History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v1.c14.s6.32

v1.c14.s6.32

This tradition is given in the grants of the Eastern Chālukyas of Vengi. The legend given by Bilhaṇa in the Vikramānkadevacharita in the time of the later Chālukyas we may at once set aside as absurd and imaginary. Bilhaṇa poetically changes the name Chālukya into Chaulukya and says that the first progenitor was born from the chuluka or handful of Brahmā who, as he was giving water-oblations, was approached by Indra and requested to create a warrior to punish irreligious men in the Kali age. The Eastern Chālukya tradition is not poetical but is genealogical and as mentioned in their inscriptions is as follows. (See e. g. Ranastute grant of Vimalāditya No. 36 p. 357 Ep. Ind. Vol VI). First we have the genealogy of the whole lunar vamśa given from the moon through the Pandavas down to Udayana (we will discuss this genealogy in a note) and then we are told:— "After 59 kings (Chakravartis) in unbroken line had ruled in Ayodhya, a descendant by name Vijayāditya came to the south with a desire to conquer the Deccan. He had a fight with Trilochana Pallava and was killed in battle. His queen being pregnant was received by one Viṣṇubhatta Somayāji in a Brahmin Agrahāra. There she gave birth to a prince named Viṣṇuvardhana. The priest performed all the ceremonies necessary on the birth of a Kshatriya of the मानव्यगोत्र and हारितीपुत्र* This prince having learnt everything of his family, performed austerities on the chalukya mountain and having propitiated the goddess Gauri and Kumāra and Nārāyaṇa got through their favour white umbrella, Eka-Śankha, the five great Śabda, Pāliketana, Pratidhakkā, Varāha Lānchhana, Panchakānta Sinhāsana, Makara Toraṇa, Kanakadanda and Gaṅgā Yamunā and other signs of royalty of his family and having conquered Kadamba, Ganga and others ruled the whole of Dakshiṇā-patha, from Setu to the Nerbudda, of 7½ lakhs. Vijayāditya was born of this Viṣṇuvardhana king from a Pallava princess His son was Bollakeshi Vallabha. His son was Kirtivarman.” Here curiously enough the newly added portion ends and the grant begins again with the traditional beginning of Chālukya grants स्वस्तिश्रीमतां सकलभुवन-संस्तूयमान-मानव्यसगोत्राणां etc. to सत्याश्रयवल्लभस्य भ्राता कुब्जविष्णुवर्धनोऽष्टदषावर्षाणि वेङ्गोदेशमपालयत् । Now in this added part at the beginning, the only credible part appears to be that Vijayāditya came from Ayodhyā after 59 generations from Udayana. If Udayana be placed in 600 B. C. we have 59 generations or 1180 years after him, thus assigning Vijayāditya to about 580 A. D. This is late by about a hundred years. Of course the average of 20 years for a king, over 59 generations cannot give us an exact date and hence we may say that Vijayāditya’s coming to the Deccan is probable.