Thread by @cbkwgl

Part 7 of my Little Deccan Series, after a long hiatus. Over the biggies, the Gangas. Part 6 below.

https://twitter.com/cbkwgl/status/1109859035174469632

Who the Gangas of Talakadu are, where they came from, no one knows. Gangas claimed descent from Ikshvaku-kula, are of Kanva Gotra and called themselves as Jahnaviyas in their inscriptions. Some conjecture they came from the North, some, a shoot-off of Andhra Ikshvakus and some,

just locals. But, one thing is clear. They came from the east and encroached towards west. Panchamukhi and others suggested that Gangas are indigenous and they expanded out of Talakadu, not Kulavala, their earliest capital. Elephant crest and Hale Kannada language further support

this premise. Talakadu area was known as Gajaranya and many Ganga kings were proficient in dealing with elephants. But, Tirupati area at that time was also famous for elephants. One can't base the premise just on incidence of elephants simply because the whole area is

a dense forest and elephants are seen everywhere. Some other came up with a theory that they are some Kanavas who went and settled in South after the Kanva Dynasty of Magadha ended. Their story goes thus. Bharata, son of the Ikshvaku king Harischandra had a son Gangadatta and

Padmanabha Ganga in his line was defeated by Mahipala of Ujjain. Two of Padmanabha Ganga’s sons migrated South and founded Ganga kingdom with the help of the Jain Guru Simhanandi. The earlier inscriptions, even till the time of Durvinita called themselves as Hindus and not Jains.

It is also possible that like the Kadambas, Gangas were Pallava vassals who rebelled. But, they never mentioned that in their inscriptions though Sivaskandavarman’s Hirahadagalli mentions a Kolivalabhojaka.

The kingdom was set up by Madhava and Dadiga around 350 AD and is known as Gangavadi 96000. They had Madagajendra(rutting elephant) Lanchana as the crest and Pincha(flower) Dhwaja as the banner.

The capital was originally Kulavala, which was shifted to Talakadu which remained the capital till the end, though the royal residence was moved to Mankuda in 7th Century and to Manne in 8th Century.

The first Jain among the Gangas possibly is Sivamara II who built a Jaina Basadi for the first time by a Ganga king. It is possible that he was converted during his Rashtrakuta imprisonment. The first inscription which mentioned Simhanandi is the 963 Kudlur Grant of Marasimha.

Going by the deviation from the orthographic standards and the fact that the information regarding the dynasty was only from copper plate grants and not from inscriptions, JF Fleet considered the dynasty as a fabrication, though that view was never treated seriously by anyone.

Kodunjeruvu Grant issued in the 25th year of Avinita in 491 AD is used to date the Ganga kings. With him ascending in 466 and 20 years for every predecessor, Ganga reign is assumed to have started around 350 AD.

Konganivarman(350–370)
Didiga or Kongunivarman was the founder of the dynasty and Kongunivarman is used as a title by all Ganga kings. However, Nanni Santara’s 1077 inscription mentions that Konganivarman is Madhava and his successor Kiriya Madhava is Didiga’s son.

He is famously mentioned as wildfire in consuming the stubble of the forest Bana and extended the territory to Mandali in the west. Following him, every Ganga ruler used the title Dharma-Mahadhiraja or Dharma-Maharajadhiraja, probably a Kadamba influence.

"A sun illumining the clear firmament of the Jahnaviya (or Ganga)-kula, of strength and valour acquired from the great pillar of stone divided with a single stroke of his sword, adorned with the coronet of kannikara petals, was Sriman Kongulivarama dharama-maharajadiraja"

Madhava(370–390)
Kiriya Madhava who succeeded his father is also an active soldier but is more known for his scholarly bend. Besides a competent soldier, he is a scholar in Nitisastra, Upanishads and other subjects and composed Dattaka-Sutra.

It is possible that Gangas crossed swords with Kadambas, another powerful kingdom forming just north of Gangavadi during his reign itself and Kadamba Raghu died in one such war with the Gangas. It is possible that the Dynasty split into three lines – Talakadu, Paruvi and Kaivara.

Collateral Line: Paruvi Line of Gangas
Only two kings are known of this line - Aryavarman and Madhava. Both the father and son are installed by Pallavas on their throne and it is possible this line was used as a prop against Kadambas and Talakadu Gangas by the Pallavas.

