The Rashtrakutas and their Times c10.s1.18

c10.s1.18

33. The identity of the elder brother of Jejja, who had conquered Lāṭa, and of king Nāgāvaloka who was defeated by his nephew, Karka, is still a matter of uncertainty. The *avaloka*-ending epithets were peculiarly associated with the Rāshṭrakūṭas; Dantidurga was Khadgāvaloka, Govinda II was Vikramāvaloka, a relative of his, Vijayāditya, at whose request he had issued the Alas plates, was Mānavāloka, Stambha was Raṇāvaloka, Nanna and his grandson Tuṅga of the Bodhagaya record were Guṇāvaloka and Dharmāvaloka respectively. It is possible to argue, especially since we know from the Konnur record that Amoghavarsha had to face several rebellions of his feudatories, that Nāgāvaloka, the opponent of Karka, was Amoghavarsha himself. But Nāgāvaloka as an epithet of Amoghavarsha is not known from any record, and the Pathari inscription does not give the least hint that the war with Nāgāvaloka was a war with the Mālkhed Rāshṭrakūṭas. Under the present circumstances, Dr. D. R. Bhandarkar's theory that Jejja was a younger brother of Govinda III and Indra and his son Karka had cooperated with him in defeating Nāgāvaloka or Nāgabhaṭa II of the Gurjara-Pratīhāra dynasty seems to be the most probable one (I. A., XL, pp. 239-40). Karka's reign may be placed between c. 810 and c. 840 A.D. and that of Parabala between c. 840 and c. 865 A.D. Nāgāvaloka's identity with Nāgabhaṭa II is rendered all but certain by a statement in *Prabhāvakacharit*, according to which, Nāgāvaloka, the grand-father of Bhoja I, died in c. 834 A.D. The date of the death of Bhoja's grandfather seems to be wrong since Bhoja himself is now known to have ascended the throne earlier than 836 A.D. (Ahar plates of Bhoja, E. I., XIX, pp. 18 ff.). But *Prabhāvakacharit* may be right in stating that Nāgabhaṭa was also known as Nāgāvaloka. It is very likely that Karka may have been appointed by his uncle Govinda III to rule over Mālva after its conquest and annexation.