Jaitugi (r. c. 1191-1200), also known as Jaitrapala, 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 ...
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.
Early life
Jaitugi was the son of his predecessor
Bhillama V
Bhillama V (r. c. 1175-1191 CE) was the first sovereign ruler of the Seuna (Yadava) dynasty of Deccan region in India. A grandson of the Yadava king Mullagi, he carved out a principality in present-day Maharashtra by capturing forts in and around ...
, who overthrew the
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 dynasty ...
suzerainty to become independent. The last extant record from Bhillama's reign is dated August 1191, while the earliest extant record from Jaitugi's reign is dated December 1192. The Bijapur inscription, dated 25 December 1196, states that it was issued during the sixth year of Jaitugi's reign. These evidences suggest that Jaitugi ascended the throne in late 1191.
Military career
Victory over the Kakatiyas
During the reign of his father Bhillama, Jaitugi participated in his father's wars against the
Hoysala
The Hoysala Empire was a Kannadiga power originating from the Indian subcontinent that ruled most of what is now Karnataka between the 10th and the 14th centuries. The capital of the Hoysalas was initially located at Belur, but was later moved ...
king
Ballala II, resisting the enemy's attempts to capture
Kalyani and
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 ...
. Bhillama ultimately suffered a defeat against the Hoysalas. Taking advantage of weakened Yadava power, 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 ...
s had invaded the eastern part of the Yadava kingdom. All three dynasties - the Yadavas, the Hoysalas and the Kakatiyas - were former feudatories of the
Chalukyas of Kalyani
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 ...
. The Yadavas considered themselves as true successors of the Chalukyas, and therefore, expected the Kakatiyas to recognize their suzerainty.
Once the Yadava-Hoysala conflict subsided, and the Yadava power stabilized, Jaitugi launched a successful campaign against the Kakatiyas around 1194. The Yadava court poet
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 ...
describes this victory as follows:
Jaitugi is known to have defeated the Kakatiya king
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 ...
, who reached as far as the Yadava capital Devagiri, as attested by the Garavapada inscription. According to one theory, the above verse refers to the defeat and death of Mahadeva's predecessor and brother
Rudra
Rudra (; sa, रुद्र) is a Rigvedic deity associated with Shiva, the wind or storms, Vayu, medicine, and the hunt. One translation of the name is 'the roarer'. In the Rigveda, Rudra is praised as the 'mightiest of the mighty'. Ru ...
, around 1195 CE. Hemadri's ''
prashasti
''Prashasti'' (IAST: Praśasti, Sanskrit for "praise") is an Indian genre of inscriptions composed by poets in praise of their rulers. Most date from the 6th century CE onwards. Written in the form of poetry or ornate prose, the ''prashastis'' s ...
'' (eulogy) actually names the slain Kakatiya king as "Raudra" (not "Rudra"). The
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
word-formation "Raudra" can be translated as "
onof Rudra", but Rudra is not known to have a son. According to historian
A. S. Altekar, "Raudra" is a clerical mistake for "Rudra", possibly made by a scribe who was "anxious to differentiate between the two consecutive words in the expression ''rudrasya rudrakriteh''". Altekar therefore concludes that such a word-formation does not refer to a brother. Besides, Rudra's death in the war can explain the weakened Kakatiya power. Historian
P.V.P. Sastry opposes this theory, arguing that no other evidence supports it, and that Hemadri probably mistook Mahadeva for Rudra's son.
Ganapati
Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu ...
, the son of Rudra's successor Mahadeva, was taken prisoner by the Yadavas in a battle. Some years later (possibly in 1198), Mahadeva was also killed in a battle against the Yadavas. Jaitugi tried to bring the Kakatiya territories under his direct rule, but failed to do so. Therefore, around 1198, he decided to release Ganapati and let him rule the Kakatiya kingdom as a Yadava feudatory. Ganapati appears to have remained loyal to the Yadavas throughout his life.
Managuli inscription claims
The
Managuli
Managuli , sometimes also called Managoli and Managoli is a village in the southern state of Karnataka, India.Village code= 234900 Managuli, Bijapur, Karnataka It is located in the Basavana Bagevadi taluk of Bijapur district in Karnataka.
De ...
