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Kumara Tailapa

Western Chalukya prince, a son of Vikramaditya VI by Queen Chandaladevi. From at least 1110 he governed the Kandur thousand district in southern Telangana from his capital Kolur. P. V. Parabrahma Sastry argued that he tried to make himself independent under his brother Somesvara III. He also argued that Tailapa was the 'Tailapadeva' whom the Kakatiya Prola II captured and released, an event earlier writers attached to King Taila III.

Kumara Tailapa was a Western Chalukya prince, a son of King Vikramaditya VI.1 From 1110 he appears in Telangana records, governing the Kandur thousand district from his capital town of Kolur.2 P. V. Parabrahma Sastry identified him with the “Tailapadeva” whom the Kakatiya chief Prola II captured and released.3

Prince of the Kandur country

Tailapa was a son of Vikramaditya VI by his queen Chandaladevi.1 The earliest record of him in Telangana is at Alavanipalli in the Mahbubnagar district, dated 29 October 1110.2 It introduces the king’s son, the mahamandalesvara (great provincial lord) Yuvaraja (prince) Tailapadeva, governing the Kandur thousand district.2 It also sets out rules for running his capital town of Kolur, drawn up with the consent of its principal residents.2

At Avancha, in 1113, a record of his exploits sets out rules against social evils for the town of Avanche.1 These rules were made at the request of its leading residents.1

Two records of 14 August 1121, at Bothapur and Nekkonda, say that he ruled the province from Kolur with his queen Lakshmadevi and his sons Permadi and Bikkideva.14 They record his gift of a village to the god Ramesvara of Nekkonda.14 A damaged inscription at Panugallu describes a mahamandalesvara who received his office from Prince Tailapadeva.5

P. V. Parabrahma Sastry described the Kandur country (Kandurunadu) as Tailapa’s appanage (an estate given to a prince), held from the time of his father. He placed Tailapa’s records there between 1110 and 1137. He wrote that Tailapa divided it between two brothers of the Kandur Choda family.67 In his account, Tailapa gave the Kandur district to Bhima and the Panugallu district to Gokarna.67

He added that Tailapa also held the Sindavadi thousand, with its capital at Tumbalam near Adoni.8 He also noted that some records call him Yuvaraja.8

A rebel prince?

Parabrahma Sastry argued that after his brother Somesvara III came to the throne in 1126, the Kandur Chodas stopped naming the king in their records. He argued that Tailapa encouraged their disloyalty. He cited an inscription at Rachuru dated in Chalukya-Vikrama year 60 (21 February 1137).89 In his reading, it styles Tailapa a sovereign reigning from his camp-capital at Gangapura, and does not mention Somesvara III.89

An inscription at Gangapuram dated June 1134 names a councillor of Tailapadeva among the officials present at a gift.1011 Records of Somesvara’s successor, Jagadekamalla II, dated 1141 and 1143, are found at Gangapuram.3

In Parabrahma Sastry’s reconstruction, Jagadekamalla II marched into Telangana soon after his accession in 1138. In this account the Kakatiya chief Prola II, his one loyal subordinate there, captured Tailapa and released him “out of loyalty and affection”. He dated this between 1137 and 1141. Tailapa’s records after 1137 are not found in the region.312

Which Tailapa did Prola capture?

The Thousand Pillar Temple inscription of 1163 says that Prola made captive “the glorious Tailapadeva, the ornament of the Chalukyas” and let him go.13 J. F. Fleet identified this Tailapa with King Taila III.13

H. Krishna Sastri edited Prola’s inscription of 1117 in 1908.14 He pointed out that Fleet’s identification gave Prola a very long reign, “unless we suppose that Prola fought with Taila while the latter was yet a prince”.14

Parabrahma Sastry identified him with Kumara Tailapa.3 He argued that all four enemies of Prola named together in the Ganapesvaram inscription of 1231 belong to the 1130s.3 He also argued that Taila III had no known struggle with Prola.3 See Taila III.

