Ramachandra of Devagiri
Ramachandra | |
---|---|
Dynasty | Seuna (Yadava) |
Father | Krishna |
Religion | Hinduism |
Ramachandra (
In 1296 CE, he faced a Muslim invasion from the Delhi Sultanate and was forced to pay an annual tribute to Alauddin Khalji. After he discontinued the tribute payments in 1303-1304 CE, Alauddin sent an army led by his slave-general Malik Kafur to subjugate him around 1308, forcing the Yadavas to become a vassal of the Delhi Sultanate. Subsequently, Ramachandra served Alauddin as a loyal feudatory, and helped his forces defeat the Kakatiyas and the Hoysalas.
Early life
Ramachandra was a son of the Yadava monarch
Coup against Ammana
Sometime in the second half of 1271 CE, Ramachandra seized the throne from his cousin Ammana. An inscription of Ramachandra gives the following account of this
This account is also supported by literary texts such as Bhanuvilasa (a Mahanubhava text) and Nagadeva-Charita of Parashurama-Vyasa.[3] According to the Mahanubhava texts, Ramachandra blinded Ammana. Nagadeva-Charita states that Ramachandra killed Ammana, and that Ramachandra's ultimate defeat against the Muslims was a result of this sin. The veracity of this claim is doubtful, since the other texts only mention the blinding, not the killing.[4]
Conflicts with neighbours
Paramaras
The Paramara kingdom of Malwa was located to the north of the Yadava kingdom. By the 1270s, the Paramara power had weakened considerably, and their kingdom had been divided between the king Arjunavarman II and his minister. Taking advantage of this situation, Ramachandra invaded the Paramara kingdom in the 1270s, and easily defeated the Paramara army.[4]
Ramachandra's 1271 CE Paithan inscription alludes to his conquest of Malwa, and his 1276 CE Udari inscription describes him as "a lion in destroying the multitude of the rutting elephants of Arjuna". The Malwa invasion may have been a way to mark his ascension to the throne.[5]
Vaghelas
During the northern campaign against the Paramaras, Ramachandra also appears to have been involved in skirmishes against his north-western neighbours, the Vaghelas of Gurjara. Inscriptions of both the dynasties claim victories, so this conflict appears to have ended inconclusively.[4] The Thane copper-plate inscription of Ramachandra states that the Yadavas won the war, while the Cintra copper-plate inscription of Sarangadeva claims that the Vaghelas emerged victorious in this conflict.[6]
Hoysalas
During the reign of Ramachandra's uncle
The Yadava force led by Tikkama invaded the Hoysala territory in the autumn of 1275. When Tikkama encamped at
Meanwhile, the Yadava force led by Kannaradeva attacked Doravadi in the Hoysala territory. The Yadavas won the battle, but their minister Vanadevarasa was killed by the Hoysala chief Singeya Nayaka.[6]
Tikkama subsequently besieged the Hoysala capital Dvarasamudra.[7] Over the next few months, the Hoysala generals such as Nanjeya and Gullaya were killed defending their capital against the invaders. On 25 April 1276, the Hoysala commander-in-chief's son Ankeya Nayaka led a decisive attack against the Yadavas, and forced Tikkama to retreat to Dhummi.[7]
Although he was unable to conquer the Hoysala capital, Tikkama managed to gather a large plunder from this invasion, including a large number of elephants and horses.[7] There were some minor skirmishes between the two kingdoms over the next few years, but there was no major conflict. The Hoysala king Narasimha remained occupied in a family feud against his brother Ramanatha, while Ramachandra was busy in campaigns against other rivals.[8]
Kakatiyas
Ramachandra's uncle
Northeastern campaign
The Purushottamapuri inscription of Ramachandra suggests that he expanded the Yadava dominion at its north-east frontier. First, he subjugated the rulers of Vajrakara (probably modern Vairagad) and Bhandagara (modern
The inscription suggests that he next marched to the defunct
The Purushottamapuri inscription further claims that after Kashi, Ramachandra marched to
Meanwhile, Ramachandra's feudatories at Khed and Sangameshwar in Konkan rebelled against him. Ramachandra's son crushed this revolt.[9]
Reduction to vassal status
Ramachandra seems to have faced invasions by the
In 1296, Alauddin Khalji, the governor of the Kara province of Delhi Sultanate, raided Devagiri. At the time of Alauddin's invasion, a major part of the Yadava army was away from the capital, under the crown prince Simhana. Ramachandra was not adequately prepared for a defence, and agreed to a peace treaty, promising Alauddin a large tribute. However, before the treaty could be realized, Simhana returned to the capital with the Yadava army. Alauddin defeated him, and imposed a much heavier tribute on Ramachandra.[12]
The Yadavas lost their prestige as a result of Alauddin's invasion. Taking advantage of the weakened Yadava power, the Kakatiya ruler
Alauddin Khalji usurped the throne of Delhi from his uncle
According to Isami, Ramachandra also gave his daughter Jhatyapali in marriage to Alauddin.
