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Early History of the Dekkan down to the Mahomedan Conquest c21: Section XV. The Yâdavas of Devagiri

Early History of the Dekkan down to the Mahomedan Conquest c21

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English

Section XV. The Yâdavas of Devagiri

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*Later History*

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WE have seen that the Hoysaḷa Yâdavas of Haḷebîḍ in Maiṣur were becoming powerful in the time of Tribhuvanamalla or Vikramâditya II and aspiring to the supreme sovereignty of the Dekkan, and Vishṇuvardhana, the reigning prince of the family at that period, actually invaded the Châlukya territory and encamped on the banks of the Kṛishṇâ-Veṇâ But those times were not favourable for the realization of their ambitious projects The Châlukya prince was a man of great ability, the power of the family was firmly established over the country, its resources were large, and the dependent chiefs and noblemen were obedient But the state of things had now changed Weaker princes had succeeded, the Châlukya power had been broken by their dependents the Kalachuris, and these in their turn had succumbed to the internal troubles and dissensions consequent on the rise of the Liṅgâyata sect At this time the occupant of the Hoysaḷa throne was Vîra Ballâḷa, the grandson of Vishṇuvardhana He fought with Brâhma or Bomma, the general of the last Châlukya prince Somesvara IV, and putting down his elephants by means of his horses defeated him and acquired the provinces which the general had won back from Vijjaṇa ¹

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¹ Ind Ant, Vol II, p 300

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The Yâdavas of the north were not slow to take advantage of the unsettled condition of the country to extend their power and territory Mallugi seems to have been engaged in a war with Vijjaṇa A person of the name of Dâdâ was commander of his troops of elephants and is represented to have gained some advantages over the army of the Kalachuri prince. He had four sons of the names of Mahîdhara, Jahla, Sâmba, and Gaṅgâdhara. Of these Mahîdhara succeeded his father and is spoken of as having defeated the forces of Vijjana.² But the acquisition of the empire of the Châlukyas was [106] completed by Mallugi's son Bhillama. He captured a town of the name of Śrîvardhana from a king who is called Antala, vanquished in battle the king of Pratyandaka, put to death the ruler of Maṅgalareshṭaka, (Maṅgalveḍhem), of the name of Villana, and having obtained the sovereignty of Kalyâṇa, put to death the lord of Hosala who was probably the Hoysala Yâdava Narasiṁha, the father of Vîra Ballâḷa.³ The commander of his elephants was Jahla, the brother of Mahîdhara, and he is represented to have rendered Bhillama's power firm. He led a maddened elephant skilfully into the army of the Gûrjana king, struck terror into the heart of Malla, frightened the forces

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² Introduction to Jahlaṇa's Sûktimuktâvalî, now brought to notice for the first time.

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³ Appendix C. I., stanza 15. *Mahîvṛiddhaḥ* is *Śrî* Pandharpur. It is probably the capital of a prince of

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तस्यान्वयेऽभूत्करिहन्दनाथो दादा मदादानमिदाममुस्त।
यस्येक्षणाद्विज्जणभूपसैन्यं दैन्यं गतं संयति विक्रमेण ॥ ५ ॥
चत्वारस्तस्य संजातास्तनया नयगालिनः ।
भुजा इव हरे शश्वद्विक्रमाश्रैविभूषिताः ॥ ६ ॥
चतुर्मुखमुगोद्गीर्णनिगमा इव ते यमु।
जातः महोधरो जल्हः साम्बो गङ्गाधरस्तथा ॥ ७ ॥
उपायैरिव तैः कार्यं चतुर्भि सुप्रयोजिनैः ।
नै (नै) नृपिक्षौणिपालस्य राज्यं जातं महोदयम् ॥ ८ ॥
विन्ध्यस्तम्भनस्तमभिं विभज्य भुजमस्तंभेण य कृतवान्।
दोर्दण्डियमदण्ड्यं स म सस्य महोधर मूनः ॥ ९ ॥

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The full introduction will be published elsewhere.

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of Mallugı, and put an end to the victorious career of Muñja and Anna ⁴ When in this manner Bhillama made himself master of the whole country to the north of the Kṛishnâ, he founded the city of Devagırî⁵ and having got himself crowned, made that city his capital This took place about the Saka year 1109

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⁴ Intr Jahl Sukt —

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⁵ Appendix C I, st 39

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Bhillama then endeavoured to extend his territory farther southwards, but he was opposed by Vîra Ballâḷa, who, as we have seen, had been pushing his conquests northwards It was a contest for the possession of an empire and was consequently arduous and determined Several battles took place between the two rivals, and eventually a decisive engagement was fought at Lokkıguṇḍı, now Lakkuṇḍı, in the Dhârvâḍ District, in which Jaitrasımha, who is compared to "the right arm of Bhillama" and must have been his son, was defeated and Vîra Ballâḷa became sovereign of Kuntala The inscription in which this is recorded bears the date Saka 1114 or A D 1192,⁶ and Vıra Ballâḷa who made the grant recorded in it was at that time encamped with his victorious army at Lokkıguṇḍı, from which

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⁶ Ind Ant, Vol II, p 300

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विजित्य विक्ष्वणं याते सुरलोकं महीधरे ।
निनाय भिल्लमं सङ्गो राजतां दयवर्णिताम् ॥ ११ ॥
गूर्जरभृभृत्कटके कण्टकविषमेऽतिदुर्गमे येन।
मगदत्तकीर्तिभाजा दुष्टगज'स्वेच्छया नीत' ॥ १२ ॥
मल्ल पल्लविलोत्तमोतिरभितस्तस्याहवे मैल्लगि-
र्मुञ्ज पिञ्छितविक्रमस्त्रिभुवनन्नल्ला किल श्लाघ्य ।
अन्नो मुन्नपराक्रमो विधृतभूर्भूसूरपत्राङ्गणे
येनाकारि सुरारिविक्रमभृता किं कि न तस्योर्जितम् ॥ १३ ॥

