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EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
Differing from all the other records, this one says, in line 30 f., that Vikramâditya II.
reigned for nine months. Of the other records, some say eleven months, and some say one year.[1]
If taken as it actually stands in line 31 f., in prose, this record would represent Yuddhamalla II. as Tâlapa-râj-âgrajajanman, “ born from an elder brother of king Tâlapa.” This
statement, however, is not borne out by the other records which mention the parentage of
Yuddhamalla II. There is, indeed, one record, the Diggubarru grant of the period A.D. 934 to
945, which; in verse, speaks of him as Malla, and describes him as Tâha-jyêshṭha-suta ;[2] and
this expression, which ordinarily and most naturally meaning “ eldest son of Tâha,” might also
be rendered as meaning “ son of an elder brother of Tâha.” The other records, however, are
more explicit ; and, it may be added, they all speak of him by his full name of Yuddhamalla.
The Paḍaṁkalûru grant, of the period A.D. 945 to 970, describes him, in verse, as Tâlapa-râjasya
sûnu,[3] “son of king Tâlapa.” The Masulipatam plates, of the same period, describe him, in
prose, as Tâl-âdhipa-sûnu,[4] “ son of the lord Tâla.” The ‘Yelivarru’ plates, also of the same
period, describe him, in prose, as Tâlapa-râjasya suta,[5] “ son of king Tâlapa.” And the Korumelli plates, of the period A.D. 1022 to 1063, the Chellûr plates of A.D. 1090-91, and
the Piṭhâpuram plates two years later in date, describe him, in prose, as tat-Tâḍapa-râja-suta,[6] “son of that same king Tâḍapa.” And, in view of these statements, we may safely
decide that there is a mistake of some kind in the present record ; the explanation perhaps is
that the composer used the word agrajanman, ‘first-born,’ in the sense, whether correctly or not,
of ‘eldest son,’ instead of in its usual meaning of ‘elder brother,’ and that either he, or the
writer of the record, carelessly repeated the ja and so produced the reading which is actually
presented but is certainly wrong.
In connection with Châlukya-Bhîma II. (A.D. 934 to 945), whom it calls in line 33-34 simply
Bhîma, and in line 41 Râja-Bhîma, this record mentions, in line 35 ff., the following enemies
overthrown by him, namely, Râjamayya, Dhalaga, Tâtabikki, Bijja, Ayyapa, Gôvinda, a ruler
of the Chôlas named Lôvabikki, and Yuddhamalla. Yuddhamalla is undoubtedly the Eastern
Chalukya king Yuddhamalla II., the immediate predecessor of Châlukya-Bhîma II.; a specific
mention of his overthrow and expulsion by Bhîma II. is made in the Paḍaṁkalûru grant of
the period A.D. 945 to 970.[7] Gôvinda is the Râshṭrakûṭa king Gôvinda IV., for whom we
have dates ranging from A.D 918 to 933-34. Ayyapa is very possibly the Ayyapadêva, doubtless a Noḷamba prince of the Noḷambavâḍi territory in Mysore, to whom the Western Gaṅga prince Ereyappa lent a force for the purpose of fighting against a certain Vîramahêndra ;[8] and, if so, it
probably follows that Vîramahêndra was another biruda of Châlukya-Bhîma II., or, rather, was a
variant of is biruda Gaṇḍamahêndra. Bijja seems to be identical with the Dantivarman, also
named Bijja, who is mentioned in the spurious Sûḍi plates, apparently in connection with Banavâsî,
as one of the foes against whom, it says, the Western Gaṅga prince Bûtuga II. (A.D. 940 and
953) fought and prevailed.[9] And Râjamayya is perhaps the Râjavarman who, also, is mentioned
in that record, but without any indication as to where his territory lay. Lôvabikki, the ruler
of the Chôlas, is not as yet known from any other sources. To Dhalaga and Tâtabikki
reference is made in the Kolavennu plates of Châlukya-Bhîma II. himself, in a verse which,
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[1] See Ind. Ant. Vol. XX. p. 269. And, for the statement of eleven months, add now the Piṭhâpuram plates ;
[2] Ind. Ant. Vol. XIII. p.214, line 30 f.
[3] Id. Vol. VII. p. 16, line 19.
[4] Vol. V. above, p. 140, line 15 f.
[5] Ind. Ant. Vol. XII. p. 92, line 21.
[6] See, respectively, Ind. Ant. Vol. XIV. p. 52, line 45 ; id. Vol. XIX. p. 429, line 42 ; and Vol. V. above,
p. 76, line 28.─ In line 17 of the Chellûr plates of A.D. 1143 (Ind. Ant. Vol. XIV. p. 56 ; for the correct date of
this record, now given, see note 1 on page 180 above), the composer or writer used only the expression tat-sûnu,
omitting Tâḍapa-râja ; with the result that that record practically represents Yuddhamalla II. as a son of
Vikramâditya II.
[7] Ind. Ant. Vol. VII. p. 18.
[8] See Vol. VI. above, p. 47.
[9] See Vol. III. above, p. 183.
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