Later Gangas Mandali Thousand

Author(s): Nagarajaiah Hampa
Publisher: Ankita Pustak

Page 51

8 / The Later Gangas : Mandali-Thousand
family, the localised Ganga Mandalinād played a prominent role for another two hundered years and even more, but the later history after the 14th century is obscure; except for its name sake, nothing concrete comes forth.
In the beginning, the Gangas were in gloves with the coeval dynasty of the early Kadambas of Banavāsi, who had wrested their hegemony from the Pallavas. Later, the duo of the GangaKadamba combination paved the way for the Ganga-Cālukya (Bādāmi) combination, with the elimination of the Kadambas by the Cālukyas of Bādāmi. The Gangas had crossed swords with the Cālukyas, the Kadambas and the Rāştrakūtas. Though, the Gangas shifted their political allaince, at the same time maintained a cordial relationship with the Pallavas for sometime to come. The Gangas had matrimonial alliances with the Kadambas and the Pallavas. Avinita was the son of the sister of the Kadamba king Krişnavarman. Infact it is the Pallava king Simhavarman who anointed the Ganga Aryavarman; again, it is the Pallava Skandavarman who put Madhavarman-ll on the throne. The Ganga king Durvinita (Nirvinita) was the son of the daughter of Skandavarman, king of Punnāța. But, by the time the Ganga Mandalinãd could flourish, the kingdom of Kadamba, the Bādāmi Cālukya, the Punnāța, the Rāştrakūta, and even the Pallava had vanquished. The Cālukyas of Kalyāna, their suzerians, did not treat the Mandalinād family more than any other of their feudatories. Hence the question of any marriage alliance with the suzerians did not arise. For that matter, the Sāntaras of Sānta!igenāð Thousand enjoyed more previleges with their overlords of the Cālukya imperialism than the coeval Mandalināự chiefs.
During the period of interregnum in the reign of the Rāştrakūtas and the Cälukyas of Kalyāņa, the Mandalinãd was ruled by the Kambharasa alias Raņāvaloka as the viceroy over Gangavādi, and the Vikramāditya Permmādi as the mahămandalesvara of the Gangavāời.