Kalachuri dynasty

House of Kalachuri
Silver coin of King Krishnaraja (r. 550-575)
MORIS South-Asia 600 CE PRATIHARAS PANDYAS CHOLAS CHERAS SAMATATAS GAUDAS VARMANS PALLAVAS NEZAKS ALCHONS KALINGAS NALAS GONANDAS MAUKHARIS TAANK WESTERN TURKS TOCHARIANS MAITRAKAS RAIS LATER GUPTAS PUSHYA- BHUTIS CHALUKYAS SASANIAN EMPIRE MAPS -500 -150 120 350 500 600 800 1000 1175 1250 1400 1500 class=notpageimage| Map of the Early Kalachuris and neighbouring polities circa 600 CE.[1]
Parent house	House of Haiheya (claimed)
Country	Kingdom of Malwa Cadet branches: Kingdom of Dahala Kingdom of Ratnapura Kingdom of Kalyani
Founded	550
Founder	Krishnaraja
Final ruler	Buddharaja (main line) Mohansingh (cadet branch)
Dissolution	625 (main line) 1758 (cadet branch)
Cadet branches	House of Kalachuri–Tripuri House of Kalachuri–Kalyani House of Kalachuri–Ratnapura

The Kalachuri dynasty, also known as Kalachuris of Malwa^[2] or Mahismati, or the Early Kalachuris, was the ruling dynasty of the Kingdom of Malwa between 6th and 7th centuries. The territory ruled by them included parts of present-day Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra. Their capital was located at Mahishmati. Epigraphic and numismatic evidence suggests that the earliest of the Ellora and Elephanta cave monuments were built during the Kalachuri rule.

The origin of the dynasty is uncertain. In the 6th century, the Kalachuris gained control of the territories formerly ruled by the Guptas, the Vakatakas and the Vishnukundinas. Only three Kalachuri kings are known from inscriptional evidence: Shankaragana, Krishnaraja, and Buddharaja. The Kalachuris lost their power to the Chalukyas of Vatapi in the 7th century. One theory connects the later Kalachuri dynasties of Tripuri and Kalyani to the Kalachuris of Mahishmati.