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The Mallugı mentioned here must have been one of the enemies of Bhillama He probably belonged to a minor branch of the Yâdava family it would appear that the battle had taken place but a short time before The northern Yâdavas had to put off the conquest of Kuntala or the Southern Marâṭhâ Country for a generation

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Bhillama was succeeded in 1113 Śaka by his son Jaitrapâla or Jaitugi He took an active part in his father's battles "He assumed [107] the sacrificial vow on the holy ground of the battle-field and throwing a great many kings into the fire of his prowess by means of the ladles of his weapons, performed a human sacrifice by immolating a victim in the shape of the fierce Rudra, the lord of the Tailangas, and vanquished the three worlds "⁷ This same fact is alluded to in the Paiṭhan grant, in which Jaitugi is represented to have killed the king of the Trikalingas in battle He is there spoken of also as having released Ganapati from prison and to have placed him on the throne ⁸ The Rudra therefore whom he is thus represented to have killed on the field of battle must have been the Rudradeva of the Kâkatîya dynasty whose inscription we have at Anamkoṇḍ near Woraṅgal, and the Ganpati, his nephew⁹ who was probably placed in confinement by Rudradeva In other places also his war with the king of the Andhras or Tailangas and his having raised Ganapati to the throne are alluded¹⁰ to, and he is represented to have deprived the Andhra ladies of the happiness arising from having their husbands living ¹¹ Lakshmîdhara, the son of the celebrated mathematician and astronomer Bhâskarâcharya, was in the service of Jaitrapâla and was placed by him at the head of all learned Paṇḍits He knew the Vedas and was versed in the Tarkasâstra and Mîmâmsâ ¹²

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⁷ Appendix C I, st 41 Just as the fruit of a horse-sacrifice is the conquest of the whole world, the fruit of a man-sacrifice is supposed here to be the conquest of the three worlds Jaitrapâla performed metaphorically such a sacrifice, and that is considered to be the reason, as it were of his having obtained victories everywhere, *i.e.* in the usual hyperbolic language, of his having succeeded in vanquishing the three worlds

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⁸ Ind Ant, Vol XIV, p 316

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⁹ Ind Ant, Vol XXI, p 197

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¹⁰ Jour B B R A S, Vol XV, p 386, and Epigraphia Indica, Vol III, p 113

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¹¹ Jour R A S, Vol I, N S, p 414

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¹² *Ib* p 415

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Jaitrapâla's son and successor was Singhaṇa, under whom the power and territory of the family greatly increased He ascended the throne in 1132 Śaka ¹³ He defeated a king of the name of Jajjalla and brought away his elephants He deprived a monarch named Kakkûla of his sovereignty, destroyed Arjuna who was probably the sovereign of Mâlvâ, and made Bhoja a prisoner Janârdana, the son of Gangâdhara, who was Jahla's brother, is said to have taught Singhaṇa the art of managing elephants which enabled him to vanquish Arjuna ¹⁴ He had succeeded to the office of commander of elephants held by Jahla and after him by Gangâdhara "King Laksh- [108] mîdhara, the lion of Bhambhâgiri, was reduced, the ruler of Dhârâ was besieged by means of troops of horses, and the whole of the country in

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¹³ Jour R A S, Vol IV, p 5

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¹⁴ Intr Jahl Sukt —

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चासीद्गङ्गाधरस्तस्य भ्राता गङ्गाधरोपम ।
एकान्वयञ्च यो व्याप्तान्मुमोचैकान्यदृच्छया ॥ १६ ॥
तस्याभवत्समुन्मूनस्तस्त्वा जनार्दनाङ्ग करिवाहिनौश ।
समुद्रमथ्यो भुवनं बभार सह श्रिया चित्रमशेषमेवम् ॥ १८ ॥
सिद्धोऽप्यध्यापितेनैन गजशिक्षों तदद्भुतम् ।
यज्जार्जुनं लसत्पवं समूलमुदमूखयत् ॥ २० ॥

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the possession of Ballâla was taken. All this was but a child's play to King Singhaṇa."¹⁵ Jajjalla must have been a prince belonging to the eastern branch of the Chedi dynasty that ruled over the province of Chhattîsgaṛh, for that name occurs in the genealogy of that dynasty.¹⁶ The name Kakkala I would identify with Kokkalla, which was borne by some princes of the western branch of the family, the capital of which was Tripurî or Tevur. The kings of Mâḷava and Kâsi were killed by him in battle, and Hammîra was vanquished by but a boy-general of Singhaṇa.¹⁷ In an inscription also at Tîḷivallî in the Dhârvâḍ District, he is represented to have defeated Jajjalladeva, conquered Ballâḷa the Hoysaḷa king, subdued Bhoja of Panhâḷâ, and humbled the sovereign of Mâḷava.¹⁸ He is also spoken of as "the goad of the elephant in the shape of the Gûrjara king."¹⁹ We have an inscription of his at Gaddaka dated 1135 S'âka, which shows that Vîra Ballâḷa must have been deprived of the southern part of the country before that time.²⁰ Singhaṇa is represented as reigning at his capital Devagiri.²¹

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¹⁵ Appendix C. I., st. 43 and 44. Ind. Ant., Vol. XIV., p. 316.

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¹⁶ General Cunningham's Arch. Reports, Vol. XVII., pp. 75, 76 and 79.

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¹⁷ Jour. R. A. S., Vol. I., N. S., p. 414.

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¹⁸ Jour. B. B. R. A. S., Vol. IX., p. 326.

