|
BOMBAY-KARNATAKA
INSCRIPTIONS
INTRODUCTION
The
Hoysalas
.
. . . . Of
the 18 inscriptions of this family sixteen belong to the reign of
Vira-Ballala II. The
remaining two which are wanting in details on account of their
damages state, have also to be assigned to this ruler, as no other
king of the family is known to have been in possession of this
northern area and left his records here.
A scrutiny of the epigraphs bearing dates in his regnal and
cyclic years shows that this king commenced his reckoning from
Virodhikrit or 1191-92 A.D. His inscriptions have been found in the
Mundargi, Gadag, Navalgund and Ron Taluks of the Dharwar District
and the Yalbargi Taluk of the Raichur district, indicating the
extent of his northern boundaries.
Vira-Ballala succeeded to his ancestral throne in 1173 A.D.
and his earlier records do nto allude to his reckoning.
In an inscription at Kaulur in the Koppal Taluk of the
Raichur District, dated 1179 A.D., he is introduced
as a subordinate of Kalachuri Sankama and styled Mahamandalesvara.
So it becomes clear that the above commencement of his regnal
reckoning marks his conquest of the northern regions and assumption
of sovereignty. From
its allusions in the Gadag record (No.207) and other inscriptions,
Lokkigundi or modern Lakkundi attained prominence as a suitable
camping place of this king in the course of his military operations.
Fleet observed that the
Nagavi inscription citing his 21st year and dated October
23, 1211 A.D., was the last record of this king who, it was thought,
died soon after this date (Bomb.Gaz., Vol. I, Part II,
p.506). But we have a
subsequent record from Lakkundi
in our collection (No.221) mentioning his 22nd year and
dated April 15, 1212 A.D. Vira-Ballala, in fact, lived as late as
1220 A.D. and the absence of his records of dates later than 1212
A.D. in this region has to be attributed not to his demise, as Fleet
surmised, but to the aggressive campaigns of his powerful adversary,
Yadava Singhana, who must have repulsed the Hoysala forces and
pursued them as far south as the river Kaveri in the neighbourhood
of which his general Bichana is said to have set up a pillar of
victory (J.B.B.RA.S., Vol.XV, p.385).
No.218 from Hosur, dated 1207 A.D., introduces
Chikka-Narasingayya, described as the kingâs second son and Sarvadhikari.
Not much is known about the other son of Vira-Ballala and
it might be this Chikka-Narasingayya who succeeded to the Hoysala
throne after his father as Vira-Narasimha or Narsimha II.
The
Sindas
The
Sendrakas and the Sindas whose traditions differ in certain respects
appear to have belonged originally to a common stock, although it
has not been possible to trace a closer relationship between the
two. The Sindas figure
prominently more often in the epigraphic records of a comparatively
later date. But it is possible to show that the chiefs bearing these
cogomen flourished side by side in the early mediaeval period.
This is illustrated by a recently discovered inscription at
Kuknur, of the time of Vikramaditya I (655-80 A.D.) which mentions a
local chief by name Sindarasa as administering the tract (A. R.
Ep., 1955-56, Appendix B, No.212).
It may be noted here that Kuknur is about 10 miles from
Yalbargi or old Ebagadage where an important family of the Sinda
chiefs ruled during the 11th and the 12th
centuries. Another
Sindarasa administrating Panthipura or Hangal is met with in an
inscription of Kirtivarman II (circa 750 A.D.) From
Adur in the Dharwar District (Karnatak Inscriptions, Vol I,
No.3).
Various
branches of the sinda family were ruling in different parts of the
country. An early
branch was stationed at Bagadage which is modern Bagalkot.
An inscription at Bhairanmatti (No.3), after narrating the
legendary origin of this family, furnishes a historical account of
its later members. See Ep.Ind.,
Vol. III, pp 230 ff ; Bomb. Gaz., Vol. I, Part II,
pp.576-77.
The
Sindas of Erambarage of or Yalbargi
figure in a good number of inscriptions now published in this
volume. With the help
of some of these records,
briefly noticed before, as well as others, Fleet, Barnett and
Panchamukhi have tried to reconstruct the Ep.Ind., Vol.XIV,
pp.268 ff. and Vol. XX, pp.109, ff.
A few additional points relating to the family are discussed
here in brief.
Permadi,
son of Achugi II, had the title Jagadekamalla. Only three
inscriptions seem to indicate that they were issued while he was
ruling. But two of
these quote dates which do not suit him (S.I.I., Vol. XI,
Part II, Nos.119 and 155). So No.28 of 1144 A.D. from Kodikop in
this volume appears to be the only reliablecontemporary record of
this chief. Of the two
epigraphs from Nidagundi wherein, according to Panchamukhi, the
Sinda queen Siriyadevi is said to figure as the regent of her young
sons, Bijjala and Vikrama (Ep. Ind., Vol. XX, p.113), only
one inscription actually mentions the fact and this (No.117, B.K.
No.208 of 1926-27) is dated December 28, 1174 A.D.,
the two princes were fully invested with royal authority and
we find them ruling the chiefdom jointly.
