Vijaya-Bhattarika

Vijaya-Bhattarika
Chalukya regent
Reignc. 650 – c. 655
PredecessorChandraditya
SuccessorVikramaditya I
SpouseChandraditya
DynastyChalukyas of Vatapi
Chalukya dynasties
Vatapi / Badami Chalukyas
Jayasimha 500-520
Ranaraga 520-540
Pulakeshin I 540–566
Kirttivarman I 566–597
Mangalesha 597–609
Pulakeshin II 609–642
Adityavarman 643-645
Abhinavaditya 645-646
Chandraditya 646-649
Vijaya-Bhattarika (regent) 650-655
Vikramaditya I 655–680
Vinayaditya 680–696
Vijayaditya 696–733
Vikramaditya II 733–746
Kirtivarman II 746–753
Vengi / Eastern Chalukyas
Kubja Vishnuvardhana 624–641
Jayasimha I 641–673
Indra Bhattaraka 673
Vishnu Vardhana II 673–682
Mangi Yuvaraja 682–706
Jayasimha II 706–718
Kokkili 719
Vishnuvardhana III 719–755
Vijayaditya I (Eastern Chalukya) 755–772
Vishnuvardhana IV 772–808
Vijayaditya II 808–847
Kali Vishnuvardhana V 847–849
Vijayaditya III 849–892
Chalukya Bhima I 892–921
Vijayaditya IV 921
Amma I 921–927
Beta Vijayaditya V 927
Tala I 927
Vikramaditya II 927–928
Bhima II 928
Yuddhamalla II 928–935
Chalukya Bhima II 935–947
Amma II 947–970
Tala I 970
Danarnava 970–973
Jata Choda Bhima 973–999
Shaktivarman I 1000–1011
Vimaladitya 1011–1018
Rajaraja Narendra 1019–1061
Vijayaditya VII 1061-1075
Kalyani / Western Chalukyas
Tailapa II 957–997
Satyashraya 997–1008
Vikramaditya V 1008–1015
Jayasimha II 1015–1042
Someshvara I 1042–1068
Someshvara II 1068–1076
Vikramaditya VI 1076–1126
Someshvara III 1126–1138
Jagadhekamalla II 1138–1151
Tailapa III 1151–1164
Jagadhekamalla III 1163–1183
Someshvara IV 1184–1200

Vijaya-Bhattarika (r. c. 650-655 CE) was a member of the Chalukya royal family of Deccan region in southern India. She is known from her Nerur and Kochre grant inscriptions, which call her Vijaya-Bhattarika and Vijaya-Mahadevi respectively.

Vijaya-Bhatarika was the wife of Chandraditya, who appears to have held the weakened Chalukya throne for a brief period, in the years following the Pallava invasion of the Chalukya capital Vatapi. After Chandraditya's death, Vijaya-Bhattarika seems to have acted as a regent for their minor son. Subsequently, the throne passed to her brother-in-law Vikramaditya I, who had probably become the de facto ruler during her regency, after having restored the dynasty's power as the supreme commander of the Chalukya army.

Sources of information

Vijaya-Bhattarika is known from her Nerur and Kochre (or Kochri) inscriptions, which register her land grants to brahmanas.[1] The Nerur inscription calls her "Vijaya-Bhaṭṭārika", while the Kochre inscription calls her "Vijaya-Mahādevī".[2]

Political status

Vijaya-Bhattarika's husband Chandraditya was one of the sons of the powerful Chalukya king Pulakeshin II, who was defeated and probably killed during the Pallava invasion of the Chalukya capital Vatapi around c. 642 CE. The Chalukya power was restored by Chandraditya's younger brother Vikramaditya I around c. 655 CE, and the Chalukya history during the intervening period is uncertain: it is possible that after Pulakeshin's death, his son Adityavarman held the throne, followed by Adityavarman's son Abhinavaditya, and then by Chandraditya.[3]

The theory that Vijaya-Bhattarika ruled as a regent for her minor son after Chandraditya's death is based on the following facts:[4]