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¹⁹ Major Graham's Report on Kolhapur, Ins. No. 20.

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²⁰ Ind. Ant., Vol. II., p. 297.

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²¹ Major Graham's Report, Ins., No. 20.

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The Bhoja of Panhâlâ spoken of above was a prince of the S'ilâhâra dynasty, and after his defeat the Kolhâpur kingdom appears to have been annexed by the Yâdavas to their dominions. They put an end to this branch of the family as later on they did to another which ruled over Northern Konkan From this time forward the Kolhâpur inscriptions contain the names of the Yâdava princes with those of the governors appointed by them to rule over the district An inscription of Singhaṇa at Khedrâpur in that district records the grant of a village to the temple of Koppeśvara in the year 1136 Śaka

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Singhaṇa seems to have invaded Gujarât several times In an inscription at Âmbem a Brâhman chief of the name of Kholeśvara of the Mudgala Gotra is spoken of as a very brave general in the service of the Yâdava sovereign He humbled the pride of the Gûrjana prince, crushed the Mâlava, destroyed the race of the king of the Âbhîras, and being like "wild fire to the enemies" of his master, left nothing for Singhaṇa to be anxious about His son Râma succeeded him, and a large expedition under his command was again sent to Gujarât Râma advanced up to the Narmadâ, where a battle was fought, in which he slew numbers of Gûrjana soldiers, but he himself lost his life ²² From this it would appear that Gujarât was invaded by Singhaṇa on two occasions at least, if not more, and this is borne out by what we find stated in the authorities [109] for the history of Gujarât

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²² Arch Surv of W I, Vol III, p 85

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Somadeva, the author of the Kîrttikaumudî, which gives an account of the minister Vastupâla and his masters the princes of the Vâghelâ branch of the Châlukya family, describes an invasion of Gujarât by Singhaṇa in the time of Lavaṇaprasâda and his son Vîradhavala "The capital of Gujarât trembled with fear when the advance of Singhaṇa's army was reported Being afraid of this foreign invasion no one among the subjects of the Gûrjana king began the construction of a new house or stored grain, and the minds of all tion, [110] therefore, was that Lavaṇaprasâda had to submit and conclude a treaty of alliance with Singhana.

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This invasion of Gujarât must have been one of the earlier ones alluded to in the Âmbem inscription, and Kholeśvara himself must have been the commander of the Yâdava army on the occasion. For Lavaṇaprasâda is said to have declared himself independent of his original master Bhîma II. of Anahilapattana about the year 1276 Vikrama,²⁷ corresponding to 1141 Śaka, which was about the ninth or tenth year of Singhana's reign, and the work in which the treaty mentioned above occurs was composed in 1288 Vikrama, *i.e.* 1153 Śaka. But the expedition under the command of Râma, the son of Kholesvara, must have been sent a short time before

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²⁷ Ind. Ant., Vol. VI., p. 190.

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"On this day the 15th Sudi of Vaisâkha, in the year Samvat 1288, in the Camp of Victory, [a treaty] between the paramount king of kings, the prosperous Simhana and the Mahâmandalesvara Rânaka, the prosperous Lâvanyaprasâda. Simhana whose patrimony is paramount sovereignty, and the Mahâmandaleśvara Râṇâ the prosperous Lâvanyaprasâda should according to former usage confine themselves, each to his own country, neither should invade the country of the other."

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The treaty then provides that when either of them is taken up by an enemy, the armies of both should march to his release, that if a prince from either country ran away into the other with some valuable things, he should not be allowed quarter, &c. Now, it is extremely unlikely that the author of the work should introduce these persons in his form unless he had seen or heard of such a treaty between them. Simhana is but another form of Singhana, and he is spoken of as a paramount sovereign. The treaty, it will be seen, was concluded in the "victorious camp," which is a clear reference to the invasion described by Someśvara.

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In रहणीयं we have, I think, the vernacular root रह "to remain," "to live." For further details see my Report on the search for manuscripts during 1882-83, pp. 39 and 225

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Śaka 1160, the date of the Ambem inscription For Râma's son is represented to have been a minor under the guardianship of that chief's sister Lakshmî, who governed the principality in the name of the boy Râma, therefore, had not died so many years before Śaka 1160 as to allow of his boy having attained his majority by that time On the occasion of this expedition Vîsaladeva, the son of Vîradhavala, was the sovereign of Gujarât For in an inscription of his he boasts [111] of his having been "the submarine fire that dried up the ocean of Siṅghaṇa's army,"²⁸ and he must have succeeded his father about the year 1292 Vikrama corresponding to Śaka 1157,²⁹ though he obtained possession of the throne at Aṇahilapattana in Vikrama 1302, corresponding to Śaka 1167 and 1246 A D The foundation of his boast was probably the fact of Râma's having been killed in the battle What the ultimate result was, however, the inscription does not inform us

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²⁸ Ind Ant, Vol VI pp 191 and 212

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²⁹ Vîradhavala, it is said, died not long before Vastupâla The death of the latter took place in Vikrama 1297 Vastupâla was minister to Vîsaladeva also for some time We might, therefore, refer the accession of the latter to Vikrama 1292 Ind Ant, Vol VI, p 190

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Siṅghaṇa appointed one Bichaṇa or Bîcha, the son of Chikka and younger brother of Malla, to be governor of the southern provinces and his viceroy there He fought with his master's enemies in the south as Kholeśvara did in the north and kept them in check Bichaṇa is represented to have humbled the Raṭṭas who were petty feudatories in the Southern Marâṭhâ Country, the Kadambas of Koṅkaṇ, *i e* of Goa, the Guttas sprung from the ancient Guptas, who held a principality in the south, the Pâṇḍyas, the Hoysaḷas, and the chiefs of other southern provinces, and to have erected a triumphal column on the banks of the Kâverî³⁰ The date of the grant in which all this is recorded is Śaka 1160 or A D 1238

