Dhruv I had many sons, in which the names of the pillars Ravanloka, Karkasuvarnavarsha, Govind III and Indra are clearly found. His four sons were capable and ambitious and were serving in important positions during the reign of their father. Stambh was ruling as the ruler of Gangwadi after the defeat of the Ganges, Karkasuvarnavarsha was handling the administration of Khandesh and Govind and Indra were assisting him in his father's campaigns.
After the death of Dhruva Dharavarsha, in 793 AD, his third son Govind III became the king. Paithan Donation Letter It is clear from this that Dhruv himself had nominated Govind as his successor on the occasion of a formal coronation. Cancer's Surat Gifts It has also been said that Govind had not only obtained the title of crown prince from his father, but also the position of emperor-
Coronation Kalasairbhishichyadattam.
Rajadhirajparameshwartam Swapitrah.
After the death of his father, Govind III fully ascended the throne of the Rashtrakuta kingdom. and Jagtung took the title. Apart from this, he also assumed titles like Srivallabh, Prithvivallabh, Vimaladitya, Janavallabh, Kirtinarayan and Tribhuvandhaval.
Although all the formalities of the coronation of Govind III were completed during his father's time. Still, he was skeptical of his elder brother, Pillar. Therefore, in the beginning, he tried to satisfy all his feudatories, ministers and officers in different ways and tried to take their cooperation by using the material and price policy. He appointed younger brother Indra as the administrator of southern Gujarat, who was his supporter.
Achievements of Govind III
Column conflicts: Govind's elder brother, Stambh, remained silent for some time, but due to being denied the authority of the state, he was engaged in his military preparations. Stambh knew that it was not possible to oust Govind from the throne alone, so he organized a confederation of the Twelve Kings of the South. which was probably headed by Dantivarman, the Pallava ruler of Kanchi. There is no clear mention of the kings included in this union and the list of thirteen kingdoms like Pandya, Pallavas, Chola, Ganga, Kerala, Andhra, Vengi, Chalukya, Maurya, Gurjara, Kosala, Avanti and Sinhala, mentioned in the Nausari donation sheet, appears to be fictitious.
The rival confederacy of Govind III seems to have had neighboring and feudal rulers who were dissatisfied with the actions of his father Dhruva and wanted to take revenge. Among them, Charuponner of Nolambwadi, Kattiyar of Banavasi and Samant Marvarsha of Dharwad were prominent. The Sanjan article shows that some high officials of the state were also supporting the pillar, as they, being the eldest son, considered the pillar as the legitimate heir of the state.
When Govind III came to know about the rebellious activities of the pillar, he was the first to free Gangraj Shivmar from prison and tempted him to return the kingdom of Gangwadi. In fact, Govind III did this trick with the aim of creating enmity between Shivmar and the pillar. But Govind's plan failed, as Shivmar befriended Stambh as soon as he reached Gangwadi. Probably Stambh also promised to return his kingdom to Shivamara.
Column attack and suppression: Govind III was successful in his objective due to his personal ability and diplomatic skill. Putting the burden of the kingdom on his trusted brother Indra, he attacked Gangwadi and defeated the pillar badly and took it captive. Altekar estimates that Govind III had defeated the Satamba before he could get help from his friends. It is certified from Radhanpur copper plates that Govind had achieved this victory around 798 AD.
But the Sanjan article indicates that Govind treated the captive pillar with generosity and made him the Viceroy of Gangwadi again. He appointed his colleague brother Indra as the Viceroy of Lat region.
Victory over Gangwadi: After suppressing the rebellion of the pillar, Govind III launched a military campaign to punish the other associates of the pillar. In this sequence, he first attacked Shivmar in Gangwadi, because after being freed from prison, he had assumed independence-indicating titles like Konguni Rajadhiraj Parameshwara Shri Purush and supported the pillar against Govinda.
According to the Radhanpur article, Govind easily defeated Shivmar and his son and again imprisoned him in 798 AD. Gangwadi was again included in the Rashtrakuta range, where the pillar ruled as governor until at least 802 AD.
Attack on Nolambwadi: After taking complete control of Gangwadi, Govind III campaigned against Nolambwadi. The condition of King Charuponner of Nolambwadi was not such that he could face Govind III. So he unconditionally surrendered to Govind III and accepted his submission. Govind III returned his kingdom to him. It is also known from some inscriptions available from Chittaldurga that the ruler of Nolambwadi was a feudatory of Charuponner Govind.
