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{{Short description|10th century monarch in Telangana, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2020}}
'''Narasimha II''' ([[International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration|IAST]]: Nara-siṃha, {{Abbr|r.|reigned}} {{Circa|915-930}}) was a ruler of the [[Chalukyas of Vemulavada|Vemulavada Chalukya]] dynasty of present-day [[Telangana]], India. As a vassal of the [[Rashtrakuta]] king [[Indra III]], he led an Rashtrakuta army against the [[Gurjara-Pratihara]] king [[Mahipala I|Mahipala]]. According to his dynasty's records, he advanced as far as river Ganga (locally, the [[Godavari River]] is referred to as Ganga and Dakshna Ganga, and its tributaries around the locality are called [[Wainganga River]] and [[Painganga River]]), forcing Mahipala to flee.
{{Chalukyas of Vemulavada}}
== Early life ==

Narasimha II was a son of his predecessor Yuddhamalla III, and a grandson of [[Baddega]].{{sfn|N Venkataramanayya|1953|p=24}} Like his predecessors, he was a [[Rashtrakuta]] feudatory. A verse in the ''Vikramarjuna Vijayam'', composed by the Chalukya court poet [[Adikavi Pampa|Pampa]], states that his son [[Arikesari II]] had Indra's shoulder as his cradle. According to one theory, this may mean that Narasimha's wife Jakavve and the mother of Arikesari II, was a daughter of the Rashtrakuta king [[Indra III]]. While this is plausible, no direct evidence supports this hypothesis.{{sfn|N Venkataramanayya|1953|p=25}}

== Campaign against the Gurjara-Pratiharas ==

The Vemulavada inscription of Arikesari II and the ''Vikramarjuna Vijayam'' credit him with several military successes. These records suggest that he achieved these victories on his own, but actually, he achieved these successes as a participant in a campaign of his Rashtrakuta overlord [[Indra III]].{{sfn|N Venkataramanayya|1953|p=25}} The [[Khambhat]] (Cambay) inscription of Indra's son [[Govinda IV]] attributes these military victories to Indra, which suggests that Narasimha II assisted his overlord Indra in a Rashtrakuta campaign in central and northern India.{{sfn|N Venkataramanayya|1953|pp=25-26}}

During the reign of Indra's predecessor [[Krishna II]], the [[Gurjara-Pratihara]] king [[Mahipala I|Mahipala]] had captured [[Malwa]] and other regions ruled by the Rashtrakuta feudatories. Therefore, Indra invaded the Gurjara-Pratihara kingdom to recover these territories.{{sfn|N Venkataramanayya|1953|p=26}} According to the Vemulavada inscription, Narasimha conquered the Latas,{{sfn|N Venkataramanayya|1953|p=24}} which suggests that the Rashtrakuta forces conquered the [[Lata (region)|Lata]] region from the Gurjara-Pratiharas.{{sfn|N Venkataramanayya|1953|p=28}}

The Vemulavada inscription further suggests that Narasimha reduced the seven Malavas to ashes, and extracted tribute from their rulers.{{sfn|N Venkataramanayya|1953|p=24}} This suggests that the Rashtrakuta army conquered the [[Malwa]] region (which was probably divided into seven principalities at the time) and forced the local rulers to become Rashtrakuta tributaries.{{sfn|N Venkataramanayya|1953|p=28}}

According to the Vemulavada inscription, Narasimha defeated Mahipala, the king of the [[Gurjaradesa|Gurjaras]], forcing him to flee; and subjugated the Gurjara kingdom. He defeated the king of the Gurjaras on the banks of the Ganges river, and bathed his horses in the Ganges river.{{sfn|N Venkataramanayya|1953|p=24}} The [[Chalukya dynasty|Chalukya]] court poet [[Adikavi Pampa|Pampa]] describes Narasimha's achievements as follows:

{{cquote|Narasimha plucked from Gurjara king's arms the Goddess of victory, whom, though desirous of keeping, he had held too loosely. Mahipala fled as if struck by thunderbolt, staying neither to eat nor to rest, nor to pick himself up, while Narasimha pursuing bathed his horses at the junction of the Ganges and established his fame.|source=[[Adikavi Pampa|Pampa]]{{sfn|Baij Nath Puri|1957|p=81}}}}

The Chalukya records also state that Mahipala installed his sword at a stone [[victory pillar]] at Kalapriya.{{sfn|N Venkataramanayya|1953|p=25}} Some earlier scholars have identified Kalapriya with the Mahakala temple at [[Ujjain]], but there is no concrete evidence to support this identification. Kalapriya is probably modern Kalpi, where a temple dedicated to the deity Kalapriya is located on the banks of the [[Yamuna River]].{{sfn|N Venkataramanayya|1953|pp=28-29}} The Rashtrakuta forces besieged the Kalapriya shrine, demolished the walls of the ''prakara'' with their [[war elephant|elephants]], and tore off the flags in the courtyard.{{sfn|N Venkataramanayya|1953|p=28}}

This description suggests that the after capture Lata and Malwa, the Rashtrakuta army proceeded to the Yamuna River in the north, and defeated Mahipala's Gurjara-Pratihara forces.{{sfn|N Venkataramanayya|1953|pp=28-29}} As a Rashtrakuta general, Narasimha advanced up to the Ganges river, where he bathed his horses, and then returned to Kalapriya, where he erected a victory pillar. The Rashtrakuta army did not annex the Ganga-Yamuna plains to their territory, and returned to their core territory in Deccan after the campaign.{{sfn|N Venkataramanayya|1953|p=30}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

=== Bibliography ===

{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |author=N Venkataramanayya |title=The Chālukyas of L(V)ēmulavāḍa |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f8k7_1PaFCsCx |publisher=Archaeological Department, Government of Hyderabad |year=1953 |oclc=958874923 }}
* {{cite book |author=Baij Nath Puri |authorlink=Baij Nath Puri |title=The history of the Gurjara-Pratihāras |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=szkhAAAAMAAJ |year=1957 |publisher=[[Munshiram Manoharlal]] }}
{{refend}}

[[Category:Chalukya kings of Vemulavada]]
[[Category:10th-century Indian monarchs]]

Narasimha II of Vemulavada - Revision history

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