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³⁰ Jour B B R A S, Vol XV, pp 386-7, and Vol XII, p 43

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It thus appears that the Yâdava empire became in the time of Singhaṇa as extensive as that ruled over by the ablest monarchs of the preceding dynasties The full title of a paramount sovereign are given to Singhaṇa in his inscriptions, such as "the support of the whole world," "the lover of the earth (*Prithvîvallabha*)," and "king of kings " Since Kṛishṇa, the eighth incarnation of Vishṇu, is represented in the Purânas to have belonged to the Yâdava family, the princes of Devagiri called themselves *Vishṇuvaṁśodbhava*,³¹ and as Kṛishṇa and his immediate descendants reigned at Dvârakâ, they assumed the title of *Dvâravatîpuravarâdhîśvara*, "the supreme lord of Dvâravatî, the best of cities "³² In the reign of Singhaṇa as well as of his two predecessors the office of chief secretary or *Śrîkaraṇâdhipa*, which in a subsequent reign was conferred on Hemâdri, was held by a man of the name of Soḍhala He was the son of Bhâskara, a native of Kaśmîr who had settled in the Dekkan Soḍhala's son Śarṅgadhara wrote in this reign a treatise on music entitled Saṁgîtaratnâkara which is extant³³ There is a commentary [112] on this work attributed to a king of the name of Siṅga who is represented as a paramount sovereign of the Andhra circle This Siṅga appears in all likelihood to be Siṅghaṇa, and the commentary was either written by him or dedicated to him by a dependant, as is often the case ³⁴ Châṅgadeva, the grandson of Bhâskarâchârya and son of Lakshmîdhara, was chief astrologer to Siṅghaṇa, and also Anantadeva, the grandson of Bhâskarâchârya's brother Śrîpati and son of Gaṇapati Châṅgadeva founded a Maṭha or college for the study of his grandfather's Siddhântaśiromaṇi and other works at Pâṭnâ in the Châlîsgaṁv division of the Khândes district, and Anantadeva built a temple at a village in the same division and dedicated it to Bhavânî on the 1st of Chaitra in the Śaka year 1144 *expired* ³⁵

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³¹ *i e* "of the race of Vishṇu"

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³² Graham's Report, Ins No 10, and Jour B B R A S, Vol XII, p 7

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³³ तस्याभूत्तनय प्रभूतविनय श्रीसोढल प्रौढधीश्चेचे श्रीकरणप्रहृडविभवं भूवल्लभं मिलमम्। आराध्याखिललोकशोकशमनो कीर्त्तिं समासादिता नैवे जेयपद न्यधायि महसी श्रीसिद्धये शौरपि॥ Then follows one verse in praise of Singhaṇa, and two in praise of Soḍhala in which he is represented to have pleased Singhaṇa by his merits and to have conferred benefits on all through the wealth and influence thus acquired, and then we have तस्मादुग्धान्नुधेर्जात शार्ङ्गदेव सुधाकर । उपर्युपरि सर्वान्य सदोदारस्फुरत्कर ॥ Introduction to Saṁgîtaratnâkara, No 979, Collection of 1887—91, Dekk Coll इति श्रीमदमविभोदश्रीकरणाधिपतिश्रीसोढलन्न्दननि शङ्कश्रीशार्ङ्गदेवविरचिते संगीतरत्नाकरे प्रकीर्णकाध्यायस्तृतीय समाप्त fol 122*a*

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³⁴ My Report on MSS for 1882-83, pp 37, 38 and 222

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³⁵ Jour R A S, Vol I, N S, p 415, and Epigraphıa Indica, Vol III, p 113

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Siṅghaṇa's son was Jaitugı or Jaitrapâla, who "was the abode of all arts, and was thus the very moon in opposition, full of all the digits, that had come down to the earth, to protect it He was death to hostile kings and firm in unequal fights "³⁶ But if he protected the earth at all he must have done so during the lifetime of his father as *Yuvarâja*, for the latest date of Siṅghaṇa is Śaka 1169, and in a copperplate inscription of his grandson and Jaitugı's son Kṛishṇa, Śaka 1175, *Pramâdı-Saṁvatsara*, is stated to be the seventh of his reign, so that Kṛishṇa began to reign in Śaka 1169 corresponding to 1247 A D ³⁷ And in the longer of the two historical introductions to the Vratakhaṇḍa, Jaitugi is not mentioned at all After Siṅghaṇa, we are told that his grandsons Kṛishṇa and Mahâdeva came to the throne, of whom the elder Kṛishṇa reigned first ³⁸ Kṛishṇa's Prâkṛit name was Kaṇhâra, Kanhara, or Kandhâra He is represented to have been the terror of the kings of Mâlava, Gujarât, and Konkan, to have "established the king of Teluṅga," and to have been the sovereign of the country of the Chola king ³⁹ In the Vrata-khaṇḍa also he is said to have destroyed the army of Vîsala, who we know was sovereign of Gujarât at this time and who had been at war with Siṅghaṇa, and, in general terms, to have "conquered a great many enemies in bloody battles in which numbers of horses and elephants were engaged, reduced some to captivity and compelled others to seek refuge in forests, and, having thus finished the work of vanquishing the series of earthly kings, to have marched to the heavenly world to conquer Indra" ⁴⁰ Lakshmîdeva, son of Janârdana, is represented by his wise counsels to have helped Kṛishṇa to consolidate his power and to have by his sword subdued his enemies ⁴¹ Kṛishṇa performed a great many sacrifices

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³⁶ Appendix C II, st 7

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³⁷ Jour B B R A S, Vol XII, p 42