Ramachandra remained loyal to Alauddin until his death, and helped Malik Kafur defeat the
Successors
Ramachandra appears to have died sometime in 1311, although the exact date of his death is not certain.[15] The Nala inscription, his last extant inscription, is dated 1311 CE (1233 Shaka).[19] He was succeeded by his son Simhana III (also Shankaradeva or Singhana), who was defeated and killed after unsuccessfully rebelling against Alauddin Khalji.[20][15]
Ramachandra had two other sons: Ballala and Bhima (also called Bimba).[21] Of these, Bhima escaped to Konkan, where he established a base at Mahikavati (modern Mahim in Mumbai).[22]
Religion
The Yadava records call Ramachandra a great devotee of
The land grants issued by Ramachandra declare that the "dam of dharma" is common to all kings, and urge all future kings to abide by this "dam".[24]
References
- ^ A. S. Altekar 1960, p. 546.
- ^ a b A. S. Altekar 1960, p. 548.
- ^ T. V. Mahalingam 1957, p. 151.
- ^ a b c A. S. Altekar 1960, p. 549.
- ^ Onkar Prasad Verma 1970, p. 140.
- ^ a b c d e T. V. Mahalingam 1957, p. 152.
- ^ a b c d e f A. S. Altekar 1960, p. 550.
- ^ A. S. Altekar 1960, pp. 550–551.
- ^ a b c d A. S. Altekar 1960, p. 551.
- ^ P. M. Joshi 1966, pp. 206–207.
- ^ P. M. Joshi 1966, p. 206.
- ^ A. S. Altekar 1960, p. 552.
- ^ a b T. V. Mahalingam 1957, p. 153.
- ^ A. S. Altekar 1960, p. 553.
- ^ a b c d A. S. Altekar 1960, p. 554.
- ^ Kishori Saran Lal 1950, p. 56.
- ^ a b P. M. Joshi 1966, p. 210.
- ^ Kishori Saran Lal 1950, p. 57.
- ^ Ramakant R. Bhoir 2002, pp. 25–27.
- ^ T. V. Mahalingam 1957, p. 155.
- ^ A. S. Altekar 1960, p. 555.
- ^ Stephen Meredyth Edwardes 1902, p. 25.
- ^ a b Sheldon Pollock 1995, p. 144.
- ^ Sheldon Pollock 1995, p. 145.
Bibliography
- OCLC 59001459.
- OCLC 685167335.
- Onkar Prasad Verma (1970). The Yādavas and Their Times. Vidarbha Samshodhan Mandal. OCLC 138387.
- P. M. Joshi (1966). "Alauddin Khalji's first campaign against Devagiri". In OCLC 226900.
- Ramakant R. Bhoir (2002). "Latest inscription of Ramchandra Yadava". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 63. Indian History Congress: 247–250. JSTOR 44158092.
- Sheldon Pollock (1995). "Ramayana and Public Discourse in Medieval India". In R. T. Vyas (ed.). Studies in Jaina Art and Iconography and Allied Subjects in Honour of Dr. U.P. Shah. Abhinav. ISBN 978-81-7017-316-8.
- Stephen Meredyth Edwardes (1902). The Rise of Bombay: A Retrospect. The Times of India Press / Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-108-14407-0.
- ISBN 978-81-7007-121-1.