Madhava Varma II was the most successful ruler of the Vishnukundina dynasty, controlling parts of the Deccan and eastern coast of India in the mid-5th century AD. He is regarded as the greatest ruler of his dynasty. The Vishnukundina Empire reached its greatest territorial extent under him. It was during this period the Vishnukundina dynasty was raised, in its own estimation, to the imperial dignity.Krishna Eao, B.V., 1942; Early Dynasties of the Andhra Desa, Madras; pp.422-427. The most notable military achievement of Madhava Varma II was his victory over the

Vakataka The Vakataka dynasty () was an ancient Indian dynasty that originated from the Deccan in the mid-3rd century CE. Their state is believed to have extended from the southern edges of Malwa and Gujarat in the north to the Tungabhadra River in th ...

emperor Prithvishena II. The daughter of Prithvishena II, Vakataka Mahadevi, was given in marriage to Madhava Varma II.

Early life

He was the son of Govinda Varma I and his wife Mahadevi. He had two sons - Vikramendra Varma and Deva Varma.

Reign

His predecessor was Madhava Varma I (c. 420 – c. 455). He is considered as the greatest ruler of the Vishnukundina dynasty. The Vishnukundina Empire reached its greatest territorial extent under him. He defeated Prithvishena II, the powerful

king. The daughter of Prithvishena II, Vakataka Mahadevi, was given in marriage to Madhava Varma II. He occupied

Kalinga Kalinga may refer to: Geography, linguistics and/or ethnology * Kalinga (historical region), a historical region of India ** Kalinga (Mahabharata), an apocryphal kingdom mentioned in classical Indian literature ** Kalinga script, an ancient writ ...

and invaded the Pallavas of Kanchipuram in his 33rd regnal year. He wrote 'Janasraya'. he had an epithet- 'Trivara Nagara Bhavnagata Sundari Hridaya Nandana' ( The one who brought happiness to the beautiful maidens living in the buildings of the city of Trivara) After occupying these areas from the Ananda Gotrikas, Madhava Varma II made Amarapura, modern

Dharanikota Dharanikota is a village in Palnadu district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in Amaravathi mandal of Guntur revenue division. The village forms a part of Andhra Pradesh Capital Region, under the jurisdiction of APCRDA. H ...

, near the

Amaravati Stupa The Amarāvati ''Stupa'', is a ruined Buddhist '' stūpa'' at the village of Amaravathi, Palnadu district, Andhra Pradesh, India, probably built in phases between the third century BCE and about 250 CE. It was enlarged and new sculptures repla ...

) his capital. Keeping in view the constant threat from the Pallavas, he created an outpost to check their activities and appointed his son, Deva Varma and after his death the grandson Madhava Varma III as its

Viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning " ...

Military strength

Madhava Varma II appears to have been a powerful warlord, with an army consisting 800 elephants, 1500 cavalry horses, 23 Chariots and many foot soldiers. This is Mentioned in Ipur Plates of Vishnukundina dynasty Their army consisted of traditional fourfold divisions: * Elephants * Chariots * Cavalry * Infantry The Hastikosa was the officer-in-charge of elephant forces and the Virakosa was the officer-in-charge of land forces. These officers issued even grants on behalf of the kings. Venkataramanayya, N.;1975I fhe Vishnukundins, Madras, p.25

Extent of the Kingdom

East –Bay of Bengal West – Arabian sea North – Reva, Narmada river. South – Southern sea. May be Pulicat lake.

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

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-most populated state in India with a geographical area of and 3 ...

, Southern

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...

Maharashtra,Southern

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...

and Northern

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

In Maharashtra Satara District One of Madhava Varma II inscriptions was found in Maharashtra. Vishnukundinas coins were found in all over Maharashtra,

Religion

All the records of the

Vishnukundinas The Vishnukundina dynasty (IAST: Viṣṇukundina) was an Indian dynasty based in Deccan, which ruled modern Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha and parts of South India during the 5th and 6th centuries, carving land out from the Vakataka Empir ...

and the kings prior to the Madhava Varma II seem to be patrons of

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

Inscriptions

It is stated in the Tummalagudem Plates II that by his Madhava Varma II seized the royalty of the kings of other dynasties and that his authority extended over the region surrounded hy the eastern southern and western seas and the river Reva ( Narmada) in the north. It is also stated that his kingdom was hounded hy the western sea and the river Seva in the north. From Velpuru inscription we learn that he led his army southward across the river

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 ...

with a view to ecnquer the Guntur region. It speaks of his presence in military camp at Velpuru probably during the course of a war with the

Pallavas The Pallava dynasty existed from 275 CE to 897 CE, ruling a significant portion of the Deccan, also known as Tondaimandalam. The dynasty rose to prominence after the downfall of the Satavahana dynasty, with whom they had formerly served as f ...

, Madhava Varma II extended his kingdom upto Narmada, exterminated the Salankayana Dynasty at

Vengi Vengi (or Venginadu) is a delta region spread over the Krishna and Godavari River, (also called Godavari and Krishna districts), the region is also known as Godavari Delta, that used to house world famous diamond mines in the Medieval period ...

, subjugated the rulers of Pishtapura and Srikakulam and thus expended his kingdom to the eastern sea. He vanquished the Pallavas and annexed northern parts of Guntur district to his Kingdom.Sankaranarayanan, S; 1967-^8? "Velpuru stone inscription of ladhavavarman II", Epigraphia Indica Vol. XXXVII, Delhi, pp.125 ff. Khanapur plates: Place: Satara district, Maharashtra. The second plate mentions Maharaja Madhava Varma II who was a Sarvabhouma(emperor) and who performed the all ritual and asvamedha sacrifices. Defeated the Vakataka King Prithvishena II, and Married the Princess of Vakataka Mahadevi, He had the title of chaturvamsa, chaturasrama, dharm-karmasetu.

References

{{reflist History of India Vakataka dynasty