Seuna (Yadava) dynasty

Indian dynasty (c. 1187–1317)

This article is about dynasty of medieval India. For other uses, see Yadav (disambiguation).

Seuna (Yadava) dynasty
c. 1187[1]–1317
Coinage of Yadavas of Devagiri, king Bhillama V (1185-1193). Central lotus blossom, two shri signs, elephant, conch, and “[Bhilla]/madeva” in Devanagari above arrow right
Kannada Sanskrit Marathi
Religion	Hinduism
Government	Monarchy
History
• Earliest rulers	c. 860
• Established	c. 1187[1]
• Disestablished	1317
Preceded by Succeeded by Kalachuris of Kalyani Western Chalukya Empire Khalji dynasty (Delhi Sultanate)
Today part of	India

The Seuna, Sevuna, or Yadavas of Devagiri (

Daulatabad in modern Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district

, Maharashtra).

The Yadavas initially ruled as feudatories of the

Western Chalukyas. Around the middle of the 12th century, as the Chalukya power waned, the Yadava king Bhillama V declared independence. The Yadavas reached their peak under Simhana II, and flourished until the early 14th century, when it was annexed by the Khalji dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate

in 1308 CE.

Etymology

The Seuna dynasty claimed descent from the

Western Chalukyas call them Seunas.^[5]

The name is probably derived from the name of their second ruler, "Seunachandra".

The "Sevuna" (or Seuna) name was brought back into use by

Kanarese districts of the Bombay Presidency from the earliest historical times to the Musalman conquest of A.D. 1318.^[6][7]

Origin

Gondeshwar Temple

was built during the Seuna (Yadava) reign

The earliest historical ruler of the Seuna/Yadava dynasty can be dated to the mid-9th century, but the origin of the dynasty is uncertain.

Hemadri records the names of the family's early rulers, but his information about the pre-12th century rulers is often incomplete and inaccurate.^[8]

The dynasty claimed descent from

Hoysalas, the southern neighbours of the dynasty, similarly claimed descent from Yadu and claimed to be the former lords of Dvaraka.^[9]

The territory of the early Yadava rulers was located in present-day

Pandharpur temple,^[14] towards the end of the dynasty's rule.^[12] However the word was not used to indicate the Maratha caste but meant “belonging to Maharashtra”.^[15]

Epigraphic evidence suggests that the dynasty likely emerged from a Kannada-speaking background.

Chalukya princesess. The early Seuna coins also had Kannada legends engraved on them indicating it was a court language.^[5] The early Yadavas may have migrated northwards owing to the political situation in the Deccan region,^[17] or may have been dispatched by their Rashtrakuta overlords to rule the northern regions.^[7]

Political history

As feudatories

Devagiri

, the capital of Yadavas

The earliest historically attested ruler of the dynasty is Dridhaprahara (c. 860–880), who is said to have established the city of Chandradityapura (modern Chandor).^[9][3] He probably rose to prominence by protecting the people of Khandesh region from enemy raiders, amid the instability brought by the Pratihara-Rashtrakuta war.^[9]

Dridhaprahara's son and successor was Seunachandra (c. 880–900), after whom the dynasty was called Seuna-vamsha (

Rashtrakuta feudatory after helping the Rashtrakutas against their northern neighbours, the Paramaras.^[18] He established a new town called Seunapura (possibly modern Sinnar).^[9]

Not much information is available about Seunachandra's successors — Dhadiyappa (or Dadhiyappa), Bhillama I, and Rajugi (or Rajiga) — who ruled during c. 900–950.[18]^[19] The next ruler Vandugi (also Vaddiga I or Baddiga) raised the family's political status by marrying into the imperial Rashtrakuta family. He married Vohivayya, a daughter of Dhorappa, who was a younger brother of the Rashtrakuta emperor Krishna III. Vandugi participated in Krishna's military campaigns, which may have resulted in an increase in his fief, although this cannot be said with certainty.^[19]

Little is known about the next ruler, Dhadiyasa (c. 970–985).

Kalyani Chalukya ruler Tailapa II, who overthrew the Rashtrakutas. As a Chalukya feudatory, he played an important role in Tailapa's victory over the Paramara king Munja.^[18] Bhillama II was succeeded by Vesugi I (r. c. 1005–1025), who married Nayilladevi, the daughter of a Chalukya feudatory of Gujarat. The next ruler Bhillama III is known from his Kalas Budruk grant inscription.^[20] He married Avalladevi, a daughter of the Chalukya king Jayasimha II, as attested by a Vasai (Bassein) inscription. He may have helped his father-in-law Jayasimha and his brother-in-law Someshvara I in their campaigns against the Paramara king Bhoja.^[18][20]

