Ganapati's Rebellion
| Ganapati's Rebellion | |||||||||
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 Map of the Kakatiyas, circa 1150–1300 CE | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Seuna (Yadava) dynasty | Kakatiya dynasty | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Mahadeva |
Ganapati † Rudrama Devi | ||||||||
Mahadeva, a ruler of the Yadava dynasty, shifted policy from his brother Krishna’s approach of assisting the Kakatiyas to defeating them. Mahadeva victory over Kakatiya ruler Ganapati is recorded in inscriptions from Mysore dated 1265 A.D., which depict him symbolically as an elephant trunk uprooting a lotus stalk. The inscriptions also highlight Mahadeva’s restraint in sparing women and children, including Ganapati's daughter Rudrama Devi, whom he allowed to rule with reduced authority. This conflict, occurring after Ganapati’s last known activity in 1261 A.D., led to the Yadava expansion into Kakatiya territory, including the capture of three Kakatiya cities.[1][2][3]
Prelude
Mahadeva's grandfather, Simhana, had subdued the Shilaharas of Kolhapur around 1215. Despite this, a branch of the Shilaharas continued to rule as Yadava feudatories from their capital at Thane. These Shilaharas occasionally clashed with the Yadavas to assert their independence, including a conflict early in Mahadeva's reign.[1][2][3]
The Yadava court poet Hemadri recounts that Mahadeva sent a strong army, including elephants, against the Shilahara ruler Someshvara. After being defeated on land, Someshvara fled by sea, but Mahadeva's navy pursued him, and he drowned. Hemadri noted that Someshvara chose drowning over capture, believing the "fire burning under the ocean would be less oppressive than Mahadeva's wrath."[1][2][3]
It is unclear whether Mahadeva's campaign ended the Shilahara branch of Thane and annexed their territory to the Yadava kingdom. A 1266 inscription mentions Maharajadhiraja Konkana-chakravarti Jaitugi as the ruler of Konkan, listing Mainayaka and Chandra-prabhu among his ministers. These two ministers had also served Someshvara, and the title Konkana-chakravarti was used by Shilahara rulers. One theory suggests that Jaitugi might have been a relative or successor of Someshvara who re-established Shilahara power. However, since the name Jaitugi was used by earlier Yadava members, along with the title Maharajadhiraja, it is possible that Jaitugi was a Yadava prince who governed the region with the help of former Shilahara ministers.[1][2][3]
Battle
Across the eastern frontier of the Yadava territory lay the kingdom of the Kakatiyas, ruled by Ganapati, who was an older contemporary of Mahadeva. Since the time of Samos Jaitugi, the Kakatiyas had been paying tribute to the Yadava rulers. Mahadeva's elder brother, Krishna, had previously assisted Ganapati against his enemies. However, Mahādeva changed this policy, as indicated by his Sangür inscription, which claims a victory over the Kakatiyas. The inscription describes him as shattering the head of Telungaraya, referring to his defeat of the Kakatiya ruler.[1][2][3]
Two inscriptions from Mysore, both dated 1265 A.D., depict Mahādeva as an elephant trunk uprooting a lotus stalk, symbolizing his victory over Telungaraya. Verse 48 of the Shorter Prasasti of Hemadri describes Mahādeva as a tempestuous wind that blew away a pile of cotton representing the Kakatiya king. The Longer Prasasti adds that Mahādeva captured the elephants and musical instruments of the Telungas' ruler but spared Rudrama, the ruler's daughter, choosing not to kill a woman. This is also mentioned in the Shorter Prasasti, which notes that Mahādeva refrained from killing children, women, or those who submitted to him.[1][2][3]
Considering these accounts, it appears Ganapati rebelled against his suzerain, taking advantage of the change in Yadava leadership and internal troubles within the Yadava empire. Ganapati was killed in this conflict, and his daughter Rudrama was allowed to rule with diminished power. Since Ganapati’s last known year is 1261 A.D., when he issued the Garavapadu grant, this event must have occurred shortly after that year and after Mahadeva ascension to the throne.[1][2][3]
Mahadeva achievement against the Kakatiyas was significant. Ganapati was a powerful king who had previously tried to resist Yadava overlordship during Simhana's reign. Subduing him was a major challenge for the Yadavas, but Mahādeva ultimately resolved this issue. Records from Davangere in Mysore indicate that Mahādeva not only defeated the Telunga king but also captured three of his cities, thus expanding his kingdom into Kakatiya territory.[1][2][3]