(or Mangoli) inscription claims that Jaitugi defeated the
Cholas, the
Pandyas, the
Malavas
The Malavas (Brahmi script: 𑀫𑁆𑀫𑀸𑀭𑀯 ''Mmālava'') or Malwas were an ancient Indian tribe. Modern scholars identify them with the Mallian people (Malloi) who were settled in the Punjab region at the time of Alexander's invasion ...
(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 t ...
s of
Malwa
Malwa is a historical region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic upland north of the Vindhya Range. Politically and administratively, it is also syn ...
), the
Latas, the
Gurjara
Gurjaradesa ("Gurjara country") or Gurjaratra is a historical region in India comprising the eastern Rajasthan and northern Gujarat during the period of 6th -12th century CE. The predominant power of the region, the Gurjara-Pratiharas eventual ...
s (the
Chaulukya
The Chaulukya dynasty (), also Solanki dynasty, was a dynasty that ruled parts of what are now Gujarat and Rajasthan in north-western India, between and . Their capital was located at Anahilavada (modern Patan). At times, their rule extended ...
s), the
Turushka Turushka (or Turuṣka) may refer to:
* a Sanskrit word for olibanum
* a term often used for Turks in some ancient sources; see
* Turushka dynasty, a ruling dynasty of ancient South Asia
See also
* Turushkaf, a village in Arabkhaneh Rural ...
s, and the kings of
Nepala
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...
and
Panchala. This claim is not supported by any historical evidence, and appears to be an empty boast.
At best, it is possible that the Yadavas were victorious in some frontier skirmishes in the northern neighbouring regions of Malwa and Lata. The Yadava general Sahadeva may have raided Malwa while the Paramara king
Subhatavarman
Subhatavarman (reigned c. 1194–1209 CE), also known as Sohada, was an Indian king from the Paramara dynasty, who ruled in the Malwa region of central India.
Early life
Subhatavarman succeeded his father Vindhyavarman as the Paramara king. H ...
was occupied in a conflict in the Lata region.
Last days
Jaitugi was succeeded by his son
Simhana
Simhana (IAST: Siṃhaṇa, also transliterated as Singhana; r. c. 1210-1246 was the most powerful ruler of the Seuna (Yadava) dynasty of Deccan region in India. He expanded his kingdom southwards at the expense of the Hoysalas, and fought the Ch ...
. It is not clear when this succession took place. Jaitgui's last inscription is dated 1196. Different records variously suggest that the first regnal year of his successor Simhana was 1200, 1207 or 1210. One inscription of Simhana is dated 1197. But since Jaitugi is credited with appointment of Ganapati as a Kakatiya vassal around 1198, it does not appear that Simhana was the king in 1197. According to historian
A. S. Altekar, it is possible that Simhana was formally associated with his father's administration as the
heir apparent
An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...
(''yuvaraja'') after 1200, and ascended the throne in 1210. Therefore, Atlekar dated the end of Jaitugi's reign to 1210. On the other hand, historian
T. V. Mahalingam
Therazhundur Venkataraman Mahalingam (c. 1907 - 6 March 1983) was an Indian historian who is known for publishing the most authoritative descriptive catalogues on the Mackenzie manuscripts.
Early life
Mahalingam was born in Therazhundur in T ...
believes that Simhana succeeded Jaitugi in 1200, and had a second coronation in 1210, when he defeated the Hoysalas in the south. This theory is based on the fact that the inscriptions which date Simhana's ascension to 1210 were found in the southern part of his kingdom.
Administration
The prime minister (''maha-pradhana'') of Jaitugi was Sankama, who was also a general and held the fief of Tardavadi one thousand. The credit for Jaitugi's military victories over the Kakatiyas largely goes to Sankama.
The Chalukyas feudatories who remained loyal to Bhillama and Jaitugi included the Nikumbha brothers Soi-deva and Hemadi-deva, who ruled in
Khandesh
Khandesh is a geographic region in Central India, which includes parts of the northwestern portion of Maharashtra as well as Burhanpur District of Madhya Pradesh.
The use of Khandeshi Language (a.k.a. the Ahirani Language) is prevalent in t ...
.
Jaitugi patronized several scholars, including Lakshmidhara, the son of the astronomer
Bhaskaracharya. Lakshmidhara served as Jaitugi's court
pandit, and excelled as a scholar.
References
Bibliography
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{{Seuna (Yadava) dynasty
Seuna (Yadava) dynasty