Part 45 - Mahadeva A.D. (1194-1230)

Mahadeva, brother and successor of Ayyapa had a reign of thirty six years. His earliest inscription is from Tadikalapudi, bearing the date A.D. 1154. The next inscription is also from Tadikalapudi, with date A.D. 1204. The Ayyanes-vara temple mentioned in it is probably named after Ayyapadeva I. Mahadeva’s next record dated A.D. 1208 also comes from Tadikalapudi. His last record is from Bezvada dated A.D. 1230 registering his gifts for the merit of his father. An undated inscription of Mahadeva is at Bezvada.

His Political Relations

Mahadeva is mentioned as Vengi Mahadevaraja in his records. He seems to have shifted the capital of the kingdom from Vengi to Tadikalapudi which is mentioned as the capital' of Vengi in one of his records. Probably this measure was necessitated by the extension of the kingdom towards Shatsa-hasra. Mahadeva bore an elaborate prasasti, His titles—dalitaripudarpa, and parabalasadhaka show that he was a warrior. Mahadeva’s capacities in riding horses and elephants is implied in his epithet—Vajivaranahaya vatsa i.e. a Vatsaraja in riding horses. The title is peculiar as Vaji and haysa are synoyms and varana also means resistance regarding. It may mean a vatsa in warding of blows or defending his horses and in riding. His titles—Siddipuravaradhisvara, Mallavamsasmuddharana, Shatsahasravanivallabha and Somavamsarnavachandra were of some political significance.

The rulers contemporaneous with Mahadeva in the kingdoms in the Telugu country were Prithvisvara, and his successors of the Velanandus Mallideva I and Manmasatya II of the Kona Haihayas, Pota II of the Chagis, Keta II of the Kotas, Kusumaraja of the Parichchedis, Rudra I of the Natavadis, Mahadeva of the Malayas, Kesavadeva of Kolanu, Vijayaditya III (A.D. 1158-1202) Mallapa III (A.D. 1203-1223), Udayachandra (A.D. 1223-1226) and Chandrasekhara (A.D. 1223-1246), Mallapa I and Rajaraja I of the Chalukyas, Udayaraja. Allutikke and Abhideva Malideva of the Pallavas, Jayanta of the Matsyas, Purushottama and Bayyaraja of Virakuta Pallavas, Madhava of the Yadavas, Balli choda copilisiddhi n Nallasiddhe and his successors including Tikka I of the Telugu cholas.

Under Mahadeva, the loyalty of the Chalukyas to the Chalukyas of Pithapur must have continued. The titles of MahadLeva implying his restoration of Mallavamsa, obviously a mistake for Yuddhamallavamsa and lordship over Shatsaharavani are probably hereditary borne by his father Gonka I. Or he had some victory over the Velanandus towards the close of the reign of Prithvisvara or afterwards. It is also possible that guaging the weak political condition of the Velanandu kingdom Mahadeva simply assumed the title implying lordship over Shatsahasra. The only event of any importance of Mahadeva is his lordship over Siddipura, evidently implying his conquest of it. His titles implying lordship over Shatsahasra and the location of his records at Bezvada suggests that Mahadeva led an invasion into the Telugu Pallava kingdom of Guntur and Telugu chola kingdom of Kondina which task must have been rendered easy by the decay of the Velanandu choda kingdom. Even the Konidena chola kingdom was in its last stages and Mahadeva’s invasion must have occurred about AD. 1230. The date of his Bezvada inscription. Siddhipura, was evidently the place where Mahadeva vanquished some of his enemies, Its identification with Suddapalle in Guntur Taluq six miles from Tenali is far fetched and it may be more appropriately identified with Siddhapuram in Tadepallegudam Taluq (West Godavari District).