Gunda IV (r. c. 955-995) alias Pindi-Gunda was a member of the

Kakatiya The Kakatiya dynasty (IAST: Kākatīya) was an Indian dynasty that ruled most of eastern Deccan region comprising present day Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, and parts of eastern Karnataka and southern Odisha between 12th and 14th centuries. Th ...

dynasty of southern India. As 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 ...

general, he helped the Vengi Chalukya prince Danarnava ascend the throne after a succession dispute. In 973 CE, after the collapse of the Rashtrakuta empire and the murder of Danarnava, he attempted to carve out an independent principality at

Kuravi Kuravi is a village in Mahabubabad district of the Indian state of Telangana. It is located in Kuravi mandal. Geography Kuravi/Korvi is around 70 km away from Warangal by train and is around 11 km away from the Mahabubabad town. Refer ...

. The

Kalyani Chalukyas The Western Chalukya Empire ruled most of the western Deccan, South India, between the 10th and 12th centuries. This Kannadiga dynasty is sometimes called the ''Kalyani Chalukya'' after its regal capital at Kalyani, today's Basavakalyan in the ...

, who had usurped the power from the Rashtrakutas, probably defeated and killed him, supported by the Mudugonda Chalukyas, the former rulers of Kuravi.

In Rashtrakuta service

Gunda IV was a son of Betiya and a grandson of

Erra Erra can refer to: * Erra (god), a Babylonian god * Erra, Estonia, a settlement in Sonda Parish, Ida-Viru County, Estonia * Erra, the purported home planet of the pleiadean aliens described by ufologist Billy Meier * Pizzo Erra, a mountain in Switz ...

. He seems to have succeeded his grandfather on the throne, as Betiya's name is omitted in the dynasty's

Bayyaram Bayyaram is a mandal in Mahabubabad district of Telangana Telangana (; , ) is a state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the eleventh-largest state and the twelfth-mo ...

inscription. The inscription states that Gunda IV, also known as Gundyana or Pindi-Gunda, beheaded all his enemies. As a Rashtrakuta general, Gunda IV was probably stationed around the Kurravadi (possibly present-day

) region, which his grandfather Erra governed after the Rashtrakutas captured it from the Vengi Chalukyas. The Mudugonda Chalukyas, who were subordinate to the Vengi Chalukyas, recovered the area sometime later, and Erra appears to have been stationed at the Rashtrakuta-Chalukya frontier. In 944 CE, the Vengi Chalukya prince Danarnava disputed his brother Amma-raja II's ascension to the throne, and approached the Rashtrakuta king

Krishna III Krishna III whose Kannada name was Kannara (r. 939 – 967 C.E.) was the last great warrior and able monarch of the Rashtrakuta dynasty of Manyakheta. He was a shrewd administrator and skillful military campaigner. He waged many wars to bring b ...

for help. With Rashtrakuta help, Danarnava appears to have ousted Amma-raja II and ascended the throne for a short period. At the request of Gunda IV, Danarnava issued the Mangallu inscription, which is an important source of information about the early Kakatiya history. He issued the grant under the title Vijayaditya which had also been adopted by his predecessor and brother Amma-raja II (it was customary for the crowned Chalukya kings to alternatively adopt the titles Vishnu-vardhana and Vijayaditya). The Mangallu inscription records the grant of Mangallu village in Natavadi ''

vishaya A vishaya (IAST: Viṣaya) was a historical administrative unit of India, generally equivalent to a modern district. Several other terms for units equivalent to a modern district appear in historical inscriptions, including ''āhāra'', ''rashtra'' ...

'' as an

agrahara An ''Agraharam'' or ''Agrahara'' was a grant of land and royal income from it, typically by a king or a noble family in India, for religious purposes, particularly to Brahmins to maintain temples in that land or a pilgrimage site and to susta ...

to a

brahmana The Brahmanas (; Sanskrit: , ''Brāhmaṇam'') are Vedic śruti works attached to the Samhitas (hymns and mantras) of the Rig, Sama, Yajur, and Atharva Vedas. They are a secondary layer or classification of Sanskrit texts embedded within ea ...

named Dommana, who performed the ''Karpati-vrata'' ritual for Gunda.

After the Rashtrakutas

In 973 CE,

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 ...

overthrew the Rashtrakuta king and established the

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

dynasty. The same year, Jata Choda Bhima (a member of the Pedakallu branch of the

Telugu Chodas The Telugu Cholas or Telugu Chodas ruled parts of present-day Andhra Pradesh between the sixth and the thirteenth century. Velanati Chodas Telugu Chodas of Velanadu (Velanati Chola) were one of the Telugu Choda families. Velanadu is locate ...

) killed the Vengi Chalukya prince Danarnava. Gunda IV did not acknowledge the suzerainty of either of the usurpers, and carved out an independent principality at Kuravi after subjugating the Mudugonda Chalukyas. The Mudugonda Chalukyas moved their capital to a place called Bottu, and adopted "Bottu" as their family name. The exact identity of this place is not certain, but it was located south of Mudugonda. According to the 1124 CE

Gudur Gudur is a town in Tirupati district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipality and the headquarters of Gudur mandal and Gudur revenue division. Demographics census of India, the town had a population of . The total popula ...

inscription issued by Viriyala Malla, his great-grandfather Viriyala Erra killed the enemy of one Bottu Beta and reinstated him at Kuravi. It is possible that this enemy was Gunda IV. The Mudugonda Chalukyas (or Bottus) probably accepted the suzerainty of the Kalyani Chalukyas, and sought their help in recapturing Mudugonda. The Kalyani Chalukya general Viriyala Erra probably defeated and killed Gunda IV, and reinstated the Bottus at Mudugonda. The Gudur inscription states that Viriyala Erra's wife Kama-vasani, who probably came from the Kakatiya family, helped Gunda's son Beta I (alias Garuda Beta) re-establish the Kakatiya lineage.

References

Bibliography

* * {{Kakatiya dynasty Kakatiya dynasty 10th-century Indian people