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The Indian Analyst
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South Indian Inscriptions |
KALACHURI OF SOUTH KOSALA enitre Kōsala country.1 It is, however, highly doubtful if his sway extended to the Sambal- pur District and the former Sonpur and Patnā States which were previously under the rule of the Sōmavamśīs ; for, no inscriptions of him or even of his successors have been dis- covered in that part of the country. As we have already seen, this territory was included in Kōsala. The aforementioned title is, therefore, an empty boast. This does not, how- ever, mean that he made no conquests. According to the Rājim inscription, Jayadēva, the son of Svāmin and grandson of the aforementioned military adventurer Sāhilla, conquered Dāndōra. His younger brother Dēvasimha acquired the Kōmō mandala. Jayadēva was a contemporary of Prithvīdēva I, for whom, we may suppose, these countries were conquered. Of them, the former has been identified with the District of Sarguja, north-east of the Bilaspur District, which was once called Bāis Dāndōr (Dāndōr 22), as it contained twenty- two Zamindārīs. The Kōmō mandala, though situated close to the Kalachuri capital, seems to have maintained its independence since the time of Vajjūka. The latter’s successors were either too weak or too overbearing to be allowed to remain independent. They were, therefore, subdued, and their mandala was annexed to the Kalachuri kingdom Prithvīdēva I married Rājallā. She bore him a son named Jājalladēva I, who afterwards succeeded him. He had a younger brother named Sarvadēva who obtained the territory round Sōnthiva (Sōnthi in the Bilaspur District) as his patrimony (dāyād-āmśa).2 Vigraharāja, one of his ministers, and Yaśa, who continued to hold the post of the Mayor of Ratnapura, are named in his Amōdā plates.3 Another minister Sōdhadēva is mentioned in a later stone inscription.4 Prithvīdēva was a devotee of Śiva. At Tummāna he dedicated a temple to the god under the name Prithvīdēvēśvara and also provided the old temple of Vankēśvara with a chatushkikā or a hall resting on four pillars. On the occasion of its dedication, he made a land-grant dated K. 831 (1079 A.C.). At Ratnapura he constructed a large ‘ocean-like’ lake. He reigned from circa 1065 A.C. to 1090 A.C.
Jajalladeva I, who succeeded Prithvideva I, was one of the great kings of this family.
Soon after his accession, he embarked on an ambitious scheme of conquest. He subdued
the neighbouring chiefs of Vairagara, Lañjika, Bhanara and Talahari. Vairagara is modern Vairagarh in the Chanda District. Lañjika, Bhanara correspond to Lanji and Bhandara
in the Balaghat and Bhandara Districts respectively. Talahari comprised probably the
southern part of the Bilaspur District and the northern part of the Raipur District. The
subjugation of these places shows that the kingdom of the Kalachuris in the previous reigns
was very much circumscribed. Jajalladeva carried his arms even as far as Dandakapura
(Midnapur District) in south Bengal, Andhra and Kimidi in the Ganjam District. Dakshina Kosala, which also he is said to have conquered, seems to refer to the eastern portion
of it comprising the Sambalpur District and the former states of Patna and Sonpur. The
rulers of all these countries and also of Nandavali and Kukkuta, which still remain unidentified, were made to pay him an annual tribute. His general Jagapala, descended from
the above-named Sahilla, vanquished Mayurikas5 (perhaps rulers of the Bhañja dynasty) and
Samantas (ancestors of the Saontas in Bilaspur District). These conquests brought him 1In his Amoda grant he is also called âthe sole lord of twenty-one thousand villages.â The number of
villages in Kosala is variously given. The Kuruspal inscription (Ep. Ind., Vol. X, p. 30) mentions that the
Naga king Somesvara of Bastar conquered six lacs of villages in Kosala.
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