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³⁸ Appendix C I, śl 45

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³⁹ Jour B B R A S, Vol XII, p 38

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⁴⁰ That is, "left this world," "died," Appendix C II, śl 11

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⁴¹ Intr Jahl Sukt —

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विप्रेश्राणपरायणः स्फुरदुरुस्पर्द्धातिधैर्यिध्वज-
> स्त्यागाद्भुतविक्रमः समभवत्कोलक्ष्मिक्षेवः सुधीः।
मन्ये निर्जितदैत्यमन्त्रिधिषणोर्कार्यक्षमं मन्त्रिभे
> राज्यं कृष्णमहीपतेरयिकलं दत्वा स्थिरं योऽव्यधात् ॥ २१ ॥
प्रगल्भा भूय यस्यासिर्न्यशितश्चितिरिप्रुभौ।
प्रियं सोप्यकरोन्मृत्यकथमन्यत्समरार्थवम् ॥ २२ ॥

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and thus "brought fresh strength to the Vedic ceremonial religion which in the course of time had lost its hold over the people" In a copper-plate grant dated Śaka 1171, found in the Belgaum Tâluka, Malla or Malliseṭṭi is spoken of as the elder brother of Bicha or Bichana, the viceroy of Siṅghana in the south, and was himself governor of the province of Kuhuṇḍ He lived at Mudugala, probably the modern Mudgala, and gave, by the consent of Kṛishṇa, his sovereign, lands in the village of Bâgevâḍi to thirty-two Brâhmans of different Gotras⁴² Among the family names of these it is interesting to observe some borne by modern Mahârâshṭra Brâhmans, such as *Paṭavardhana* and *Ghaisâsa*, prevalent among Chitpâvanas, and *Ghaḷisâsa*, *Ghaḷisa*, and *Pâṭhaka*, among Desasthas The name *Trivâdi* also occurs, but there is no trace of it among Marâṭhâ Brâhmans, while it is borne by Brâhmans in Gujarât and Upper Hindustan In another grant, Chauṇḍa the son of Bichaṇa, who succeeded to the office and title of his father, is represented to have personally solicited king Kṛishṇa at Devagiri to permit him to grant the village mentioned therein⁴³ Jalhaṇa, son of Lakshmîdeva who had succeeded his father, assisted Kṛishṇa diligently by his counsels in conjunction with his younger brother He was commander of the troops of elephants and as such fought with Kṛishṇa's enemies He compiled an anthology of select verses from Sanskrit poets, called Sûktimuktâvali, which is extant⁴⁴ The Vedântakalpataru, which is a commentary on Vâchaspatimiśra's Bhâmatî [114] which itself is a commentary on Śamkarâchârya's Vedântasûtrabhâshya, was written by Amalânanda in the reign of Kṛishṇa⁴⁵

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⁴² Jour B B R A S, Vol XIII, p 27 Ind Ant, Vol VII, 304 Kuhuṇḍi corresponds to a part of the modern Belgaum district

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⁴³ Jour B B R A S, Vol XII, p 43

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⁴⁴ Intr Jahl Sukt —

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⁴⁵ Transactions Ninth Congress of Orientalists, Vol I, P 423

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Kṛishṇa was succeeded by his brother Mahâdeva in 1182 Śaka or 1260 A D "He was a tempestuous wind that blew away the heap of cotton in the shape of the king of the Tailaṅga country, the prowess of his arm was like a thunderbolt that shattered the mountain in the shape of the pride of the swaggering Gûr призна, he destroyed the king of Konkan with ease, and reduced the arrogant sovereigns of Karnâta and Lâṭa to mockery "⁴⁶ The Gûrjara here mentioned must be Vîsaladeva noticed above, as Mahâdeva is represented in the Paithan grant to have vanquished him,⁴⁷ and the king of Karnâta was probably a Hoysaḷa Yâdava of Haḷebîd "King Mahâdeva never killed a woman, a child, or one who submitted to him, knowing this and being greatly afraid of him, the Andhras placed a woman on the throne,

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⁴⁶ Appendix C I, st 48, and II, st 13

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⁴⁷ Ind Ant, Vol XIV, p 316

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तस्यास्ते तनयो नयोदधिविधुर्वन्धुर्वुधानां सुधीः
सारासारविचारचारु चतुर, श्रीजह्लणाख्य चितौ ॥ २६ ॥
मत्विवा दत्तमस्मै प्रतिहतबलवद्वेषि सर्गोपसर्गं
राज्यं प्रान्यप्रभावप्रथितगुणभृता कृष्णराजेय भक्त्या ।
तन्निर्वाह्य मयेति विगुणितधिषणाशक्तिभक्तिर्विधत्ते
सर्वं य, स्वाधि (सि) कार्ये हितममयहवा भावुकैमानुजेन ॥ २७ ॥
ध्रुवं यस्यास्ति दृष्टान्ते मदान्धा करिवाहिनी ।
दानोदकप्रवाहोत्र दृश्यते कथमन्यथा ॥ २८ ॥
तेनेयं क्रियते वीक्ष्य सत्सुभाषितसङ्ग्रहान् ।
सूक्तिमुक्तावलीकण्ठकन्दलीभूषणं सताम् ॥ २८ ॥

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and the king of Mâlvâ also for the same reason installed a child in his position, and forthwith * * * losing all his possessions practised false penance for a long time. He took away in battle the elephants and the five musical instruments of the ruler of Tailaṅgaṇa, but left the ruler Rudramâ, as he refrained from killing a woman."⁴⁸ In a work on Poetics called Pratâparudrîya by Vidyânâtha there occurs a portion of a dramatic play in which Gaṇapati of the Kâkatîya dynasty, the same prince whose son is stated in the Paithan grant to have been released from confinement by Jaitugi, is mentioned as having left his throne to his daughter, whom, however, he called his son and named Rudra, and who is spoken of as "a king" and not queen. She adopted Pratâparudra the son of her daughter, as her heir. This, therefore, was the woman spoken of above as Rudramâ and as having been placed on the throne by the Andhras.⁴⁹ "Soma, the lord of Koṅkaṇ, though skilled in swimming in the sea, was together with his forces drowned in the rivers formed by the humour trickling from the temples of Mahâdeva's maddened elephants." "Mahâdeva deprived Someśvara of his kingdom and his life."⁵⁰ We have seen that Kṛishṇa fought with the king of Koṅkaṇ, but it appears he did not subjugate the country thoroughly. His successor Mahâdeva, however, again invaded it with an army consisting of a large number of elephants.

