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A Crossroads of Empires
Cosmopolitan Bengaluru Between the Cholas, Chalukyas and Hoysalas
Speaker
The early medieval period in South Karnataka was a time of vigorous cultural change. Between the 10th and 13th centuries CE, it became a frontier region between the sprawling Chola and Chalukya empires, allowing for migration, the development of new trade networks, and the rise of innovative temple cultures. Tamil peasant-warriors and traders settled in South Karnataka, significantly contributing to the region’s already cosmopolitan character—an influence still visible in the temple architecture of Bengaluru and its vicinity. The Chola presence also introduced new models of royal power that shaped the emerging Hoysala dynasty. Drawing on architectural, art historical, and epigraphical material, Anirudh Kanisetti examines the Chola impact on South Karnataka and how it continues to shape Bengaluru’s urbanism today. A Q&A with the audience will follow.
Presented by:
Speaker
Anirudh V Kanisetti
Anirudh Kanisetti is a public historian specialising in ancient and early medieval India. He is the author of Lords of Earth and Sea: The Rise and Fall of the Chola Empire, and Lords of the Deccan: Southern India from the Chalukyas to the Cholas. He hosts two podcasts: Echoes of India and YUDDHA: The Indian Military History podcast. Anirudh has received the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar, the Ramnath Goenka Sahitya Samman, and Tata Literature Live’s Non-Fiction Book of the Year Award. He was an Open Mind of 2022, and on the New Indian Express‘ 40 Under 40. Anirudh’s work has received grants from Princeton University and the India Foundation for the Arts.
