The Early History of the Deccan (Parts I–XI) v2.c15.s2.t4.48

v2.c15.s2.t4.48

Ambadēva seems to have come very early in his career into conflict with the Kākatīya feudatories who owed allegiance to the queen. The first enemy whom he vanquished, according to the Tripurāntakam epigraph mentioned above, was a chief named Śrīpati Gaṇapati who bore the title Rāya-sahasramalla. From the fact that he is spoken of as ‘Gurindāla-Gaṇādhipa’ in Ambadēva’s Nilagaṅgavaram inscription,¹ it may be surmised that he was the ruler of Gurindāla, that is Gurijāla in the Palnad tāluk of the Guntur district. This is confirmed by the evidence of another inscription at Mutukūr in the neighbourhood of Gurijāla dated Ś. 1190 Vibhava (A.D. 1268) in which it is stated that Śrīpati Gaṇapati was then ruling at Gurindāla, obviously as a vassal of Rudradēva Mahārāja (Rudrāmbā); for according to another inscription engraved on the same stone on the same day, the local Vira Balañja community had at the same time made a gift to a temple in the village on behalf of the queen.² Evidently Queen Rudrāmbā and Śrīpati Gaṇapati were both ruling over the district at the former as sovereign lady and the latter as her vassal. The title (Rāya)sahasramalla which Śrīpati Gaṇapati bore throws light on the past history of this leader. It would appear to have appertained originally to a certain Mahādēvarāja who was ruling over a part of Palnāḍu in Ś. 1170 Kīlaka (A.D. 1258).³ The designation of Rāya-daṇḍādhipati which he bore in addition to the title sahasramalla seems to show that he had once held a command in the royal army under Gaṇapati. Mahādēvarāja was probably one of the recalcitrant Kākatīya nobles who had opposed Rudramadēvī’s coronation. It is not unlikely that Śrīpati Gaṇapati, who was loyal to the queen, took up her cause and attacked and defeated him, and that he then appropriated his enemy’s title as well as his estate. The circumstances in which he came into conflict with Ambadēva are not known. But he was certainly worsted in the battle which took place in A.D. 1273 and Ambadēva then seized his possessions and appropriated his title as a token of his own victory.⁴ Ambadēva’s victory over Śrīpati Gaṇapati led of course to his conflict with the Kākatīya queen. She seems to have sent a powerful army against him and to have made an unsuccessful attempt to put down his rebellion; for the seventy-five princes whose heads he claims to have cut off in battle are without doubt the seventy-five nāyaks in her service. It must not, however, be supposed that Ambadēva was actually involved in a fight with all the seventy-five nāyaks whom he is said to have put to death by cutting off their heads.