For unknown reasons, the Yadava power seems to have declined over the next decade, during the reigns of Vesugi II (alias Vaddiga or Yadugi) and Bhillama IV. The next ruler was Seunachandra II, who, according to the Yadava records, restored the family's fortunes just like the god Hari had restored the earth's fortunes with his varaha incarnation. Seunachandra II appears to have ascended the throne around 1050, as he is attested by the 1052 Deolali inscription. He bore the feudatory title Maha-mandaleshvara and became the overlord of several sub-feudatories, including a family of Khandesh. A 1069 inscription indicates that he had a ministry of seven officers, all of whom bore high-sounding titles.^[20] During his tenure, the Chalukya kingdom saw a war of succession between the brothers Someshvara II and Vikramaditya VI. Seunachandra II supported Vikramaditya (who ultimately succeeded), and rose to the position of Maha-mandaleshvara.^[18] His son Airammadeva (or Erammadeva, r. c. 1085–1105), who helped him against Someshvara II, succeeded him. Airammadeva's queen was Yogalla, but little else is known about his reign.^[21] The Asvi inscription credits him with helping place Vikramaditya on the Chalukya throne.^[20]

Airammadeva was succeeded by his brother Simhana I (r. c. 1105–1120).^[22] The Yadava records state that he helped his overlord Vikramaditya VI complete the Karpura-vrata ritual, by getting him a karpura elephant. An 1124 inscription mentions that he was ruling the Paliyanda-4000 province (identified as the area around modern Paranda).^[21] The dynasty's history over the next fifty years is obscure. The 1142 Anjaneri inscription attests the rule of a person named Seunachandra, but Hemadri's records of the dynasty do not mention any Seunachandra III; historian R. G. Bhandarkar theorized that this Seunachandra may have been a Yadava sub-feudatory.^[23]

The next known ruler Mallugi (r. c. 1145–1160) was a loyal feudatory to the Chalukya king

Kakatiya ruler Rudra, but this campaign did not result in any territorial gains for him.^[23] Mallugi was succeeded by his elder son Amara-gangeya, who was succeeded by his son Amara-mallugi (alias Mallugi II). The next ruler Kaliya-ballala, whose relationship to Mallugi is unknown, was probably an usurper. He was succeeded by Bhillama V around 1175.^[23]

Rise as a sovereign power

At the time of

Kelhana, who was a Gujarat Chaulukya feudatory, forced him to retreat.^[25] Meanwhile, the Hoysala ruler Ballala II invaded the Chalukya capital Kalyani, forcing Bhillama's overlord Someshvara to flee.^[1]

Around 1187, Bhillama forced Ballala to retreat, conquered the former Chalukya capital Kalyani, and declared himself a sovereign ruler.

Devagiri, a formidable natural stronghold, which became the new Yadava capital.^[26][27]

In the late 1180s, Ballala launched a campaign against Bhillama, and decisively defeated his army at Soratur.^[28] The Yadavas were driven to the north of the Malaprabha and Krishna rivers, which formed the Yadava-Hoysala border for the next two decades.^[28]

Imperial expansion

SONG
DYNASTY

PAGAN

DALI

KHMER

AYYUBID
SULTANATE

SULTANATE
OF RUM

GO-
RYEO

◁ ▷

class=notpageimage|

The Yadavas and main contemporary Asian polities circa 1205.^[29]

Several Yadava feudatories kept shifting their allegiance between the Yadavas and the Hoysalas, and tried to assert their independence whenever presented with an opportunity. Simhana's general Bichana subdued several such chiefs, including the Rattas, the Guttas of Dharwad, the Kadambas of Hangal, and the Kadambas of Goa.^[45] The Kakatiya king Ganapati served him as a feudatory for several years, but assumed independence towards the end of his reign. However, Ganapati did not adopt an aggressive attitude towards the Yadavas, so no major conflict happened between the two dynasties during Simhana's reign.^[46]

Simhana was succeeded by his grandson Krishna (alias Kannara), who invaded the Paramara kingdom, which had weakened because of invasions from the Delhi Sultanate. He defeated the Paramara king sometime before 1250, although this victory did not result in any territorial annexation.^[47] Krishna also attempted an invasion of the Vaghela-ruled Gujarat, but this conflict was inconclusive, with both sides claiming victory.^[47][48] He also fought against the Hoysalas; again, both sides claim victory in this conflict.^[48]

Krishna's younger brother and successor

Mahadeva was succeeded by his son Ammana, who was dethroned by Krishna's son Ramachandra after a short reign in 1270.^[52][53] During the first half of his reign, Ramachandra adopted an aggressive policy against his neighbours. In the 1270s, he invaded the northern Paramara kingdom, which had been weakened by internal strife, and easily defeated the Paramara army.^[54] The Yadava army was also involved in skirmishes against their north-western neighbours, the Vaghelas, with both sides claiming victory.^[54][55] In 1275, he sent a powerful army led by Tikkama to the southern Hoysala kingdom. Tikkama gathered a large plunder from this invasion, although ultimately, his army was forced to retreat in 1276.^[56] Ramachandra lost some of his territories, including Raichur, to the Kakatiyas.^[55]

The Purushottamapuri inscription of Ramachandra suggests that he expanded the Yadava kingdom at its north-east frontier. First, he subjugated the rulers of Vajrakara (probably modern Vairagarh) and Bhandagara (modern

‘Alā ud-Dīn Khaljī in 1307.^[60] The trading ship raises the flag of the Ilkhanate (

).

