South Indian Inscriptions

KALACHURI OF SOUTH KOSALA

struck gold and copper coins in his own name, indicating his independence. The kalachuri Emperor of Tripurī could brook this impertinence no longer. He sent a large and powerful army against him, but Ratnadēva routed it completely. In the Ratanpur inscription dated V. 1207 (1149-50 A.C.), he is described as the fierce submarine fire to the matchless ocean of the arrayed and hard-to-be-subdued hosts of the Chēdi king. The Chēdi king, though not named in the record, was plainly Gayākarna, who ruled from circa 1123 A.C. to 1153 A.C., and was thus a contemporary of Ratnadēva II.

Another memorable event of Ratnadēva’s reign which, though not referred to in his own inscriptions, is often mentioned in the records of his successors and their feudatories is the invasion of his country by Chōdaganaga.1 The latter was evidently the mighty Ganga king Anantavarman-Chōdaganga, who had a long reign of 70 years (1078-1147 A.C.). This aggressive Ganga king reinstated the deposed king of Utkala and raided the northern country up to the bank of the Gangā. He is said to have laid under tribute all countries between the Gangā and the Gōdāvarī.² In the course of his whirlwind campaign he seems to have attacked the Kalachuri kingdom in Kōsala. The Pendrābandh plates mention Gōkarna as his ally in this campaign.³ The latter was a feudatory of Chōdaganga as stated in his inscription at Gudiwādā in the Bimblipatam tāluka of the Vishakhapatam District.4 Ratnadēva inflicted a crushing defeat on the invaders and obtained a large booty of gold, horses and elephants.5 A Ratanpur stone inscription describes Ratnadēva II as ‘Rāhu in seizing and swallowing the large lunar orb of the mighty warriors of Chōdaganga’.⁶ The Mallār inscription dated K. 919 speaks Ratnadēva as ‘a fierce cloud which extinguished the continuously raging flames of the spreading mighty fire of the valour of the king Chōdaganga’.⁷ The battle was a very fierce one and was fought in the Talahāri-mandala, not very far from Shēorinārāyan.⁸ Jagapāla, a descendant of the aforementioned Sāhilla, distinguished himself in it by his bravery and became known as Jagatsimha (The Lion of the World).⁹ Vallabharāja, another feudatory of Ratnadēva, also seems to have fought in it.¹⁰ Anantavarman-Chōdaganga, ‘the lord of elephants’, suffered an ignominious defeat and had to return home discomfited. Somehow this glorious achievement of Ratnadēva is not mentioned in any of his copper-plate grants, but it may have occurred in circa 1130 A.C.

This victory enhanced the power and prestige of Ratnadēva II and encouraged him to undertake distant campaigns. One of them, directed against the king of Gauda, is mentioned in several inscriptions of Vallabharāja. As stated before, this Vallabharāja was a feudatory of the Kalachuris. He belonged to the Vaiśya catse. His forefathers had loyally served the royal family as feudatories or ministers. Vallabharāja was treated by Lāchchhalladēvī, the mother of Ratnadēva II, as her adopted son. He was a contemporary of both Ratnadēva II and his son and successor Prithvīdēva II. The earliest record in which the campaign in Gauda is mentioned belongs to the reign of Ratnadēva II, which ____________________

¹No. 93, v. 5.
²Ep. Ind., Vol. XIII, pp. 150 ff.
³No. 101, v. 9.
⁴My attention to this record was drawn by Mr. N. L. Rao.
⁵No. 93, v. 5.
⁶No. 97, v. 4.
⁷Note No. 98, v. 7.
⁸No. 88, v. 14.
⁹No. 84, v. 18.