South Indian Inscriptions

INTRODUCTION

Vaḍḍarase record suggests that the record was engraved prior to the date of Vikramāditya. Thus the Vaḍḍarase record may be assigned to the date of about 650 A.D. The kigga inscription mentions Kundavarmarasa as a feudatory of Āḷuvarasa. He is reffered to as the headman (mudimegeye) of some nāḍu. The present record also refers to Guṇḍaṇṇa as the chief of Paḍuvaḷiya-nāḍu. The division cannot be the tract around Hāḍuvaḷḷi in North Kanara District, for the reason that Hāḍuvaḷḷi is in the extreme north. The nāḍu in question seems to be the reign around Vaḍḍarase itself. The Kigga record may be assigned to about 680 A.D. The above two records clearly suggest that Āḷupas were the feudatories of the Chalukyas of Vātāpi.

       Yet another record of the early period is the one from Kōṭa (No. 275) in Udipi Taluk. This inscription can be assigned to about the 7th century A.D., on palaeographical grounds. It records the death of Raṇamuṇḍe Aṅgupesāra Polegan, a servant of Juddhamalla, in a fight with Raṇakēsari who was entering Udayapura. It also states that the battle was fought on behalf of the king (dharegīsan). The name Raṇakēsari reminds us of the name Raṇasāgara, who seems to have been the younger brother of Chitravāhan (II). These two chiefs waged a number of battles in order to regain the Āḷupa throne. If the identification of Raṇakēsari with Raṇasāgara is accepted, then it may be inferred that there were feuds between the two brothers who were sons of Āḷuvarasa (II). (Dr. K. V. Ramesh, A History of South Kanara, pp. 70-80). It was pointed out by Dr. K. V. Ramesh that the discovery of inscriptions in Udsyāvara and in its vicinity eulogising the heroism of Chitravāhana II’s soldiers suggests by implification, the failure of Raṇasāgara’s bid to recapture the Aḷupa capital. In the civil war, Raṇasāgara continued his efforts to regain Udayapura and finally succeeded, though epigraphs bearing witness to his final triumph over Chitravāhana II are not available. This period witnessed the loss of control of the Āḷupas over Kadamba-maṇḍala.

       An undated record from Baṇṭra, in characters of about the 9th century, refers to a political agreement that was enterd into among four persons viz.,Narasiṅgan Dugarāja, the son of Balle (or Valle)- oḍeya, Rāchamallan Dugarāja, brother of Viḷarittaḷiyarasa, a ruler of the Kadamba family and king Nṛipamallarāja. They met in the temple at Sādanūru, and in the presence of witnesses (names mentioned), agreed to put an6 end to mutual enemity (page), vegence (pali) and feuds (esage). It is not only difficult to identify Nṛipamallarāja but we do not know of any member of the Kadamba family who was ruling during this period.