Bhillama II (r. c. 985–1005 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 t ...

Deccan The large Deccan Plateau in South India, 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 bou ...

region in India. He was a vassal of the

Kalyani Chalukya The Western Chalukya Empire ruled most of the Deccan Plateau, western Deccan, South India, between the 10th and 12th centuries. This Kannada people, Kannadiga dynasty is sometimes called the ''Kalyani Chalukya'' after its regal capital at Kalya ...

ruler

Tailapa II Tailapa II (r. c. 973-997), also known as Taila II and by his title ''Ahavamalla'', was the founder of the Western Chalukya dynasty in southern India. Tailapa claimed descent from the earlier Chalukyas of Vatapi, and initially ruled as a Rashtr ...

, and played an important role in Tailapa's victory against the

Paramara The Paramara dynasty (IAST: Paramāra) was an Indian dynasty that ruled Malwa and surrounding areas in west-central India between 9th and 14th centuries. They belonged to the Parmara clan of the Rajputs. The dynasty was established in either th ...

king Munja.

Early life

Bhillama was a son and successor of the Yadava chief Dhadiyasa, who was a

Rashtrakuta Rashtrakuta (IAST: ') (r. 753-982 CE) was a royal Indian dynasty ruling large parts of the Indian subcontinent between the sixth and 10th centuries. The earliest known Rashtrakuta inscription is a 7th-century copper plate grant detailing their ...

feudatory. He married the Rashtrakuta princess Lakshmi. When the

chief

overthrew the Rashtrakutas, Bhillama transferred his allegiance to Chalukyas. An inscription of the contemporary

Shilahara The Shilahara Kingdom ( IAST: Śilāhāra; also Sinhara, Shailahara, Shrilara, and Silara) was a royal dynasty that established itself in northern and southern Konkan in 8th century CE, present-day Mumbai and Southern Maharashtra (Kolhapur) d ...

ruler

Aparajita Aparajita was an able Shilahara ruler of north Konkan branch from 975 CE – 1010 CE. Chhadvaideva was followed by his nephew Aparajita, the son of Vajjada. Aparajita was an ambitious king. He sought to extend his sphere of influence by ...

states that he granted protection to a king named Bhillama. It is possible that this is a reference to some sort of alliance between Aparajita and Bhillama when they were both Rashtrakuta vassals.

Military career

Bhillama appears to have played an important role in

Chalukya The Chalukya dynasty () was a Classical Indian dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th centuries. During this period, they ruled as three related yet individual dynasties. The earliest dynas ...

war, which resulted in the defeat and death of the Paramara king Munja. His 1000

Sangamner Sangamner is a city and a municipal council located in the Ahmednagar District of Maharashtra state in India. It derives its name from the site of the ''sangam'' (confluence) of three rivers in the area: Pravara, Mhalungi, and Adhala. It is o ...

inscription poetically boasts that he thrashed the goddess of prosperity

Lakshmi Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with ''Maya'' ("Illusion"). Alo ...

on the battlefield because she had sided with Munja, and forced her to become an obedient housewife in the palace of the Chalukya king Tailapa. The Chalukya king rewarded Bhillama by adding the present-day

Ahmednagar Ahmednagar (), is a city located in the Ahmednagar district in the state of Maharashtra, India, about 120 km northeast of Pune and 114 km from Aurangabad. Ahmednagar takes its name from Ahmad Nizam Shah I, who founded the town in 1494 ...

area to his hereditary fief. The Sangamner inscription describes Bhillama as a '' Maha-samanta'' ("great feudatory"), and mentions his epithets ''Pancha-maha-shabada'', ''Aratini-sudana'', ''Kandukacharya'', ''Sellavidega'', and ''Vijayabharana''.

Legacy

Bhillama erected the Vijayabharneshvara temple at Sangamner. He was succeeded by Vesugi, who married Nayilladevi, the daughter of a Chalukya feudatory of Gujarat.

References

Bibliography

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