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History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v1.c14.s7: The Flight of Vijayāditya

History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v1.c14.s7

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The Flight of Vijayāditya

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The line of the Western Chālukyas of Bādāmi does not appear to have been completely extinguished with Vikramāditya II's son Kirtivarman II. We have a very detailed and important grant of the latter (Vakkaleri grant published in Ind. Ant. Vol VIII. p. 23) which shows the kingdom still surviving and reigning over a large territory. This grant is dated in Śaka 679 and in the 11th year of Kirtivarma II's reign. Thus it is clear that he came to the throne in 668 Śaka or 746 or 747 A. D. and this is the year of the end of the reign of Vikramāditya II. It may therefore be taken as certain that it was not Vikramāditya II who was overthrown by the Rāshtrakūtas but his son Kirtivarma II. Vikramāditya II appears to have been a valiant king and can scarcely be believed to have been so unfortunate. If this grant is believed and we do not see why it should not be, we have a consistent and detailed account of the whole Chālukya family of Bādāmi. The grant begins with the usual formula of Chālukya grants (मानव्यसगोत्राणां etc.) and mentions first Pulakeśin I Prithvīvallabha. His great praise is that he performed the Aśvamedha. His son is next mentioned as Kirtivarman I and his chief exploit is given as the conquest of Banavāsi. His son was Pulakeśin II whose defeating Harsha of Kanauj gave him the title of Parameśvara and obtained for him high renown. His son Vikramāditya I is mentioned as riding on his favourite horse Chitra-Kantha conquering Chola, Kerala, Pāndya, Kalabhra kings and humbling the Pallava who had thus bowed to none, adding the title Bhattāraka. Then his son Vinayāditya I is noticed who even as Yuvarāja conquered and made tributaries Kuvera, Pārasika, and Sinhala Dvīpa and who conquering the lord of the north acquired Pālidhvaja and other emblems of an emperor. Then follows Vijayāditya who even in his grandfather's time conquered many chiefs of the south and who assisted his father in his conflict with the kings of the north and obtained for him emblems of empire such as Gangā Yamunā, Pāliddhvaja and Dhakkā as also Mānikya and Matangaja. And here we have a mention of a every interesting incident in the life of Vijayāditya. The words here are not properly translated and the importance of the story is lost. The words are परैः पलायमानैरासाद्य कथमपि विधिवशादपनीतो प्रतापादेव विषयकोपं अराजकमुत्सारयन् वत्सराज इवानपेक्षितपरसहायकस्तद्वग्रहनिर्गंत्य स्वभुजावष्टम्भपरसाधिताशेषाविश्वंभरः This clearly shows that he was seized by his enemies though they had been put to flight, by some bad stroke of fortune and was confined but that like the famous Vatsarāja of the Kathāsaritsāgara (who escaped from Ujjain by a stratagem of his minister) he managed to escape from his confinement and prevented the distress of his country caused by there being no king.

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It is to be regretted that we have no detailed account anywhere of this wonderful escapade like the account of the abovementioned Vatsarāja or the account given by Kalhana of the escape of Jayāpīda of Kashmir who later than Vijayāditya fell into a similar misfortune in Nepal. Where, when, and by whom he was confined we do not know, nor how he escaped. We have above recorded our guess that this event must have happened about the time of the Digvijaya of Lalitāditya into the south i. e. about 700 to 710 A. D. To proceed, however, the grant lastly refers to the greatness of his son Vikramāditya II who carrying out a long family enmity made a vigorous attempt to conquer Kāñchi, defeated the Pallava Nandipotavarman, entered Kāñchi, propitiated the Brahmins there by genrous gifts, placed heaps of gold before the Rājasinheśvara idol in the great temple built by Narasinhavarman and defeated the traditional Pāndya, Chola, Kerala, Kalabhra kings of the south, even going further and raising a Jayastambha on the southern most sea-coast. His son the donor Kīrtivarman's exploit is related as having set out to conquer the family enemy the king of Kāñchi who unable to withstand him in the plains took refuge in a stronghold he brought back many elephants and gems as booty. He gave a village while encamped on the banks of the Bhīmarathi ( Bhīma ) to a learned Brahmin in the Pannagala vishaya ( not identified ). This grant thus is interesting and gives the principal event in each reign of the Chālukya line. As no later grants of his are found we may surmise that the line ended with Kīrtivarman II, to revive again after two centuries under the later Chālukyas.

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