The Dynasties of the Kanarese Districts of the Bombay Presidency from the Earliest Historical Times to the Musalman Conquest c8.s18.144

c8.s18.144

⁹ It has been suggested by Mr. K. B. Pathak (Ind. Ant. Vol. XIV. p. 14) that these chieftains assumed the name of Ratta, simply because they professed to be descendants of Krishna III. And in support of this it might be urged that a record of A.D. 980 speaks of Prithvirama's grandson Santivarman as "a sun to the water-lily that was the Baisa (or Chaisa) lineage" (Jour. Bo. Br. R. As. Soc. Vol. X. p. 208), if we assume the reference to be to the water-lily that flowers by day, the meaning would be that Santivarman belonged to that lineage. But the claim to be actually descended from Krishna III. has not been traced back to an earlier date than A.D. 1218. The opening passage of the record of A.D. 980 distinctly describes Santivarman and his ancestors as Rattas. The reference to the Baisa or Chaisa lineage may be equally well understood as denoting the water-lily that flowers by night; the meaning then being that Santivarman overthrew some member of that family. And I can really see no objection to believing that these chieftains did belong to the Reddi tribe or caste. In fact, this assumption furnishes the most obvious reason for Krishna III. bringing them to the front.