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Anangabhima III (Eastern Ganga)

Anangabhima III was an Eastern Ganga king of Kalinga and Orissa in the early 13th century, the son of Rajaraja III and the father of Narasimha I. R. D. Banerji dated his reign 1211–1238, and Robert Sewell 1219–1253. He fought the Muslim rulers of Bengal and the Kalachuris of Ratanpur. In the Telugu country, P. V. Parabrahma Sastry credited him with driving the Kakatiya armies of Ganapatideva back across the Godavari, and his records stand at Draksharama.

Anangabhima III was a king of the Eastern Gangas, who by his time ruled Orissa as well as Kalinga.12 He reigned in the early 13th century, between his father Rajaraja III and his son Narasimha I.13 In the Telugu country he is remembered for pushing the Kakatiyas back across the Godavari.4

Family

R. D. Banerji, in his History of Orissa (1930), made Anangabhima III the son of Rajaraja III.1 That king had married Mankundadevi, of a Chalukya family, probably the Eastern Chalukyas of Vengi.1 Rajaraja III ruled until 1211.1

Anangabhima III married Kasturadevi, and their son was Narasimha I.5 His daughter Chandrika married a Haihaya prince named Paramardin, who fell fighting for her brother Narasimha I.6 In 1278, in the reign of her brother’s grandson, she built a temple of Vishnu at Bhubaneswar.6

Wars with Bengal and Ratanpur

Banerji wrote that, under Anangabhima III, the kings of Orissa “lost their lethargy”.1 The Muslim rulers of Bengal had first raided Orissa in his father’s reign.71 His Chatesvara inscription says that “he alone fought against the Muhammedan King”, and killed many skilled warriors with his arrows.82 Banerji dated this war with Ghiyasuddin Iwaz Shah of Bengal to between 1212 and 1222, and thought Iwaz had been beaten back.82

Anangabhima III also fought the Kalachuri kings of Ratanpur, called the kings of Tummana.2 He was the first Ganga king whose inscriptions have been found in northern Orissa.2 Three of them are on the Lingaraja temple at Bhubaneswar, and one is dated 9 January 1224.23

The Kakatiya war

P. V. Parabrahma Sastry pieced together the war with the Kakatiyas from Kakatiya and Ganga records.94 In his account, the generals of Ganapatideva invaded Kalinga about 1212.94 They went as far as the Aska country in Ganjam.94

But Anangabhima III, who had followed his father in 1211, soon freed his country and pushed south as far as Draksharama.4 An inscription in the Bhimesvara temple there, of his eighth year, 1217–18, says that he had freed Trikalinga, his country.4 Parabrahma Sastry thought that the Kakatiya army was beaten and had to go back south of the Godavari.4

Two inscriptions at Draksharama of 1230 and 1233 show the Ganga king’s hold north of the Godavari.4 One of them praises his commander Jasrajaka for conquering Vengi very quickly.4 Parabrahma Sastry was not sure whether the Ganga general really conquered Vengi or only helped the Kolanu chief Kesavadeva against the Kakatiyas.4 The Kakatiyas took the Kolanu country only shortly before 1240, after the Ganga forces had withdrawn.10

Temples and death

The Chatesvara inscription records a Siva temple built by a Brahman named Govinda.3 It says that Govinda or the king built pleasure-houses at Puri, performed the gold tulapurusha gift (giving away one’s weight in gold), and made roads and tanks.3 Banerji placed Anangabhima’s death in 1238.3 His son Narasimha I, whom Banerji called “the second great king” of the dynasty, followed him.3

Where the sources disagree

  • His dates. Banerji gives 1211–1238.13 Parabrahma Sastry also puts his accession in 1211.4 Sewell’s table gives 1219–1253, and puts a Rajaraja III in 1219–1235, overlapping him.11
  • His number. Banerji and Parabrahma Sastry call him Anangabhima III.14 V. Rangacharya called Narasimha I’s father Anangabhima II.12 Parabrahma Sastry also names the king of the Draksharama records of 1230 and 1233 as Aniyanka Bhima.4

Footnotes

  1. Banerji, History of Orissa, Vol. I (1930), p. 259 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9

  2. Banerji, History of Orissa, Vol. I (1930), p. 261 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  3. Banerji, History of Orissa, Vol. I (1930), p. 262 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7

  4. Parabrahma Sastry, The Kakatiyas of Warangal (1978), p. 111. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12 ↩13

  5. Banerji, History of Orissa, Vol. I (1930), p. 263 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  6. Banerji, History of Orissa, Vol. I (1930), p. 267 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

  7. R. D. Banerji, History of Orissa from the Earliest Times to the British Period, Vol. I (1930), p. 258 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  8. Banerji, History of Orissa, Vol. I (1930), p. 260 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

  9. P. V. Parabrahma Sastry, The Kakatiyas of Warangal (1978), pp. 109–110. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  10. Parabrahma Sastry, The Kakatiyas of Warangal (1978), p. 112. ↩

  11. Robert Sewell, The Historical Inscriptions of Southern India (1932), p. 358, genealogical table of the Eastern Gangas (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Paraphrased. ↩

  12. V. Rangacharya, A Topographical List of the Inscriptions of the Madras Presidency, Vol. III (1919), p. 1666, Vizagapatam No. 5 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

Dynasties

Eastern Gangas of Kalinga

c. 498–1434 CE

The Eastern Gangas ruled Kalinga from about the 6th century until 1434. Their capital was Kalinganagara, now Mukhalingam in the Srikakulam district; later they ruled from Orissa. Their early grants use a Ganga era whose starting point is still disputed. The north of the Telugu country, the old Ganjam and Vizagapatam districts, was the heart of the kingdom. Their copper plates come from Chicacole, Achyutapuram, Jirjingi, Nadagam and Alamanda, and hundreds of their inscriptions in Telugu and Sanskrit survive at Mukhalingam, Srikurmam and Simhachalam. Anantavarman Chodaganga, a grandson of Kulottunga I, reigned from 1078 for about seventy years. The later kings fought the Kakatiyas across the Godavari, and their minister Kapilesvara founded the Gajapati dynasty in 1434.

References

Sources (4)
  1. R. D. Banerji, History of Orissa from the Earliest Times to the British Period, Vol. I (opens in a new tab), R. Chatterjee, Calcutta, 1930, pp. 259–263, 267. [Public domain]
  2. P. V. Parabrahma Sastry, The Kakatiyas of Warangal, Government of Andhra Pradesh, 1978, pp. 109–112. Cite-only; paraphrased. [All rights reserved (cited, not reproduced)]
  3. Robert Sewell (ed. S. Krishnaswami Aiyangar), The Historical Inscriptions of Southern India (Collected till 1923) and Outlines of Political History (opens in a new tab), University of Madras, 1932, pp. 358. Paraphrased. [Public domain in India]
  4. V. Rangacharya, A Topographical List of the Inscriptions of the Madras Presidency (collected till 1915), with Notes and References, Vol. III (opens in a new tab), Government Press, Madras, 1919, pp. 1666. [Public domain]

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