Battle of the Godavari river
| Battle of the Godavari river | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Chola-Chalukya wars | |||||||||
Image of the Godavari river | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Chalukyas of Kalyani | |||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Jayasimha II Bachiraja |
Rajendra I Gangeyadeva Bhoja Vallavaraiyan Vandiyadevan Rajadhiraja I | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Light to Medium | Heavy to severe | ||||||||
The Battle of the Godavari river was a battle fought between the Indian Coalition composing of kings Rajendra I, Gangeyadeva and Bhoja against the Western Chalukyas under Jayasimha II. It was a decisive victory for Jayasimha, who recovered numerous territories.[1]
Background
The Western Chalukya king Jayasimha II was fighting numerous wars between the Paramaras under Bhoja, the Kalachuris of Tripuri under Gangeyadeva and the Cholas under Rajendra Chola. During this period, Rajendra Chola was not only exerting control over the Vengi kingdom of the Eastern Chalukyas, he was also constantly trying to expand their kingdom northwards into the Western Chalukya territory. For a while the Cholas were preoccupied with their invasion of Ceylon (modern Sri Lanka) and with their territorial issues with the Pandyan Dynasty of Madurai, and the rulers of Kerala. Taking advantage of this confusion and with an intent of reducing Chola power in Vengi, Jayasimha II interfered in Vengi after the death of its incumbent King Vimaladitya and decided to install Vimaladitya's son of his choice, Vijayaditya II on the throne. Jayasimha II conquered Vijayawada Fort after defeating Cholas in the Battle of Vijayawada (1037 AD). He conquered Vengi in 1037 AD and placed Vijayaditya on Vengi throne.[2] Vijayaditya initially did well with this support.[3][4][5] This was against the plans of the Rajendra Chola who wanted Rajaraja Narendra, a prince born to Vimaladitya's queen from the Chola clan. To further strengthen himself, Jayasimha II had marched south of the Tungabhadra river and occupied Bellary, the Raichur Doab and perhaps part of Gangavadi (modern south-east Karnataka) as well. Jayasimha II reconquered Gangawadi and Raichur from Cholas after the Battle of Maski.[6] Rajendra Chola employed a two-pronged attack. One army going into the Vengi kingdom to successfully assist Rajaraja Narendra over his claims over the Vengi throne, and the other into the Western Chalukya kingdom itself. But the Chola army could not proceed any further and the Tungabhadra river remained the tacit border between the two empires.[3][4][5]
Battle
Rajendra had assembled a confederacy of kings with Bhoja and his feudatory, Gangeyadeva. Together, they marched to the Godavari river against Jayasimha II. However, Jayasimha, with the help of Bachiraja, an officer under him, defeated the coalition and reconquered several territories.[1]
Aftermath
After the battle, Jayasimha II defeated the Cholas at the battle of Kalindi and put Vijayaditya VII on the throne of the Eastern Chalukya throne[7] and at the battle of Ededore, defeated the Cholas and reconquered the province.[8]
See also
References
- ^ a b Dr. Balakrishnan Raja Gopal (1981). The Chalukyas of Kalyana and the Kalachuris. Prasaranga, Karnatak University. p. 123. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
- ^ Dr. Balakrishnan Raja Gopal (1981). The Chalukyas of Kalyana and the Kalachuris. Prasaranga, Karnatak University. pp. 134–135. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
sucwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Sastri (1955), p. 166
- ^ a b Kamath (1980), p. 102
- ^ Krishna Murari (1988). The Cāḷukyas of Kalyāṇi, from Circa 973 A.D. to 1200 A.D. Concept Publishing Company. p. 60. Retrieved 18 February 2025.
- ^ B.R.Gopal (1981). The Chalukyas Of Kalyana And The Kalachuris. Prasaranga, Karnatak University, Dharwad. p. 160. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
- ^ Epigraphia Indica Volume 12. 1913. p. 296. Retrieved 13 April 2025.