Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency, Vol. I, Part I: History of Gujarat c8.11

c8.11

Indra was succeeded by his son Karka I. who is also called Suvarṇavarṣa and Pātālamalla. Karka reversed his father's policy and loyally accepted the overlordship of the main Rāṣṭrakūṭas. Three grants of Karka's remain, the Baroda grant dated Śaka 734 (A.D. 812), and two unpublished grants from Navsārī and Surat dated respectively Śaka 738 (A.D. 816), and Śaka 743 (A.D. 821). Among Doctor Bhagvānlāl's collection of inscriptions bequeathed to the British Museum the Baroda grant says that Karka's svāmi or lord, apparently Govinda III. made use of Karka's arm to protect the king of Mālava against invasion by the king of Gurjjara who had become puffed up by conquering the lords of Gauḍa and Vaṅga that is modern Bengal. This powerful Gurjjara king who conquered countries so distant as Bengal has not been identified. He must have been ruling north of the Mahī and threatened an invasion of Mālwa by way of Dohad. He may have been either a Valabhī king or one of the Bhinmāl Gurjjaras, who, during the decline of the Valabhīs, and with the help of their allies the Chāvaḍās of Aṇahilavāḍa whose leader at this time was Yog Rāja (A.D. 806-841), may have extended their dominion as far south as the Mahī. As the Baroda plate (A.D. 812) makes no mention of Amoghavarṣa-Sarvva while the Navsārī plate (A.D. 816) mentions him as the next king after Govinda III. it follows that Govinda III. died and Amoghavarṣa succeeded between A.D. 812 and 816 (S. 734 and 738). This supports Mr. Fleet's conclusion, on the authority of Amoghavarṣa's own inscription, that he came to the throne in Śaka 736 (A.D. 814). At first Amoghavarṣa was unable to make head against the opposition of some of his relations and feudatories, supported, as noted above, by Karka's father Indra. He seems to have owed his A.D. 795 was superseded by his powerful younger brother Dhruva.