Attack on Pallava kingdom: After this Govind III campaigned against the Pallava kingdom, where the Pallava king Dantivarman was ruling. Before Govind, his father Dhruva had attacked the Pallavas and included them in the Rashtrakuta Empire. But it seems that after the death of Dhruva, the Pallava king declared his independence and started conspiring to overthrow Govind. Pallava king Dantivarman was the leader of the union of twelve kings formed by the pillar against Govind III.
Govind III invaded the Pallava kingdom around AD 803 and defeated Dantivarman. According to the British Museum copperplates of Govind III in 804 AD, after the Kanchi-conquest, he stayed in one of his military camps at Rameshwaram shrine. This suggests that he must have defeated Dantivarman before 804 AD. But this victory of Govind could not be permanent, because at the end of his rule he had to campaign again against the Pallavas.
Vengi's struggle with the Chalukyas: After securing the southern border, Govinda suppressed the power of the Chalukyas of Vengi on the eastern front. Its contemporary Chalukya rulers were Vishnuvardhana IV and Vijayaditya Narendraraj. Vishnuvardhana IV was the maternal grandfather of Govind III, so Vijayaditya probably fell victim to Govinda's wrath. Govinda defeated the new ruler Vijayaditya badly and established his dominion over him. This is also corroborated by the Radhanpur and Sanjan inscriptions, according to which the defeated Vengi king had to prepare the enclosure for the stables of Govind III and clear the floor of his camp. As a result of these victories, Govind III became the sovereign emperor of the whole of South India.
Govind III's campaign towards North India
After consolidating his position in South India, Govind III like his father also campaigned towards North India, as a result of which the Rashtrakutas, Palas and Pratiharas took control of Kanauj. Tripartite conflict resumes between Done.
After the repatriation of Dhruva I from North India, many changes took place. Encouraged by the defeat of Vatsaraja, Dharmapala occupied Kanauj and removed Indra Yuddha and appointed his supporter Chakrayuddha as its ruler. It is known from Dharmapala's Khalimpur donation letter that the rulers of Bhoja, Matsya, Madra, Kuru, Yadu, Yavana, Avanti and Gandhara had given their approval for this by being present on the occasion of the coronation of Chakrayudha. But this success of Dharmapala could not be permanent.
Nagabhatta II, the son of Pratihara king Vatsaraja, was a more ambitious ruler than his father. He attacked Kannauj and defeated Chakrayuddha badly in the battle. When Dharmapala advanced against Nagabhatta on behalf of Chakrayudha, he too had to be defeated at the hands of Nagabhatta. After these victories, Nagabhatta II became the most powerful emperor of North India by 806-807 AD.
The reason for Govind III's north Indian campaign is unclear. Some scholars speculate that Dharmapala invited Govind III to attack Nagabhatta to avenge his defeat. Probably Nagabhatta tried to expand his empire towards Malwa and Gujarat, while these territories were dominated by the Rashtrakutas. Therefore it became necessary for Govind III to rein in the ambition of Nagabhatta II.
Whatever the reason, Govind III executed his North Indian campaign in a very systematic manner. He entrusted some of his generals with the responsibility of controlling the kingdoms of Malwa, Kosala, Orissa and Vengi and appointed his younger brother Indra to protect the home kingdom. After this he himself proceeded with a huge army towards the doab of Ganga-Yamuna through Bhopal-Jhansi route.
The North Indian campaign of Govind III was a complete success. Nagabhatta was defeated in the war and had to flee and take refuge in Rajputana. The Rashtrakuta inscriptions give vague and exaggerated descriptions of Govind III's conquest of northern India. In the Baroda Copperplates of 811-12 AD, it is said that Indra had single-handedly defeated the Gurjara Pratiharas. It has been said in the Sanjan and Radhanpur articles that just as the clouds disappear from the sky with the coming of autumn, similarly the Gurjar emperor Nagabhatta II hid in an unknown place as soon as Govind came. He was so frightened that even in a dream if he saw a scene of a war, he would tremble with fear. Thus it is clear that Govind definitely defeated Nagabhatta II and he too had to take refuge in the desert of Rajasthan like Vatsaraja.
The place where the war took place between Govind III and Nagabhatta II is not mentioned. According to Altekar, the encounter of both the armies must have happened at some place between Jhansi and Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh.
