History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v1.c16.10

v1.c16.10

This inscription then gives us the names of kings, the length of the reign of each, his relation to the predecessor and the fact wherever the succession was violent. But unfortunately we have no other materials to co-ordinate a detailed consecutive history. Dr. Fleet has by the aid of other Eastern Chālukya grants made out a detailed story of this line and has also tried to fix the dates of the reigns of each king for which antiquarians will certainly be grateful to him (see his articles in Indian Antiquary Vol. XX). But there are certain facts even unexplained by him and we shall try to solve these difficulties. Now the first difficulty is about the succession of Kokkili No. 7. He was a younger son and yet he succeeded his eldest brother before his elder brother. After six months of possession he was set aside by this elder brother Vishnuvardhana who thereafter had a long reign of 37 years. What was the probable story of this apparent usurpation of Kokkili? We have already made a guess and it seems to be the proper one. Supposing that Vishnuvardhana the founder came to the throne in 605 A. D. we have for the end of the reign of Kokkili's eldest brother Jayasinha A. D. 703 (Vishnu 18 + Jay 33 + Vishnu 9 + Mangi 25 + Jayasinha 13 = 98 years). Now it is probable that the world-conquering expedition of Lalitāditya of Kashmir happened at this time. Jayasinha had just died or was killed in battle. His full brother must have fled owing to his dissentions with his step-mother and as stated in Kashmir chronicles that step-mother a Ratta lady offered submission to Lalitāditya. When Lalitāditya went away as usual, returning the subject kingdom to its owner, Kokkili the youngest brother was crowned king in the absence of his elder brother and proper claimant. He (Vishṇuvardhana) however returned, forcibly ejected his younger brother and seized the throne which was his due. (Kokkili is said plainly to be half brother of Jayasiṅha and Vishṇuvardhana may have been Jayasiṅha’s full brother. There was thus the enmity of step relation too see S. I. Ind. Vol. I page 41). If we place the founder Vishṇuvardhana’s reign in 615 A. D this Vishṇuvardhana’s reign and Jayasiṅha’s death would fall in 713 A. D. Lalitāditya’s whole digvijaya ended before 712 A. D. the date of the conquest of Sind by the Arabs as we have stated in Kashmir history. This may at first sight make the story of Lalitāditya’s coming to the south improbable. But as there is only a difference of a few years we hold that Vishṇuvardhana the founder’s reign may well be placed in 605 A. D. According to Dr. Fleet who takes Vishṇuvardhana the founder’s rule to begin in 615 A. D. Kokkili came to the throne in 709 A.D. (For he takes for Jayasiṅha 30 years). And this date 709 A. D. also fits in with Lalitāditya’s conquest of the south.*