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Taila III

Western Chalukya king, called Trailokyamalla, who reigned from 1150. His Kalachuri general Bijjala took over the kingdom between 1156 and 1162. He was dead by January 1163, when the Kakatiya Rudradeva's inscription at Anumakonda mentions his death. J. F. Fleet identified him with the 'Tailapadeva' whom Rudradeva's father Prola II captured and released. P. V. Parabrahma Sastry argued that Prola's captive was the prince Kumara Tailapa instead.

Taila III was a king of the Western Chalukyas, who began to reign early in 1150.1 His Kalachuri general Bijjala took his kingdom from him in stages, between 1156 and 1162.2 A Kakatiya inscription of 1163 at Anumakonda tells how Prola II captured a “Tailapadeva”, and scholars disagree over whether this was Taila III.23

Coming to the throne, and the Kalachuri seizure of power

Taila III was a younger son of Somesvara III and succeeded his brother Jagadekamalla II.41 J. F. Fleet placed his accession early in 1150.1 His biruda (title of honour) was Trailokyamalla, and he was styled Chalukya-Chakravartin, “the Chalukya emperor”.1

The Kalachuri chief Bijjala was already an officer under Taila’s brother.15 He appears in a record of 1151 as Taila’s feudatory (a chief under his rule).5 By 1155 a record says that Bijjala was “governing all the provinces”.5

Fleet concluded that Bijjala, the commander of the army, “used his sovereign’s own armies to deprive the latter of his kingdom”.2 Bijjala took part of the kingdom in 1156 and completed the usurpation (seizure of the throne) in 1162.2 The latest certain date of Taila as sovereign is 26 December 1155, and he died before 19 January 1163.62

Prola II and “Tailapadeva”

Fleet wrote that at some time in Taila’s reign “a serious blow to the Western Chalukya power was dealt by the Kakatiya prince Prola”.2 This Prola was the father of Rudradeva.2 Fleet quoted Rudradeva’s inscription of 1163 at Anumakonda.2 It says that “in an instant he made captive in war the glorious Tailapadeva, the ornament of the Chalukyas”.2 This captive “was skilled in the practice of riding upon elephants”.2 Then “at once, he … let him go, from goodwill produced by his devotion”.2

The same inscription, dated 19 January 1163, mentions that Taila was then dead.2 The Imperial Gazetteer of Hyderabad (1909) repeats that Proda Raja “is said to have captured the Chalukya king, Taila III”.7

Others have doubted the identification. H. Krishna Sastri noted in 1908 that it gives Prola II a reign running from at least 1117 to 1150–51.8 That would be so “unless we suppose that Prola fought with Taila while the latter was yet a prince”.8

P. V. Parabrahma Sastry argued that the captive was Kumara Tailapa, a son of Vikramaditya VI who held the Kandur country.39 He also argued that Prola was loyal to Jagadekamalla II up to 1149.39 He found no evidence that the Kakatiyas revolted against Taila III or fought him.3 He thought it unlikely that a weak king who could not hold his own capital marched into Telangana.3

Records in Telangana

Parabrahma Sastry wrote that the Kakatiyas never acknowledged Taila III or Bijjala as overlord.3 He wrote that records naming either king are not found in Telangana, in the Kandur country or in the Polavasa country.3

P. B. Desai’s summaries of the Kannada inscriptions of Andhra Pradesh, however, include records from the Medak district of a king called Trailokyamalla Taila.1011 One, at Dakur, is dated in his second regnal year, which Desai equated with 5 August 1152.10 Another, at Korapolu, is of the time of a king Trailokyamalla, whom Desai thought might be Taila III.11 An inscription of 1151 at Alampur refers to a king Tribhuvanamalla, whom Desai thought could be Jagadekamalla II or Taila III.12

Successor

Taila III left a son, Somesvara IV, who did not succeed him at once.2 Somesvara IV revived the Western Chalukya sovereignty for a short time from 1183.21314 His latest known date is 25 December 1189.21314 By then the Kakatiyas of Anumakonda had declared their own sovereignty. See the Western Chalukyas of Kalyani.

Footnotes

  1. Fleet, “Dynasties of the Kanarese Districts” (1896), p. 459 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  2. Fleet, “Dynasties of the Kanarese Districts” (1896), p. 462 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12 ↩13 ↩14 ↩15

  3. P. V. Parabrahma Sastry, The Kakatiyas of Warangal (1978), p. 81. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7

  4. J. F. Fleet, “Dynasties of the Kanarese Districts”, Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency I, pt. II (1896), p. 456, note 2 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  5. Fleet, “Dynasties of the Kanarese Districts” (1896), p. 460 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  6. Fleet, “Dynasties of the Kanarese Districts” (1896), p. 461 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  7. Imperial Gazetteer of India, Provincial Series: Hyderabad State (1909), p. 163 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  8. 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

  9. Parabrahma Sastry, The Kakatiyas of Warangal (1978), p. 84. ↩ ↩2

  10. P. B. Desai, introduction to P. Sreenivasachar, Kannada Inscriptions of Andhra Pradesh (Andhra Pradesh Government Archaeological Series 3, 1961), pp. 14–15, No. 40 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Paraphrased. ↩ ↩2

  11. Desai, Kannada Inscriptions of Andhra Pradesh (1961), p. 15, No. 41 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Paraphrased except for the short phrase quoted. ↩ ↩2

  12. Desai, Kannada Inscriptions of Andhra Pradesh (1961), p. 36, No. 100 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Paraphrased. ↩

  13. Fleet, “Dynasties of the Kanarese Districts” (1896), p. 463 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

  14. Fleet, “Dynasties of the Kanarese Districts” (1896), p. 466 (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 (5)
  1. 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. 456, 459–463, 466. J. F. Fleet, Dynasties of the Kanarese Districts, chapter IV. [Public domain]
  2. Government of India, Imperial Gazetteer of India, Provincial Series: Hyderabad State (opens in a new tab), Superintendent of Government Printing, Calcutta, 1909, pp. 163. [Public domain]
  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. 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. 14–15, 36. P. B. Desai's summaries, Nos. 40, 41 and 100; paraphrased. [Public domain in India]
  5. P. V. Parabrahma Sastry, The Kakatiyas of Warangal, Government of Andhra Pradesh, 1978, pp. 81–82, 84. Cite-only; paraphrased. [All rights reserved (cited, not reproduced)]

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