The Rashtrakutas and their Times c12.s4.39

c12.s4.39

When it became clear that Indra IV could not maintain his own against Taila II, Pāñchāladeva, the successor of Mārasimha, set himself up as emperor in opposition to Taila. His Mulgund inscription, (62) dated February 975 A.D., claims that he was governing, without any disorder, his kingdom which was bounded by the eastern, western, and southern ocean and by the great river (*i. e.* the Krishna) on the north. This is an obviously exaggerated statement, but it shows that he was sufficiently powerful. The epithet Chālukya-Pāñchānana given to him in this record further shows that he was fighting against Taila II. The expedition against him was led by Nāgadeva, a general of Taila. The battle between the two was a sanguinary one, and the Chālukya forces had actually begun to flee away from the battle when the situation was saved by Bhūteyadeva, who made a counter-attack wherein he decapitated Pāñchāladeva. For this exploit Taila II conferred upon him the title of Āhavamalla and made him a Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara. (63) The overthrow of Pāñchāladeva must be placed before 977 A.D.; for in that year his successor Rāchamalla II was already upon the Ganga throne. (64)