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No. 49)
METHI INSCRIPTION OF YADAVA KRISHNA ; SAKA 1176
315
are important; for it is thus established beyond doubt that Bhillama was the grandson of Mallugi or Mălugi and not his son as described by Hēmādri. The reason for this omission by Hémădri might be due to the fact that Krishna or Karna died young and did not rule.1
It would be worth while to make an attempt to identify some of the historical personages mentioned in the introductory verses (5-10) of Jalhana's Sūktimuktāvali, which may be summarised as follows. Dādā, a commander of the elephants under Mallugi, overawed the troops of Vijjana. After the demise of Dadā, his four sons, Mahidhara, Jalha, Samba and Gangadhara, upheld the authority of Mallugi. Mahidhara harassed Bijjana's forces with the prowess of his mighty arms. He appears to have encountered Bijjana's army for a second time and lost his life on the field of battle. Mahidhara was succeeded by Jalha who helped Bhillama in attaining undiminished royalty.
These events, it may be noted, refer to a period of about a generation prior to the age of Bhillama, the virtual founder of Yadava sovereignty. As we shall see presently, Bhillama commenced his reign from 1185-86 A.C. Hence we may place the above incidents approximately between 1160 and 1180 A.C. Now it was during these years that the Kalachuris rose to power in Karnāțaka under Bijjala and set up their independent rule. Hence we are justified in identifying Vijjaņa and Bijjaņa of the above account with the Kalachuri usurper.
Coming to the reign of Bhillama, & good many points deserve consideration. Firstly, we may consider the commencement of his reign. Different records yield different dates for the initial year of his reign, which varies from 1185-86 to 1187-88 A.C. But two epigraphs, one from Nimbāl* and another from Muttigi in the Bijāpur District, citing the cyclic years Plavanga and Paridhāvi as the 3rd and the 8th year respectively, prove that the initial year Was Visvāvasu which may be equated with 1185-86 A.C. Secondly, we may examine the early stronghold of Bhillama and of the Yādava family. This seems to have been in the Bijapur District, although, according to Hēmādri, he founded the town of Dēvagiri which became the capital of his family. The Nimbāl inscription mentioned above states that Bhillama was ruling the kingdom in 1187 A.C. from & place called Tadavalage which is the same as modern Tadvalgā in the Indi taluk of the Bijapur district. Two years later, i.e., in 1189 A.C., he figures as ruling from another place in the same district, by name Tenevalage? which may be identified with the present day Teligi in the Bagalkot taluk. No inscription connecting Bhillama with Dēvagiri has been discovered so far. But we have the evidence of at least three inscriptions of the reign of Jaitugi showing that he was in the capital of Dēvagiri in the years 1192 and 1196 A.C. The earliest epigraphical allusion to Dēvagiri as the Yadava capital was noticed by Fleet in an inscription of 1210 A.C. of the reign of Singhaņa. But this statement now requires revision As pointed out above. The fact appears to be that though Bhillama selected Dēvagiri as his capital and started new constructions, he could hardly settle therein and the work was completed in his son's time by 1192 A.C.
1 At this point Hēmādri simply passes over and observes that the fortune of the Yadava family discarded the king's sons and courted the arms of Bhillama, enamoured by his excellence; Bom. Gaz., Vol. I, part II, p. 271, verse 37. It may be gathered from this that Bhillama, being the son of a junior prince . was not the rightful claimant and that he rose to eminence from obscurity by dint of his ability.
* Gaekwad's Oriental Series, No. LXXXII, 1938. • Bombay Karnatak collection, No. 49 of 1937-38. Above, p. 94.
Ibid., No. 108 of 1929-30. Bom. Gaz., Vol. I, part II, p. 272, verse 39.
Above, pp. 96-97. * Bom. Gaz., Vol. I, part II, p. 520. This place has not been identified by Fleet. • B. K. collection, Nos. 43 of 1936-37, and 157 of 1933-34 ; Arch. Sur. An. Rep. for 1929-30.0.176.
Bom. Gaz., Vol. I, part II, p. 520.
