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Chalukya–Paramara War
| Chalukya–Paramara War | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Paramara dynasty | |||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Tailapa II Bhillama II |
Vakpati Munja (POW)  | ||||||
Munja, the Paramara ruler, clashed with the Western Chalukya king Tailapa II, who sought control of Malwa as Rashtrakuta successor. Though inscriptions praise Munja’s early victories, he advanced across the Godavari and was defeated and captured, with Tailapa aided by his Yadava vassal Bhillama II. Later legends tell of Munja’s romance with Tailapa II’s sister before his execution, but Chalukya records confirm he died in the Deccan between 994 and 998 CE, after which Tailapa secured Paramara lands south to the Narmada.
Background[edit]
According to Gadayuddha, prince Satyashraya also conquered the Gurjaradesa region on Tailapa's orders.[1] Tailapa's commander Barapa, who captured the Lata region in present-day Gujarat, established the Lata Chalukya branch of the family.[1] A 980 inscription that describes Tailapa as a lion to the Lata elephant probably refers to Barapa's conquest of Lata.[2]
War[edit]
Munja was a staunch rival of the Western Chalukya king Tailapa II, whose Karnata kingdom lay to the south of the Paramara kingdom. Tailapa considered himself as the successor of the Rashtrakutas, and therefore, wanted to control Malwa.[3] The Udaipur Prashasti inscription states that Munja attacked Lata (present-day Gujarat), and defeated the Chalukya ruler of that area. According to one theory, the defeated ruler was Tailapa's Lata Chalukya vassal Barappa or his son Goggiraja. According to another theory, "Chalukya" here refers to the Chaulukyas of present-day Gujarat, and Munja fought with their king Mularaja.[4]
The war between Munja and Tailapa has been described by Merutunga, whose account is based on a now-lost Apabhramsa poem called Munja-rasa.[5] According to Merutunga, Tailapa harassed Munja by carrying out several raids into his kingdom, and Munja defeated Tailapa six times (sixteen times, according to some manuscripts).[2] The Udaipur Prashasti also states that he defeated Tailapa. Despite these early successes, he could not subdue Tailapa. Against the advice of his prime minister Rudraditya, Munja decided to adopt a more aggressive policy and crossed the Godavari River in a campaign against Tailapa.[4] Merutunga states that the minister foresaw Munja's defeat and committed suicide by jumping into a fire. In the ensuing conflict, Tailapa defeated Munja's army by force and fraud, and imprisoned him.[2] In his victory against Munja, Tailapa appears to have been aided by his Yadava vassal Bhillama II.[6] Bhillama's 1000 Sangamner inscription poetically boasts that he thrashed the goddess of prosperity Lakshmi on the battlefield because she had sided with Munja, and forced her to become an obedient housewife in the palace of Tailapa.[2]
According to Merutunga, during his imprisonment, Munja and Tailapa's widowed sister Mrinalavati fell in love. Meanwhile, Munja's ministers entered Tailapa's kingdom in disguise, and managed to get in touch with Munja. They made a rescue plan, which Munja divulged to Mrinalavati, because he wanted to take her to Malwa. Mrinalavati told her brother about Munja's escape plan. As a result, Tailapa humiliated Munja by forcing him to beg door-to-door, and then had him executed.[5]
While Merutunga's account may not be entirely accurate from a historical point of view, there is little doubt that Munja died in Deccan, as a result of his war against Tailapa.[2] Ballala claims that Munja died a peaceful death after appointing Bhoja as his successor. However, this is not historically accurate. Munja was succeeded by his brother Sindhuraja. Moreover, his defeat and death at the hands of Tailapa is supported by the inscriptions of Tailapa's descendants. The Kauthem grant inscription of Vikramaditya V states that Tailapa imprisoned Utpala (another name for Munja). The Gadag inscription of Vikramaditya VI states that Munja was killed by Tailapa. The Ain-i-Akbari also states that Munja died in Deccan.[7]
The exact year of Munja's death is not certain. Subhashita-Ratna-Sandoha by the Jain writer Amitagati states that it was completed in 994 CE (1050 VS), when Munja was reigning at Dhara. Tailapa died in 998 CE. Therefore, Munja must have died between 994 and 998 CE.[8]
As a result of his victory against Munja, Tailapa conquered the southern part of the Paramara kingdom, possibly up to the Narmada River.[4]
Reference[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 K. A. Nilakanta Sastri 1960, p. 321.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 K. A. Nilakanta Sastri 1960, p. 322.
- ↑ Krishna Narain Seth 1978, p. 101.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Kailash Chand Jain 1972, pp. 339-340.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Krishna Narain Seth 1978, pp. 103-104.
- ↑ Krishna Narain Seth 1978, p. 102.
- ↑ Krishna Narain Seth 1978, p. 104.
- ↑ M. Srinivasachariar (1974). History of Classical Sanskrit Literature. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 502. ISBN 9788120802841.
Bibliography[edit]
- Arvind K. Singh (2012). "Interpreting the History of the Paramāras". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society. 22 (1): 13–28. JSTOR 41490371.
- Ganga Prasad Yadava (1982). Dhanapāla and His Times: A Socio-cultural Study Based Upon His Works. Concept.
- Harihar Vitthal Trivedi (1991). Inscriptions of the Paramāras (Part 2). Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum Volume VII: Inscriptions of the Paramāras, Chandēllas, Kachchapaghātas, and two minor dynasties. Archaeological Survey of India.
- K. A. Nilakanta Sastri (1960). "The Chāḷukyas of Kalyāṇi and the Kalachuris of Kalyāṇi". In Ghulam Yazdani (ed.). The Early History of the Deccan Parts. Vol. 1 (Parts I-IV). Oxford University Press. pp. 315–468. OCLC 59001459.
- Kailash Chand Jain (1972). Malwa Through the Ages, from the Earliest Times to 1305 A.D. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978-81-208-0824-9.
- Krishna Narain Seth (1978). The Growth of the Paramara Power in Malwa. Progress.
- Mahesh Singh (1984). Bhoja Paramāra and His Times. Bharatiya Vidya Prakashan.
- Shailendra Nath Sen (1999). Ancient Indian History and Civilization. New Age International. ISBN 9788122411980.