Early History of the Dekkan down to the Mahomedan Conquest c18.113

c18.113

The Devaśara spoken of in the first line is Sureśvara, the pupil of Śaṁkarâchârya Tailapa seems to have carried his arms into the country of the Cholas⁵ and humbled the king of Chedi.⁶ He despatched an expedition into Gujarât, under a general of the name of Bârapa, against Mûlarâja, the founder of the Châlukya dynasty of Anahilapattana, [81] who for some time was hard pressed, but according to the Gujarât chroniclers the general was eventually defeated with slaughter.⁷ Somesvara, the author of the Kîrtikaumudî, speaks of Bârapa as the general of the lord of Lâṭa, from which it would appear that Tailapa was in possession of that country.⁸ Tailapa invaded Mâlvâ also, which at this time was governed by Muñja the uncle of the celebrated Bhoja. Muñja, instead of strictly confining himself to the defensive, took the offensive, and, against the counsels of his aged minister Rudrâditya, crossed the Godâvarî with a large army. He was encountered by Tailapa, who inflicted a crushing defeat on him and took him prisoner. At first Muñja was treated with consideration by his captor, but an attempt to effect his escape having been detected, he was subjected to indignities, made to beg from door to door, and finally beheaded.⁹ This event is alluded to in one of Tailapa's inscriptions.¹⁰ Tailapa reigned for twenty-four years.¹¹ One of his feudatory chiefs granted a piece of land to a Jaina temple that he had constructed at Saundattî¹² in the Belgaum district, in the year 902 Śaka or A D 980