After the death of Govind III, his youngest son, Sharva 'Amoghvarsha', succeeded the Rashtrakuta kingdom in the first 814 AD. At the time of his ascension, he was only 6 years old, while according to some scholars he became king at the age of 16. Due to his youth, he ruled for many years under the patronage of Karka, the administrator of Malwa and Gujarat.
Amoghvarsha's real name is Sharva and Amoghavarsha was his most famous title. He had Maharajadhiraja, Bhattaraka, Rattamartand, Nripatunga, Maharajshand, Veeranarayana, Asitdhaval, Prithvivallabh, Lakshmivallabh, Prabhutavarsha and Jagtung Adi was also worn against him. Asgawwe There is mention of one of his queens named.
Amoghvarsha's Political Achievements
Early Difficulties: It is known from the Nausari donation letter of Cancer of 816 AD that the early years of Amoghavarsha's rule were peaceful, but around 817 AD he had to face a fierce rebellion. It is also known from the Sanjan copperplates that due to the influence of Kali (only due to the fracture of Saturn) ministers, feudatories, state officials and other relatives revolted against him, in which thousands of obedient officers were killed. In this state of chaos and disorder, public life became completely unsafe and Amoghavarsha had to abandon the throne. Since the enemies of Amoghavarsha are called Rashtrakutas. From this it appears that his family rivals were probably prominent among the rebels.
However, several Rashtrakuta writings show that Amoghavarsha's patron, Cancer, resolutely suppressed the rebellions and re-established Amoghavarsha on the Rashtrakuta throne. Thus having conquered his calamities, he re-emerged like a resplendent sun. He gradually restored the state of peace and order in the state.
Since Nausari copper plates of 816 AD There is no mention of rebellion against Amoghavarsha in A.D., while the ruler of Gujarat, Cancer, from AD 821 Surat copperplates There is a description of Amoghavarsha I's accession to the throne again. Therefore this rebellion 816 and 821 AD. must have happened sometime between.
Vengi's struggle with the Chalukyas: Govind III deposed Vijayaditya of Vengi and placed his brother Bhimsaluki on the throne of Vengi. Although Vijayaditya could not dare to oppose the Rashtrakutas during the time of Govinda, but during the reign of Amoghavarsha he not only deposed Bhimsaluki and became the king himself, but also declared his independence. Not only this, he also played an active role in the rebellion against Amoghavarsha.
After dealing with his initial difficulties, Amoghavarsha campaigned against this old enemy and attacked Vengi around 830 AD. But according to the Idar writings of Chalukya Amma I of Vengi, Vijayaditya II struggled with the Rashtrakutas and the Ganges for 12 years and in this interval he defeated the Rashtrakutas in 108 wars-
Gangarattbalai:Sadh Dvadshaabdanharnisham,
Bhujrajitabalah Khadmasahyo Navavikramaih.
Ashtottaram Yudhshatam Yudhva Shambhormahalayam,
Tatsankhyamkarod Dhiro Vijayaditya-Bhupatih.
Although this description is exaggerated, it proves that the Eastern Chalukyas defeated Amoghavarsha several times.
Govinda IV's Sangli inscription dated 933 AD shows that Amoghavarsha made Vingvalli In the battle of (near Stambhpuri) after defeating the Chalukyas badly, Yamraj was given a majestic banquet , It is also said in the Begumra copperplates of Indra III that Amoghvarsha revived the prestige of his dynasty engulfed in the sea of Chalukya-
Nimgnan Yashchulukyabdhou Rattarajyashriyan again.
Earthvivodharan Dhiro VeeranarayanoऽBhavat.
Sirur Copperplates of 866 AD It also shows that the ruler of Vengi used to worship Amoghavarsha. Thus Amoghavarsha defeated Vijayaditya II in the battle of Vingvalli around 830 AD and Veeranarayana took the title of.
But Amoghavarsha's authority over Vengi could not last long, as Chalukya inscriptions state that in 844 AD Vijayaditya's grandson Gunaga-Vijayaditya rescued Vengi. . Pandurang, the general of Vijayaditya III, also claimed that he took back Vengi from Amoghavarsha I in AD 845-46. Probably Amoghavarsha was at this time embroiled in a war with the Rashtrakutas of Gujarat, so he could not pay attention to Vengi.
Clash with Ganges: Amoghavarsha had to struggle with the Ganges for about twenty years at the beginning of his rule. After defeating the Ganges, Govind III had placed Shivamara II on the Ganges-throne under his suzerainty. For some time Shivamar II accepted the subjugation of Amoghavarsha, but around 816 AD he actively participated in the rebellion against Amoghavarsha. The local Rashtrakuta feudatories are said to have founded Kegimogeyur in Tukkuru district. Shivmar was defeated and killed in a battle at a place called.
