After Amoghavarsha his son Krishna II around 880 AD Rashtrakuta sat on the throne. She auspicious and Famine Varsha Along with this he assumed traditional titles like Vallabhraj, Sriprithvivallabh, Parambhattaraka, Maharajadhiraja and Parameshwara.
Marital Relationship: In the history of the Rashtrakutas, their matrimonial relations have been of special importance. Krishna II himself was the daughter of Chedi ruler Kokkaladeva I and sister of Shankaragan Mahadevi married with. He married his son Jayatugi (Jagatunga), daughter of Chedi Shankaragan Lakshmi did with. Later Jayatugi married Lakshmi's younger sister govindva Got married too. Jayatugi's son Indra (born from Lakshmi) is married to Shankaragan's brother Arjuna's granddaughter Kalchuri princess Vijamba happened with. Amoghavarsha (Indra's half-brother) is married Kundakadevi was done from. Due to these matrimonial relations, the Rashtrakutas received substantial assistance from the Kalachuri rulers in their military campaigns. Bilhari Articles It is said that Kokkal had established Bhoja and Krishna in the form of two pillars in the north and south. Similarly Karnadevi's Banaras article also shows that Chediraj Kokkal assisted Bhoja and Krishna.
Soldier Achievements of Krishna II
The reign of Krishna II was full of struggles. He is often referred to by all his neighboring kings- formerly Chalukyas of Vengi , the Pratiharas of Malwa in the north, the Rashtrakutas of Gujarat (Lat), the rulers of Gangavadi and Nolambwadi in the south and the Cholas in the far south had to contend with.
Vengi's struggle with the Chalukyas: Krishna II had a long struggle with the Chalukyas of Vengi. His contemporary Chalukya rulers were Vijayaditya III and Bhima I. In the time of Amoghavarsha, around 850 AD, Vijayaditya III freed Vengi from the Rashtrakuta influence. In addition, Vijayaditya III advanced south and strengthened his position by defeating the Pallavas, Pandyas and Cholas.
Vijayaditya attacked the Nolambas and the Ganges, who were feudatories under the Rashtrakutas, during the reign of Krishna II. Nolambwadi's army was defeated and his general mangi was killed. Ider Copperplates According to Vijayaditya beheaded Mangi-
Ganganaan gajvairishaktirasam ratteshsanchodih.
Jitva Mangishiro
Peethapuram inscription According to him, he wormed the battlefield with the head ball of Mangi-
Mangirijotmangen yo Veerassamarangane.
Chakkara kandukkridam namna tribhuvanankushah..
Vijayaditya's Masoolipatam grant letter It is said in it that he had donated to the Brahmin Vinayadishraman to commemorate the way to kill Manga.
After this Vijayaditya attacked Gangwadi, defeated Rajamalla and Butug and captured some areas of Gangwadi. Nolamb and Ganga were friends and feudatories of the Rashtrakutas. It was natural for Krishna II to be alert to this act of the Chalukya ruler.
Vijayaditya attacked the north-eastern part of the Rashtrakutas after defeating the Nolamb and Ganga rulers. Krishna II with his brother-in-law Chediraj Shankargan , Which compile It has also been said that an attempt was made to stop Vijayaditya, but without success. Vijayaditya III was completely successful in this campaign. He destroyed the fort of Chakrakoot (Chakrakottaya of Bastar) –
Yodhakshichchakrakutam Kiranpuragatam Sankilam Krishnayuktam.
Yobhaishit, Ballabhendram nijamahimayutam yovydhat, agrahicha.
Forced Krishna II to escape from his brother-in-law Chediraj Shankaragan's Kiranpur (Kiranpur in Balaghat district) had to take refuge in the fort (Kiranpurmadhakshit Krishnarajasthitam Yah ).
The army of Chalukya Vijayaditya, led by Pandurang, pursued Krishna II and advanced towards Kiranpur. On the way, the rulers of Kalinga and Kosala and the Chalukya feudatories of Vemulvad, who were friends of the Rashtrakutas, tried to stop Pandurang. But the Chalukya army reached the Chedi kingdom without any resistance and not only defeated Krishna II and his relative Sankargan by destroying Dahal, Kiranpur But took possession, rather destroyed it by burning-
Krishnam SankilamkitaKhilbal (?) Pratorusadvikramah.
bhitartam cha vidhaya tatpuravaram yo nirdadah prabhuh.
After this the Chalukya army also destroyed Achalpur (Elichpur of Berar). Thus the Chalukyas destroyed both the important fortifications of the Chedis.
Finally compelled Krishna II accepted the suzerainty of the Chalukya king. Kalyumbur article According to Krishna II worshiped Vijayaditya. Vijayaditya snatched Krishna II's Palidhwaja and Ganga-Yamuna symbol and returned his kingdom to him. After this victory, Vijayaditya declared himself 'lord of all Dakshinapatha ’ and ‘Triklingadhipati ' declared.
But this defeat of Krishna II was short-lived. After the death of Vijayaditya III in 891 AD, the coronation of his nephew and successor Chalukya Bhima I had not yet taken place that Krishna again attacked Vengi with his feudatories – Krishna of Gujarat and Baddega of Karnataka. In the war, Bhima was defeated and taken prisoner and Krishna took control of his kingdom. Probably that is why it is said in the Chalukya writings that at the setting of Vijayaditya (Sun of Victory), the victorious Rashtrakutas disguised Vengi .
But later Rashtrakuta ruler Krishna II, being generous, freed Bhima I and he started ruling in Vengi as a feudatory of the Rashtrakutas. Taking advantage of the defeat of the Chalukyas, Ganga and Nolamb also became independent.