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⁴⁸ Appendix C. I., st. 52, and II., st. 14 and 15.

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⁴⁹ एवमेतत्। अनया कथमप्यपरप्रसादादृते निरङ्कुशं स्त्रीव्यक्तिविशेषस्य लोकाधिपत्यम्। एवं मानुषधर्मेण गणपतिमहाराजेनाभ्यन्तरस्यानुभावस्य सदृशमत्र पुत्र इति व्यवहारः कृतस्तदनुगुणा च यष्टृ इत्याख्या। Poona lithographed edition of Śaka 1771, fol. 29. See also Dr. Hultzsch's paper, Ind. Ant., Vol. XXI., pp. 198, 199.

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⁵⁰ Appendix C. I., st. 49, 50, and II., st. 17.

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[115] Soma or Someśvara was completely defeated on land and his power broken, whereupon he appears to have betaken himself to his ships There somehow he met with his death,⁵¹ probably by being drowned, for it is said that "even the sea did not protect him" and that "he betook himself to the submarine fire," thinking the fire of Mahâdeva's prowess to be more unbearable⁵² Konkan was thereupon annexed to the territories of the Yâdavas Hence it is that the country was governed by a viceroy appointed by the Devagiri king during the time of Mahâdeva's successor, as we find from the Thânâ plates published by Mr Wathen⁵³ The Someśvara whom Mahâdeva subdued belonged to the Śilâhâra dynasty of Thânâ that had been ruling over that part of Konkan for a considerable period He is the last prince of the dynasty whose inscriptions are found in the district, and his dates are Śaka 1171 and 1182⁵⁴ Mahâdeva like his predecessors reigned at Devagiri, which is represented as the capital of the dynasty to which he belonged and as situated in the country called Seuna on the borders of Daṇḍakâraṇya "It was the abode of the essence of the beauty of the three worlds and its houses rivalled the peaks of the mountain tenanted by gods, and the Seuna country deserved all the sweet and ornamental epithets that might be applied to it"⁵⁵ At Paṇḍharpur there is an inscription dated 1192 Śaka, *Pramoda Saṁvatsara*, in which Mahâdeva is represented to have been reigning at the time He is there called *Prauḍhapratâpa Chakravartin*, or "Paramount sovereign possessing great valour" The inscription records the performance of an *Aptoryâma* sacrifice by a Brâhman chief of the name of Keśava belonging to the Kaśyapa Gotra

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⁵¹ Appendix C I, st 49

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⁵² *Ib* I, st 51, and II, st 18

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⁵³ Jour R A S (old series), Vol V, p 177

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⁵⁴ Bombay Gazetteer, Vol XIII, Part II, p 122

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⁵⁵ Appendix C II, st 19 and 20 "The mountain tenanted by gods" may be the Himâlaya or Meru In this epithet there is a reference to the etymology of Devagiri which means "a mountain of or having gods"

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The immediate successor of Mahâdeva was Âmaṇa⁵⁶ who appears to have been his son, but the sovereign power was soon wrested from his hands by the rightful heir Râmachandra, son of Kṛishṇa, who ascended the throne in 1193 Śaka or 1271 A D He is called Râmadeva or Râmarâja also In the Ṭhânâ copper-plate grants he is spoken of as "a lion to the proud elephant in the shape of the lord of Mâlava," from which it would appear that he was at war with that country He is also called "the elephant that tore up by the root the tree in the shape of the Tailinga king" This must be an allusion to his wars with Pratâparudra the successor of Rudramâ, which are mentioned in the work noticed above Several other epithets occur in the grants, but they are given as mere *birudas* or titles which were inherited by Râmachandra from his predecessors, and do not point to any specific events in his reign His inscriptions are found as far to the south as the confines of Maisur, so that the empire [116] he ruled over was as large as it ever was There is in the Dekkan College Library a manuscript of the Amarakośa written in Konkan on Tâla leaves during his reign in the year 4398 of the Kaliyuga corresponding to Śaka 1219 and A D 1297 His viceroy in Konkan in Śaka 1212 was a Brâhmaṇa named Kṛishṇa belonging to the Bharadvâja Gotra, whose grandfather Padmanâbha first acquired royal favour and rose into importance in the reign of Singhaṇa One of the Thânâ grants was issued by him, and the other dated 1194 Śaka by Achyuta Nâyaka, who was also a Brâhmaṇ and who appears to have been a petty chief and held some office which is not stated Where he resided is also not clear By the Paithan copper-plate charter, which was issued in Śaka 1193, Râmachandra assigned three villages to fifty-seven Brâhmans on conditions some of which are rather interesting The Brâhmans and their descendants were to live in those villages, not to mortgage the land, allow no prostitutes to settle there, prevent gambling, use no weapons, and spend their time in doing good deeds ⁵⁷

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⁵⁶ Paiṭhaṇ grant, Ind Ant, Vol XIV, p 317

