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Kali-Vishnuvardhana V

Kali-Vishnuvardhana V was an Eastern Chalukya king of Vengi, the son of Vijayaditya II. Most grants say he reigned for a year and a half, 843–844 in J. F. Fleet's dating, and one says twenty months. His queen Silamahadevi came from the Rashtrakuta family and was the mother of Gunaga-Vijayaditya III. His only known grant is partly in Telugu. The prefix Kali has been explained in three ways: as skill in fighting, as the Dravidian word for a hero, and as a name earned in his father's wars.

Kali-Vishnuvardhana V was the twelfth king of the Eastern Chalukya dynasty of Vengi.1 He was the son of Vijayaditya II.2 His own reign was short, about a year and a half, which J. F. Fleet dated 843–844.2 His eldest son, Gunaga-Vijayaditya III, followed him and ruled for forty-four years.2

Names and titles

His own grant calls him simply Vishnuvardhana.2 Later grants call him Kali-Vishnuvardhana.2 He had the epithet sarvalokasraya, “asylum of all mankind”, and the title Maharaja.2 His grant also calls him a paramamahesvara, “a most devout worshipper of the god Mahesvara (Siva)”.2 One later grant calls him “the lord of Vengi”.2 The Ponangy plates give his name as Kali-Vittarasa.3

The prefix Kali has been explained in different ways.24 One later grant says he was so called because he was skilled in fighting (kali) with all weapons.2 Fleet did not accept this. He took Kali to be the Dravidian word kali, “a courageous, valiant man; a hero”.2 K. A. Nilakanta Sastri and N. Venkataramanayya (1960) wrote that he helped his father in his wars, and so came to bear the surname Kali, which they translated as “War”.4

His reign

Most grants agree that he reigned for a year and a half.2 The Maliyapundi grant says the same: “His son Kali-Vishnuvardhana (V.) for one year and a half”.5 The Ponangy plates, noticed in the epigraphy report for 1908–09, give him twenty months.3 Fleet dated his reign 843–844.2

His only grant known to Fleet came from a place called “Ahadanakaram”.2 Fleet had published it himself.2 Its genealogy starts with his grandfather, Vishnuvardhana IV.2 Its gift is written in a difficult style of Telugu, which had not yet been properly understood in 1891.2 It seems to record a grant made by the people of a town called Prithivipallavapattana.2 It may also mention Kanchi and Ramesvara.2

Queen and sons

His queen was Silamahadevi of the Rashtrakuta family, the mother of Gunaga-Vijayaditya III.3 The Guntur plates also call her a Rashtrakuta queen.6 Nilakanta Sastri and Venkataramanayya thought that she probably came from the Gujarat branch of the Rashtrakutas.4

Gunaga-Vijayaditya III was his eldest son.2 A younger son, Vikramaditya I, held the rank of yuvaraja (crown prince) but never reigned.7 His son Chalukya-Bhima I later became king.7 Another son, Yuddhamalla I, also never reigned.7 Yuddhamalla’s son Tadapa later seized the throne from the main line.8 See Tadapa.

Where the sources disagree

  • Length of reign. Most grants say a year and a half.25 The Ponangy plates say twenty months.3
  • When. Fleet dates the reign 843–844.2 The Early History of the Deccan (1960) dates it 847–849.9
  • The meaning of Kali. A later grant says “skilled in fighting with all weapons”.2 Fleet took it to mean “a hero”.2 Nilakanta Sastri and Venkataramanayya took it to mean “War”, a name earned in his father’s wars.4

Footnotes

  1. J. F. Fleet, “The Chronology of the Eastern Chalukya Kings”, Indian Antiquary XX (1891), p. 12, list of kings (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  2. Fleet, “Chronology of the Eastern Chalukya Kings” (1891), p. 102 and notes (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12 ↩13 ↩14 ↩15 ↩16 ↩17 ↩18 ↩19 ↩20 ↩21 ↩22 ↩23 ↩24

  3. H. Krishna Sastri, Annual Report on Epigraphy, Southern Circle, for 1908–09 (1909), Part II, p. 106 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  4. K. A. Nilakanta Sastri and N. Venkataramanayya, “The Eastern Chalukyas”, in G. Yazdani (ed.), The Early History of the Deccan, Parts VII–XI (1960), p. 476 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  5. E. Hultzsch, “Maliyapundi Grant of Ammaraja II”, Epigraphia Indica IX (1907–08), p. 55, abridged translation (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

  6. Annual Report on Epigraphy, Southern Circle, for 1911–12 (G.O. No. 919, Public, 29 July 1912), p. 84, paragraph 62 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  7. Fleet, “Chronology of the Eastern Chalukya Kings” (1891), p. 103 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  8. Fleet, “Chronology of the Eastern Chalukya Kings” (1891), p. 268 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  9. Nilakanta Sastri and Venkataramanayya, in The Early History of the Deccan (1960), p. 502, Appendix A, “The Eastern Chalukya Genealogy” (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩

Dynasties

Eastern Chalukyas of Vengi

c. 615–1077 CE

The Eastern Chalukyas were a branch of the Chalukyas of Badami. They ruled Vengi, the coastal country between the lower Godavari and Krishna, from the early 7th century. Their founder, Kubja Vishnuvardhana, was a younger brother of Pulakesin II. The kings fought the Rashtrakutas for two centuries. After about 1000 they were linked to the Cholas by marriage, and in 1070 their heir became the Chola emperor Kulottunga I. Their copper-plate grants record the length of every reign. The first Telugu literary work, Nannaya's Mahabharata, was written at their court in Rajahmundry.

References

Sources (5)
  1. R. C. Temple (ed.); article by J. F. Fleet, Indian Antiquary, Vol. XX (1891), incl. J. F. Fleet, 'The Chronology of the Eastern Chalukya Kings' (opens in a new tab), Education Society's Press, Bombay, 1891, pp. 12, 102–103. J. F. Fleet, 'The Chronology of the Eastern Chalukya Kings'. [Public domain]
  2. E. Hultzsch and Sten Konow (eds.), Epigraphia Indica, Vol. IX (1907–08) (opens in a new tab), Government of India, Calcutta, 1908, pp. 55. E. Hultzsch, Maliyapundi grant of Ammaraja II, abridged translation. [Public domain]
  3. Madras Government (Assistant Archaeological Superintendent for Epigraphy), Annual Reports on Epigraphy, Southern Circle, for 1906-07 to 1909-10 (opens in a new tab), Government Press, Madras, 1910, pp. 106 (report for 1908–09). Annual Report on Epigraphy for 1908–09, Part II: the Ponangy plates. [Public domain]
  4. Madras Government (Assistant Archaeological Superintendent for Epigraphy), Annual Reports on Epigraphy, Southern Circle, for 1910-11 to 1914-15 (opens in a new tab), Government Press, Madras, 1915, pp. 84 (report for 1911–12). [Public domain]
  5. G. Yazdani (ed.); Part VII by K. A. Nilakanta Sastri and N. Venkataramanayya, The Early History of the Deccan, Parts VII-XI, Oxford University Press, London, published under the authority of the Government of Andhra Pradesh, 1960, pp. 476, 502. Cite-only; paraphrased. [All rights reserved (cited, not reproduced)]

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