Bhima I soon strengthened his position and declared his independence by excommunicating the Rashtrakutas from Vengi and performed his coronation in 892 AD. As a result, Krishna II had to attack Vengi again.
This time among Rashtrakutas and Chalukyas Niravadhpur (Ninadvosu) and Peruvanmuru (Pedavaguru) There were fierce battles in In the battle of Niravdhapur, Bhima's son killed the Rashtrakuta general Gudduya, but he himself was also killed. Probably neither side could get decisive success in this war. As a result both sides decided not to fight and they returned to their respective borders.
Struggles with Gujjar Pratihars: The most important conflict of Krishna II took place with the Gurjara Pratiharas. The struggle of Gurjara Pratihara Bhoja and Krishna II is found in many Rashtrakuta writings. Pratihara ruler Mihirbhoja had tried to avenge his defeat against the Rashtrakutas during the time of Amoghavarsha, but at that time Amoghavarsha thwarted Mihirbhoja's attempt with the help of the Lat rulers of Gujarat.
Pratihara ruler Mihirbhoja again attacked the northern territories of the Rashtrakuta Empire after Krishna II became the king. Possibly on the banks of the river Narmada, the two armies had a face-off, in which the Rashtrakuta ruler was defeated and fled. This is confirmed by a fragmentary article from the Bhavnagar Museum.
After this Mihirbhoj moved towards Gujarat with his army. But this time the Rashtrakutas had the upper hand. Krishna II defeated the Pratiharas with the help of his son Jagattunga and the Chedi ruler, Krishnaraja, the Rashtrakuta ruler of Gujarat (Lat), and forced them to return.
Excited by his success, Krishna entered Malwa and captured Ujjayini, the capital of the Pratiharas. Begruma inscription of 888 AD of Krishnaraja, the provincial ruler of Gujarat, states that he gained fame by defeating his enemies at Ujjaini in front of his superintendent , In the Begruma donation letters of 914 AD of Indra III, it is said that at that time the elders used to narrate the unique bravery displayed by Krishna in the battle with the Pratiharas.
As a result of this war, neither the Rashtrakutas got any special advantage nor the Pratiharas suffered any special territorial losses. Alamsudi According to the Gurjara Pratiharas, they kept their army ready to prevent the spread of the power of the Rashtrakutas in the south. It is possible that there were occasional skirmishes between armies on the frontiers. Be that as it may, after this war both the Rashtrakutas and the Pratiharas became indifferent to each other.
The end of the Rashtrakutas of Gujarat: In the war against the Pratiharas, Krishna Raj of Gujarat had actively supported Krishna II, but later due to some reasons, there was a rift between the two dynasties. It is known from the Rashtrakuta inscriptions that Krishna II had expelled Krishnaraja or his successor from Khetaka (Kaira). A donation sheet also shows that in 910 AD, a feudatory named Prachanda was ruling in Gujarat. There is no inscription of the Rashtrakutas of Gujarat after 888 AD. This suggests that this branch may have ended at some point after this date.
Struggles with Cholas: Krishna II also had conflicts with the Cholas of the far south. The Rashtrakutas had cordial relations with the Cholas earlier. Krishna II married one of his daughters to the Chola king Aditya I, thereby Kannardev There was a son named After Aditya in 907 AD Parantak Chola sat on the throne, while Krishna II wanted his daughter's son Kannaradeva to be the king.
Krishna II attacked Parantaka to get his grandson the throne. In this campaign, Krishna II was assisted by arrows and Vaidumbo, while Gangnaresh Prithvipati II supported Parantaka Gave. But in 911 AD, Parantaka defeated Krishna II and his assistants in the battle of Ballal (present-day Viruvallam). According to the Kanyakumari inscription of Veerarajendra, Parantaka defeated Krishnaraja and assumed the title of Virchola Had it. This is also confirmed by the writings of Prithvipati.
Other Victories of Krishna II: In some later Rashtrakuta inscriptions, Krishna is credited with the conquest of the kingdoms of Anga, Magadha, Kalinga and Gaur. It is said that he taught humility to the Gaur king, terrified the Gujjars, destroyed the fame of the Latas, made the beach dwellers sleepless and made the rulers of Anga, Kalinga, Ganga and Magadha obey his orders. Similarly Gunabhadra has written in the historical appendix of Uttara Purana that the elephants of Krishna II drank the waters of the Ganges and rested in the cool shade of the dense forests of Kanyakumari , But such descriptions are certainly hypothetical and exaggerated, because no historical evidence is available for these victories of Krishna.
Evaluation of Krishna II
The reign of Krishna II was not very proud in terms of strategic achievements. He failed to re-establish authority over Gangwadi. Only for a short time during this time, the Chalukyas of Vengi crushed the power and prestige of the Rashtrakutas to dust.
It is true that Krishna did not have the same military prowess as Govind III or Dhruva, yet he was successful in securing the Rashtrakuta Empire. He should be given credit for the fact that he was successful in ending the Rashtrakuta branch of Gujarat and Pratihara Bhoja and Mahendrapala could not do any damage to the Rashtrakuta Empire. Some historians speculate that Krishna II had friendly relations with the Arabs was.
Krishna II was a follower of Jainism. His education-initiation is famous Jainacharya Gunabhadra Under his supervision. Gunabhadra himself wrote 'Adipuran ' The last five chapters (Uttar Purana) were composed.
The last known date of Krishna II is 912 AD, but he lived until about 914 AD. It is known from the Nausari copper plates of Indra III that in Saka Samvat 836 (914 AD) he had gone from Manyakhet to Kurundak for his Pattbandhan festival. According to the Begumra Copperplates of Shaka Samvat 836, he had done many charity works on the completion of Pattabandhotsav. Thus Krishna II probably spent about 34 years from 880 AD to 914 AD. ruled.