Battle of Narmada
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changes Pulakeshin claimed the northernmost part of Deccan till the river Narmada
| Battle of Narmada | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Modern painting depicting the Battle of Narmada in Bengaluru | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Chalukya dynasty | Pushyabhuti dynasty | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Pulakeshin II | Harshavardhana | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||||
The Battle of Narmada (Kannada: ನರ್ಮದೆ ಕದನ) was fought between king Pulakeshin II of Chalukya dynasty and king Harshavardhana of Pushyabhuti dynasty on the banks of the river Narmada, India in the winter of 618–19. The battle resulted in the great victory of Pulakeshin II and the retreat of Harsha and his forces.
The Aihole inscription of Pulakeshin highlights the Harsha (mirth) of Harsha melted away by fear, as his elephants fell in the battle.[1] The only other inscription from his reign that mentions this battle is the Bijapur-Mumbai inscription. [2]
The Rashtrakutas, who ultimately overthrew the Chalukyas several years after Pulakeshin's death, also highlights that they defeated the dynasty that claimed victory over Harshavardhana, thus indirectly confirming Pulakeshin's achievement.[1]
The Aihole inscription poetically states that Pulakeshin's elephants had to avoid the neighborhood of the Vindhya mountains beside the Narmada River, because they "by their bulk, rivaled the mountains".[3] Historian K. A. Nilakanta Sastri interprets to mean that Pulakeshin "did not send his elephant forces into the difficult Vindhya terrain", and guarded the passes with infantry.[4] According to Shreenand L. Bapat and Pradeep S. Sohoni, the inscription suggests that Pulakeshin's army subsequently tried to cross the Vindhyas, in a bid to invade Harsha's kingdom, but was unsuccessful, which may explain why only two inscriptions from Pulakeshin's reign mention his conflict with Harsha. [2]
