Part 21 - Vikrama I (A.D. 1111-1118)

Vikrama was the son and successor of Beta I. He too had a brief reign of seven years. The extent of the Palnad kingdom in this reign is seen from the prevenance of inscriptions. The earliest inscription is from Macherla dated A.D. 1111 and mentions Aditya. The record from Adigoppula mentions Komara Docheya, son of Divakara Preggada, ruler of Adigoppula. It does not mention Virakama but these chiefs must have acknowledged his suzerainty as Adigoppula was included in the Palnad kingdom. One more epigraph from Macherla dated A.D. 1111 mentions Aditya. Vikrama’s reign must have come to a close in A.D. 1118 which was the earliest date for his successors—Rajaraja I and Beta II who ruled conjointly

Vikrama’s Political Relations

His capital was Machrole alias Mahadevitataka. The influence of the Western Chalukyas in the Palnad kingdom in this reign seems to have made rapid advance though it had only small beginnings in the previous reign. Aditya was undoubtedly a Western Chalukya general and one among the first generals who settled down in different kingdoms in Vengi. Probably this Aditya is identical with Aditya dandanayaka, son of Brammadevanayaka and with Adimayya father of Govindaraju figuring in two records at Draksharama dated c.v. 45 (A.D. 1122) and 58 (A.D. 1133) if so, the earliest date for Aditya is A.D. 1111. Again the engravers of the.record at Macherla were Kanarese and recorded their names in Kannada. It is likely that Divakara preggoda and his son Komara Dochaya, were also Kannarese as their names seem to indicate. These, no doubt, show that Vikrama was witnessing passively the spread of the Chalukyan power into his kingdom though he did not acknowledge his subordination of Vikramaditya in his inscriptions.