The titles of Kadamba Mrgesavarman "Tunga-Gangakulotsadi" and "Pallava-Pralayanalah" should be viewed together(Gangas of Paruvi) and not separately(Gangas of Talakadu). It is possbile that the line ended when Ganga Tadangala Madhava conquered the territory.

Collateral Line: Kaivara Line of Gangas
Again, not much is known of this line. A single grant from this line from Chukuttur, relating to a grant in Kaivara Country has surfaced. It is issued on the death(in a battle?) of Viravarma, the brother of Simhavarman.

Harivarman (390–410)
He is said to be an expert in using bow and employed elephants in war. He shifted the capital to Talakadu possibly due to a retreat after the Battle of Henjara.

Vishnugopa(410-430)
He is not looked upon favourably in later Ganga inscriptions(the disappearing divine symbols of the Gangas). He was succeeded by his grandson Madhava, famously known as Tadangala Madhava and not his son Prithvi Ganga, who, probably predeceased him.

Madhava II Tandangala (430–469)
He is famous for his personal strength and valour and is a worshipper of Lord Tryambakeswara. He married the sister of Kadamba Krishnavarman I, who maintained maritail ties with Guptas, Vakatakas and Vishnukundins.

Pallavas killed Kadamba Krishnavarman who then left to raid the Vishnukundinas but the respite wasn’t enough for the Kadambas to bounceback with Vijayaskandavarman standing strongly behind the Paruvi Gangas. Possibly on the defeat of the Pallavas in the hands of

Kadamba Mrgesavarman, Madhava attacked the Paruvi Gangas and annexed their territory. The number of Buddhist grants from his area is a clear hint at the prominence of the religion in the era. After the death of Mandhatrvarman, Pallavas intervened again –

Pallava Santivarman installed Vishnuvarman on the Kadamba throne and returned back. But, Vishnuvarman faced a rebellion and Santivarman had to hasten back. Both Vishnuvarman and Santivarman were killed in the battle.

Avinita (469–529)
He was crowned the king when still on his mother’s lap and is possibly a posthumous child. It is possible that his father perished in one of the Pallava-Kadamba wars as Mrgesavarman calls himself Tunga-Ganga-Kulotsadi. He married the daughter of

Skandavarman, king of Punnada. He is called as unrivalled in managing elephants, in horsemanship and archery. Crossing Kaveri in full flood, he acquired the name Churchuvayda Ganga. His inscrtiptions give him the titles Konganivarman and Kongani Avinita.

Durvinita (529–579)
His name, meaning ill-behaved or wicked, explained as wicked or ill-behaved towards Durvinita Kali.Durvinita is overlooked for the throne in favour of another son of Avinita who was supported both by the Pallava and the Vallabha and Durvinita won the throne

through the strength of his arms. He defeated the Pallavas and placed his daughter’s son Jayasimha on the heriditary throne. Durvinita was aggressive against the Pallavas, capturing Punnad and Kongunad, encroaching deep into Pallava territory.

The name Jayasimha is interesting because he is the supposed to be the son of the famous Vijayaditya who lost his life against Trilochana Pallava and who is prominently mentioned in the Eastern Chalukyan charters. This means that Durvinita is the father in law of Vijayaditya and

one can see the hand of Gangas in bringing him South to tackle the Pallavas. If this presupposition is correct, the dates of either Vijayaskandavarman or Durvinita should be shifted or Trilochana Pallava should be identified with a successor of Vijayaskandavarman IV.

In Avanti Sundari Katha Sara, Dandin mentions that his great grandfather Damodara, a contemporary of Bharavi, is patronized by Vishnuvardhana, Ganga Durvinita and Pallava Simhavishnu, there by establishing a synchronism which helps much in dating the Gangas.

He is also a distinguished scholar like his predecessors and successors on the Ganga throne and wrote a commentary for the 15th Sarga of Kiratarjuniyam and possibly, Sabdavatara, attributed to Pujyapada. He also translated Gunadhya’s Brhadkatha into Sanskrit as Vaddakatha.

Mushkara (579–604)
Polavira (604–629)
Srivikrama (629–654)
Mushkara is known as Kantivinita and married the daughter of Sindhu Raja. He is either same as Polavira or a brother of his. Srivikrama is an expert in all the 14 branches of learning and in the science of politics.

Bhuvikarma (654–679)
He is born to Srivikrama and a Telugu Chola Princess. He started his career as governor of Kuvalalanad and became the Ganga king on the demise of Srivikrama. He is a warrior of note and defeated the Pallavas under his personal command at Velanda.

