Jayasimha II

Jayasimha II (1015 – 1042 CE) (also known as Jagadekhamalla and Mallikamoda) succeeded his brother Vikramaditya V on the Western Chalukya throne. Jayasimha had to fight on many fronts to protect his kingdom. He patronised Vachanakara and Veerashaiva saint Devara Dasimayya, Kannada scholars Durgasimha (who was also his foreign minister), Chavundaraya II and Sanskrit poet Vadiraja.

Malwa invasion

The Paramara king Bhoja of Malwa invaded the Chalukya kingdom to avenge the mistreatment of a previous Malwa king Munja by Tailapa II. Tailapa II imprisoned Munja after defeating him. Munja died in captivity after suffering ill treatment for several years. The Malwa army occupied north western portions of the Chalukya kingdom for several years only to lose it to the Chalukyas again.

Jayasimha, with the help of his feudatories, fought very hard and recovered the territories occupied by Bhoja.

Wars with Cholas

Rajendra Chola I was the primary enemy of the Chalukyas. Cholas were exerting influence in the Vengi kingdom of the Eastern Chalukyas. The Cholas were constantly trying to expand their kingdom northwards into the Chalukyan kingdom. Satyasraya had tried to stop Chola influence in Vengi and had to suffer the Chola invasion in retaliation. He however repulsed the Chola invasion from his territories in the battle at Masangi.

Soon after his accession, Jayasimha tried to retrieve the losses suffered by Satyasraya. Rajendra Chola was at that time engaged in the south with wars in Lanka and in the Pandya country. Jayasimha utilised this opportunity and got involved in the politics of the Eastern Chalukyas. In 1018 Jayasimha crossed the Tungabhadra and occupied parts of the Vengi kingdom in support of the claims of Vijayaditya VII to the Vengi throne against his step brother Rajaraja Narendra. Rajaraja Narendra was related to the Cholas through his mother Kundavai, a daughter of Rajaraja Chola. In Vengi Vijayaditya captured the throne with the help of Jayasimha II. Rajendra Chola turned his attention towards the Chalukyas in order to help nephew Rajaraja Narendra.

Rajendra employed a two-pronged attack into the Chalukya territories, one army going into the Vengi kingdom to assist Rajaraja Narendra and the other into the Western Chalukaya kingdom itself. In the west Jayasimha II was defeated at Maski. But the Chola army could not proceed further west than the Tungabhadra.

Vengi conflicts

In Vengi the Chola army defeated the forces of Vijayaditya in several battles, took possession of the kingdom on behalf of Rajaraja Narendra and proceeded north into the Kalinga kingdom. In 1032 Vijayaditya again with the help of Jayasimha drove Rajaraja Narendra out and made himself king. By 1035 Rajaraja Narendra had regained his kingdom. Vijayaditya sought refuge in Jayasimha's court.

Jayasimha was succeeded by his son Somesvara I Ahavamalla in 1042.

###@@@KEYEND@@@###

References

* Nilakanta Sastri, K.A. (1955). A History of South India, OUP, New Delhi (Reprinted 2002).
* Nilakanta Sastri, K.A. (1935). The CōĻas, University of Madras, Madras (Reprinted 1984).
* Dr. Suryanath U. Kamat (2001). Concise History of Karnataka, MCC, Bangalore (Reprinted 2002).