Kokalla II ( IAST: , r. c. 990-1015 CE) was a ruler of the

Kalachuri dynasty The Kalachuris (IAST: Kalacuri), also known as Kalachuris of Mahishmati, were an Indian dynasty that ruled in west-central India between 6th and 7th centuries. They are also known as the Haihayas or as the Early Kalachuris to distinguish them ...

of Tripuri in central India. His kingdom was centered around the Chedi or Dahala region in present-day

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 ...

. His Gurgi inscription suggests that he raided the territories of the

Gurjara-Pratihara The Gurjara-Pratihara was a dynasty that ruled much of Northern India from the mid-8th to the 11th century. They ruled first at Ujjain and later at Kannauj. The Gurjara-Pratiharas were instrumental in containing Arab armies moving east of th ...

s, the

Palas A ''palas'' () is a German term for the imposing or prestigious building of a medieval ''Pfalz'' or castle that contained the great hall. Such buildings appeared during the Romanesque period (11th to 13th century) and, according to Thompson ...

and 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 ...

Early life

Kokalla was a son of the Kalachuri king Yuvarajadeva II. He was placed on the throne by the ministers of the state after his father's death.

Reign

The

Gurgi Gurgi is a fictional character in '' The Chronicles of Prydain'', the series of fantasy novels by Lloyd Alexander. Gurgi is the hero Taran's faithful companion, appearing in all five books. Profile He is described as being a cross between m ...

inscription of Kokalla boasts that the other kings were afraid of him: 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 ...

king hid in the Himalayas, the Gauda king hid in the watery fort, and the Kuntala king lived in forest. These claims indicate that Kokalla probably raided these territories: * The Gurjara king was probably a

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 ...

king, either

Mularaja Mularaja () was the founder of the Chaulukya dynasty of India. Also known as the Chalukyas of Gujarat or Solanki, this dynasty ruled parts of present-day Gujarat. Mularaja supplanted the last Chavda king, and founded an independent kingdom with ...

or Chamundaraja. However, as the Kalachuri inscription suggests that the Himalayan region was part of his kingdom, he can also be identified with a weak

ruler, probably Rajyapala. * The Gauda king can be identified with the Pala ruler

Mahipala Mahipala (or Mahipala I; ) was a notable king of the Pala dynasty, which ruled over much of the eastern regions of the Indian subcontinent between the 8th and 12th centuries. He was the son and successor of Vigrahapala II. Mahipala's reign mark ...

. * The Kuntala king can be identified with the Kalayani Chalukya king

Vikramaditya V Vikaramaditya V (r. 1008–1015 CE) succeeded Satyashraya on the Western Chalukya throne. Vikramaditya was born to Dashavarman (alias Yashovarman), the younger son of the dynasty's founder Tailapa II Tailapa II (r. c. 973-997), also known as T ...

. Kokalla's paternal aunt had married the Chalukya king

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 ...

. It is possible that the Chalukya-Kalachuri relations deteriorated after Tailapa's death. The Jabalpur and Khaira inscriptions of Kokalla's descendant Yashahkarna boast that Kokalla raided countries in four directions until he reached the four oceans. This seems to be mere conventional praise. The ''

Udaipur Udaipur () ( ISO 15919: ''Udayapura''), historically named as Udayapura, is a city and municipal corporation in Udaipur district of the state of Rajasthan, India. It is the administrative headquarter of Udaipur district. It is the historic cap ...

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 ...

'' inscription of 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 claims that their king

Bhoja Bhoja (reigned c. 1010–1055 CE) was an Indian king from the Paramara dynasty. His kingdom was centered around the Malwa region in central India, where his capital Dhara-nagara (modern Dhar) was located. Bhoja fought wars with nearly all ...

defeated one Togglala. S. K. Bose identifies Togglala with Kokalla II. Kokalla was succeeded by his son

Gangeyadeva Gangeyadeva (IAST:, r. c. 1015-1041 CE) was a ruler of the Kalachuri dynasty of Tripuri in central India. His kingdom was centered around the Chedi or Dahala region in present-day Madhya Pradesh. During the early part of his reign, Gangeyadeva ...

, who appears to have served as Bhoja's vassal during the first few years of his reign.

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{Kalachuris of Tripuri Kalachuris of Tripuri 10th-century Indian monarchs 11th-century Indian monarchs