It is possible this is a part of Chlaukya-Pallava Wars when Chalukyas started pushing back the Pallavas after the disaster of 642. Around 670, he shifted his capital to Mankunda.

Collateral line
A collateral line of Gangas is traced from Bhuvikrama based on Chikballapur Plates of Jayateja. Dated to 810 AD, this gives the dynastic succession as Srivikrama, Srivallabha(Bhuvikrama), Kannakari-Raja born in the line of Kannayya(Kanvayana?),

Paramakulamadhiraja, Kaduvishama Ajavarma, Singadi, Ajavarma, Nrpateja and Jayateja(Dattiya). Jayateja is shown as a vassal of Rashtrakutas.

Shivamara I (679–726)
Bhuvikrama’s younger son Sivamara succeded him to the throne. He also clashed with the Pallavas, defeating the Pallava princes Jaya and Vriddhi. Badami Chalukyas encroached upon Ganga kingdom for the first time –

Sivamara was defeated by Chalukya Vinayaditya – Chalukyas treated Gangas as their feudatories but Gangas acted almost as independent and didn’t acknowledge vassalage. His son Ereganga pre-deceased him.

Sripurusha Muttarasa (726–788)
He is Sivamara's grandson which justifies that long a reign for him. He attacked the Banas and subjugated them. He joined his master, the Chalukyas in their invasion of Pallava Country allied with the Pandyas. But, the allied force was crushed at

Vembai and Chalukyas never recovered from the blow – Rashtrakutas, vassals of Chalukyas rebelled and seized the kingdom. The Pandyan king Rajasimha went for a matrimonial alliance with the Gangas. Pallava Nandivarman was a tough nut,

taking on the Ganga-Pandya alliance on one side and Rashtrakutas on the other. Sripurusha was defeated and a neck ornament Ugrodaya was taken from him by Nandivarman. Sripurusha retaliated, and considered to be his greatest exploit, Gangas led by his son Siyagalla defeated

the Pallavas at Vilardi and killed the commander, a Pallava prince. Sripurusha assumed the title Permanadi as a consequence of this. By 760, Rashtrakutas were at his gates and he spent all his remaining years trying to stop them. The capital was shifted to Manyapura or Manne from

Mankuda and pitched battles were fought. Slowly, the Gangas yielded and it is understood that even the capital fell. Sripurusha seems to have bounced back as we know of Sripurusha claiming to be at Manyapura in his victorious camp in 776.

Dr BGL Swamy asserts that there is no Kalabhra Interregnum but it’s a short Ganga invasion of Pandyan Country. He states that there is an invasion of Ganga Sripurusha during the reign of Rajasimha I whose son Nedunchediyan commissioned the Velvikudi Grant which is famous for

the word Kalabhra should be derived from kalabha(Baby elephant – symbol of Gangas) > kalabhabhru > kalabhru > kalabhra > kalappira. It is further noticed that Kalabhras were never mentioned in Ganga grants even though the Gangas were very active in Kongunadu.

Shivamara II Saigotta (788–816)
He is the most interesting as well as the most tragic among the Ganga kings. First, his succession was contested by his brother and he ascended the throne after a civil war. Then, he picked the wrong side in the Rashtrakuta Civil War.

He led the allied armies of Rashtrakuta Govinda against Dhruva and defeated him at Mudugundur but Govinda was finally defeated. Sivamara was imprisoned and the territory given to Dhruva's elder son Khamba. Sivamara's brother Vijayaditya was the face of the dynasty.

When Dhruva's younger son Govinda became the king, he released Sivamara in a hope that he will act as a counter weight to Khamba. But, he sided Khamba and was imprisoned again. He was released again, he helped Govinda against Vengi Chalukyas but rebelled again.

He was killed along with his brother Siyagella, a famous Ganga commander at Kagimogeyur in 816. In spite of being imprisoned on multiple occasions and being at constant war he found the time to write literary works, including Gajashtaka in Kannada, Gajamathakalpana in Sanskrit

and Sethubandha in Prakrit. He is considered to be a great scholar, poet and a builder. It is possible that he converted to Jainism when in Rashtrakuta court. From his time, Gangas became devout Jains from his time.

