Upadayaditya Ganga-Permadi, who is known to have been the governor of the province of Banavasi Twelve-thousand and the district of Santalige Thousand in 1112-13 under Vikramaditya VI is found to be in charge of these regions as early as A.D. 1074 as a subordinate of Somesvara II (No. 78).  Another feudatory of this king, viz., Marasimha of the Silahara family is stated to be governing Kumdi Three-thousand and MirimjeThree-thoudand districts in A.D. 1074 (No. 79).  Evidently he is to be identified with Marasimha of this family for whom A.D. 1058 is the only known date.  The present record would therefore extend his period by sixteen years.

The inscriptions of Vikramaditya VI are, as usual, the largest in number but only a few of them are of some value.  In one of these inscriptions (No. 88) dated Chalukya-Vikrama year 5 (A.D. 1080), Mahamandalesvara Channa, who is described as the subordinate of Yuvaraja Jayasimha is credited with the subjugation of Goggi of Paive and Malapa Nagavarma.  Though these two names occur among the Silaharas of Northern Konkan and the Kadambas of Hangal respectively, the period in which they flourished is too early for that of Channa.  Jayasimha is stated to be holding sway over the extensive territory which was bounded by Perdore (i.e., the river Krishna) on the north and the ocean in the other three directions.

Some chiefs of Jatachola lineage are described in an undated inscription (No. 112) of this reign, as the hriday-avalambi (who were favored by affection, i.e.,  favorite subordinates) of the Guttas.  The following genealogy of these chiefs is given in this record:-

Click here to Genealogy...

Owing to the fact that the Gutta chief Mallideva  is spoken of as the subordinate of Mahapradhana Govindarasa, a well-known officer of Vikramaditya VI, Fleet has assigned this inscription to circa. A.D. 1115.  This Jatachola, from whom the family mentioned above traces its descent, may in all probability be the same as Jatachoda who is mentioned as the eponymous ancestor of the Telugu Chodas in their inscriptions.  In some of these Karikala is mentioned as the son of Jatachoda.  This Karikala is considered by scholars to be identical with Karikala famous in Tamil literature of the Sanga age.  He is placed by Prof. Nilakanta Sastri in circa. A.D. 190 and by the late Raj Bahadur V. Venkayya in the end of the 5^th century A.D.

That Mallideva of the Gutta family referred to above had younger brother named Joma is revealed from an inscription at Honnatti (No. 124) dated in the Chalukya Vikrama year 48 (A.D. 1124).  In the genealogical lists of this family which have so far come to light the name of this Joma has not been found.  The date A.D. 1124, now discovered for him, would show that A.D. 1115, the date which Fleet suggested for his elder brother Mallideva (cf. No. 112) is not wide of the mark.  The chieftain Joma is stated to be holding the manneya of Ponnavatti Twelve.  Beluhuge Seventy and Bennevur Twelve, when Mahamandalesvara Simhanadeva was governing Seguna-desa, Paliyanda Four thousand and the agrahara of Honnavatti.  Though the family of this Simhana is not specified in the record, it can be safely surmised that he was a Yadava chief, as he was governing Seuna-desa.  We know from the Vrata-khanda of Hemadri that a Simharaja of the Yadava family “brought an elephant of the name of Karpuratilaka from Lanjipura and thus did a piece of service to Paramardin”.  This Paramardin has been identified with the Chalukya king Vikramaditya VI.  It is therefore clear that Simhanadeva of the present record is the same as Simharaja mentioned by Hemadri.

Some scholars thought that Ayyana, the younger brother of Vikramaditya V, did not rule, but one of the inscriptions of the reign of Vikramaditya VI (No. 89), dated Chalukya-Vikrama year 5 (A.D. 1080) stated distinctly that he did rule.  According to that record the kings Taila, Sattimadeva, Vikramanska, Ayyana, Jayasimha, Ahavamalla and his son Somesvara ruled in regular succession (kramadimide).  This statement would support the view expressed by Dr. A. Venkatasubbiah that Ayyana ruled, though for a short time, and the present inscription is an addition to Ayyana ruled, though for a short time, and the present inscription is an addition to the list of records already noticed by him as mentioning Ayyana as a reigning king.

Click here: Among the more important officers under Vikramaditya VI...

There are only a few noticeable inscriptions of the time of Bhulokamall Somesvara III, Of particular interest is the one (No. 135) mentioning Mahaprachanda-Dandanayaka  Holakesideva.  It will be easily recognized that this name Holakesi is a variant of Polekesi (Pulakesi).  The meaning of this name, which was borne by two illustrious rulers of the Chalukya dynasty has baffled scholars.  Various explanations have been offered in deriving the etymology of this word.  Most of these explanations take th first half of th world to be puli, meaning “tiger” in Kannada and the second half to be Sankrit kesin meaning “haired”, the two halves making the meaning “tiger-haired” or “having a coat of short, thick and close hair like that of a tiger”.  A verse in the Kauthem grant of Vikamaditya V would suggest that the name signifies “one by hearing whose name the hair of the hearers stand on end as with joy”, by connecting the first part of the name with the Sanskrit word pulaka (horriplation).

One scholar derives the first half of the word from the Sanskrit root pul meaning “to grow” or “to be great” and takes kesi to mean a lion and explains the whole word as “the great lion”.

