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Vikramaditya I
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Vikramaditya I
Vikramaditya I (reigned 655–680) was the third son and followed his father, Pulakeshi II on to the Chalukya throne. He restored order in the fractured empire and made the Pallavas retreat from the capital Vatapi.
Vikramaditya inherited the traditional titles of the dynasty, including Satyashraya ("refuge of truth") and Shri-prithvi-vallabha ("lord of goddess of wealth and earth"; variants include Shri-vallabha and Vallabha). He also bore the titles Maharajadhiraja ("king of great kings"), Rajadhiraja ("king of kings"), Parameshvara ("Supreme Lord"), and Bhattaraka ("great lord").
His titles indicative of his military power include Rana-rasika ("lover of war"), Anivarita ("unopposed"), and Raja-malla ("royal wrestler").
Vikramaditya was one of the several sons of the powerful Chalukya Emperor Pulakeshin II, as attested by the contemporary records of the family. The records of the later Chalukyas of Kalyani, who claimed descent from Vikramaditya's family, describe him as a son of Pulakeshin's son Adityavarman. These records, such as the Kauthem inscription and Ranna's Gadaayuddha, can be dismissed as inaccurate.
Pulakeshin II was defeated and probably killed during the Pallava invasion of the Chalukya capital Vatapi around c. 642 CE. The Chalukya history over the next decade is unclear: it is possible that after Pulakeshin's death, his son Adityavarman held the throne, followed by Adityavarman's son Abhinavaditya, and then by Pulakeshin's son Chandraditya. After Chandraditya, his wife Vijaya-Bhattarika appears to have acted as a regent for their minor son. During her regency, Vikramaditya appears to have risen to prominence as the supreme commander of the Chalukya army, becoming the de facto ruler in the process.
The inscriptions of Vikramaditya state that he obtained the "regal fortune of his father which had been concealed by three kings", and thus "made the entire burden of royalty rest upon one person". Historian K. A. Nilakanta Sastri theorized that beside the Pallava king, the two other kings referred to in this sentence were Adityavarman and Chandraditya. According to this theory, the Chalukya kingdom was divided among the three brothers and the Pallavas after Pulakeshin's death, and Vikramaditya united it by subjugating the others. In his support, Sastri cited the undated Kurnool copper-plate inscription which states that Vikramaditya ascended the throne after "conquering all his kinsmen". However, this inscription is considered spurious, and Sastri himself admitted that its authenticity is doubtful. There is no evidence that the Chalukya kingdom was partitioned among the three brothers. Had Vikramaditya been one of the rival claimants to the throne after Pulakehsin's death, he would have dated the start of his reign from c. 642 CE, not c. 655 CE, in his inscriptions. Moreover, the Kochare and Nerur inscriptions of his sister-in-law Vijaya-Bhattarika mention him positively, but do not accord any royal titles to him. Based on these evidences, scholars such as D. C. Sircar theorize that Vikramaditya fought against the Pallavas as a subordinate of his brothers, and ascended the throne only after their deaths. The term "three kings" apparently refers to the Chola, Chera, and Pandya rulers who had allied with the Pallavas.
Besides Adityavarman and Chandraditya, two other brothers of Vikramaditya are known: Ranaragha-varman and Dharashraya Jayasimha-varman. The Honnur copper-plate inscription states that Ranaragha was his elder brother, and donated some land to Brahmanas during his reign. In accordance with the contemporary tradition, Ranaragha would have been ahead of Vikramaditya in the precedence to the throne: it is not clear why Vikramaditya became the king instead of him, and no other surviving source mentions him. Dharashraya Jayasimha was Vikramaditya's younger brother, and governed the north-western part of the Chalukya Empire as his subordinate.
The c. 674 CE (Shaka year 596) Gadval inscription of Vikramaditya is dated to his 12th regnal year, which suggests that he ascended the throne in c. 655 CE (Shaka year 577). This may have happened possibly after the son of Chandraditya and Vijaya died (naturally or otherwise).