Collateral line: Marasimha and the Pallava Feudatories
Sivamara was succeeded by Vijayaditya's son Rachamalla and not his son Marasimha, possibly at Rashtrakuta insistence. Marasimha was followed by Prithvipati, Marasimha and Prithvipati II, all famous Pallava and Chola

commanders. Prithvipati I is noted for Battle of Sripurambiyam, Prithvipati II was the guardian of Northern frontiers of the Chola Empire but his death forced the Chola Crown Prince Rajaditya to man North leading to devastating consequences. More details at a later time.

Rachamalla I Satyavakya (816–843)
The trust Rashtrakutas placed in Rachamalla turned futile, as he too followed his uncle to rebel against the Rashtrakutas and pushed them out of Gangavadi. As a Rashtrakuta vassal, the Banas were pushed back - but when he went for

a marital relationship with the Nolambas, Rashtrakuta Amoghavarsha wasn't too happy as it only made the Gangas more formidable. He sent an army under Bankesa, the governor of Banavasi but the force had to retreat.

Nitimarga I Ereyappa (843–870)
The fight with Rashtrakutas went almost till 868 where they the Rashtrakutas were defeated at Rajaramudu before they decided to give up. Amoghavarsha's daughter is given to Nitimarga's son and from then on, Gangas became loyal Rashtrakuta vassals.

Rachamalla II Satyavakya(870–907)
Gunaga Vijayaditya's invasion was the most major thing he has to tackle. The fight with Gunaga Vijayaditya was long drawn and sanguinary, with Gangas finally yielding at Remiya and Gungur after the Nolambas were completely overrun.

The fight continued post Vijayaditya when Bhima I defeated both the Rashtrakutas and Gangas at Niravadyapura and Peruvangura Grama. A Pallava-Ganga invasion was defeated by Pandyans at Kudamukku by Srimara Srivallabha. The Nolambas rebelled under his rule and Nolamba Mahendra was

killed when he invaded Gangavadi. Rachamalla took the title Mahendrantaka commemorating that. Nolambas, close relatives of Gangas rebelled frequently from then on, in hopes of grandeur. He is famous for his victory in the Battle of Samiya where he defeated an allied host of

various king as mentioned in Marasimha’s Kudlur Plates. The selection of kings mentioned clearly states it’s a Rashtrakuta force along with it’s allies. He died due to hiccups or cough at a place by name Kombale. Many of his men committed suicide by jumping into fire.

Nitimarga II Ereyappa (907–921)
Rachamalla was succeeded by Ereyappa, Butuga’s son. It’s possible that this succession was mandated by Amoghavarsha, Butuga’s father-in-law and he was involved in governance during the reign of his uncle. This can be estimated from the fact that

Nitimarga, the son of Abbalabba was anointed the king by his uncle and nothing is known of Rachamalla’s sons. The coronation happened in 887 AD. The wars with Rashtrakutas subsided but did not end as there are references of fight between Rashtrakutas under Krishna.

It’s possible it’s only a turf war between Nitimarga and the the Governor of Banavasi as we know that the Supreme Commander of the South for Rashtrakutas, Prachanda Dandanayaka Sampaiya operated from Manne. Another new trouble erupted for the South for the Gangas,

which eventually consumed them – the rise of Cholas. They uprooted the Pallavas and by 921, under Parantaka, they were at the borders of Ganga Empire, dislodging the Banas and handing over their territory to the Ganga prince Prithvipati II.

Narasimha (921–933)
Narasimhadeva succeeded his father as the king in 920. Nothing much is known about him except that he, like most of the Ganga kings before him was adept in arts and war.

Rachamalla III Satyavakya (933–938)
Narasimhadeva was succeeded by his brother Rachamalla. Nolamba Ayyappa fell fighting the Vengi Chalukyas in 934 as a Ganga vassal. His son Anniga, whose mother is a Ganga Princess, rebelled and was defeated at Kottamangala but returned the

territory to him. He was killed by his brother Butuga and the Rashtrakutas in a coup/civil war. Rachamalla’s sons and their successors persisted in Shimoga area at least for a few generations after his brother Butuga became the Ganga king in place of Rachamalla’s son Ereyaganga.