After Shivmar, his nephew Rajamalla took over the rule of Gangwadi. He tried to free his kingdom from the subjugation of the Rashtrakutas. But a worthy general of the Rashtrakutas Bankey conquered the northern part of Gangwadi and defeated Rajamalla and drove him across the river Kaveri.
Kannur Articles It is learned that at this time there was a rebellion in the capital and Amoghavarsha called Bankey back from Gangwadi. After the return of Bankey, Rajamalla again took control of his ancestral kingdom. Inscriptions say that he saved his country from the Rashtrakutas in the same way as Vishnu saved the earth from hell in the form of Varaha. These events can be placed between 830-835 AD.
Rajamalla is followed by his son Areyang , which is called policy and Ranvikram It is also known as the king, around 843 AD. Taking advantage of Bankey's absence, he occupied the northern part of Gangwadi with the help of his friend Nolambvanshi Mangi.
This time Amoghavarsha did the task of punishing Nitimarga under his subordinate Eastern Chalukya ruler Gunaga-Vijayaditya assigned to Gunaga first defeated Mangi, the Nolamb dynasty friend of Ereyang and put him to death. Seeing the plight of his friend Mangi, Nitimarg proposed a treaty to Vijayaditya, which Amoghavarsha also accepted. Around 850 AD, there was a treaty between the two dynasties. To confirm this treaty, Amoghavarsha gave his daughters- Revaknimmadi and Chandrovalbva (Chandravallabha) marriage respectively Areyang Nitimarg and his son Gunadattarang Butug First, due to which a cordial relationship was established between the two dynasties. Administration of Revaknimmadi Raichur Doab took care of.
Struggles with Rashtrakutas of Lat: Amoghavarsha I also had to engage in a protracted conflict with the Rashtrakuta branch of Gujarat, which lasted for about 25 years. Probably after the death of Karka in 824 AD, his son Dhruva I became the ruler of Gujarat. Dhruv remained loyal to the first Amoghavarsha till about 835 AD. But it seems that later taking advantage of Amoghavarsha's busyness in Gangwadi, he rebelled against Amoghavarsha. Rashtrakuta inscriptions reveal that Dhruva's 'Vallabh The struggle with the king named ' went on for two generations and in the end Dhruva was killed. This defeat of Dhruva is mentioned in the Begruma donation letters of 867 AD. get in. Although in a contemporary article 'Vallabh ' personal name is not available, but Altekar identifies Vallabh with Amoghavarsha , According to the Kannur inscription, Amoghavarsha I had called Bankey from Gangwadi to suppress the rebellion of his relative feudal lord. This rebellion appears to be of the Rashtrakutas of Gujarat.
Dhruv I's successor Akalvarsha Even during the time of the Rashtrakutas of Gujarat, the struggle continued with Amoghavarsha. After the famine, his successor Dhruv II With great difficulty, Lat became the ruler of the state. Around 860 AD, a treaty was made between Dhruva and Amoghavarsha, because the growing power of Pratihara ruler Mihirbhoja posed a threat to both.
Struggles with Pratiharas: Probably Mihirbhoja invaded the northern parts of the Rashtrakuta Empire to avenge the defeat of Nagabhatta II. Begumra copper plates In AD Dhruv has claimed that before 867 AD he single-handedly defeated Mihirbhoja and drove back-
Gujjarbalmativalvat samudyatam brihita cha kulyen.
Ekakinayev vitim paramukham lilya yen.
But this statement of the article is not credible. Dhruva II was not in a position to face Mihirbhoja alone. Anyway, the real enmity of Mihirbhoja was with Amoghavarsha I. Dhruva II must have succeeded in stopping Mihirbhoja only with the help of Amoghavarsha. The Pratihara ruler was probably satisfied by taking possession of some territories of Gujarat and Kathiawar and again no details of Rashtrakuta-Pratihara conflict are found in the period of Amoghavarsha I.
Sails: The writings of Nilgund and Sirur of Amoghavarsha show that the rulers of Anga, Vanga and Magadha used to worship him. Anga, Vanga and Magadha were under the Pala rulers of Bengal.
The Badal Pillar inscription of Narayanapala claims that a Dravidian king was defeated by the Palas. Dr. Altekar has identified this defeated Dravidian ruler with Amoghavarsha. H.C. Raychaudhuri considers the Dravidians to be different from the Rashtrakutas, because the Rashtrakutas also consider Govind III the 'conqueror of the Dravidians ' Having said. According to Raychaudhuri, the Dravidians mean the Pandyas. bp Sinha identifies the Dravidians with the Pallavas on the basis of the Munger article. But there is no evidence that Amoghavarsha ever conducted a military campaign in the areas of the Pala rulers. Even if Amoghavarsha I had campaigned north through Kalinga during the time of Narayanapala, no one would have got decisive success.
