Which Chalukya ruler stopped Harshavardhana near the Narmada?

Correct answer: Pulakeshin II

The direct answer is A: Pulakeshin II stopped Harshavardhana near the Narmada. Harsha ruled a large empire in northern India and attempted to extend his influence southward. Pulakeshin II was the powerful Chalukya ruler of Vatapi, also known as Badami. The fact chain is: Harsha moved toward the Deccan; the Narmada became an important boundary; Pulakeshin II resisted Harsha’s advance; therefore the southern expansion was checked near the Narmada. Option A is correct. The Aihole inscription, composed by the poet Ravikirti, celebrates Pulakeshin II’s success against Harsha, although inscriptions should be read as royal praise and not as completely neutral reports. Option B, Vikramaditya I, was a later Chalukya ruler and is not the answer to this encounter. Option C, Kirtivarman I, belonged to the Chalukya line but ruled earlier and is not associated with stopping Harsha. Option D, Tailapa II, founded the later Western Chalukya power centuries afterward. Memory cue: Harsha moving south meets Pulakeshin II at the Narmada; think “Harsha–Narmada–Pulakeshin.”