North Indian Inscriptions

THE SILAHARAS OF KOLHAPUR

..Unlike the other two branches of North and South Koṅkaṇ, this one does not mention its allegiance to the Imperial Rāshṭrakūṭas in any of its records. This is because it rose to power late in the Rāshṭrakūṭa period, and no records of the first few generations have yet been found. Still, there is no doubt that this family too rose to power with the assistance of the Rāshṭra kūṭas. In the Kolhāpur plates [1] of Gaṇḍarāditya, Jatiga, the founder of the family, is described as the lord of the Gōmantha fort, and as the maternal uncle of the Gaṅga chief Pērmānaḍī. [2] Gōmantha is probably identical with the hill of that name on which the capital Chandragupti or Chandragutti was situated. It is in the Shimogā District of the Karnāṭaka State. This shows that though the Śilāhāras of Kolhāpur originally hailed from Tagara, they had settled down first in South Karnāṭaka before they conquered and shifted to the Kolhāpur region. Jatiga was the maternal uncle of the famous Gaṅga king Pērmānaḍi alias Mārasiṁha. The latter was the son of Būtuga, the brother-in-law of the great Rāshṭrakūṭa king Kṛishṇa III. This relationship of Jatiga with Būtuga must have brought him to the notice of Kṛishṇa III, who may have placed him in charge of the Shimogā territory. Jatiga was rightly proud of his relation with Mārasiṁha, who took a prominent part in the campaigns of Kṛishṇa III and tried to save Rāshṭrakūṭa power in its last days.

..The first three princes in the above genealogy are known only from two later records of Gaṇḍarāditya, and these also give them mere conventional praise. So Altekar thought that they had not, in their days, achieved even a feudatory status, and they were called kings by their descendants when they themselves rose to power. [3] But the Nārāyaṇgāon inscription mentioned above shows that the Sindas Karahāṭa were ruling in Southern Mahārāshṭra till the first quarter of the 11th cen. A.D. Thereafter the country was conquered by Jatiga II, who also made Karahāṭa (Karhāḍ) his capital. Later, he conquered the Pannāla-durga (the fort of Panhāḷā) and extended his rule to the Kolhāpur region.

.. The first known date of this family, viz. Śaka 980 (A.D. 1058), is furnished by the Miraj Plates [4] of Mārasiṁha. This king was fifth in descent from Jatiga I, the founder of the family. The latter may, therefore have flourished about a hundred years before, from circa A.D. 940 to 960. This is also supported by what we know about his relationship with the Gaṅga chief Mārasiṁha. He must have acknowledged the suzerainty of the Rāshṭrakūṭas, but as their power soon declined, his successors may have declared their independence. We have, however, no information about the political events in the reigns of Jatiga I and his son and grandson, Nāyivarman and Chandrarāja. They were probably ruling in Karnāṭaka.

.. Jatiga II is described in the grant [5] of his son Mārasiṁha as a lion in the hill fort of Pannāla, modern Panhāḷā, about 12 miles north-west of Kolhāpur. He was apparently the first member of this family to occupy the fort. It must have undoubtedly increased his prestige and power. He must have tried to extend his dominion by conquering the surrounding territory; for the Later Chālukyas were then pre-occupied in their struggle with the Paramāras and the Chōḷas. It is also not unlikely that he had their tacit consent in this expansion of his power; for his son Gūhala is said to have become a favourite of Satyāśraya [6], who is evidently the homonymous king of the Later Chālukya dynasty (c. A.D. 997-1008). Gūhala may have taken part in Satyāśraya’s campaigns such as that against Aparājita, the king of North Koṅkaṇ.

.. Jatiga II seems to have sought to strengthen his position by means of political alliances. The Dvyāśraya-kāvya (VI, 32) of Hēmachandra states that the lord of Kōllāpura (who was
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[1] No. 46, line 6.
[2] Ibid., line 7.
[3] Ind. Cul., Vol. II, p. 413.
[4] No. 43.
[5] No. 43, line 6.
[6] No 43, line 14.

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