History of Kanauj to the Moslem Conquest c9.s1.t9.8

c9.s1.t9.8

Unhappily the data for the history of the period are very scanty, and this makes it difficult for us to identify the kings over whom Iśānavarman is recorded to have achieved victories. It is not clear who is signified here by the tile of “lord of the Andhras.” The old Andhra empire had crumbled to pieces long ago, and the country had been partitioned among three or more dynasties (see Prof. K. R. Subramanian’s *History of Andhra between 225 to 610 A. D.*). The Viṣṇukuṇḍins were the dominant power in the sixth century A. D., and so Iśānavarman’s Andhra opponent must have belonged to this family. It appears probable that he was either Indravarman or Vikramendravarman, but until their chronological position is more definitely established the identification cannot be regarded as beyond doubt. Dr. H. C. Raychaudhuri, however, thinks that the Andhra king probably was Mādhavavarman II of the Viṣṇukuṇḍin family,² who “shortly before the invasion of Pulakeśi II ...crossed the river Godāvarī with the desire to conquer the eastern region.”³ Whoever he might be, it appears certain that he was particularly active about this time, since the Jaunpur inscription also records warlike relations between the Maukharis and the ndhras during the reign of Īśvaravarman, and it is possible that both the father and the son had to fight against the same Andhra king. Nor are we in a better position to identify the Sūlikas and locate them correctly. Possibly they are identical with the Saulikas of the Bṛhatsaṃhitā (xiv, 8) and the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa, and are to be located in the south-east, near Kalinga, Vidarbha, and Cedi.¹ But Mr. B. C. Mazumdar makes the suggestion that the Sūlikas lived on the sea-coast near the modern district of Midnapore (Bengal).² According to Dr. H. C. Raychaudhuri, on the other hand, they are to be identified with the Cālukyas. He argues that "Sūlika may be another dialectic variant"³ since in the Mahākūṭa pillar inscription⁴ the name appears as "Calikya," and in the Gujarat records we find the forms Solaki and Solanki.⁵ The Mahākūṭa pillar inscription further informs us that about this time the Cālukyas were extending their power on all sides, and one of their kings Kirtivarman I, claims to have made conquests in Aṅga, Vaṅga, Magadha, Madraka, and Kaliṅga, etc.¹ Probably in their northward progress they came into conflict with Iśānavarman, and suffered a defeat at his hands.