Rayamurari Sovideva
was a king of the
Kalyana Kalachuris or
Southern Kalachuris, who ruled over parts of present-day northern Karnataka and Maharashtra. Sovideva's rule was a "reign of terror", persecuted insurgents and the followers of
Basavanna
Basaveshwara, colloquially known as Basavanna, was a 12th-century CE Indian statesman, philosopher, poet, Lingayat social reformer in the Shiva-focussed bhakti movement, and a Hindu Shaivite social reformer during the reign of the Kalyani Chalu ...
.
Ascension to the throne
Rayamurari Sovideva was the younger son of the
Kalyana Kalachuri king
Bijjala II
Bijjala II (1130–1167 CE) kn, ಇಮ್ಮಡಿ ಬಿಜ್ಜಳ was the Mahamandaleshwara of the Kalyani Chalukyas. He was the most famous of the southern Kalachuri kings who ruled initially as a vassal of Chalukya Vikramaditya VI. He ru ...
.
Bijjala II
Bijjala II (1130–1167 CE) kn, ಇಮ್ಮಡಿ ಬಿಜ್ಜಳ was the Mahamandaleshwara of the Kalyani Chalukyas. He was the most famous of the southern Kalachuri kings who ruled initially as a vassal of Chalukya Vikramaditya VI. He ru ...
abdicated the throne and nominated Sovideva as his successor
in about 1167 CE. He also persuaded
Channabasavanna
Channabasavanna also known as " Guru Channabasaveshwara " was Basava's nephew and one of the foremost Sharanas of the 12th century. He, along with Basava, Allama Prabhu and Akka Mahadevi, played a pivotal role in the propagation of the Lingayat ...
, the nephew of the late
Basavanna
Basaveshwara, colloquially known as Basavanna, was a 12th-century CE Indian statesman, philosopher, poet, Lingayat social reformer in the Shiva-focussed bhakti movement, and a Hindu Shaivite social reformer during the reign of the Kalyani Chalu ...
, to become prime minister for the purpose of pacifying the followers of the sharana movement. However, Bijalla had become so unpopular with the statesman
Basavanna
Basaveshwara, colloquially known as Basavanna, was a 12th-century CE Indian statesman, philosopher, poet, Lingayat social reformer in the Shiva-focussed bhakti movement, and a Hindu Shaivite social reformer during the reign of the Kalyani Chalu ...
's followers that he was assassinated by them.
This occurred three months after the death of
Basavanna
Basaveshwara, colloquially known as Basavanna, was a 12th-century CE Indian statesman, philosopher, poet, Lingayat social reformer in the Shiva-focussed bhakti movement, and a Hindu Shaivite social reformer during the reign of the Kalyani Chalu ...
.
Sovideva was the father-in-law of
Malidevaraju, a prince of
Palnadu kingdom who fought for the throne unsuccessfully.
Reign
Sovideva's succession was fiercely resisted by Mailugi, a younger brother of
Bijjala II
Bijjala II (1130–1167 CE) kn, ಇಮ್ಮಡಿ ಬಿಜ್ಜಳ was the Mahamandaleshwara of the Kalyani Chalukyas. He was the most famous of the southern Kalachuri kings who ruled initially as a vassal of Chalukya Vikramaditya VI. He ru ...
and Karna, a grandson of
Bijalla. They claimed independence from Sovideva but were crushed by Sovideva, assisted by a general named Madhava.
Sovideva persecuted followers of the ''sharana'' movement and his troops chased the insurgents. According to Dr. Ratnakar D. Hosamani- "Chaos and confusion reigned supreme, insurrections and street fights became common". He was succeeded by his younger brother Sankama II.
References
12th-century Indian monarchs
History of Karnataka
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Monarchs