Bijjala II
Encyclopedia
Bijjala II 1130 - 1167 CE was the most famous of the southern Kalachuri
kings and ruled initially as a feudatory of Chalukya Vikramaditya VI
. He ruled as the Mahamandalesvara or chief and ruled over Karhada 4,000 and Tardavadi 1,000, designations given to
territories within the Chalukya kingdom.
The Chikkalagi inscription refers to Bijjala as Mahabhujabalachakravarti, which in Kannada
literally means king with powerful arms. By the time of Chalukya Taila III, Bijjala's attempts towards
independence seems to have spread to other feudatories as well. Kakatiya Prola II broke free of Chalukya rule
in the middle of the 12th century. By 1162 CE. Bijjala II had managed to drive Taila III out of Kalyani, the Chalukya capital. He assumed Chalukyan titles like Sriprithvivallabha and Parameshvara. He shifted his capital from Mangalavada to Kalyani
also known as Basavakalyan
.
sovereign ruler. During these years he successfully clashed with the Hoysala Narasimha I, Pandya chief of Uchchangi, Seunas and the Chola's, and the chieftens of Andhra and Kalinga. But Bijjala-II's contemporary Kulottunga Chola III (1173-1218) and Hoysala Veera Ballala
gave each other help in order to recover their territories mainly in Telugu
country conquered by the Kalachuris. It appears that Bijjala-II was powerful till he was alive and the Kalachuris lost their territories to both the Cholas and the Hoysalas only after his death.
Though some literature written at that time indicates that he was a Jaina, epigraphal records show he was a Hindu Shaiva. He however was an orthodox Shaivite and hence did not fully agree with Basavannas revolutionary ideas.
Bijjala II became very unpopular with the Virashaiva followers and was assassinated by them. Dr. Desai
however does confirm that Basavanna himself was not responsible for this incident.
Kalachuri
Kalachuri Empire is this the name used by two kingdoms who had a succession of dynasties from the 10th-12th centuries, one ruling over areas in Central India and were called Chedi or Haihaya and the other southern Kalachuri who ruled over parts of Karnataka...
kings and ruled initially as a feudatory of Chalukya Vikramaditya VI
Vikramaditya VI
Vikramaditya VI became the Western Chalukya King after deposing his elder brother Somesvara II. Vikramaditya's reign is marked by the start of the Chalukya-Vikrama era. Vikramaditya VI was the greatest of the Western Chalukya kings and had the longest reign in the dynasty. He earned the title...
. He ruled as the Mahamandalesvara or chief and ruled over Karhada 4,000 and Tardavadi 1,000, designations given to
territories within the Chalukya kingdom.
Bijjala's Opportunism
After the death of Vikramaditya VI, seeing the weakening empire, Bijjala II declared independence.The Chikkalagi inscription refers to Bijjala as Mahabhujabalachakravarti, which in Kannada
literally means king with powerful arms. By the time of Chalukya Taila III, Bijjala's attempts towards
independence seems to have spread to other feudatories as well. Kakatiya Prola II broke free of Chalukya rule
in the middle of the 12th century. By 1162 CE. Bijjala II had managed to drive Taila III out of Kalyani, the Chalukya capital. He assumed Chalukyan titles like Sriprithvivallabha and Parameshvara. He shifted his capital from Mangalavada to Kalyani
Basavakalyan
Basavakalyan is a town in Bidar District of the state of Karnataka, India, and was historically known as Kalyan.-History:Basavakalyan's history dates back to 3000 years with its name being mentioned in Guru Charitra....
also known as Basavakalyan
Basavakalyan
Basavakalyan is a town in Bidar District of the state of Karnataka, India, and was historically known as Kalyan.-History:Basavakalyan's history dates back to 3000 years with its name being mentioned in Guru Charitra....
.
Short Lived Freedom
Bijjala's independence seems to have been short lived. He ruled only from 1162 CE. to 1167 CE. as asovereign ruler. During these years he successfully clashed with the Hoysala Narasimha I, Pandya chief of Uchchangi, Seunas and the Chola's, and the chieftens of Andhra and Kalinga. But Bijjala-II's contemporary Kulottunga Chola III (1173-1218) and Hoysala Veera Ballala
Veera Ballala II
Veera Ballala II was the greatest monarch of the Hoysala Empire. This is proven by his successes against the Seuna, Southern Kalachuri, and the waning Kalyani Chalukya dynasties. He caused the demise of the Kalyani Chalukya dynasty. His period also saw prolific literary activity in Kannada. He...
gave each other help in order to recover their territories mainly in Telugu
Telugu people
The Telugu people or Telugu Prajalu are an ethnic group of India. They are the native speakers of the Telugu language, the most commonly spoken language in India after Hindi and Bengali...
country conquered by the Kalachuris. It appears that Bijjala-II was powerful till he was alive and the Kalachuris lost their territories to both the Cholas and the Hoysalas only after his death.
Though some literature written at that time indicates that he was a Jaina, epigraphal records show he was a Hindu Shaiva. He however was an orthodox Shaivite and hence did not fully agree with Basavannas revolutionary ideas.
Bloody End
His rule was marked with turbulence, both domestic and social. According the historian Dr. P.B. Desai,Bijjala II became very unpopular with the Virashaiva followers and was assassinated by them. Dr. Desai
however does confirm that Basavanna himself was not responsible for this incident.