingdom the loyalty of the vassal chiefs is needed. The vassal chiefs had their mini armies and it was important for the kings to keep them in check and prevent any rebellions from them. Pulikeshin 2 had to stage a coup against his own uncle Mangalesha to seize the throne, the author claims this hard journey to attain the throne made Pulikeshin 2 stronger.

Women's status:
  The vassal chiefs were mostly men and women were captured after battles and enslaved. The women from the families of aristocrats were taken into marriage after they were defeated. Women performed in rituals, the performances included activities which were considered taboo otherwise.

Why are the wars fought:
  One of the main reason for the war between Harsha and Pulikeshin 2 is for the control of territory called Lata (place in modern Gujarat) which is in the West coast. This is in turn to control the trade through the West coast. The author also mentions wars fought in order to establish the power of the king. Power and wealth seems to be the primary reason for wars in the medieval period, which in many cases true in the modern history as well. 

 To sum up, the kings had to gain the religious approval badge in order to get the populist support, the women's condition wasn't any better, the wars were fought mainly due to greed and many lost lives in the process.

 This chapter sets the stage for this book which discusses the history of South India in detail, from Chalukyas, Pallavas to the Cholas.
It is a good read and history lovers should definitely read this book. 

Signing off - the daily prinz

 

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