South Indian Inscriptions

KALACHURI OF SOUTH KOSALA

he was, was obliged to pay tribute to the Chōla Emperor for some years, as claimed in the Manimangalam inscription¹ of Rājādhiraja, dated 1046 A.C.

Kamalaraja was succeeded by his son Ratnaraja I in circa 1045 A.C. He married Nonalla, the daughter of Vajjuka or Vajuvarman, the lord of the Komo mandala. This mandala seems to have comprised the territory round Komo-Chauki, about 24 miles west of Tummana, the then Kalachuri capital. This marriage is mentioned in most of the subsequent Kalachuri records much in the same way as the marriage of Samudragupta with the Lichchhavi princess Kumaradevi is mentioned in Gupta inscriptions. It seems to have considerably strengthened Ratnadeva’s position in Chhattisgargh.² Judging by the conquests made by subsequent kings, the Kalachuri kingdom in Chhattisgargh was very much circumscribed during the reigns of kalingaraja and Kamalaraja. Ratnadeva made some conquests and annexed some territory to his dominion. The three sons of the aforementioned Sahilla-Bhayilla, Desala and Svamin-fought his battles and conquered the countries of Bhattavila and Vihara for him. These countries have not, however, been identified.

Ratnadēva beautified the capital Tummāna with gardens, mansions and temples. He erected a temple in honour of Vankēsa, the tutelary deity, and another dedicated to the god Ratnēśvara whom he seems to have installed and named after himself. Ratnadēva founded a new city called Ratnapura, to which he shifted his seat of government. The Śrēshthin yaśa is said to have been its Mayor.³ This city was enlarged and beautified by his successors from time to time, and continued to be the capital of the royal family until its overthrow by the Marathas in the eighteenth century A.C. Ratnadēva I may have closed his reign in circa 1065 A.C.⁴ The earlier of the two grants of his son and successor Prithvīdēva I is dated K. 821 (1069 A.C.)

Prithvīdēva I is the earliest ruler of the Ratanpur branch whose inscriptions have been found in chhattisgarh. In his Raipur and Amōdā plates he calls himself Mahāmandalēsvara and claims to have obtained the right to pañchamahāśabda.⁵ Both these indicate his feudatory rank. Like his predecessors, he seems, therefore, to have acknowledged the suzerainty of the Kalachuri Emperor of Tripurī. In his grants he uses the Kalachuri era, which he calls the era of the Lord of Chēdi.⁶ This also indicates his subordinate position. He seems to have considerably extended his small principality; for, he claimed to be the lord of the
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¹S. I. I., Vol. III, p.57. This inscription states that the king of Kausalar (i.e. Kōsala) among many others unremittingly paid tribute to the Chōla king Rājādhirāja.
²It may be noted that the Ratanpur inscription of Jājalladēva I states that Ratnadēva I married Nōnallā 'together with royal fortune.' No. 77, v. 13.
³He continued to hold the same position during the succeeding reign of Prithvīdēva I also. See No. 76, v. 16.
⁴Mr. Amalanand Ghosh has suggested the identification of Ratnadēva I with Singan, (the king) of the warlike Kōsalai, who was cut to pieces by the Chōla king Vīrarājēndra in the battle of Kudālasangama in circa 1066 A.C. He finds corroboration of this event in the passage Ratnarājē yudhi ripu-jayini svar-gatē in the Ratanpur inscription of Jājalladēva I (No. 77, v. 15), which he takes to mean 'When Ratnarāja went to heaven in a victorious battle.' B.V., p. 265. The proposed identification is very doubtful. Singan is evidently a corruption of Simha. (Cf. Singanan mentioned in the same inscription, who is identical with Jayasimha.) Singan may have belonged to the Sōmavamśī family. Some members of this family bore names ending in kēsarin which is a synonym of simha. Besides, the construction of the above passage proposed by Mr. Ghosh is impossible, because in Sanskrit yudh (a fight) is feminine in gender.
⁵No. 75, 1. 6; No. 76, 11. 23 and 25.
⁶No. 76, 1. 41. The era seems to have been then newly introduced into Chhattīsgarh and, therefore, had to be specified in this manner.