Butuga II (938–961)
Butuga rebelled against his brother with Rashtrakuta support. Also, Rashtrakuta Amoghavarsha II gave his daughter Revaka to Butuga in marriage. He helped Rashtrakuta Krishna III win the civil war and in the Battle of Takkolam, which was a disastrous defeat for

the Cholas in 949 AD. Butuga is specially mentioned there as he personally killed the Chola crown prince and field commander Rajaditya. After this the invasion force proceeded further, besieging Kanchi and Thanjavur and burning Nelkote. He was given control of Banavasi-12000 for

his services. Butuga was a powerful warrior – he took Chitrakuta, Sapta Malavas(which he renamed Malava Ganga) and other areas. He married the Princess of Dahala, the daughter of Baddega. On his death, he helped annex the kingdom into Rashtrakuta Empire from Lalliya and

was a powerful supporter of Rashtrakuta Krishna. Butuga is a Jain scholar of note – he defeated a Buddhist scholar in an open debate. Butuga’s daughter by Revaka is married to the son of Amoghavarsha III and was the mother of Rashtrakuta Emperor Indra Raja. Butuga’s son

Marula Deva was married to Krishna III’s daughter, Bijabbe. Since he didn’t ascend the throne though more closely related to Rashtrakutas than his younger brother Marashimha, it is assumed that Marula Deva predeceased Buttuga or died shortly on becoming the king, in 963.

Collateral line:
Later inscriptions like Shimoga 64 mention the continuation of the Ganga line even during the Chola era. The line traces the descent from Maruladeva.

Marasimha III Satyavakya (963–975)
Marasimha, easily the greatest of the Ganga Kings, is a Rashtrakuta general of note, participating in his northern campaigns, taking Uchchangi, till then unconquered(which rebelled in support of Chalukyas),

preserving Manyakheta for the Rashtrakutas, defeating Gurjara Pratiharas on Tapi, breaking the rebellion in Banavasi and others. He took the title Gurjaradhiraja. Nolambas rebelled again - he almost exterminated the royal family, with only three princes escaping.

He took the title Nolamba Kulantaka. This is a consequence of the rise of Western Chalukyas. Nolambas switched sides to support Taila but Marasimha was still with the Rashtrakutas. Marasimha was heavily with Rashtrakutas fighting the Chalukyas and committed suicide through

Sallekhana in 974 to pave way for a smoother succession and Chalukyan vassalage. His nephew and the Rashtrakuta king Indra IV(who became the king in 973 with the support of his uncle) himself committed Sallekhana in 982, resulting in the end of Rashtrakuta Empire.

Rachamalla IV Satyavakya (975–986)
It is possible that Taila was in the mood to annex Gangavadi directly and the Chalukyas were held off till the Ganga Minister Chavundaraya was alive. Gangas were dragged into rebellions against the Chalukyas who hoisted a banner of revolt

in Gangavadi - a petty governor Panchaladeva as the successor of Rashtrakutas and Mudu-Rachayya, siezing the Ganga throne. Chamunda Raya is considered one of the greatest in the history of Gangas and is considered one of the chief promoters of Jainism. He was heavily involved in

the siege of Uchchangi, defeated the Nolambas at Gonur and was involved in most of the later wars of Marasimha. He composed Chamunda Raya Purana, a book over 24 Jain Tirthankaras and is known for the sacred Jain erections at Sravanabelagola including the statue of Gomateswara.

Rachamalla V (Rakkasaganga) (986–999)
Neetimarga III Permanadi (999)
The real problem for the Gangas was not Chalukyas but the Cholas who were slowly encroaching from the South during the reign of Rakkasaganga, Rachamalla's brother. The death of Rajaditya threw them in a 30 year

turmoil after which they erupted suddenly upon Gangavadi in 992, taking the territory till Hoskoteby 997. His inscription at Hale-Budanur which is dated to 1022 indicates though his kingdom is conquered, it was left to rule by him and was annexed later.

Alternately, he was holding fort from some other location before disappearing into oblivion. Nothing is known of Neetimarga's relation to his predecessor Rakkasa Ganga is not known. He may have held the throne during the chaos of Chola invasion of he may be Rakkasa Ganga himself.

It is possible that the Ganga family retreated into Kalyani Chalukyan territory for we hear of Ganga Princesses marrying into Chalukyan royal family – Someswara II married a Ganga Princess and Ganga line is active locally, with them acting as Governors under Cholas and even

Chalukyas. It was a Gangaraja who seized Talakadu for the Hoyasalas from Cholas. After this, we hear of two names - Ganga Raja of Ummattur who was defeated and killed by Sri Krishna Deva Raya and Nanya Deva of Mithila who founded the Karnata Dynasty, which persisted till 1324.