The Dynastic History of Northern India (Early Mediaeval Period) v1.c17.s5.113

v1.c17.s5.113

This inscription supplies a list of the victories of Vanapati who appears to have been the Commander-in-chief of Rājarāja. We are told that he became in battle "a conflagration to the great forest (which was) the army of the Coḍa king." He also completely burnt "the trees which were the commanders of the troops of elephant and horses of the Utkala," and took away the whole property of the Veṅgi king by frequently defeating him in battle. Daddārṇava was sent by him "to Yama as an envoy to report his conquest of the whole world."² In the Telugu portion of the record we are told that he "defeated in battle the kings of the Veṅgi country, Kimiḍi Kosala, the Gidrisiṅgi country, and Oḍḍa country."³ The victory of Rājarāja over the Coḷas and the Eastern Cāḷukyas (Veṅgi) is also referred to by a Vizagapatam grant (S.1040) of Coḍagaṅga. We are told by this grant that Rājarāja "first became the husband of the goddess of victory in battle with the Dramilas, and then wedded Rājasundarī, the daughter of the Coḍa king, and when Vijayāditya,⁴ beginning to grow old, left Veṅgi, as if he were a sun leaving the sky and was about to sink in the great ocean of the Coḍas, he, Rājarāja, the refuge of the distressed, caused him to enjoy prosperity for a long time in the western regions."⁵ The Coḷa king referred to above is probably to be identified with Vīra-Rājendra⁶ (*c.* 1062-72 A.D.), who is reported to have invaded Kaliṅga, no doubt in an attempt to recover the lost hegemony of his family over that region. Three other grants of Coḍagaṅga distinctly state that Rājasundarī was the daughter of Rājendra Coḷa.¹ The Utkala (or Oḍḍa) ruler was probably one of the later Karas of Tosalī, while the ruler of Kosala was possibly a scion of the Somavaṁśīs of that country. Kimiḍī appears to be identical with the Zamindari of that name in the Ganjam district. I am unable to identify either Daddārṇava or the Giḍrisingi.