Part 7 - Vijayaditya III (A.D. 1158-1202)

Vijayaditya III was the greatest among the Chalukyas of Tithapur and enjoyed a long reign of fifty years. He issued the largest number of inscriptions. The actual day of his appointment or coronation is given as Magha, bright fortnight tenth tithi, rohmi and minalagna. But the year may be either s 1049 or 1079 as Jaladhi in the chronogram may mean either four or seven. Saka year 1049 expired, corresponds to Saturday, 14th January A.D. 1128 and s 1079 expired corresponds to Saturday, 11th January A.D. 1158. The earlier date is unacceptable for it gives Vijayaditya a long reign of seventy-five years, and Vishnuvardhana was ruling at Pithapur at that time, and Mallapa after him, although one cannot agree with the epigraphist when be says “It looks as if the date of the accession of Vijayaditya III was intentionally pushed back to s 1049 for this was the year of the death of Vikramachoda, the last representative of the direct line mentioned in the inscription and in that in reality Vijayaditya III may have begun to reign at a much later date.” So the initial year of Vijayaditya was a 1079 or A.D. 1158 as has been suggested by Kialhorn and the Epigraphist already.

The earliest record of the reign of Vijayaditya is from Bhimavaram dated A.D 1158 mentioning a Chalukya maharaja. The next record also from Bhimavaram dated A.D. 1176 mentions Vijayaditya, the son of King Malla—Vikramaditya and the lord of Vengi, and his son Rajanraendra.In the Draksharama inscription, also of A D. 1176 the King and his son appear as Vishnuvardhanamaharaja and Narendra.The next Inscription also from Draksharama dated A.D. 1177 -and the 2nd year of Vishnuvardhana refers to the kingdom of Vijayaditya. Another record of Vijayaditya of this year is at Bhimavaram. Two records there dated In the 3rd year of Sarvalokasraya Srivishnuvardhana maharaja, record gifts her Mallapadeva Chakravarthi. The next record is from Draksharama dated A.D, 1179 and the 2nd year of Vishnuvardhana maharaja. The second year is a mistake for the fourth year. A record of the 6th year of Vishnuvardhana maharaja is from Drakshararama. The latest records of Vijayaditya are at Draksharama dated in the 9th and the 10th years of Vishnuvardhanamaharaja.

Vijayaditya’s Political Relations

In the Godavari copper plate grant, Vijayaditya is described as the moon to the ocean i.e. the Chalukya lineage and the lord of the Vengi country. His two sons Mallapa III and Narendra, by his two queens Lakshmi and Ganga respectively, began to issue inscriptions from A.D. 1176 and Mallapa’s records are found in a continuous series from his second year f to the 10th year i.e. A.D. 1177 to 1183. This shows that Vijayaditya associated the two princes in the administration of the kingdom from A.D. 1176 to the close of his reign.

The contemporary rulers of Vijayaditya in other kingdoms were Raghava (A.D. 1152-1167), Anantavarman Rajaraja II (A.D. 1167-1192) and Aniyanka Bhima (A.D. 1192-1202) on the Ganga throne in Kalinga, Rajaraja II. Rajadhiraja II and Kulottunga III on the Chola throne, Gonka II, Choda II, Gonka III aud Prithvisvara on the Velanandu throne, Loka (A.D. 1150-1175) and Bhima III (A.D. 1150-1168), Mallideva I (A.D. 1175-1231) and Manmasatya II (A.D. 1182-1231) on the Haihaya throne in Kondamandala. besides many other smaller kings in Vengi Vijayaditya does not seem to have come into conflict with any ruler but reigned in undisturbed peace.