South Indian Inscriptions

KALCHURI OF TRIPURI

accompanied the forces. They marched on Achalapura, the capital of Karkara.¹ If the description in the Viddhaśālabhañjikā is correct, a large number of Gōvinda’s feudatories and allies had assembled at Achalapura to oppose the invading forces.² A sanguinary battle was fought on the bank of the Payōshnī (modern Pūrnā), which flows only about 10 miles east of the town. Karkara and other allies of Gōvinda were defeated. The Kalachuri army then marched on toMānyakhēta, which Arikēsarin had already stormed and taken. He had also killed the Emperor Gōvinda IV. The feudatories that had gathered at Mānyakhēta then offered the crown to Baddiga and ‘entreated him to accept it to maintain the greatness of the sovereignty of the Rattas, and he too, being prompted by the god Śiva, ascended the glorious throne of heroes’.³ The last known date of Gōvinda IV is 933 A.C. and the earliest date of Baddiga-Amōghavarsha III is 937 A.C. The battle of the Payōshnī may, therefore, have been fought in 935 A.C. The Viddhaśālabhañjikā seems to have been staged at Tripurī in jubilation at this great victory over a formidable confederacy of southern kings. Yuvarājadēva I was now at the height of his power; for, he had attained the enviable position of Chakravartin.

The cordial relations of the Kalachuris and the Rāshtrakūtas continued as before. Although some of the feudatories of Gōvinda IV had been defeated and the imperial capital had been occupied, peace and order were not established for some time in the Rāshtrakūta dominion. Baddiga, who was a man of quiet and saintly nature, preferred to return to the Kalachuri capital,⁴ while his son Krishna III, who was appointed Yuvarāja, subdued the rebellious feudatories. He killed Bappuva and his ally Dantiga,⁵ and governed the Rāshtrakūta empire in the name of his father, who continued to stay at Tripuri.

Soon after this, Yuvarājadēva I suffered a defeat, at the hands of Yaśōvarman, the Chandēlla king, who was ruling over the neighbouring kingdom of Jejābhukti. The Khajuraho inscription6 says that Yaśōvarman vanquished in battle a Chēdi king who had countless forces, who had planted his lotus-like foot on rows of diadems of famous kings and who was being protected by a multitude of angry and invincible bowmen riding elephants in rut that were marching along like huge mountains of collyrium. R. B. Hiralal thought that this battle took place at the time of the accession of Yuvarājadeva I.⁷ The latter was, however, a senior contemporary of Yaśōvarman. Besides, he is described in the aforementioned record as having already defeated a number of famous kings. The
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¹I have shown above (p. xlvii) that the Rāshtrakūtas of Vidarbha were originally feudatories of the Early Kalachuris and later transferred their allegiance to the Chālukyas of Bādāmi. They were at first ruling from Nandivardhana near Nagpur. Later, Achalapura seems to have become their capital.
² It is not unlikely that the names of some of them were inserted for the sake of alliteration.
³ Ep. Ind., Vol. IV, p. 284; Vol. V, p. 194.
⁴ The following verses which occur at the end of an unpublished commentary on a Śaiva work state that Vandyaga (i.e., Baddiga) was staying at the Chēdi capital (Tripurī) after exterminating his enemies and that his son Krishna (III) was governing the kingdom by his order in the Śaka year 858 (936 A.C.)

The tithi mentioned here, viz., Friday, Āśvina sū. di. 5, Śaka 858, regularly corresponds to the 23rd September 936 A.C., which leaves no room for doubt about the genuineness of the MS. and the correctness of the statements made therein . I owe this interesting reference to the courtesy of Dr. S. N. Sen, Keeper of the Nepal Museum.
⁵ This Dantiga is probably identical with Dantivarman who was defeated by Būtuga. The description in the Sudi and Kudlur plates suggests that he was a ruler of Banavāsi in North Kanara. Ep. Ind., Vol. III, p. 180; A. R. A. S. M. (1921), p. 22.
^{6 Ep.} Ind., Vol. I, p. 127.
⁷ A. B. O. R. I., Vol. IX, p. 287.