Footnotes

  1. Desai, Kannada Inscriptions of Andhra Pradesh (1961), p. 7, Nos. 15–16 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Paraphrased. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  2. P. B. Desai, introduction to P. Sreenivasachar, Kannada Inscriptions of Andhra Pradesh (Andhra Pradesh Government Archaeological Series 3, 1961), p. 6, No. 14 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Paraphrased. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  3. Parabrahma Sastry, The Kakatiyas of Warangal (1978), p. 84. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  4. Desai, Kannada Inscriptions of Andhra Pradesh (1961), p. 12, No. 32 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Paraphrased. ↩ ↩2

  5. Desai, Kannada Inscriptions of Andhra Pradesh (1961), p. 20, No. 53 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Paraphrased. ↩

  6. P. V. Parabrahma Sastry, The Kakatiyas of Warangal (1978), p. 66. ↩ ↩2

  7. Parabrahma Sastry, The Kakatiyas of Warangal (1978), p. 77. ↩ ↩2

  8. Parabrahma Sastry, The Kakatiyas of Warangal (1978), p. 82. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  9. Parabrahma Sastry, The Kakatiyas of Warangal (1978), p. 83. ↩ ↩2

  10. Desai, Kannada Inscriptions of Andhra Pradesh (1961), p. 9, No. 24 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Paraphrased. ↩

  11. Desai, Kannada Inscriptions of Andhra Pradesh (1961), p. 10, No. 24 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Paraphrased. ↩

  12. Parabrahma Sastry, The Kakatiyas of Warangal (1978), p. 87. ↩

  13. J. F. Fleet, “Dynasties of the Kanarese Districts”, Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency I, pt. II (1896), p. 462 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

  14. H. Krishna Sastri, “Anmakonda Inscription of Prola; the Chalukya-Vikrama Year Forty-Two”, Epigraphia Indica IX (1908), p. 260 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

Dynasties

Western Chalukyas of Kalyani

c. 973–1189 CE

A dynasty of the western Deccan that overthrew the Rashtrakutas in 973 and ruled from Kalyana (Kalyani) until about 1189. Telangana was part of their kingdom. Kannada inscriptions of their reigns run from Korapolu in the Medak district (973) to Alampur, Gangapuram, Kolanupaka and Hanamkonda, where the early Kakatiya chiefs, the Polavasa chiefs and the Kandur Chodas served them as feudatories. They fought the Cholas for Vengi for a century, and Vikramaditya VI was recognised as king there from 1118 to about 1126. After the Kalachuris took over in the 1150s, the Kakatiyas declared their own sovereignty in 1163.

References

Sources (4)
  1. Dr. P. SREENIVASACHAR, M.A., Ph. D. (London) & Prof. P. B. DESAI, M.A., Andhra Pradesh Government Archaeological Series No. 3. KANNADA INSCRIPTIONS OF ANDHRA PRADESH (opens in a new tab), 1961, pp. 6–7, 9–10, 12, 20. P. B. Desai's summaries, Nos. 14–16, 24, 32 and 53; paraphrased. [Public domain in India]
  2. P. V. Parabrahma Sastry, The Kakatiyas of Warangal, Government of Andhra Pradesh, 1978, pp. 66, 77, 82–84, 87. Cite-only; paraphrased. [All rights reserved (cited, not reproduced)]
  3. E. Hultzsch and Sten Konow (eds.), Epigraphia Indica, Vol. IX (1907–08) (opens in a new tab), Government of India, Calcutta, 1908, pp. 260. H. Krishna Sastri, Anmakonda inscription of Prola. [Public domain]
  4. J. F. Fleet, R. G. Bhandarkar and others (Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency), Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency, Vol. I, Part II: History of the Konkan, Dakhan and Southern Maratha Country (opens in a new tab), Government Central Press, Bombay, 1896, pp. 462. [Public domain]

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