Amoghavarsha

Wars in the south

Vijayaditya II of the Eastern Chalukya family overthrew Bhima Salki, the ruling Rashtrakuta feudatory at Vengi, took possession of the throne and continued his hostilities against the Rashtrakutas. He captured Sthambha (modern Kammamettu), a Rashtrakuta stronghold. From the Cambay and Sangli plates it is known that Amoghavarsha I overwhelmingly defeated the Vengi Chalukyas and drove them out of their strongholds in the battle of Vingavalli. The Bagumra records mention a "Sea of Chalukyas" invading the Ratta kingdom which Amoghavarsha I successfully defended. After these victories he assumed the title Veeranarayana.

Tranquility was restored temporarily by a marriage between Vijayaditya II's son, Vishnuvardhana V, and the Ratta princess Shilamahadevi, a sister of Karka of the Gujarat Rashtrakuta branch. However, Vishnuvardhana V attacked the northern Kalachuri feudatory of the Rashtrakutas in Tripuri, central India, and captured Elichpur near Nasik. Amoghavarsha I killed Vishnuvardhana V in 846 but continued a friendly relationship with the next Eastern Chalukya ruler Gunaga Vijayaditya III, and suppressed the recalcitrant Alupas of South Canara under prince Vimaladitya in 870. Likewise, Amoghavarsha I maintained friendly interactions with the Pallava who were busy keeping the Pandyas at bay. The Pallavas had marital ties with the Rashtrakutas as well. Nandivarman III was married to a Ratta princess, Sankha, and their son was also called Nripathunga. This has prompted historians to suggest that the Pallava monarch must have married Nrupatunga Amoghavarsha I's daughter.

Amoghavarsha's reign lasted until 877 CE after which he had voluntarily retired from his imperial throne.

Religion

Amoghavarsha was a devout Jain. His Jain affiliation was not a later development, historical evidence shows he was born into the Jain tradition and continued his family's legacy of Jain patronage. He was a disciple and close patron of the Digambar Acharya Jinasena, who served as royal advisor and spiritual guide. Under Acharya Jinasena’s influence, Amoghavarsha ruled for 64 years. He is credited with composing, along with Acharya Jinasena, the Kavirajamarga, the earliest known work of Kannada poetics. His reign is marked by generous patronage of Jain monks, scholars, and temples, notably at Manyakheta, the Rashtrakuta capital. According to the Kannada historical novel "Nrupatunga" by Ta. Ra. Su., his son Krishna II is also said to have learned under Acharya Jinasena. According to Historian Sadashiv Altekar, Amoghavarsha was so deeply moved by a sense of renunciation (vairagya) that he handed over the kingdom to Krishna II and spent his final days with Acharya Jinasena. It is also suggested that he may have even become a monk and ultimately taken Sallekhana (The Jain ritual of fasting to death).

Historian J.D.M. Derrett notes that though a Jain, he also extended Support to Hindu temples and allowed peaceful trade by Muslim merchants in his realm. The historians Chopra, Ravindran and Subrahmanian opine that Amoghavarsha was deeply influenced by Jainism, Although He also worshiped Hindu goddesses. like he made a donation to the Mahalakshmi Temple, Kolhapur, some interpret as saying he "cut his finger" as a sacrifice for the Mahalakshmi Temple, Kolhapur. However, this is a misinterpretation: the inscription uses the word "bali", which in context means "dana" (gift or donation), indicating he made a donation for the temple, likely to serve local needs. Blood sacrifice (rakta bali) was not a practice of Shramana religions like Jainism. The temple itself is believed to have originally been dedicated to Padmāvatī The Yakshini of Tirthankara Parshvanatha, It is said that during Amoghavarsha’s time the site was associated with Jain worship—particularly Yakshi Padmavati—and only later became strongly identified with the goddess Mahalaxmi.

Culture and literature

Amoghavarsha’s court is also linked with the Jain Acharya "Gunabhadra" co-author of the "Mahapurana" and author of the "Prashnottara Ratna Malika", a didactic text in question-answer format. Another luminary of his era was the Jain mathematician Mahaviracharya, author of the "Ganita-Sara-Sangraha", a landmark treatise on arithmetic and algebra, dedicated to a Rashtrakuta king often identified as Amoghavarsha I. It is said that his father Govinda III supported Jain monks like "Virasena" and "Jinasena", under whom the famous Jain text "Dhavala" (a commentary on the Satkhandagama) was written. Work on the "Jayadhavala" was also initiated under them and completed by their disciples.

The Jain Narayana temple of Pattadakal, (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) a basadi at Konnur and the Neminatha Basadi at Manyakheta were built during his reign. His queen was "Asagavve". Famous among scholars during his time were Mahaviracharya, Virasena, Jinasena, Gunasena and Gunabhadra, "Shakatayan", and "Sri vijaya".

Praise by scholars and travelers

According to the "maṅgalācharaṇa" (auspicious invocation) of Mahaviracharya's "Gaṇita-sāra-saṅgraha": - "I bow to Śrīmaṇi-Nṛpatunga (Amoghavarṣa), the best among kings, the sole gem of merit and virtue among rulers, who showers pearls (of wisdom and generosity) like the elephant atop Mount Mandara pouring jewels for the garland of great kings". Mahaviracharya further extols him in another verse, portraying Amoghavarṣa as - "a ruler under whom the people are happy and the land yields abundant grain, with the blessing: "May the kingdom of Jain King Nripatunga Amoghavarsha ever increase far and wide".

The Arab traveler Sulaiman al-Tajir described Amoghavarsha I as one of the "four great kings of the world", highlighting his global stature during the 9th century. For his dharmic temperament, deep interest in fine arts and literature, and peace-loving nature, the historian Dr. R. S. Panchamukhi compared him to Emperor Ashoka and bestowed upon him the title "Ashoka of the South". Amoghavarsha also demonstrated profound admiration for the Kannada language, literature, and culture, as evidenced in the literary work Kavirajamarga, which he is believed to have co-authored or patronized.

Writings

Amoghavarsha was a scholar in Kannada and Sanskrit literature. His own writing Kavirajamarga is a landmark literary work in the Kannada language and became a guide book for future poets and scholars for centuries to come. The Sanskrit writing Prashnottara Ratnamalika is said to have been written by Amoghavarsha I in his old age when he had distanced himself from the affairs of the state. However others argue that it may have been written by Vimalacharya.

There is a mention of several Kannada authors in his works who preceded him. Those who wrote in prose were Vimala, Udaya, Nagarjuna, Jayabandhu and Durvinita, whereas those who wrote in poetry were Sri vijaya, Kavisvara, Pandita, Chandra and Lokapala.