________________
DECEMBER, 1903.) ANCIENT HISTORY OF THE NELLORE DISTRICT.
353
victories was Paudaranga 77 whose name figures in one or two of the lithic fragments in archaic characters published in the Nellore volume. The same general figures as the executor in the Masalipatam plate of Vijayaditya III.79 while Kadeyarâja, mentioned in the Bezvada plates of Chalakya Bhima I., was his grandson.70
On the death of Amma I. in A. D. 925 the succession was disputed. Vijayaditya V., also called Kanthika-Vijayaditya, reigned 15 days; Tâdapa, 1 month; Vikramaditya II., 11 months ; 80 and Bhima III., 8 months. Then followed a period of confusion when, according to the Maliyapůņdi grant, Rajamartaņda, Kanthikâ-Vijayaditya, Yuddhamalla and others were fighting for the throne oppressing the subjects like rdkshasas, and the strife is said to have lasted five years. Other princes also seem to have taken part in the war and to have harassed the country. Châlukya Bhima II. killed Rajamartandas1 and drove Kanthikâ-Vijayaditya82 and Yuddhamalla out of the country. The Kaluchumbarru grant refers also to this calamitous period in the history of Vengi and mentions the names of the other kings who took part in this war. Chalukya Bhima II. is said to have surpassed the epic hero Bhima in strength and majesty:-having, unaided, slain the glorious Rajamayya, and Dhalaga,, who excelled far and wide, and the fierce Tâtabikki, and Bijja who was ( always ) ready for war, and the excessively powerful Ayyapa, terrible and savage, and the extremely great army sent by king Govinda, and Lôvabikki, the ruler of the Chôlas, and the valorous Yuddhamalls. This glorious Raja-Bhima II. gave encouragement to those who were frightened, protected those who came to the excellent refuge which he afforded, and removed troublesome people,83 The description given in these two grants of the state of the country cannot be altogether fauciful, and therefore it may be supposea that the province was actually devastated by this war.84 The end of the reign of Chalukya Bhima II. takes us to about the middle of the 10th century A. D. After a short period of peaceful progress came the interregnum in the Vêngi country lasting more than a quarter of a century. According to the words of the poet," a feverish desire to obtain a suitable lord consumed the earth which was without a leader."95 Wbat actually took place during this interval is not known. The Rashtrakûças of Malkhêd collapsed in consequence of their defeat at the hands of Siyaka-Harsha of Malwa and the plundering of their capital 98 and the place of the Rashtrakûțas was taken by the Western Chalukyas of Kalyani.
" At Addarki in the Ongole tálak is a fragment which records a gift of land by P&ņdaranga to a temple (0.3). The name Påndaranga occurs also in an archaic fragment at Dharmavaram in the same tálak (O. 39), which refers to a certain Ayyapar&ju and his younger brother Bejeyundu. A descendant of Pandaraigu was Durgarija (Ep. Ind., Vol. IX, p. 49) who might be identical with Dugiraju mentioned in an arebaic inscription at Petluru (KR. 67).
15 Ep. Ind., Vol. V, p. 125.
To Ibid., p. 131. At Reddipalayam in the Gudur taluk in a hamlet named Pantiangam, is a temple called Paņdarangam in its insoriptions. The earliest record in the temple belongs, however, to the reign of VikramaChola, while mention is made of Kulottunga I. in another epigraph of the same temple. Pantrangam was known in ancient times as the great city of Kikandi in Kaļalkonda-Parvattiri-kottam, a district of Rájendra-Cha-mandalam (G.87 and G.91). Kakandi was another name of Kåvirippattinam ( Manimd zalai, xxii, 11. 37-38) mentioned in ancient Tamil poems as the capital of the Cholas. Kavirippattinam was submerged in the ocean during the reign of the Chola king Nedumudikkilli. The district in which Pantrangam or Kakandi was situated was KadalkondaPavvattiri-kottam Puvvattiri-kottam submerged in the ocean.' Though we have no reason to suppose that the Kikandi mentioned in early Tamil pooms has to be looked for in the Nellore District, it is a strange coincidence that a portion of that district was also submerged in the ocean in historical times. As regards the name Pantrangam of the village, we cannot be quite sure if the Eastern Chalukya dominions extended so far south as the Gadur thluk and as the volume before us furnishes no information as to the architecture of the temple, we cannot venture to connect the hamlet and the temple with the Eastern Chalukya general
* The Vikramaditya-Mahårkju of the Chalukya family mentioned in D. 8 must be Vikramaditya II., if he was an Eastern Chalukya at all, because Vikram Aditya I. of that dynasty did not reign; see also above, p. 201.
* Rajamartanda is, according to Professor Hultzsch, the same as Rajamayya of the Kaluchumbarru grant.
" He was also known as Beta-Vijayaditya and founded a separate line of kings, who held the Véngt country later on. He was anointed to the throne while still a child. If
he while still a child. If the Maliyapundi grant is to be believed, ho fought for the crown even after he was dethroned. As he seems to have been a child when the war took place, it may bo that his oa uso was taken up by his partisans.
85 Ep. Ind., Vol. VII, p. 190. # Perhaps some of the monuments of the northern portion of the Nollore District came to grief about this time. 15 Ante, Vol. XIV, p. 52, text-line, 491,
46 Bombay Gazetteer, Vol. I, p. 426.