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⁵⁷ Ind Ant, Vol XIV, p 319

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Hemâdri, the celebrated author, principally of works on Dharmaśâstra, flourished during the reigns of Mahâdeva and Râmachandra and was minister to both In the introduction to his works on Dharmaśâstra he is called Mahâdeva's *Śrîkaraṇâdhipa* or *Śrîkaraṇaprabhu* In the Thânâ copper-plate of 1194 Śaka also, he is said to have taken upon himself the *âdhipatya* or controllership of all *karaṇa* This office seems to have been that of chief secretary or one who wrote and issued all orders on behalf of his master and kept the state record Hemâdri is also called *Mantrin* or counsellor generally In his other works and in the Thânâ plate Râmarâja instead of Mahâdeva is represented as his master Mahâdeva's genealogy and his own are given at the beginning of his works on Dharma Sometimes the former begins with Singhaṇa, sometimes with Bhillama, while in the Dânakhaṇḍa the exploits of Mahâdeva alone are enumerated The description of the several princes is often couched in general terms and consists of nothing but eulogy. But the Vratakhaṇḍa, which was the first work composed by Hemâdri, contains, as we have seen, a very valuable account of the dynasty from the very beginning, and by far the greater portion of it is undoubtedly historical.

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Hemâdri was a Brâhman of the Vatsa Gotra. His father's name was Kâmadeva, grandfather's, Vâsudeva, and great-grandfather's, Vâmana.⁵⁸ He is described in terms of extravagant praise, and the historical truth that may be gleaned from it appears to be this. Hemâdri was very liberal to Brâhmans and fed numbers of them every day. He was a man of learning himself, and learned men found a generous patron in him. He is represented to be religious and pious, and at the same time very brave. He evidently possessed a great deal of influence. Whether the voluminous works attributed to him were really written by him may well be questioned, but the [117] idea at least of reducing the religious practices and observances that had descended from times immemorial to a system must certainly have been his, and must have been carried out under his supervision.

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⁵⁸ Pariśeshakhaṇḍa, Ed. Bib. Ind., pp. 4-5.

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His great work is called the *Chaturvarga Chintâmaṇi*, which is divided into four parts, viz, (1) *Vratakhaṇḍa*, containing an exposition of the religious fasts and observances; (2) *Dânakhaṇḍa*, in which the several gifts to which great religious importance is attached are explained; (3) *Tîrthakhaṇḍa*, which treats of pilgrimages to holy places; and (4) *Mokshakhaṇḍa*, in which the way to final deliverance is set forth. There is a fifth Khaṇḍa or part which is called *Pariśeshakhaṇḍa* or appendix, which contains voluminous treatises on (1) the deities that should be worshipped, (2) on *Śrâddhas* or offerings to the manes, (3) on the determination of the proper times and seasons for the performance of religious rites, and (4) on *Prâyaśchitta* or atonement All these works are replete with a great deal of information and innumerable quotations They are held in great estimation, and future writers on the same subjects draw largely from them A commentary called *Âyurvedarasâyana* on a medical treatise by Vâgbhaṭa and another on Bopadeva's *Muktâphala*, a work expounding Vaishṇava doctrines, are also attributed to him

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This Bopadeva was one of Hemâdri's protegees and the author of the work mentioned above and another entitled *Harilîlâ*, which contains an abstract of the Bhâgavata Both of these were written at the request of Hemâdri as the author himself tells us ⁵⁹ Bopadeva was the son of a physician named Kesava and the pupil of Dhaneśa His father as well as a teacher lived at a place called Sârtha situated on the banks of the Varadâ Bopadeva, therefore, was a native of Berâr Bopadeva, the author of a treatise on grammar called *Mugdhabodha*, appears to be the same person as this, since the names of the father and the teacher there mentioned are the same as those we find in these works A few medical treatises also, written by Bopadeva, have come down to us

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⁵⁹ विद्वद्धनेश्वराशष्येण भिषक्केशवसूनुना । हेमाद्रिर्बोपदेवेन मुक्ताफलमचीकरत् ॥ श्रीमद्भागवतस्कन्धाध्यायार्थादि निरूप्यते । विदुषा बोपदेवेन मन्त्रिहेमाद्रितुष्टये ॥ Dr Râjendralâl's notices of Skr MSS, Vol II, pp 48 and 200

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Hemâdri has not yet been forgotten in the Marâṭhâ country He is popularly known by the name of Hemâḍpant and old temples throughout the country of a certain structure are attributed to him. He is said to have introduced the moḍî or the current form of writing and is believed to have brought it from Laṅkâ or Ceylon. As chief secretary he had to superintend the writing of official papers and records, and it is possible he may have introduced some improvements in the mode of writing.

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The great Marâṭhâ *sâdhu* or saint Jñâneśvara or Dnyâneśvara as his name is ordinarily pronounced, flourished during the reign of [118] Râmachandra. At the end of his Marâṭhi commentary on the Bhagavadgîtâ he tells us: "In the Kali age, in the country of Mahârâshṭra and on the southern bank of the Godâvarî, there is a sacred place five *kos* in circuit, the holiest in the three worlds, where exists Mahâlayâ, who is the thread that sustains the life of the world. There, king Râmachandra, a scion of the Yadu race and the abode of all arts, dispenses justice, and there a vernacular garb was prepared for the Gîtâ by Jñânadeva, the son of Nivṛittinâtha, sprung from the family of Maheśa."⁶⁰ The date of the completion of the work is given as Śaka 1212 or A. D. 1290, when we know Râmachandra was on the throne.