The rulers of the Seuna / Yadava dynasty include:^[66][67]

Feudatories

• Dridhaprahara, r. c. 860–880
• Seunachandra, r. c. 880–900
• Dhadiyappa I, r. c. 900-?
• Bhillama I, r. c. 925
• Rajugi, r. c. ?–950
• Vaddiga, r. c. 950–970
• Dhadiyasa, r. c. 970–985
• Bhillama II, r. c. 985–1005
• Vesugi I, r. c. 1005–1025
• Bhillama III, r. c. 1025–?
• Vesugi II alias Vaddiga or Yadugi, r. c. ?–1050
• Seunachandra II, r. c. 1050–1085
• Airammadeva or Erammadeva, r. c. 1085–1105
• Simhana I (also transliterated as Singhana I) alias Simharaja, r. c. 1105–1120
• Obscure rulers, r. c. 1120–1145
• Mallugi I, r. c. 1145–1160
• Amaragangeya
• Amara-mallugi alias Mallugi II
• Kaliya-ballala, r. c. ?–1175
• Bhillama V, r. c. 1175–1187

Sovereigns

• Bhillama V, r. c. 1187–1191
• Jaitugi I, r. c. 1191–1200 or 1191–1210
• Simhana II, r. c. 1200–1246 or 1210–1246
• Krishna alias Kannara, r. c. 1246–1261
• Mahadeva, r.c. 1261–1270
• Ammana, r. c. 1270
• Ramachandra alias Ramadeva, r. c. 1271–1308

as tributaries of the Khalji dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate

• Ramachandra, r. c. 1308–1311
• Simhana III alias Shankaradeva, r. c. 1311–1313
• Harapaladeva, r. c. 1313–1317

Literature

Marathi

The Yadavas were the first major dynasty to use Marathi as an official language.^[68] Earlier, both Sanskrit and Kannada had been used for official inscriptions in present-day Maharashtra; subsequently, at least partly due to the efforts of the Yadava rulers, Marathi became the dominant official language of the region.^[69] Even if they were not of Marathi origin, towards the end of their reign, they certainly identified with the Marathi language.^[12] The early Marathi literature emerged during the Yadava rule, because of which some scholars have theorized that it was produced with support from the Yadava rulers.^[70] However, there is no evidence that the Yadava royal court directly supported the production of Marathi literature with state funds, although it regarded Marathi as a significant language for connecting with the general public.^[71]

Kannada was the court language of Yadavas till late Seuna times, as is evident from a number of Kannada-language inscriptions (see

• Suktimuktavali by Jalhana
• Hammiramadhana by Jayasimha Suri^{[citation needed]}
• Karnakutuhala and Siddhanta Shiromani by
  Bhaskaracharya
• Anantadeva's commentaries on
  Varahamihira's Brijajjataka and Brahmagupta
  's Brihatsputa siddhanta
• Haripaladeva's Sangeetasudhakara, a treatise on
  Muslim influence on Indian music.^{[80][failed verification}
  ]

• 
  The temple in 1897
• 
  In 2017, with the finial lost
• 
  Cross section and plan

References

History of South Asia
Outline Palaeolithic (2,500,000–250,000 BC) Madrasian culture Soanian culture Edakkal culture (5000–3000 BC)
Chalcolithic (3500–1500 BC) Anarta tradition (c. 3950–1900 BC) Ahar-Banas culture (3000–1500 BC) Pandu culture (1600–1500 BC) Malwa culture (1600–1300 BC) Jorwe culture (1400–700 BC)
Bronze Age (3300–1300 BC) Indus Valley Civilisation (3300–1300 BC)  – Early Harappan culture (3300–2600 BC)  – Mature Harappan culture (2600–1900 BC)  – Late Harappan culture (1900–1300 BC) Vedic Civilisation (2000–500 BC)  – Ochre Coloured Pottery culture (2000–1600 BC)  – Swat culture (1600–500 BC)
Macedonian Empire	(330–323 BC)
Maurya Empire	(321–184 BC)
Seleucid India	(312–303 BC)
Sangam period	(c. 600 BC – c. 300 AD)
Pandya Empire	(c. 300 BC – AD 1345)
Chera Kingdom	(c. 300 BC – AD 1102)
Chola Empire	(c. 300 BC – AD 1279)
Pallava Empire	(c. 250 AD – AD 800)
Maha-Megha-Vahana Empire	(c. 250 BC – c. AD 500)
Parthian Empire	(247 BC – AD 224)