Part 2.2 - Biography of Chamundaraja (A.D.997-1009)]

[Full title: History of Chaulukyas (2) Chamundaraja [V.S.1053-1066] (A.D.997-1009)]

Chamundaraja, son of Mularaja, probably ascended the throne sometime in A.D.996-7. 52 As carly as V.S.1033 (A.D.977), Camunda as a Yuvaraja was issuing land grants. 53 This shows that he was at that time oid enough to be entrusted with such considerable power. Hence at the time of his accession, he must have been quite advanced in age. No inscription issued during the reign of Camunda or the two successors has yet been discovered, and the Chroniclers record little about them. We have already seen that Hemacandra gave the credit to Cemunda for defeating Barapa during the reign of Mularaja but as all other Chronicles ascribe the victory to Mularaja himself, it seems that Camunda fought under his father, though he may have led the army during the actual combat. 54 55 Two conventional verses in the Vastupala-Tejapala-Prasasti describe Camunda as having decorated the earth with the heads of the enemy-princes, and his sword is compared to the well of Goddess Harisiddhi, wherein the truthless enemies, prepared for death, earn fame by pouring their blood. Jayasimha Suri mentions more specifically that Camunda killed in battle one Sindhuraja who was as ungovernable as the sea. 56 This Sindhuraja can be no other than the Paramara Sindhuraja of Malava who was Camunda's conteporary. Sindhuraja's court poet Padmagupta mentions his victory over the princes of the Hunas and Keralas, and the inhabitants of Vagada, Lata and Murala. Vagada was the country comprising Banswara and the Dungerpur states, which lies to the north-east ofGujarat, and Lata was southern Gujarat. Padmagupta 57

38 does not mention the names of the kings with whom Sindhuraja had to fight for Lata, but it could be either Camunda or Goggiraja. The history of Lata during this period is confused. Most probably Sindhuraja attacked while Lata was under Camunda, who soon after took his revenge. For, apart from the. Gujarat Chronicles mentioned above, the Vadanagar-Prasasti composed about two centuries before Jayasimha Suri's work, records that on seeing from afar the armies of Camundaraja, Sindhuraja together with his elephant-forces beat such a cowardly retreat that he thereby lost all his well established fame. 58 There is no doubt therefore, that Sindhuraja was thoroughly beaten by Camunda, though the statement of Jayasimha Suri, that Sindhuraja was killed need not be taken as literally true. The effect of Camunda's victory probably led to a diminution of the Paramara influence in Abu and Mewar where Caulukya influence predominated.59 According to Hemacandra, Camunda had three sons, namely, Vallabharaja, Durlabharaja and Nagaraja. After their education had been completed, Camunda asked Vallabha to uproot a 'thorn' that is an enemy. In obedience to his father's command Vallabha set out with an army." 59 !