The central theme of this book is aimed at the religious life of Kalachuri Dynasty in ancient India, drawing on the personal recollections of many conventional historical data. starting from the post-Gupta period to the end of the 13th Century A.D.
The Kalachuris or the Katachchuris, who came to the limelight from the middle of the 6th century A.D., were in possession of a vast tract of Uttarapatha or Northern India from the post-Gupta period, down to the end of the 13th century A.D. The earlier Kalachuris, who were better known as Katachchuris, ruled in Malwa and adjoining regions, and their capital was at Ujjain. But the later Kalachuris had their headquarters at Tripuri, near Jabalpur, in modern Madhya Pradesh, and there were branches of this family in the Gorakhpur area of Uttar Pradesh, and also in South Kosala, which is the modern Chattishgarh region of Madhya Pradesh, which also included a part of Orissa. Another branch of the Kalachuri family ruled for some time in South India.
The Kalachuris, who were mainly associated with the different regions of modern Madhya Pradesh, had originated in the post-Gupta period, and their capital was at Mähishmati, the epico-Puranic city, famous for its association with the great Kartavirya Arjuna, who is generally described as a supreme saiva, and as an upholder of Puranic Hinduism. He is known to have performed various Vedic sacrifices. The Kalachuris, who ruled in various parts of India in different periods, claim that they belong to the Haihaya race, to which Kartavīrya Arjuna belonged, and Mahishmati is always looked upon as their original home. It is to be remembered that the Haihayas were a branch of the Yadava tribe, and even the famous Chedi king Uparichara Vasu, was a scion of the original Yadava family. In the later period, the great Kalinga monarch Kharavela, claimed descent from this particular family of Uparichara. The great religious rival of Vasudeva Krshņa, namely the Bengal king Paundra Vasudeva, according to the Mahābhārata, was a scion of this Chedi family, belonging to the Yadava tribe.
The Kalachuris or Katachchuris of the post-Gupta period. who ruled at Mahishmati, are also known to be in possession of both Ujjayinî and Anandanagara, the first being situated in Malwa and the second in the adjoining Gujarat region. It should be remembered that in this part of India, almost all the known religious sects were patronised by kings and their subjects in both the Gupta and pre-Gupta periods. Although the official religion of the Kalachuri kingdom was saivism, the persons belonging to other religious sects also lived side by side with the saivas, and gods like Vishnu, Surya, Ganesa, Pārvati, Kartikeya etc., were honoured and worshipped in this vast empire. In the early period, Buddhism was also quite popular and Jainism too, had quite a few adherents. In some pockets. Sakti-worship was also known. There is little doubt that the Kalachuri kings had great religious catholicity, and they readily espoused the cause of other religious sects. In this book we have endeavoured to give an exhaustive, and at the same time, analytical survey of the religious condition, prevailing in this huge empire. In this connection we had to depend largely on available inscriptions and coins. However, the evidence of the literature also, has been utilised, whenever necessary. The Jain texts, sometimes throw welcome light on the religious condition prevailing in the Kalachuri empire. The available sculptures also directly prove the popularity of various deities belonging to Brahmanical, Buddhists and Jain pantheons. The book has following principal chapters:
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