Two inscriptions, one from Kanvi (No.121, and another from
Harti (No.120), bearing the identical date, October 22, 1173 A.D.,
introduce Vira-Bijjala as the ruling chief and refer to his 7th
regnal year. This would
show that his reign was counted from 1167 A.D. which falls in the
reign period of his father Chavunda.
It may be surmised from the foregoing evidence that
Vira-Bijjala, being the elder of the two brothers, was authorised to
associate himself with the administration during the life time of
his father and that the joint rule of the two brothers commenced
some time after December 28. 1171 A.D., The last date of the joint
rule of Vira-Bijjala and Vira-Vikrama as known from our records is circa
1187 A.D. (No.242).
|
The
Kadambas
The
Kadambas, like the Sindas, were an extensive family of minor enters
who are known to have been ruling from early times.
When Fleet drew up an account of this family, he could
distinguish only two among the later branches, viz., those of Hangal
and Goa (Bomb.Gaz., Vol I, Part II, 1896, pp.558 ff.).
Subsequently an attempt was made by George Moraes to identify
more branches of the family. See the Kadamba Kula, 1931. The existence of one more
family of the Kadamba stock in the erstwhile unexplored region of
the Raichur District was discovered by me in the course of
my tour in that area in 1954.
From the mention of Mudgal as the head-quarters of the
family, this branch may be called the âKadambas of Mudgalâ.
I have discussed elsewhere some facts about this family from
the available material and edited four inscriptions containing
allusions to its members.
In
the present volume only one branch of the Kadamba family, viz.,,
that of Goa, is represented by more than a dozen records.
Of the two inscriptions of Govala or Guvala,
both from Alnavar (Nos.225-26), one (No.225) dated 1081 A.D.,
states without reference to his suzerain Vikramaditya VI, that he
was governing the areas of Konkana Nine-hundred, Palasige
Twelve-thousand, Kundur Five-hundred, Kadaravalli Thirty,
Kavadidvipa One-lakh-and-a-quarter and other regions which must have
comprised an extensive territory.
The capital of this ruler at this time appears to have been
Anilapura or modern Alnavar.
For
the reign of Jayakesin
II, we have four records with dates ranging from 1125 to 1138 A.D.
But he seems to have been invested with royal authority much
earlier, right during the reign of his senior uncle Guvala and the
earliest inscription referring
to his rule is dated 1104 A.D. (S.I.I., Vol.XI, Part
II, Intro. p.III) It is interesting to note that, of the two
inscriptions, one from Mugad (S.I.I., Vol.XI, Part II,
No.177) and the other from Bhavihal (No.9 of this volume), bearing
the identical date, 25th December 1125 A.D., while the
former speaks of the governance of Guvala, the latter refers to that
of Jayakesin II, over the same provinces of Konkana Nine-hundred and
Palasige Twelve-thousand. Jayakesin
II isassociated with his queen Mailaladevi in all these records.
In No.16, from Madanbhavi, dated 1138 A.D., he is given the
title Konkana-chakravarti
and stated to have been ruling the kingdom with his crowned
queen Mailaladevi, Yuvaraja Permadi and prince Vijayaditya.
In this epigraph as well as in two more records (Nos.14 and
227) of this ruler, Bhoguru is mentioned as his capital.
There
are four records of Sivachitta-Permadi or Sivachitta Tribhuvanamalla.
No.228 from Amminbhavi bears an irregular date which seems to
correspond to 1149 A.D. It yields 1133 A.D. as the initial year of
his reign when his father Jayakesin II was still ruling.
In No. 229 from Siddhapur, dated 1158 A.D., this Permadi is
stated to have been governing the provinces of Palasige and Konkana
from Sampagadi in conjunction with prince Vijayaditya, the Yuvaraja
(of. Bomb.Gaz., Vol. I, Part II, p.569 f.). Another
inscription from Amminhavi (No.231) citing Sobhakrit, i.e., 1183-84
A.D., as the 18th year of his reign pushes forth its
commencement to so late as 1166-67 A.D., which is uncommon.
|
>
|
|
Jayakesin
III is known from two records.
No.233 from Mangudi quotes a series of dates in the reign of
this king and that of his son Vajradeva.
It is gathered from them that Jayakesin III began to rule by
1187-88 A.D. and that after a reign of 28 years he was succeeded by
his son Vajradeva in 1215 A.D.
The
Silaharas
This
is one more family of
subordinate chiefs who clourished in the mediaeval period and
spreading out in several branches, ruled in the western coastal
region and many areas of the Dekkan.
In his sketch of this family, Fleet had to confine himself
only to three of its branches, viz., one of the Sourthern Konkan,
another of the Northern Konkan and the third of Karad [Bomb.Gaz.,
Vol.I, Part II (1896), pp.505 ff.} But the sources at our
disposal now show that there were more families of the Silahara
stock. While editing
the Akkalkot inscription of Silahara Indarasa, I have dealt with tem
and demonstrated the existence of no less than seven branches of the
family (Ep. Ind., Vol. XXVIII, pp. 65 ff.).