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⁶⁰ ऐसें युगीं परि कळौँ । आथि महाराष्ट्रमंडळीँ । श्रीगोदावरीच्या कूळीँ । दक्षिणिलीँ ॥ १ ॥ त्रिभुवनैकपवित्र । अनादि पंचक्रोशक्षेत्र । जेथ जगाचें जीवनसूत्र । श्रीमहालया असे ॥ २ ॥ तेथ यदुवंशविलास । जो सकलकळानिवास । न्यायातें पोषी क्षितीश । श्रीरामचंद्र ॥ ३ ॥ तेथ महेशान्वयसंभूतें । श्रीनिवृत्तिनाथसुतें । केलें ज्ञानदेवें गीते । देशीकार लेणें ॥ ४ ॥

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Râmachandra was the last of the independent Hindu sovereigns of the Dekkan. The Mussalmans had been firmly established at Delhi for about a century, and though they had not yet turned their attention to the Dekkan it was not possible they should refrain from doing so for a long time Alla-ud-dîn Khiljî, the nephew of the reigning king, who had been appointed governor of Karra, was a person of a bold and adventurous spirit In the year 1294 A D or Śaka 1216 he collected a small army of 8000 men and marched straight to the south till he reached Ellichpur, and then suddenly turning to the west appeared in a short time before Devagiri The king never expected such an attack and was consequently unprepared to resist it According to one account he was even absent from his capital He hastily collected about 4000 troops, and threw himself between the city and invading army But being aware he could not hold out for a long time, he took measures for provisioning the fort and retired into it The city was then taken by the Mahomedans and plundered, and the fort was closely invested Alla-ud-dîn had taken care to spread a report that his troops were but the advanced guard of the army of the king which was on its way to the Dekkan Râmachandra, therefore, despairing of a successful resistance, began to treat for peace Alla-ud-dîn, who was conscious of his own weakness, received his proposals with gladness and agreed to raise the siege and retire on condition of receiving from the king a large quantity of gold In the meantime, Râmachandra's son Śaṁkara collected a large army and was marching to the relief of the fort, when Alla-ud-dîn left about a thousand men to continue the siege and proceeded [119] with the rest to a short distance from the town and gave battle to Śaṁkara's forces The Hindus were numerically superior and forced the Mahomedans to fall back, but the detachment left to observe the movements of the garrison joined them at this time, and Śaṁkara's followers thinking it to be the main army that was on its way from Delhi were seized with a panic, and a confusion ensued which resulted in the complete defeat of the Hindus

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Râmachandra or Râmadeva then continued the negotiations, but Alla-ud din raised his demands The Hindu king's allies were preparing to march to his assistance, but in the meanwhile Râmachandra discovered that the sacks of grain that had been hastily thrown into the fort really contained salt, and since the provisions had been well nigh exhausted he was anxious to hasten the conclusion of peace It was therefore agreed that he should pay to Alla-ud-din "600 maunds of pearls, two of jewels, 1000 of silver, 4000 pieces of silk, and other precious things," cede Ellichpur and its dependencies, and send an annual tribute to Delhi On the receipt of the valuable treasure given to him by the Devagiri prince Alla ud-din retired

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Some time after, Alla-ud-dın assassinated his aged uncle and usurped the throne King Râmachandra did not send the tribute for several years, and to punish him the Delhi monarch despatched an expedition of 30,000 horse under the command of Malık Kafur, a slave who had risen high in his favour Malik Kafur accomplished the long and difficult march "over stones and hills without drawing rein," and arrived at Devagiri in March 1307 A D, or about end of Saka 1228 A fight ensued in which the Hindus were defeated and Râmadeva was taken prisoner ⁶¹ According to another account, Malık Kafur came laying waste the country about Devagiri, and the Hindu king observing the futility of resistance surrendered himself. Râmachandra was sent to Delhi, where he was detained for six months and afterwards released with all honour. Thenceforward he sent the tribute regularly and remained faithful to the Mahomedans. In S'aka 1231 or A. D. 1309, Malik Kafur was again sent to the Dekkan to subdue Tailangaṇa. On the way he stopped at Devagiri, where he was hospitably entertained by the king.

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⁶¹ Elliot's History of India, Vol III, p 77

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Râmadeva died this year and was succeeded by his son S'amkara. He discontinued sending the annual tribute to Delhi and Malik Kafur was again sent to the Dekkan in S'aka 1234 or A D. 1312 to reduce him to submission. He put S'amkara to death, laid waste his kingdom, and fixed his residence at Devagiri.

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In the latter years of Alla-ud-din his nobles, disgusted with the overwhelming influence which Malik Kafur had acquired over him, revolted. In the meantime Alla-ud-din died and was succeeded by his third son Mubarik. The opportunity was seized [120] by Harapâla, the son-in-law of Râmachandra, who raised an insurrection and drove away some of the Mahomedan governors. In 1240 S'aka or A D 1318 Mubarik marched to the Dekkan in person to suppress the revolt. He took Harapâla prisoner and inhumanly flayed him alive.

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Thus ended the last Hindu or Marâṭhâ monarchy of the Dekkan, and the country became a province of the Mahomedan empire.

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Mallugi
|
1 Bhillama
(Śaka 1109-1113 or A D 1187-1191)
|
2 Jaitrapâla or Jaitugi
(Śaka 1113-1132 or A D 1191-1210)
|
3 Singhaṇa
(Śaka 1132-1169 or A D 1210-1247)
|
Jaitrapâla or Jaitugi
┌─────────────────────────┴─────────────────────────┐
4 Kṛishṇa, Kanhâra or Kandhâra 5 Mahâdeva
(Śaka 1169-1182 or A D 1247-1260) (Śaka 1182-1193 or A D 1260-1271)
| |
6 Râmachandra or Râmadeva Âmaṇa
(Śaka 1193-1231 or A D 1271-1309)
|
7 Śaṁkara (Śaka 1231-1234 or A D 1309-1312)
|
Brother-in-law, Harapâla, killed in Śaka 1240 or A D 1318

Linked texts (25)