Mysore and Coorg from the Inscriptions c9.s8: 8. Pāṇḍyas
Mysore and Coorg from the Inscriptions c9.s8
- Language
- English
8. Pāṇḍyas
c9.s8.1
The Pāṇḍyas of Uchchangi were an interesting and important family. They were Yādavas, of the Lunar race, and ruled originally over Hayve, one of the Seven Konkaṇas, with their capital at Sisugali. The Pāṇḍya king in 1113 claims to be lord of Gōkarṇa-pura, and protector of the Konkaṇa-rāshṭra (Sk 99). On the conquest of the Seven Konkaṇas by the Western Chālukya prince Jayasimha, the Pāṇḍyas became identified with Uchchangi (a celebrated hill-fort on the northern border of Mysore, in the south-west of the Bellary District), which became the seat of government for the Nolambavāḍi Thirty-two Thousand (the Chitaldroog District). The origin of the family is traced in Dg 41 to Mangaya or Āditya-Dēva, from whom sprang Pāṇḍya, whose son was Chēdi-Rāja, so called from his subduing the Chēdi kings.¹ Though king over the whole circle of the earth, he was permanently partial (says Dg 39) to the Pāṇḍya country, and so became famous by the name of Pāṇḍya. The blows from his bracelets had resounded on the conch-shell on the top of Paurandara’s head, and his fish-crest was set up on great rocks on the chief mountains.² His son was Palanta, who secured their kingdoms to both the Chālukya and Chōla kings. The general distinctive titles of the Pāṇḍyas are: mahā- maṇḍalēśvara, lord of Kāñchī-pura,¹ champion in cutting on both sides (*parichchēdi-gaṇḍa*²), defeater of the designs of Rājiga-Chōla.³
c9.s8.2
¹ Chēdi is Bandelkhand. The Kalachuryas were rulers of Chēdi.
c9.s8.3
² The fish-crest was the emblem of the Pāṇḍyas of Madura in the south.
c9.s8.4
¹ Apparently adopted in consequence of their defeat of the Chōlas.
c9.s8.5
² Perhaps a covert allusion to the defeat of the Chēdi kings.
c9.s8.6
³ Rājendra-Chōla II, afterwards known as Kulōttunga-Chōla I.
c9.s8.7
Tribhuvanamalla-Pāṇḍya, whose name seems to have been Irukkavēla (Dg 39), was ruling the Nolambavāḍi province under the Chālukya king Tribhuvanamalla in (?) 1083 (Ci 33). In 1101 he was also in charge of the Ballakunde Three Hundred (Dg 151, 128). His residence was at Beltūr (Bettūr, close to Dāvangere on the north-east). He is said (Dg 139, 90) to be the rod in Tribhuvanamalla’s right hand, and such was the emperor’s confidence in him (says Dg 3) that he was considered sufficient by himself to break the pride of Chōla, harass Āndhra, upset Kalinga, frighten and attack the Anga, Vanga, and Magadha kings, conquer Mālava, and trample on Gurjjara. By his valour he brought the whole earth encompassed by the four oceans into subjection to king Vikrama. Dg 155 shows him in 1124 ruling the Sāntalige Thousand and various agrahāras in Banavāsi-naḍ, as well as the Nolambavāḍi province, and controlling the *nidhi-nidhāna-nikshēpa* (apparently mines or banks and underground treasures), the *sahasra-daṇḍa* (the thousand force) and other affairs. He is here called Vīra-Noḷamba-Pallava-Permmānaḍi-Dēva’s younger brother. This was the Chālukya prince Jayasimha, who was the son of a Pallava mother. Whether Pāṇḍya was really related to him, or whether this is only a complimentary expression of their intimacy, is not clear. But it may be pointed out that his grandson is stated (Dg 41) to be ruling *kumāra-vrittiyinda*,? by his right as a prince. Both of them had married sisters of Vikramāditya (Dg 41).
c9.s8.8
With Dg 2 we come to Rāya-Pāṇḍya, who continued to rule Nolambavāḍi and Sāntalige from Beltūr. Dg 77 describes him as a confounder of the Chōla king, destroyer of Nēpāla, a warrior to Kalinga, uprooter of the unsubmissive Singala, Chyēndra, Singha, and Kaulūṭa kings. He had the sons Paṇḍita-Pāṇḍya, Vīra-Pāṇḍya, and Vijaya-Pāṇḍya or Kāma-Dēva. Paṇḍita-Pāṇḍya had for his preceptor the learned Madhusūdana (composer of Dg 41), but seems not to have come to the throne.
c9.s8.9
Vīra-Pāṇḍya ruled Nolambavāḍi from the Uchchangi fort. He it is who is said to be standing in the right of a prince, as remarked above. He subdued Male and gave it to the ornament of the Chālukyas (Dg 168). At the time of a solar eclipse in 1148 he made great gifts at the confluence of the Tuṅgabhadrā and Haridrā (Dg 41). There is little doubt that the grants claiming to be issued by the emperor Janamējaya at this spot, in connection with the sarpa-yāga or serpent sacrifice, emanated either from this prince or perhaps from his brother Vijaya-Pāṇḍya who succeeded him, and that they were modelled on the similar grant by the Chālukya prince Vīra-Noṇamba (Bn 142¹).
c9.s8.10
¹ See section on the Pāṇḍavas in vol. vii. Introd. p. 1.
c9.s8.11
Vijaya-Pāṇḍya comes before us in Dg 115. Down to 1184 he seems free from any overlord. This was the period when the Chālukya power was declining and the Kalachuryas were gaining the ascendancy. In token of his splendour, Dg 5 says that the points of his crown were formed of separate large sapphires, and his arms adorned with golden bracelets. He subdued in mere sport the Seven Koṅkaṇas, set up in the Kanaka mountain a pillar of victory with the fish-crest, had a treasury filled with pearls from the Tāmraparṇi, and had a pleasure-house among the sandal trees on the slopes of the Malaya mountain. The Chōlas, it would appear, made desperate efforts to conquer Uchchangi, but after besieging it for twelve years abandoned the enterprise as hopeless. The Hoysala king Ballāla II, however, now made the attempt and easily captured it. Kāma-Dēva threw himself on the king’s mercy and was restored to his throne. In Hk 4 and 56 we accordingly find the Pāṇḍya-nāḍ under the Hoysalas, who it says had thrashed the Pāṇḍya kings on the field of battle.