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The Indian Analyst
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North Indian Inscriptions |
SUPPLEMENTARY INSCRIPTIONS The enemy who was vanquished by Jagaddēva by killing the warriors of his army is not mentioned in the record, but he can be no other than the Hoysaḷa Ballāla I, who probably ruled conjointy with his brother Vishṇuvardhana. Jagaddēva’s conflict with the Hoysaḷa king is mentioned in the Jaināḍ inscription, which states that he slaughtered the enemies at Dorasamudra, as already seen, while editing the inscription. We know that Ballāla’s grandfather, Vinayāditya recognised the sovereignty of the Chālukyas from 1078 A.C., and he was faithful to his overlord till his death in c. 1100 A.C., also siding him in some of his battles. But Ballāla or Vīra Ballāla as he was also known, was an ambitions and adventurous prince, and he appears to have made an attempt to declare his independence, by making aggressive activities against some of the feudatories of the Chālukyas and also by aggrandising himself against his neighbours. From one of his inscriptions we learn that he, along with Vishṇuvardhana, put down the Pāṇḍyas of Nolambavāḍī and seized their wealth.[1] This account is supported by another inscription dated in 1116 A.C., which tells us that Vishṇuvardhana fell upon the Pāṇḍyas, from whom he captured the fortress of Uchchhaṅgī.[2] Vikramāditya, however, could not tolerate this sort of overbearingness on the part of his own subordinate, but since he was fully occupied with the Chōla affairs in the east,[3] he appears to have sent a punitive expedition against Ballāla, under his loyal subordinate Jagaddēva with a strong force of the Chālukyas, led by his general Kālidāsa, which on the occasion, was also joined by the army of the Pāṇḍyas, who had a special grudge against the Hoysaḷa king.
In the conflict that ensued, the armies of the Chālukyas and the Pāṇḍyas left the field, but Jagaddēva, all alone, killed the soldiers of the enemy and came out victorious, as we learn from the present inscription. That the Chālukya emperor was then fully occupied with Chōla affair in the east is shown by the expression Bhanau pūrvvādri-sānau, the significance of which can hardly he missed, as already seen above. The struggle between Jagaddēva and Ballāla appears to have taken place after the latter ascended the throne in 1100 A.C.[4] and in the very intial years of his reign.[5] Jagaddēva’s success against the Hoysaḷas has also been discussed above.[6] But this does not seem to have been the only phase of the battle, which may have continued even thereafter, as we have know from some of the Hoysaḷa records which also claim victory of Ballāla over Chālukyan army.[7] It also appears possible that these conflicting references may not be taken to allude to one and the same contest. The geographical names appearing in the inscription have already been identified above
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