Veera Ballala II
Encyclopedia
Hoysala Empire
The Hoysala Empire was a prominent South Indian Kannadiga empire that ruled most of the modern day state of Karnataka between the 10th and the 14th centuries. The capital of the Hoysalas was initially located at Belur but was later moved to Halebidu....
. This is proven by his successes against the Seuna
Seuna
The Seuna, Sevuna or Yadavas of Devagiri was an Indian dynasty, which at its peak ruled a kingdom stretching from the Tungabhadra to the Narmada rivers, including present-day Maharashtra, north Karnataka and parts of Madhya Pradesh, from its capital at Devagiri...
, Southern Kalachuri
Kalachuri
Kalachuri Empire is this the name used by two kingdoms who had a succession of dynasties from the 10th-12th centuries, one ruling over areas in Central India and were called Chedi or Haihaya and the other southern Kalachuri who ruled over parts of Karnataka...
, and the waning Kalyani Chalukya dynasties. He caused the demise of the Kalyani Chalukya dynasty. His period also saw prolific literary activity in Kannada. He patronised Ranna
Ranna
Ranna was one of the earliest poets of Kannada language.Ranna, Adikavi Pampa and Sri Ponna together are called "three gems of Kannada literature".-Early days:Ranna was born on 949 C.E. in Muduvolalu Bagalkot district, Karnataka....
and Rudrabhatta. During his forty seven years of rule, the Hoysala kingdom consolidated to the extent of being called an independent empire. The Kedareshwara temple at Halebidu
Halebidu
Halebidu is located in Hassan District, Karnataka, India. Halebidu was the regal capital of the Hoysala Empire in the 12th century. It is home to one of the best examples of Hoysala architecture in the ornate Hoysaleswara and Kedareswara temples. Halebidu literally means ruined city...
and Amritheswara temple in Chikmagalur were some important temples built by him.
Ballala's revolt
Ballala II was unhappy with the shrinking size of the Hoysala kingdom during the rule of his not too popular father Narasimha INarasimha I
Narasimha I was a ruler of the Hoysala Empire. Apart from his victory over his overlord Chalukya Tailapa III which paved way for declaration of independence by his successor, his importance to historians is considered little....
. With the help of some malnad
Malnad
Malenadu is a region of Karnataka state in South India. Malenadu covers the western and eastern slopes of the Western Ghats, roughly 100 kilometers in width. Malenadu covers portions of the Shimoga, Chikmagalur, Uttara Kannada, Kodagu and Hassan districts....
chiefs, Ballala II overthrew his father and assumed control of the kingdom. He later ensured the same Malnad chiefs could not rise against him.
Wars against Kalachuri, Chalukya and Seuna
Kalyani
Kalyani may refer to:* Kalyani , a rāga in the Carnatic music of South India as well as Hindustani music* Kalyani , a type of ancient Hindu bathing well or pond* Kalyani, West Bengal, a town in the Nadia District of West Bengal...
, capital of the Western Chalukyas
Western Chalukyas
The Western Chalukya Empire ruled most of the western Deccan, South India, between the 10th and 12th centuries. This dynasty is sometimes called the Kalyani Chalukya after its regal capital at Kalyani, today's Basavakalyan in Karnataka and alternatively the Later Chalukya from its theoretical...
king, Tailapa III
Tailapa III
Tailapa III succeeded Jagadhekamalla II to the Western Chalukya throne. His rule saw the beginning of the end of the Chalukya empire. Kakatiya dynasty Prolla II warred with him, defeated and took the Chalukya king captive. This resulted in other feudatories rising against the Chalukyas. The Seuna...
between 1155–1158 AD and was still ruling in 1168 AD before his death. 'Three of his sons ruled in quick succession up to 1183, but none of them had the ability to turn Bijjala's usurpation to good account, though they continued to war against the Hoysalas under Veera Ballala II', 'and met with some initial successes'. The skirmishes and setbacks to Veera Ballala II against the Kalachuris happened during the period 1175-1183 AD. In subsequent years, Veera Ballala II once again pressed his claims over these northern territories. He captured Balligavi from the Kalachuri and defeated Chalukya Somesvara IV in 1187. 'Before 1189' the Seuna
Seuna
The Seuna, Sevuna or Yadavas of Devagiri was an Indian dynasty, which at its peak ruled a kingdom stretching from the Tungabhadra to the Narmada rivers, including present-day Maharashtra, north Karnataka and parts of Madhya Pradesh, from its capital at Devagiri...