Cultural Achievements of Amoghavarsha
The reign of Amoghavarsha I was a prosperous era in terms of cultural development. According to the Wardha Copperplates, Amoghavarsha I established Manykhet Nagar (Malkhed of Gulbarga in Karnataka) and made it his capital. This city was more than Indrapuri in splendor.
Amoghvarsha was calm in nature and was more interested in religion, learning, literature and art than in war. He himself was a knower of Kannada and Sanskrit languages. He himself wrote 'Kavirajamarg in Kannada language. ', which is a milestone in the field of Kannada poetry. 'Prashtottaratnamalika in Sanskrit ' The composition is a testimony to the writing ability of Amoghavarsha, which was later translated into the Tibetan language.
Amoghvarsha provided shelter to many scholars and writers in his court. These include 'Adipuran ' (Harivansh Purana) and 'Parvabhyudaya Jinsen, author of 'Mathematics Compendium The author of ' Mahaviracharya and 'Amoghavritti The author of ' Shaktayan is particularly important. Jinsen has been counted as the religious teacher of Amoghavarsha.
Amoghavarsha was a follower of Jainism. Gunabhadra Suri's 'Uttarpuran According to Amoghavarsha, Jinsen was a disciple and a follower of the Digambara sect. Mahaviracharya wrote his composition 'Genetsarsangraha It is also told in the role that Amoghavarsha was attached to Jainism. Konnur inscriptions of Saka Samvat 782 AD According to him in Manyakhet Jain Devendra Ko and Bunkeye Donated land to a Jain temple built by
In spite of being a follower of Jainism, Amoghavarsha was also devoted to Brahmanical religion. Bhatt Aklank's 'Karnataka Shabddisoshan ' Amoghavarsha is compared with mythological great men like Shiva and Dadhichi, who donated their flesh and bones for the welfare of the people. Sanjan Tamralekh According to it, Amoghavarsha had cut off one finger of the left hand and offered it to Mahalakshmi for the welfare of the people.
Amoghvarsha's evaluation
The long reign of Amoghavarsha I is not particularly important in terms of political achievements. During his reign Malwa came out of the dominion of the Rashtrakutas and the Chalukyas of Vengi also inflicted heavy damage on the Rashtrakutas. The feudatories of a small state like Lat also kept him entangled in the struggle for a long time. उसमें इतनी सैनिक शक्ति या प्रशासकीय क्षमता नहीं थी कि वह ध्रुव अथवा गोविंद तृतीय की भाँति उत्तर भारत को आक्रांत करता। संभव है कि कोशल अथवा उड़ीसा में उसका पालों के साथ छिट-पुट संघर्ष हुआ हो, लेकिन इन संघर्षों में किसी को निर्णायक सफलता नहीं मिल सकी।
यह सही है कि अमोघवर्ष प्रथम के शासनकाल में राष्ट्रकूट साम्राज्य का न तो विस्तार हुआ और न ही राष्ट्रकूटों ने कोई महत्वपूर्ण विजय प्राप्त की। फिर भी, एक शासक के रूप में राष्ट्रकूट वंश में इतिहास में अमोघवर्ष विशिष्ट स्थान का भागी है। इसने अपने राज्य में शांति और व्यवस्था बनाये रखी तथा आक्रमणकारियों से अपने देश को सुरक्षित रखा। इसने सभी धर्मों में समन्वय लाने का प्रयास किया, सभी के प्रति समान सम्मान-भाव रखा और मान्यखेट जैसे नगर को अपनी राजधानी बनाया, जो साम्राज्य के अंत तक राष्ट्रकूटों की राजधानी बना रहा। उसके धार्मिक स्वभाव, कला और साहित्य में उनकी रुचि तथा उसकी शांतिप्रियता के कारण उसकी तुलना सम्राट अशोक से की गई है और उसे ‘दक्षिण का अशोक ’ कहा जाता है।
संजन ताम्रलेख में अमोघवर्ष को गुप्त सम्राट ‘साहसांक ’ (चंद्रगुप्त द्वितीय) से भी महान् बताया गया है। कहा गया है कि ‘विद्या, दान तथा पुरस्कार देने में वह चंद्रगुप्त से भी बढ़कर था, किंतु चंद्रगुप्त के चारित्रिक दोष उसमें नहीं थे।’
एक जैनग्रंथ के आधार पर दिगंबर जैनियों की मान्यता है कि उसने वृद्धावस्था में राज्य का परित्याग कर संन्यास ग्रहण कर लिया था। किंतु अमोघवर्ष की अंतिम ज्ञात तिथि 878 ई. और इसके पुत्र की प्रथम ज्ञात तिथि 783 ई. है। इससे लगता है कि उसकी मृत्यु 880 ई. के आसपास हुई होगी।