  • Her Nerur and Kochre inscriptions accord her husband imperial titles, and her the titles of a chief queen: Mahishi, Bhattarika, and Mahadevi.[4]
  • The inscriptions are dated in her own regnal years, which suggests that Chandraditya was dead when these grants were issued.[4]
  • The inscriptions describe Vikramaditya as the person who restored Chalukya power by defeating hostile kings, but do not accord him any royal title.[4]

It is possible that Vikramaditya rose to prominence after having restored the dynasty's power as the supreme commander of the Chalukya army, and became the de facto ruler during the regency of Vijaya-Bhattarika.[5] Later, he formally ascended the Chalukya throne, possibly after the son of Vijaya-Bhattarika and Chandraditya died (naturally or otherwise).[4]

The Nerur inscription suggests that she ruled as a regent for at least 5 years.[5]

Identification with Vijayanka and Vijja

Rajashekhara, a noted Sanskrit poet and dramatist of the 9th-10th century, mentions a poetess called Vijayanka, who belonged to the historical Karnata region (in present-day Karnataka). This region was a part of the Chalukya territory, and based on similarity of names, some modern scholars - such as M. B. Padma of University of Mysore - have identified this poetess with the Chalukya royal Vijaya-Bhattarika.[6] A verse, attributed to Rajashekhara in Jalhana's Suktimuktavali, compares Vijayanka to Sarasvati, the goddess of wisdom and learning.[7]

Vijayanka, in turn, has been identified by some scholars with Vijja, a Sanskrit poetess known from major anthologies of Sanskrit verses. One of the verses from these anthologies compares Vijja to the goddess of learning, Sarasvati, and states that she had a dark complexion unlike the goddess. This verse also mentions the famous poet Daṇḍin (a native of southern India), calling him wrong for describing Sarasvati as "all-white".[8][9] The verse may be considered as evidence supporting Vijja's connections to south India, where the Chalukyas ruled, but there is no concrete proof that she was same as the Chalukya royal Vijaya-Bhattarika.[8] In fact, such an identification results in chronological improbabilities: the poetess whose works mention the 8th century poet Dandin could not have been the 7th century royal Vijaya-Bhattarika, unless she lived until the end of the century, and deigned to notice a verse by a much younger author.[10] The names "Vijaya" (literally "victory") and "Vijayanka" (literally "having the mark of victory") have a different meaning from the name Vijja (literally "knowledge" or "science").[7]

References

  1. ^ T. V. Mahalingam 1977, p. 73.
  2. ^ Durga Prasad Dikshit 1980, p. 116.
  3. ^ Durga Prasad Dikshit 1980, pp. 116–118.
  4. ^ a b c d e Durga Prasad Dikshit 1980, p. 117.
  5. ^ a b Durga Prasad Dikshit 1980, pp. 118–119.
  6. ^ M. B. Padma 1993, p. 167.
  7. ^ a b A. K. Warder 1994, p. 421.
  8. ^ a b A. K. Warder 1994, pp. 421–422.
  9. ^ Supriya Banik Pal 2010, p. 152.
  10. ^ A. K. Warder 1994, p. 422.

Bibliography

  • A. K. Warder (1994). Indian Kavya Literature. Vol. 4: The ways of originality (Bana to Damodaragupta). Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978-81-208-0449-4.
  • Durga Prasad Dikshit (1980). Political History of the Chālukyas of Badami. Abhinav. OCLC 8313041.
  • M. B. Padma (1993). The Position of Women in Mediaeval Karnataka. Prasaranga, University of Mysore. OCLC 36806821.
  • Supriya Banik Pal (2010). "Some Women Writers and their Works in Classical Sanskrit Literature: A Reinterpretation". In Philip F. Williams (ed.). Asian Literary Voices: From Marginal to Mainstream. Amsterdam University Press. ISBN 978-90-8964-092-5.
  • T. V. Mahalingam (1977). "Aditya and Vikramaditya". Readings in South Indian History. Indian Society for Prehistoric and Quaternary Studies / B.R.
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