The Dynasties of the Kanarese Districts of the Bombay Presidency from the Earliest Historical Times to the Musalman Conquest c8.s16.68

Language: English

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Ghauts), broken the power of Irumgoḷa, made Taḷavanapura (i.e. Taḷakâḍ) his own, accepted (by surrender) the Koṅkoṅa country, made Noḷambavâḍi dependent on him, accepted the town of Kôḷâlapura, uprooted Kôvatûr (this, with Kôyatûr, which occurs elsewhere, is probably a shorter form of Kôyimuttûr, i.e. ‘Coimbatore’), shaken the foundations of Tereyûr, passed over Vallûr, caused the town of Kâñchî to tremble, and punished the Malapas. A record of A. D. 1123¹ states that he had subjugated the Gaṅgavâḍi province by reducing fortresses of the three kinds,—on the plains, on hills, and surrounded by water,—at Taḷakâḍ, Nîlagiri, Koṅgu, Naṅgali, Kôḷâla, Tereyûr, Kôyatûr, Koṅgali, Uchchaṅgî, Taleyûr, Pombuchcha, Vandhâsurachauka, and Baleyapaṭṭaṇa.² A record of A. D. 1131³ claims that he was the sole preserver of the rule of Paṭṭi-Perumâḷa; that he burnt up Chakragoṭṭa; that he was like a fierce forest-fire to the territory of the Toṇḍa chieftains (i.e. the Pallavas); that he took Hânumgal; that he slew the Koṅgas; that he drove out Heñjeru; that he plundered Sâvimale; that he laid waste the ghauts; that he dragged (as captives) the Tuḷuvas; that he was a terror to Gôyindavâḍi;⁴ that he pillaged Râyarâyapura, i.e.

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Taḷakâḍ, so renamed after the Chôḷa king Râjarâja;⁵ and that he made the Gaṅgavâḍi ninety-six-thousand, obedient to his commands as far as Lokkiguṇḍi, which is Lakkuṇḍi near Gadag, in the Dhârwâr District.⁶ Another record⁷ claims that he acquired the whole of the Maḷe and Tuḷu countries; that Kumâranâḍu as well as Taḷakâḍ, fell into his hands on his merely making preparations to march against them; that Kâñchî obeyed his commands; that the Koṅga kings gave up their elephants to him; that he destroyed the pride of the Chôḷa, Pâṇḍya, and Kêraḷa kings, and slew the Andhra king; that, like a gale, he dispersed the clouds which were the Lâṭa and Varâṭa kings;⁸ that he was like a forest fire to the Kadamba heroes; that he was the lord of Gaṇḍagiri; and that he was like a gale to the cloud which was Jayakêśin (the second of that name in the family of the Kâḍambas of Goa): and it enumerates the provinces and districts which he had seized, as Taḷakâḍ, Koṅgu, Naṅgali, Gangayâḍi, Noḷambavâḍi, Mâsavâḍi, Huligere, Halasige, Banavâsi, and Hânumgal. Another record¹ adds, to the list of his conquests, Singamale, Rodda, Kollagiri,² Ballare, Polalu (probably Holal in the Bellâry District), Baṅkâpur (in Dhârwâr), Râjêndrapura, the Bayalu *nâḍ*, and the Belvola country, with Lokkiguṇḍi, as far as the river Kṛishṇa. And the Sindigere inscription of A. D.

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1137³ further claims that he squeezed, as if he held it in his hand, the southern Madhurapura, and that, by means of his general, he burnt Jananâthapura, *i.e.* Mâyilaṅgai, the modern Mâliṅgi, opposite Talakâḍ, on the other side of the river.⁴ A later record, of A. D. 1159-60,⁵ states that, with the dust of his army of foot-soldiers, he made muddy the waters of the Malaprahâriṇî, which is the modern Malaprabhâ or Malparbhâ, flowing through the south of the Belgaum District and along the north of the Nawaḷgund and Rôṇ tâlukas of Dhârwâr; and that, from east to west, he acquired by his sword the whole of the territory that was bounded on the north by the Kṛishṇaveṇî, *i.e.* the Kṛishṇa, into which the Malparbhâ flows at Kapila-Saṅgam in the Bijâpur District. And another later record, of A. D. 1192,⁶ says much the same thing, in stating that he invaded all the territory from his own abode up to the Belvola country, and washed his horse in the Kṛishṇaveṇâ; and it adds that, recognising that, among all princes, the Hoysala was the most impracticable to deal with, Permâḍi, *i.e.* the Western Châlukya king Vikramâditya VI., treated Vishṇuvardhana with just the same respectful behaviour which Vishṇuvardhana displayed towards himself. When he thus carried his arms as far as the Kṛishṇa, he seems to have been in conflict, not so much with Vikramâditya VI. himself, who is recognised in the records as his paramount sovereign, as with the Sinda feudatories of the Western Châlukya king.

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And, though he may really have penetrated as far as the Kṛishṇa, still his expedition does not seem to have been quite as successful as the records of his own family claim: for, the Sinda records maintain that, at the request or command of Vikramâditya VI., Achugi II. pursued and prevailed against the Hoysalas; and also that Permâḍi I. went to the mountain passes of the “marauder” Biṭṭiga,—besieged Dôrasamudra,—pursued him till he arrived at and took his city of Bêḷupura,—drove him on further to the mountain pass of Vâhaḍi,—and thus seized upon his royal power.⁷ Some of the successes attributed to Vishṇuvardhana are undoubtedly fictitious or hyperbolical: for instance, it is impossible,—unless he may have been employed, on distant expeditions, as a general of Vikramâditya VI.,—that he can have had anything to do with Chakragotta, in Mâlwa, and with the Lâṭa province in Gujarât; it is not likely that he ever really went as far to the east