Vikramaditya II

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Vikramaditya II
Chalukya king
Reignc. 733 – c. 744 CE
Predecessor
Chalukyas of Vatapi
FatherVijayaditya
Chalukya dynasties
Vatapi / Badami Chalukyas
Jayasimha 500-520
Ranaraga 520-540
Pulakeshin I 540–566
Kirttivarman I 566–597
Mangalesha 597–609
Pulakeshin II 609–642
Adityavarman 643-645
Abhinavaditya 645-646
Chandraditya 646-649
Vijaya-Bhattarika (regent) 650-655
Vikramaditya I 655–680
Vinayaditya 680–696
Vijayaditya 696–733
Vikramaditya II 733–746
Kirtivarman II 746–753
Vengi / Eastern Chalukyas
Kubja Vishnuvardhana 624–641
Jayasimha I 641–673
Indra Bhattaraka 673
Vishnu Vardhana II 673–682
Mangi Yuvaraja 682–706
Jayasimha II 706–718
Kokkili 719
Vishnuvardhana III 719–755
Vijayaditya I (Eastern Chalukya) 755–772
Vishnuvardhana IV 772–808
Vijayaditya II 808–847
Kali Vishnuvardhana V 847–849
Vijayaditya III 849–892
Chalukya Bhima I 892–921
Vijayaditya IV 921
Amma I 921–927
Beta Vijayaditya V 927
Tala I 927
Vikramaditya II 927–928
Bhima II 928
Yuddhamalla II 928–935
Chalukya Bhima II 935–947
Amma II 947–970
Tala I 970
Danarnava 970–973
Jata Choda Bhima 973–999
Shaktivarman I 1000–1011
Vimaladitya 1011–1018
Rajaraja Narendra 1019–1061
Vijayaditya VII 1061-1075
Kalyani / Western Chalukyas
Tailapa II 957–997
Satyashraya 997–1008
Vikramaditya V 1008–1015
Jayasimha II 1015–1042
Someshvara I 1042–1068
Someshvara II 1068–1076
Vikramaditya VI 1076–1126
Someshvara III 1126–1138
Jagadhekamalla II 1138–1151
Tailapa III 1151–1164
Jagadhekamalla III 1163–1183
Someshvara IV 1184–1200
Virupaksha temple, Pattadakal

Vikramaditya II (reigned 733 – 744 CE) was the son of King

World Heritage Monuments at Pattadakal. Vikramaditya II was a powerful ruler and was in power for 40 years. In order to maintain peace he entered into marriage alliance with Rashtrakutas.[3]

Wars against Pallavas

Kashivisvanatha Temple (left) and Mallikarjuna Temple (right)
Old Kannada inscription on victory pillar, Virupaksha Temple, Pattadakal, 733–745 CE
Badami Chalukya inscription in Old Kannada, Virupaksha Temple, Pattadakal

Unlike King Vijayaditya, who had ruled till a very old age in a long and peaceful reign of four decades, Vikramaditya II's inscriptions seem to convey an impatience for war. From those inscriptions, historians feel that he nursed a grudge against the

Pulakeshi II and causing humiliation to the Chalukya royal family. From these inscriptions, it is known that nothing short of complete annihilation of the Pallavas (prakrity-amitra) could redeem the lost dignity of the Chalukyas. Vikarmaditya II, armed with this vengeful enthusiasm (mahotsaha), invaded the Pallava country.[4]

Immediately after coming to power, Vikramaditya II saw an opportunity in the ensuing civil war in Kanchipuram and espoused the cause of Chitramaya, against that of Nandivarma II.

Western Ganga Dynasty prince Ereyappa, he attacked the Pallava Paramesvaravarman II. The Pallava king had to sue for peace at a great financial loss to his kingdom. The Pallava subsequently tried to mount a counter-attack at the Ganga ally King Sripurusha (731), but was killed in the battle of Vilande. Sripurusha seized the kings insignia, the royal umbrella and earned the title Permanadi.[5] Though this victory to the Chalukyas happened during the rule of King Vijayaditya, the records of Chalukya monarchs give full credit to Vikramaditya II.[1]

Vikramaditya again invaded the Pallava kingdom after 734, aided by the faithful ally, the Western Ganga King Sripurusha, who joined the Chalukyas in this expedition. The earliest mention of this invasion is in the Narwan plates issued on 21 December 741 or 742. The Pallava King Nandivarman was a 13-year-old boy who nevertheless made a valiant but futile attempt to face the invasion. The Pallava king fled Kanchipuram into exile, leaving behind all his regal attributes which included among other things, a prestigious musical drum (katumukha), a musical instrument (samudraghosa) and a mace. Many of his war elephants, a large quantity of precious stones and gold fell into the hands of the victorious Chalukya monarch.[6]

The road to Kanchipuram lay open and Vikramaditya II entered the city victorious. He ensured that the residents of the city were not harmed nor were the beautiful monuments destroyed (from inscription - Kanchim avinasya pravisya). The bounties of war were also returned.

mantapa (hall) of the Kailasanatha temple.[2][7][8] His benevolent acts at other temples have also been recorded in his copper plate inscriptions. Vikramaditya thus wiped out the disgrace that had fallen on the Chalukya empire by the occupation of Vatapi a century earlier by the Pallava Narasimhavarman I
. Having satiated his quest for revenge, Vikramaditya II returned to Badami. The Chalukyan empire then reached its proportions during the rule of Pulakeshi II.

He overran the kingdoms of

Pandyas and defeated a Kalabhra ruler as well. Those victories were written in his inscription on the shores of the Indian Ocean.[8] The final invasion of Kanchipuram happened in the final years of the reign of Vikramaditya II, under the leadership of his son Kirtivarma II.[9]

Rule

Vikramaditya II donated 50 nivartanas of land for maintenance of charity house of Dhavala-Jinalaya at Lakshmeshwara, Dharwad district in 735 CE.[10]

Preceded by
Chalukyas

733–744 		Succeeded by

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b c Ramesh (1984), p.156
  2. ^ a b c Kamath (2001), p.63
  3. ^ Nath sen, Sailendra (1999). Ancient Indian History and Civilization. Routledge. p. 395.
  4. ^ Ramesh (1984), p.157
  5. ^ Sastri (1955), p.139
  6. ^ a b Ramesh (1984), p.158
  7. ^ a b Sastri (1955), p.140
  8. ^ a b Ramesh (1984), p.159
  9. ^ Ramesh (1984), p.160
  10. ^ Ram Bhushan Prasad Singh 2008, p. 83.

Sources

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