-Yadava
Yadava
The Yadavas were an ancient Indian people who believed themselves to be descended from Yadu, a mythical king. The community was probably formed of four clans, being the Abhira, Andhaka, Vrishni, and Satvatas, who all worshipped Lord Krishna. They are listed in ancient Indian literature as the...
ruler Bhillama (1187–1191) 'invaded the Western Chalukyakingdom and seized its northern districts'. 'He spent some years in the south organizing his new conquests. His pressure compelled the Western Chalukya ruler Somesvara IV
Somesvara IV
Somesvara IV was the last king of the Western Chalukya empire. He made a brief attempt to revive the Chalukya kingdom by defeating the waning Kalachuri kingdom. He managed to capture Basavakalyana but failed to prevent the other feudatories, the Seuna, Hoysala and the Kakatiya dynasty from...
to shift his capital to Banavasi
Banavasi
Banavasi is an ancient temple town in Uttara Kannada District bordering Shivamogga district in the South Indian state of Karnataka .-History:Banavasi is one of the oldest towns in the Karnataka state...
' and 'Kalyani passed into the hands of the Seuna
Seuna
The Seuna, Sevuna or Yadavas of Devagiri was an Indian dynasty, which at its peak ruled a kingdom stretching from the Tungabhadra to the Narmada rivers, including present-day Maharashtra, north Karnataka and parts of Madhya Pradesh, from its capital at Devagiri...
-Yadavas. Meanwhile, Veera Ballala II struck a blow on his account and defeated Somesvara IV
Somesvara IV
Somesvara IV was the last king of the Western Chalukya empire. He made a brief attempt to revive the Chalukya kingdom by defeating the waning Kalachuri kingdom. He managed to capture Basavakalyana but failed to prevent the other feudatories, the Seuna, Hoysala and the Kakatiya dynasty from...
and his general Brahma in a series of battles, the last of which occurred in 1190 AD. That was the end of Western Chalukya power'. There naturally ensued a contest between Veera Ballala-II and Bhillama. Several battles were fought and in the final engagement near Soraturu and Lakkundi
Lakkundi
Lakkundi in Gadag District of Karnataka is a tiny village on the way to Hampi from Hubli. Lakkundi 11 km from Gadag in the east...
near Gadag. Bhillama was defeated in 1191 AD and Veera Ballala II advanced the northern frontier of his empire to the Malaprabha and Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
rivers'.
However, 'Veera Ballala II was not left in undisturbed possession of his northern conquests' by the Seuna
Seuna
The Seuna, Sevuna or Yadavas of Devagiri was an Indian dynasty, which at its peak ruled a kingdom stretching from the Tungabhadra to the Narmada rivers, including present-day Maharashtra, north Karnataka and parts of Madhya Pradesh, from its capital at Devagiri...
-Yadavas, who rapidly expanded their territories under Jaitrapal (Jaitugi), who warred against the Kakatiyas'. 'Jaitugi's son and successor Singhana the greatest ruler of the Seuna
Seuna
The Seuna, Sevuna or Yadavas of Devagiri was an Indian dynasty, which at its peak ruled a kingdom stretching from the Tungabhadra to the Narmada rivers, including present-day Maharashtra, north Karnataka and parts of Madhya Pradesh, from its capital at Devagiri...
