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EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
[VOL. XXIX
dant of Kanthika-Bēta crowned himself king of Vengi and assumed the Imperial Chālukya title Barvalõkāśraya-Sri-Vishnuvardhana-Mahārāja. His coronation took place on the 14th February 1128. He was the son of Mallapadēva II, and his mother Chandalladēvi was the daughter of Kolanu Brahmaraja' and probably, therefore, a sister of Mahāmündalika Kolanu-Bhimarāja, the lord of Sagara vishaya, whom the Tamil inscriptions call Telunga-Bhiman. It would appear that Vijayaditya was defeated and reduced to submission after a short time, but restored to his principality by Velanāņți Gonkarāja II.
It would appear that at this period the operations against Mahämändalika Kolanu-Bhima or Kolanānti Bhima as the present record calls him (v. 55: lines 111-14.), who was the most formidable opponent of the Chöļa-Chāļukyay, were directed by prince Rājēndra-Choda, afterwards Rājēndra-Choda II, son and successor of Goñkarāja II. Unable to oppose Rājēndra-Choda in the open field, Kolanu-Bhima would seem to have taken up his position inside the famous jala-durga 'fortress in the water', of Kolanupura or Kolloti-köta as it is called even to-day, in the middle of the lake, Kollēru. Rajöndra-Choda II invested the impregnable fortress, captured KolanuBhima alive and put him to death instantaneously together with all his sons and other near reletions (vv. 55-56). The Pithāpuram inscription of Prithvisvara? gives a graphic description of the storming of Kolanupura. It is stated that Rājēndra-Choda II dried up the water of the lake Kollēru and presumably, by constructing a causeway across the water, reached the impregnable fortress, captured Bhima and killed him just as Raghava killed Rāvana who terrified the worlds. The present record speaks of Kolanu-Bhima as haughty and cruel, full of pride, as a thorn to the gods and Brāhmanas, a man of massive strength, of great prowess and fieroe frame of body and as resembling Rāvana. The slaying of Kolanu-Bhima would seem to have taken place about the beginning of Saka 1053 corresponding to about April, 1131 A. C., which was the thirteenth year of Vikrama-Chola's reign. This event paved the way for tho final victory of Gonkarāja II. It enabled the Velanānti chief to crush the enemies of Vikrama-Chola completely, put an end to the Western Chāļukya occupation and restore the sovereignty of the Chalukya-Chēļas in Vëngi (c. 1136 A.C.)
Mahamandala svara Volaninti Gonkarīja was a great soldier, perhaps the greatest military genius of his day. He is said to have defeated and sluin a certain Siddhi-Bota and acquired the title Siddhi-Beta-Chirpuli-harina-mrigindruvdu, "a lion to the door Siddhi-Bēta of Chirpuli." Siddhi-Buta would appear to be a Telugu Choda prince of Chirpuli in Rēnädu and a subordinate of Tribuvanamalla Vikramāditya VI. Chirpuli (now called Chippili) is an obscure village in Chittoor
1 Abovo, Vol. IV, pp. 226 ff, vernos 35-36.
• Ibid., verses 32-34. Tho dato is expressod as nidhi-jaladhi-viyach-chandrage. Dr. Hultzsch shows his preference for 7 to 4 instead of as the intended meaning of the numeral juladhi, on the ground that if he (Vijayāditya) had been crowned in 1049 his roign would have lasted for the unusually long period of 75 years. Dr. Hultzsch's view need not be taken as conclusive. For the word jaladhi is more often usod to denote number 4 in preference to 7. Moreover two inscriptions found at Drākshärama (SIT, Vol. IV, Nos. 1261 and 1201) dated the 2nd and 6th rognal years respectively, of his son Rājanārāyana Vishnuvardhana, show that Vijayaditya ruled for about 50 yoars and that his death took place in or about 1178 A.C. Vijayaditya was perhaps 20 or 25 years old at the time of his coronation in 1128 A.C.
* Above, Vol. IV, pp. 226 fr. verse 32. * SII, Vol. II, No. 68 and ibid., Vol. III, No. 79.
• Kolunuafi is a Telugu expression meaning Kolanununti," of the nádu (subdivision) of Kolanu. To meet the exigencies of motre tho joet distorted the word into Kolunanti dropping tho intermediate syllable.
• Abovu, Vol. VI. p. 1. v. 8. Hore the poet distorted the word Kolan into Kaunala. ? Above, Vol. IV, p. 32, v. 45. ISNI, Vol. II, No. 68. .SIT. Vol. IV, No. 675 ; ibid., Vol. X, No. 89.
