South Indian Inscriptions

KALACHURI OF TRIPURI

risings of the scions of the Paramāra family. It fell an easy prey to the invaders, who soon captured Dhārā, the capital of Malwa,¹ and dethroned Jayasimha, the successor of Bhōja, ² According to Merutunga’s account, Karna violated the previous agreement and annexed the whole of Malwa.³ This enraged Bhīma, who invaded the Chēdi country. Hēmachandra in his Dvyāśrayakāvya states that Bhīma, penetrated to the capital of the Chēdi country; but Karna made peace with him by presenting him horses, elephants and the golden mandapikā of Bhōja which he had carried away.⁴

Karna next turned his attention to the Chandella kingdom. The Chandella dynasty had produced several powerful princes, some of whom such as Yasovarman, Vidyadhara and Vijayapala had exacted submission from the Kalachuris. But at this time the throne was occupied by a weak ruler named Devavarman, son of Vijayapala. The only inscription of his reign is a copper-plate record⁵ discovered at Nanyaura in the Hamirpur District of Uttar Pradesh. It registers the grant of a village which Devavarman made in V. 1107 (1051 A.C.) on the occasion of the anniversary of his mother’s death. Soon after this, he seems to have succumbed to an attack by Karna. Bilhana, in his Vikramankadevacharita (Canto XVIII, v. 93), speaks of Karna as ‘Death to the lord of Kalañjara’ who was evidently Devavarman.⁶ After this victory, Karna incorporated the country of Jajjhauti into his own dominion.

About this time Karna also invaded North-Western Bengal. This was his second invasion of the Pāla kingdom. On this occasion he pressed as far as Paikore in the Birbhum District of Bengal. His route must have lain through South Bihar. The Pāla king, who must have been Vigrahapāla III, seems to have soon capitulated to the invader. Karna’s invasion of the Pāla dominion is attested to by the discovery of an inscribed decorative pillar which the Chēdi king dedicated to a goddess during his stay at Paikore.⁷ The Karanbēl stone inscription⁸ intimates that the king of Gauda submitted to Karna. Hēmachandra⁹ records that the king of Gauda entreated Karna to save his life and throne in return for a large treasure which he presented to him. The Rāmacharita of Sandhyākaranandin (Canto I, v. 9), however, claims a victory for the Pāla king Vigrahapāla. Whatever may have been the actual result of the war, the two families were afterwards united by a matrimonial alliance. Karna gave his daughter Yauvanaśrī in marriage to Vigrahapala and thus turned the Pala adversary into a faithful ally.¹⁰
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¹ PCH. p. 51. The Vadnagar prasasti also states that with his cavalry Bhima captured Dhara, the capital of the Malava Chakravartin. Ep. Ind., Vol. I, p. 297.
² In the VDCH. (Canto III, v. 67) Bilhana states that the king of Malava, evidently Jayasimha, sought the help of Somesvara when he lost his kingdom.
³ PCH., p. 51.
⁴ DK., Canto IX, v. 57. Merutunga also quotes a traditional verse which states that Bhima received from Karna, inter alia, a golden mandapika. See PCH., p. 52. The words rajna Reva na langhy-eti, which occur in v. 54 of Canto IX in DK., have been taken by Mr. A. Ghosh to mean that the king (Karna or Bhima) promised not to cross the Narmada. Ind. Cul., Vol. VII, p. 17. This is incorrect. The words occur in the speech of Karna addressed to Damodara, the ambassador of Bhima. Karna says that he would have gone forth to meet and receive Bhima, but the astrologers had advised him not to cross and Reva.
⁵ Ind. Ant., Vol. XVI, pp. 204 ff.
⁶ V. Smith thought that it was Kirtivarman, the brother of Devavarman, who was driven by Karna from the throne. But the description in the VDCH. and the PCHU. clearly indicates that Karna not only drove the lord of Kalañjara from the throne but also exterminated him. He could, therefore, be none other than Devavarman; for, Kirtivarman lived to regain his throne as described below.
⁷ No. 49, 1. 5. Cf. the Apabhramsa verse cited below, p. xcvii, n. I.
⁸ Appendix, No. 3, 1. 11.
⁹ DK., Canto IX, v. 38.
¹⁰ RCH., Canto I, v. 9. This kavya states that Vigrahapala vanquished Karna, but save him by making with him a treaty of peace which an old commentator of the work calls kapalasandhi. In this sandhi a large sum of money is required to be paid the conqueror. See RCH., Introd., p. x.