A
family of the Silaharas had settled in the area of the Bijapur
District and extended its activities over parts of the adjoining
Districts of Sholapur and Gulbarga.
An inscription from Muttigi in this collection (No.35), dated
1147 A.D. in the reign of Chalukya Jagadekamala II, gives in its
supplement a brief description of the Silaharas residing in the
district of Tardavadi Thousand i.e. Bijapur area. Several members of
the family, who exercised the privilege of collecting dues from the
gift village as feudal lords, are specified in the epigraph.
They enjoyed the
familiar Silahara prasasti comprising the common epithets Suvarnagarudadhvaja,
Jimutavahananvayaprasuta and Searakulamalanmatanda. These
are followed by two more, Viz., Kopanapuravaradhisvara and Katyayaniladbdhavaraprasada,
that define the characteristic of the branch. A few more members of the silahara family of this area are
mentioned in a later inscription of the place, dated 1171 A.D.
(No.116).
The
Vijayanagara Kings
This
volume contains about 20 inscriptions of the Vijayanagara rulers
hailing from different areas. Many of these records may be noted with some interest, not so
much for their chronology or new facts as for their provenance.
Ever since the foundation of the Vijayanagara empire, its
rulers had to put up a grim fight against their Muslim rivals for
the possession of the territory north of the river Tungabhadra,
which changed hands frequently from one side to the other.
The findspots of the epigraphs located in this region,
examined with reference to the kings and dates mentioned in them
point to the subjugation of the tracts by the Vijayanagara rulers.
Thus
an inscription of Harihara II is found at Kalakappanagudda (No.245)
and another of the same ruler, dated 1379 A.D., at Abbigeri
(No.244), both in the Ron Taluk. Savadi and Gadgoli in the
same Taluk have each offered one inscription of Devaraya II and
Krishnadevaraya respectively (Nos.245 and 251). In the Gadag Taluk, there are three inscriptions, two of
Achyuta, dated 1539 A.D. AT Gadag (Nos.252-53) and one of Sadasiva
at Soratur (No.262). Inscriptions
of three successive reigns, viz., that of Krishnadevaraya (No.250),
dated 1529 A.D., Achyuta (No.254), dated 1539 AD. and Sadasiva
(Nos.256 and 250), dated 1547 A.D., are found in our villages of the
Navalgund Taluk. Amminbhavi
and Devara Hubballi in the Dharwar District.
The Vijyanagara penetration further north in the Bijapur
territory during the reigns of Achyuta and Sadasiva is evidenced by
the inscriptions at Anwal and Hebbali (Nos.255 and 259) in the
Badami Taluk and Kardi (No.261) in the Hungund Taluk of the Bijapur
District. The epigraphs
at Hebbali and Kardi are dated 1547 and 1553 A.D. respectively in
the reign of Sadasiva.
The
Muslim Rulers
Two
versions of the same record, one in Kannada and another in Marathi,
dated 1526 A.D. in the reign of the Bijapur Sultan Ibrahim Adilshah,
are found at Bilgi (Nos.263-64).
Muhammad Shah, a
later member of the same family, figures in an inscription at
Annigeri, dated 1646 A.D. (No.268), which introduces Ranadulla Khan
as his agent. It is
interesting to note that the Sultan is described as Maharaja and
lord of the kingdom of Vidyapura, i.e. Vijayanagara. Maharajadhiraja Mallika Sahiba of the Yaongal
inscription (No.265) of 1555 A.D., Haidar Khan of the Bilgi epigraph
(No.266) of 1589 A.D. and Salabat Khan of the Alur record (No.267)
appear to have been high officials in the service of the Bijapur
Sultans.
The
Marathas
There
is only one inscription of the illustrious Maratha ruler, Chhatrapati
Sivaji-Maharaja (No.270). It bears the date July 31, 1679 A.D. It is in Kannada and
comes from Bhadrapur in the Navalgund Taluk.
The
East India Company
The
regime of the East India Company was popularly called Kumpani
Sarakara and it is referred to five inscriptions which range in
dates from 1803 to 1828 A.D. The subject matter of these records is
the construction of a gateway and resettlement of deserted villages
and they also mention local officials who were connected with these
transactions. Nos.273-74 from Kelur in the Hungund Taluk, dated 1824 A.D.,
seem to suggest that the village did not submit reaily to the
authority of the East India Company andthat it had to be captured by
force.
SUPPLEMENT
Though
this volume was made ready for the Press eight years ago, its
publication was delayed on account of insurmountable difficulties.
In the meanwhile my sphere of activities has been shifted
from the Epigraphical Branch of the Department of Archaeology to the
Post-Graduate Department of Ancient Indian History and Culture of
this University.
I
am conscious of the shortcomings in this research publication and
crave the indulgence of the scholars, since they could not be
eliminated in spite of my best efforts.
My
thanks are due to Dr. B.R. Gopal and Dr. S.H. Ritti, who have
rendered valuable assistance in various ways, such as checking the
texts from the impressions, revising the introductoty notes and
reading the proofs.
Home
Page
|
>
|
|
