Historicising Patronage in Ancient India: Chalukyan Women and the Making of Religious Architecture

Despite a variety of roles attributed to women in ancient societies, one significant aspect that has not been addressed holistically is that of the women patrons in Indian history. While works have been undertaken on patronage in history, any specific endeavour to streamline the role of women patrons in their true spirit remains a desideratum. It is imperative to address such erasures of women’s presence in the history of patronage. This article is an endeavour to bring forth women’s influence in shaping history by highlighting their artistic patronage. The specific historical setting is that of the early Western Chalukyas, who initiated a process of temple building that eventually culminated in the sprouting of more than a hundred shrines at their tripartite political centres in the Deccan. It sketches the dynamics of interrelationships of power and politics, faith, economic affluence and ideological shifts underlying the conception and execution of the Chalukyas’ works of architectural evolution. Contrary to the customary perceptions of vulnerable submissiveness and/or indolent confinement to the female quarters of royal establishments, the article underlines the ‘agency’ of royal females, their ‘visibility’ and assertion of their identity/courtly clout in a contending political world, through patronage of sacred creations. It also delves into the notion of conjugal bonds of proud wives, monumentalising the glories of their husbands. It does so through inferences largely drawn from the temples commissioned by Chalukya queens at Pattadakal.