Saturday, October 26, 2013

Mangalesa ( 596 – 610 A.D)

Mangalesa succeeded Kirtivarman I to the Chalukya throne.He ruled as regent as the heir to the throne Pulakesi II was considered too young to rule.
An energetic and ambitious ruler, Mangalesa won several laurels in war. Mangalesa continued the policy of expansion, he invaded the territory of the Kalachuri ruler Buddhiraja who ruled over GujaratKhandesh and Malwa. This campaign was more a raid than a conquest as it brought in much booty and no addition to the territories. He suppressed a rebellion on the part of Swamiraja, the Governor of Revatidvipa  and re-established the Chalukyan power in Konkan. From the Mahakuta pillar inscription of 595 it is known that he subdued.the GangasPallavaCholaAlupas and Kadambas rulers.
Mangalesa assumed the titles like UruranaparakramaRanavikrama and Paramabhagavata, and excavated the Vaishnava temple at Badami.
As Mangalesa was ruling as a regent, he should have surrendered the throne to Pulakesi II when the latter came of age. Instead he sought to prolong his reign with the view of handing the throne to his own son Sundaravarma in due course.
This forced Pulakesi to rebel against his uncle. Pulakesi left the court and by his own martial prowess, waged a war on Mangalesa with the help of few of his friends. Mangalesa was routed and killed in the battlefield of Elapattu-Simbige. This incident is mentioned in the Peddavadu-guru inscription, and the incident must have happened about 610.
In Badami cave temples Cave 2 and Cave 3 An inscription found here records the creation of the shrine by Mangalesha in 578. 
Mahakuta group of temples
Mahakuta pillar inscription ascribed to Mangalesa,  It is made of fine grained sandstone. Dated 595 CE, the inscription is written in Sanskrit language and old Kannada script and details important information about the Chalukya lineage, their military expeditions, their conquests and early monuments. The pillar was found lying near the Mahakutesvara temple and was transferred to the Bijapur Archaeological museum in 1920

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