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Vikramaditya I
Vikramaditya I (reigned 655–680) was the third son and followed his father, Pulakeshi II on to the Chalukya throne. He restored order in the fractured empire and made the Pallavas retreat from the capital Vatapi.
Vikramaditya inherited the traditional titles of the dynasty, including Satyashraya ("refuge of truth") and Shri-prithvi-vallabha ("lord of goddess of wealth and earth"; variants include Shri-vallabha and Vallabha). He also bore the titles Maharajadhiraja ("king of great kings"), Rajadhiraja ("king of kings"), Parameshvara ("Supreme Lord"), and Bhattaraka ("great lord").
His titles indicative of his military power include Rana-rasika ("lover of war"), Anivarita ("unopposed"), and Raja-malla ("royal wrestler").
Vikramaditya was one of the several sons of the powerful Chalukya Emperor Pulakeshin II, as attested by the contemporary records of the family. The records of the later Chalukyas of Kalyani, who claimed descent from Vikramaditya's family, describe him as a son of Pulakeshin's son Adityavarman. These records, such as the Kauthem inscription and Ranna's Gadaayuddha, can be dismissed as inaccurate.
Pulakeshin II was defeated and probably killed during the Pallava invasion of the Chalukya capital Vatapi around c. 642 CE. The Chalukya history over the next decade is unclear: it is possible that after Pulakeshin's death, his son Adityavarman held the throne, followed by Adityavarman's son Abhinavaditya, and then by Pulakeshin's son Chandraditya. After Chandraditya, his wife Vijaya-Bhattarika appears to have acted as a regent for their minor son. During her regency, Vikramaditya appears to have risen to prominence as the supreme commander of the Chalukya army, becoming the de facto ruler in the process.
The inscriptions of Vikramaditya state that he obtained the "regal fortune of his father which had been concealed by three kings", and thus "made the entire burden of royalty rest upon one person". Historian K. A. Nilakanta Sastri theorized that beside the Pallava king, the two other kings referred to in this sentence were Adityavarman and Chandraditya. According to this theory, the Chalukya kingdom was divided among the three brothers and the Pallavas after Pulakeshin's death, and Vikramaditya united it by subjugating the others. In his support, Sastri cited the undated Kurnool copper-plate inscription which states that Vikramaditya ascended the throne after "conquering all his kinsmen". However, this inscription is considered spurious, and Sastri himself admitted that its authenticity is doubtful. There is no evidence that the Chalukya kingdom was partitioned among the three brothers. Had Vikramaditya been one of the rival claimants to the throne after Pulakehsin's death, he would have dated the start of his reign from c. 642 CE, not c. 655 CE, in his inscriptions. Moreover, the Kochare and Nerur inscriptions of his sister-in-law Vijaya-Bhattarika mention him positively, but do not accord any royal titles to him. Based on these evidences, scholars such as D. C. Sircar theorize that Vikramaditya fought against the Pallavas as a subordinate of his brothers, and ascended the throne only after their deaths. The term "three kings" apparently refers to the Chola, Chera, and Pandya rulers who had allied with the Pallavas.
Besides Adityavarman and Chandraditya, two other brothers of Vikramaditya are known: Ranaragha-varman and Dharashraya Jayasimha-varman. The Honnur copper-plate inscription states that Ranaragha was his elder brother, and donated some land to Brahmanas during his reign. In accordance with the contemporary tradition, Ranaragha would have been ahead of Vikramaditya in the precedence to the throne: it is not clear why Vikramaditya became the king instead of him, and no other surviving source mentions him. Dharashraya Jayasimha was Vikramaditya's younger brother, and governed the north-western part of the Chalukya Empire as his subordinate.
The c. 674 CE (Shaka year 596) Gadval inscription of Vikramaditya is dated to his 12th regnal year, which suggests that he ascended the throne in c. 655 CE (Shaka year 577). This may have happened possibly after the son of Chandraditya and Vijaya died (naturally or otherwise).