Ammana ( IAST: Ammaṇa, r. c. 1270 CE) was a ruler of the

Seuna (Yadava) dynasty The Seuna, Sevuna, or Yadavas of Devagiri ( IAST: Seuṇa, –1317) was a Medieval Indian dynasty, which at its peak ruled a kingdom stretching from the Narmada river in the north to the Tungabhadra river in the south, in the western part of ...

Deccan The large Deccan Plateau in southern India is located between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, and is loosely defined as the peninsular region between these ranges that is south of the Narmada river. To the north, it is bounded by the ...

region in India. He succeeded his father

Mahadeva Mahadeva may refer to: Religion *Mahadeva, a title of the Hindu god Shiva ** Parashiva, a form of Shiva ** Parameshwara (god), a form of Shiva *Para Brahman, a Hindu deity *Adi-Buddha, in Buddhism, the "First Buddha" or the "Primordial Buddha" *M ...

, and remained on throne for a few months, before being overthrown by his cousin

Ramachandra Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular ''avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Being ...

Ascension

Ammana was a son and the successor of the Yadava king

. Mahadeva had ascended the throne around 1261, after the death of his elder brother

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

, probably because Krishna's son

was a minor at the time. When Mahadeva died around 1270, Ammana became the new king, but Ramachandra contested his claim to the throne. The general public and important officers of the Yadava kingdom probably saw Ramachandra as the rightful heir. This is evident from the fact that courtiers

Hemadri Hemādri Paṇḍit, popularly known as Hemāḍapanta, was a polymath and a prime minister from 1259 to 1274 C.E. in the regimes of King Mahādev (1259–1271) and King Ramachandra (1271–1309) of Seuna Yādav Dynasty of Devagiri, which ruled i ...

and Tikkama, who had been loyal to Mahadeva, supported Ramachandra instead of Ammana. The Purushottamapuri copper-plate inscription of Ramachandra refer to some military achievements of Ammana, but given the short duration of Ammana's reign, this description can be ignored as historically unreliable.

Overthrow

Ammana was a pleasure-loving man, who was fond of dance and music. Ramachandra overthrew him sometime in the second half of 1271 CE. According to an inscription of Ramachandra, he and his followers entered the

Devagiri Daulatabad Fort, also known as Devagiri Fort or Deogiri Fort, is a historic fortified citadel located in Daulatabad village near Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India. It was the capital of the Yadava dynasty (9th century–14th century CE), for a br ...

fort, disguising themselves as actors, and arranged a performance before Ammana. During the performance, they suddenly unmasked themselves, and seized Ammana and his supporters. This account is also supported by literary texts such as ''Bhanuvilasa'' (a Mahanubhava text) and ''Nagadeva-Charita'' of Parashurama-Vyasa. According to the Mahanubhava texts, Ramachandra blinded Ammana. Parashurama Vyasa's ''Nagadeva-Charita'' states that Ramachandra killed Ammana, and that Ramachandra's ultimate defeat against the Muslims was a result of this sin. The veracity of this claim is doubtful, since the other texts only mention the blinding, not the killing. Ammana may have died a natural death in prison.

References

Bibliography

* * {{Seuna (Yadava) dynasty Seuna (Yadava) dynasty