-Yadava
Yadava
The Yadavas were an ancient Indian people who believed themselves to be descended from Yadu, a mythical king. The community was probably formed of four clans, being the Abhira, Andhaka, Vrishni, and Satvatas, who all worshipped Lord Krishna. They are listed in ancient Indian literature as the...
dynasty. During his rule the kingdom expanded from Narmada
Narmada River
The Narmada , also called Rewa is a river in central India and the fifth largest river in the Indian subcontinent. It is the third largest river that completely flows within India after Ganges and Godavari...
to Tungabhadra, reaching its zenith at the expense of Hoysalas in the south, Kakatiya dynasty in the east, Paramara
Paramara
Paramara is a Maratha, Gurjar,& Rajput clan of India.The Paramara clan belongs to the Agnivansha of Rajputs ancient Kshatriyas...
s and Chalukyas in the north. Singhana-II resumed the war against the Hoysala Veera Ballala II ten years after his accession in 1210 and was assisted by the Kadambas
Kadambas
The Kadamba Dynasty was an ancient royal family of Karnataka that ruled from Banavasi in present day Uttara Kannada district. The dynasty later continued to rule as a feudatory of larger Kannada empires, the Chalukya and the Rashtrakuta empires for over five hundred years during which time they...
of Konkan
Konkan
The Konkan also called the Konkan Coast or Karavali is a rugged section of the western coastline of India from Raigad to Mangalore...
and other feudatories who had been resisting Veera Ballala II already for some years. As a result of Singhana-II's campaigns, by 1216 AD Ballala-II lost almost all the territory he had gained by his wars against Somesvara IV
Somesvara IV
Somesvara IV was the last king of the Western Chalukya empire. He made a brief attempt to revive the Chalukya kingdom by defeating the waning Kalachuri kingdom. He managed to capture Basavakalyana but failed to prevent the other feudatories, the Seuna, Hoysala and the Kakatiya dynasty from...
and Bhillama'.
Relations ship with Cholas
Ballala II was married to a daughter of Kulothunga Chola IIIKulothunga Chola III
Kulothunga Chola III was the ruler of the Chola empire from 1178 to 1218 AD, after succeeding Rajadhiraja Chola II. Kulothunga Chola III gained success in war against his traditional foes. He gained victories in war against the Pandyas of Madurai, Cheras of Venad, Hoysalas of Mysore, the Sinhala...
and vice versa. Initially, Ballala II attacked the forces Kulothunga Chola III, who had continued Chola hegemony over the provinces of Gangavadi, Kolar in the Kannada country. However, Kulothunga Chola III, who also held the Pandya country and Eelam
Eelam
Eelam also spelled Eezham, Ilam or Izham in English is the native Tamil name for the South Asian island state of Sri Lanka. Eelam is also a name for the spurge , toddy and gold. The exact etymology and the original meaning of the word are not clearly known, although there are number of...
, modern Sri Lanka, proved to be a strong adversary and he inflicted a defeat on Ballala II. Ballala II thought it fit to turn enemity into friendship by entering into a marital relationship with Kulothunga III. This helped him in his own troubles against other adversaries like the Kalachuris under Bijjala-II and the Seunas of Yadava country. He also reciprocated by fighting with Kulothunga III when the Pandyas attacked the Cholas, Ballala's sent crown prince Vira Narasimha II
Vira Narasimha II
Vira Narasimha II was a king of the Hoysala Empire. During his reign the Hoysalas gained much influence in the affairs of the Ancient Tamil country. He defeated the Kadavas and Pandyas and levied a tribute. He acted as a support to Chola king Rajaraja Chola III, who possibly his son-in-law,...
who fought successfully in the first war against the rampaging Pandyas and ensured victory for the Cholas. By virtue of this, Ballala II gained the title Cholarajyapratishtacharya and Kulothunga Chola III was given the title "Hoysala Purawaradheeshwaran" because of both his victory over Ballala II and his help to his brother in law Ballala II in his wars against the Kalachuris under Bijjala-II. There are is a confusion among historians as to the nature of marital relationship between Ballala II and Kulothunga Chola III. Some believe Ballala-II to be the son in law of Kulothunga Chola III and other historians believe it was vice versa.