South Indian Inscriptions

INTRODUCTION

and Vīramāhēśvara. Though we do not hear of any daughter of Bhuvanaikamalla to have existed, yet the expression aḷiya, mentioned in the first record clearly suggests that he had a daughter who was given in marriage to chief Raviyarasa. The Chāḷukya King Bhuvanaikamalla may be identified with Sōmēśvara II. The praśasti commencing with Aridurddharavara, etc., with which the second inscription begins give us a clue that he belongs to the Telugu-chōḷa family. In all likelihood, this chief must have sided his overlord Sōmēśvara II against Vikramāditya VI, in the fratricidal wars fought between the two during the times of accession to the Chāḷukya throne (J.E.S.I., Vol. X, pp. 76 ff).

       In recognition of his services to Chāḷukya King Sōmēśvara, the king must have given his daughter in marriage to the chief or in order to retain the Chāḷukyan throne, this king should have entered into matrimonial alliance with the Telugu-chōḷa chief by giving his daughter in marriage. The reference to the chief as a sub-ordinate of Vikramāditya VI gives an indirect evidence in support of the success achieved by the king in the course of the consolidation of his power in the southern region. The chief Raviyarasa continued to owe his allegiance to his new master till about 1122 A.D.

       The chief Raviyarasa mentioned in the two records are identical. The expression aḷiya can be taken to mean ‘nephew’, i.e., the son of Suggaladēvī who is referred to as a taṁge or younger sister of Bhuvanaikamalla in an inscription of Sōmēśvara II from Niḍugundi dated in 1708 A.D. (See JESI., Vol. X, pp. 76 ff).

       A number of inscriptions from about the seventh century A.D. to the end of 13th century A.D., figuring in this volume are from South Kanara District, Karnataka. The Vaḍḍarase inscription edited by Dr. K.V.Ramesh refers to the reign of Āḷuvarasa. Similarly the Kigga record, which can be assigned to the period to which Vaḍḍarase inscription belongs, also refers to the rule of Āḷuvarasa alias Guṇasāgara over Kadamba-maṇḍala. He is identical with the ruler mentioned in the Vaḍḍarase record of about the 7th century A.D. The record states that during the reign of Āḷuvarasa, Kundavarmmarasa’s trusted servant Guṇḍaṇṇa was holding nāṭṭu-mudime. Sattigāri was holding the mudime of . . . . . banna. It is also mentioned that Āḍakappa was holding the vāra of Vaḍḍarase. In all probability the Āḷupas might have gained control over Kadamba-maṇḍala sometime after Chalukya ruler Vikramāditya I drove out the Pallavas of Kāñchīpuram from Vātāpi. Vikramāditya must have been helped by the Āḷupa ruler Āḷuvarasa in regaining the capital. The absence of the mention of any suzerain in the