ABSTRACT
Karnataka saw the emergence of the state in the fourth century ce under the aegis of the Kadambas and the Gangas. Both these families perhaps derived their origins from tribal chiefly clans of the region. The archaeological record of Southern Karnataka indicates that the region they emerged in was settled on a large scale in the Megalithic phase, with 258 sites, most coming from the main lodes of Kolar and the upper Kaveri valley. These areas, interestingly are the main bases of the early Gangas. The span of time from 400 to 1300 ce can be divided into three major phases based on the developments in the socio-political sphere. The first, from 400 to 800, witnesses the development of a state structure, a brahmanical court culture, the establishment of brahmadeyas and the spread of agriculture and literacy. The second phase, from 800 to 1000, sees the growth of a vast class of intermediaries, the growing use of the vernacular in records which gradually replaced Sanskrit, a political culture marked by the concepts of loyalty and kinship to garner support in the political sphere and dispersed rights of taxation and armed forces. The third phase, from 1000 to 1300, sees a maturation and further elaboration of these trends in the second phase. New nodes of power, new dynasties, the spread of agrarian settlements and growth of a cash economy are other features of this last phase.