But the earliest form of the name is Polekesi and, as suggested by Fleet, is in all probability the original form.  And it is worth noting that it is this form which even kielhorn had adopted.  So an attempt is made here to interpret this original form Polekesi.  Pole in Kannada means impurity of child-birth, i.e., of the natal chamber, and in Kannda the word Kesi as a shortened form of Kesava is found not only in literature but also in inscriptions.  For example, the author of the famous Kannad grammar Sabdamanidarpana is Kesiraja and he also calls himself Kesava.  In one of the inscriptions an officer of the Klachurya monarch Bijjala is called by the alternative names of Kesava, Kesiraja and Kesimayya.  An inscription of the Chalukya king Somesvara I mentions a general named Kesava-gavunda, who is also referred to therein as Kesi-gavunda and Kesi-raja.  So the expression Polekesi can be taken to mean “he who was like Kesava, ie., Lord Krishna (in his prowess) even in the natal chamber”.  And we know that according to the Puranas Lord Krishna exhibited his superhuman qualities even in the natal chamber.  So evidently this ruler was given the name Polekesi because he showed extraordinary qualities like Lord Kesava or Krishna even from the time of his birth.  Accordingly we led to the conclusion that this name is Kannada word meaning “one who resembled Krishna in prowess from babyhood””.  And this name Polekesi, as explained here, is quite appropriate in the case of one who was the real founder of the Chalukyan kingdom and even more appropriate in the case of his famous grandson, the great Pulakesin II, who struck terror even into the heart of the might monarch of the north, Harshavardhana.

The other inscriptions of Somesvara III deserve to be reviewed here relate to the Kadamba chiefs of Hangal and they will be discussed in the section dealing with those chiefs.

An inscription (No. 145) of Perma Jagadekamalla, the successor of Somesvara III, supplies a date which would show that the initial year of Jagadekamalla’s reign commenced sometime before 10^th March A.D. 1138.  This inscription cites the date as the 4^th year of the reign of Jaadekamalla, Durmati, Chaitra su. Padiva, Monday, solar eclipse.  According to Swamikannu Pillai’s Indian Ephemeris, these details regularly correspond to A.D. 1141, March 10, Monday.  But the initial year fixed by this record would push back the date suggested by Fleet for the commencement of the reign of this king.  It is, however, difficult to reconcile this with the latest known date for his predecessor Somesvara III falling in November-December 1138.  But it may be pointed out that Dr. Venkatasubbaiah is of the opinion that Jagadekamalla began to reign on 23^rd December 1137.  A scion of the Bali family, named Boppagavunda is stated in one of the inscriptions of this reign (No. 149) to have made, along with his brothers, gifts to god Boppesvara of Makanur.  Apparently this Bali family is the same as the one mentioned in some of the Sudi inscriptions, while editing which Dr. Barnett had discussed the origin of this family.

As there is nothing of special interest to be discussed in the inscriptions of Taila III, we may pass on to the reign of the next Chalukya King, i.e., Somesvara IV.  One of his inscriptions (No.161) dated Saka 1106 and the third year of his reign shows that be began to count his regnal years from sometime before 5^th November 1182.  This would advance the beginning of his reign by a few months before the date suggested for this event by Fleet.

Dr.  Venkatasubbaiah, however, considers that this king ascended the throne in A.D. 1184.  This inscription is of further interest on account of the fact that in it figures a Yadava chief named Gomadeva as making  a gift to a god (name lost).  Among the early Yadavas of Sevundesa mentioned by Hemadri, a Govindaraja is included.  He is the great grandson of Simharaja who was a subordinate of Vikramaditya VI and for who we have the date A.D. 1124.  It is therefore not improbable that Gomadeva of the present record is the same as Govindaraja.  The god to whom Gomadeva made a gift is stated in the same inscription to have been installed by another Yadava chief called Hemmadideva in the 10^th year, Prabhava, of a king whose name is not fully preserved; but he is in all likelihood Jagadekamalla(II), the tenth year of whose reign is usually coupled with the cyclic year Prabhava.  We do not seem to have come across this Hemmadideva before.  Though it was known that Barmadeva, the mahapradhana of Somesvara was instrumental in restoring the Chalukya sovereignty be defeating the Kalachuryas, the inscription under review says clearly that the Kalachurya king who suffered defeat was Simghana.

One inscription (No. 169) which belongs to the Chalukya period, but which does not refer itself to the reign of any particular king, is of some interest.  It is dated in the Chalukya-Vikrama year 60 (A.D. 1135) and it discloses the fact that Mahamandalesvara Brittiyarasa attacked Hahanur (modern Havanur on the bank of the river Tungabhadra).  The name Bittiyarasa would suggest that he may be the Hoysala prince Visnuvardana who was also called Bittideva and Bittiga, and whose dates range from A.D. 1111 to 11141.  This surmise against strength by the fact that he made himself bold enough to attack Hahanur leads to the conclusion that this prince was trying even as early as A.D. 1135, to declare himself independent of his suzerain, the Chalukya king.

A family of some local importance which held the office of nalgamunda,  practically throughout the Chalukya period and even earlier, finds mention in some of the records in thsis volume.  The members of this family which was called the Chikkamba-kula (or-anvaya) were the nalgamundas  of the subdivision of Sattalige Seventy from about the 9^th century A.D. to the 12^th.  This office was apparently herediatary and the following persons figure in this capacity in the record published below:- Kuluga-gamunda who flourished sometime during the 9^th century A.D. is mentioned in an undated Rashtrkuta inscription (No. 38).  Bijja was the nalgamunda under Krishna II in A.D. 901-02 (No. 15).  Uttavayya was a subordinate of Chalukya Jayasimha II in A.D. 1033 (No. 48).  Mahasamanta Goyimmarasa was holding this office in A.D. 1066 (No. 71) in the reign of Somesvara I and in A.D. 1074, during the reign of Somesvara II (No. 78) No. 133 belonging to the reign of Somesvara III mentions Mahasamanta Bammarasa as enjoying this position in A.D. 1127.

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