Southern Indian dynasty whose viceroy Bijjala II usurped the Western Chalukya throne in 1156 and ruled the western Deccan (northern Karnataka/Maharashtra) at its peak between 1156 and 1181; the era saw the birth of the Lingayat (Virashaiva) sect and a flowering of vachana Kannada poetry under Bijjala's court, including the reformer Basava.
After Bijjala II's death (1167) his sons Someshvara and Sangama held power only briefly; the restored Western Chalukyas under Someshvara IV gradually retook the territory after 1181, with Kalachuri rule ending by about 1183-84.
Directly covers this exact power transition between the Western Chalukyas of Kalyani and the usurping Southern Kalachuri dynasty.