South Indian Inscriptions

KALACHURI OF TRIPURI

vādī 32000 down to the eleventh century A.C.;¹ but they had no control over the territory round Kāñchī and a victory over them would not have brought much glory to Karna’s arms. Besides, Karna’s victory over the Pallavas is not referred to in the fairly long list of his conquests in the records of his descendants. So far as the reference to the Pallavas is concerned, the description in the verse appears to be more fanciful than real.

The reference of the invasion of the district of Kāñchī is perhaps intended to signify the defeat of the Chōlas; for, though the capital of the Chōlas had been removed to Gangāpurī or Gāngaikōndachōlapuram since its foundation by Rājēndra Chōla I, Sanskrit poets continued to mention Kāñchī as the Chōla capital.² Karna’s victory over a Chōla king is intimated in a verse in the Karanbēl inscription of Jayasimha.³ R. D. Banerji conjecturally identified the Chōla king defeated by Karna with Vīrarājēndra Rājakēsarivarman, who was reigning between 1062 and 1067 A.C. The reference to the invasion of Kāñchī in verse 25 of the Rewa inscription, if historically true, would show that the victory had already been attained in 1048-49 A.C. Karna’s adversary must, therefore, be identified with Rājādhirāja I, the son and successor of Rājēndra Chōla I, who ruled from 1044 to 1054 A.C.

While Karna was in the south, he seems to have encountered the king of Kuntala. As already observed, Kuntala was then under the rule of the Later Chālukyas of Kalyānī. The battle does not seem to have ended in a decisive victory for either side; for, both the belligerants claimed success for themselves. As stated above, the Rewa inscription speaks of the fortune of the Kuntala king being seized by Karna. Bilhana, on the other hand, records in his Vikramānkadēvacharita that Āhavamalla (i.e., Sōmēśvara I) utterly destroyed the power of Karna, after which glory never embraced the country of Dāhala.⁴ Karna seems to have come into conflict with the king of the Gurjara country also. Verse 27 of the Rewa inscription says that when Karna approached the Gurjara country, tears mixed with collyrium flowed on the cheeks of Gurjara women living in the neighbourhood and colour-marks indicative of their non-widowhood slipped, as it were, from their foreheads. This description indicates that Karna had raided Gujarat before 1048 A.C. This is also corroborated by an Apabhramśa verse in the Prākrita-Paingala which states that Karna had exterminated the forces of a Gurjara king. This may have been followed by negotiations for peace as subsequent events show.

Though Karna had thus raided different parts of India in the first seven years of his reign, he was not yet able to annex any territory to his kingdom. His success during the next two or three years was much greater. His contemporary on the throne of Malwa was the illustrious Bhōja, who was as much distinguished for valour as for learning. He had also raided different countries and defeated the rulers of Karnāta, Lāta, Gurjara, Kōnkana and others. The defeat he had inflicted on Gāngēyadēva must have been rankling in Karna’s mind. The latter, therefore, formed an alliance with Bhīma of Gujarat.⁵ The allied forces invaded Malwa from the east and the west. Just about this time Bhōja died, and as he did not leave any son, the kingdom was in a state of disturbance owing to the
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¹H. I. S. I., pp. 371-2.
² See, e. g., VDCH., Canto I, v. 115; Canto III, v. 76; Canto IV, v. 28 etc. Bilhana mentions Gangākundapura also as a Chōla capital., Ibid., Canto VI, vv. 21-24.
³ Appendix, No. 3, 1. 10.
⁴ VDCH., Canto I, vv. 102-3.
⁵ Mērutunga in his PCH. (p. 51) states that Karna, promising Bhīma a half of the Mālava kingdom, invited him to attack Bhōja in the rear. Though Mērutunga’s account contains much fanciful matter, this statement may be true. Sōmēśvara’s Kīrtikaumudī (II, 18) states that Bhīma spared the life of Bhōja though the latter had fallen into his hands.