Frightened by the victories of Govind III, Chakrayudha, the ruler of Kannauj and his patron Dharmapala, surrendered without fighting and accepted the suzerainty of Govind III. In fact, after being defeated by Nagabhatta II, Dharmapala would not have been in a position to fight Govind III. Therefore he must have considered it preferable to surrender before Govind III without loss of money and people.
There is controversy regarding the date of the North Indian campaign of Govind III. The description of the defeat of the Gurjars is found in the Radhanpur letter of 808 AD. On this basis Fleet, R.C. Mazumdar, R. S. Tripathi and B.C. Scholars like Sen have fixed the date of this campaign between 807-808 AD. Altekar estimates that this campaign must have taken place between 806-807 AD because by 804 AD Govind III would have conquered Kanchi.
But B.P. Sinha and Mirashi suggest that by 802 AD all the conquests of Govind III had been completed. Therefore, the date of the North Indian campaign should be considered between 799-801 AD. It is possible that Govind III left for Digvijay of North India around 795 AD and returned to the Deccan from there around 800 AD.
Thus for the second time also the Rashtrakuta army raised the flag of its victory in the plains of northern India. According to the royal poets of the Rashtrakutas, The canyons of the Himalayas had become resonant from the battlefields of the Deccan. Sanjan articles of Amoghavarsha I describing his victory over Pratihara Emperor Nagabhatta II and Pala Emperor Dharmapala It is said that Govind III's horses drank the icy waters of Himalayan streams and his elephants bathed in the holy waters of Ganga-Yamuna. Although the details of Govind's journey to the Himalayas are exaggerated, he probably visited places of pilgrimage like Prayag, Varanasi and Gaya.
But Govind's northern campaign did not cause any territorial loss to the Pratiharas and Palas. It seems that the main objective of Govind III's conquest of North India was not the ambition of regional gains, but merely to demonstrate his power.
Victory to South India
After the conquests of North India, Govind returned to the Deccan as the Dravidian kings of the south formed a united front to overthrow him.
Suppression of Revolt of Dravidian Rulers: While Govind III was busy in his conquest of northern India away from his capital, the Dravidian rulers of the far south formed a federation against the Rashtrakutas. The Pallavas, Pandyas, Cholas, rulers of Kerala and West Ganga states were included in this confederacy. इस राष्ट्रकूट-विरोधी संघ के राजाओं ने राष्ट्रकूट साम्राज्य पर आक्रमण कर दिया।
गोविंद तृतीय ने 802-803 ई. में तुंगभद्रा नदी के तट पर दक्षिणी राजाओं के सम्मिलित मोर्चे को तहस-नहस कर दिया। संजन लेख से ज्ञात होता है कि गंग का राजा इस युद्ध में मारा गया और चोलों, पल्लवों तथा पांड्यों की पताका को गोविंद ने छीन लिया। इस प्रकार गोविंद की यह विजय दक्षिण भारत की तत्कालीन राजनीति में निर्णायक सिद्ध हुई और दक्षिण के प्रायः सभी शासकों ने पुनः उसकी अधीनता को स्वीकार कर लिया।
गोविंद तृतीय की शक्ति से भयभीत होकर सिंहल (लंका) के शासक ने अपनी तथा अपने मंत्री की अधीनता-सूचक प्रतिमाओं के साथ एक दूत-मंडल राष्ट्रकूट सम्राट की सेवा में उस समय समर्पित किया, जब वह काँची में ठहरा हुआ था। इन मूर्तियों को गोविंद ने अपनी राजधानी मान्यखेट में एक शिवमंदिर के समक्ष अपने विजय-स्तंभ के रूप में स्थापित करवाया था-
लंकातः किलतत्प्रभुप्रतिकृती कांचीमुपेती ततः।
कीर्तिस्तंभनिभी शिवायतनके येनेह संस्थापिती।। संजन ताम्रलेख
वेंगी में हस्तक्षेप: गोविंद तृतीय को वेंगी की राजनीति में भी हस्तक्षेप करना पड़ा। वस्तुतः विष्णुवर्धन् चतुर्थ के समय तक वेंगी के चालुक्यों और राष्ट्रकूटों के बीच सौहार्दपूर्ण संबंध बने रहे। किंतु उसकी मृत्यु के बाद 799 ई. में जब विजयादित्य द्वितीय राजा हुआ, तो उसने राष्ट्रकूटों की प्रभुसत्ता मानने से इनकार कर दिया। परंतु इसी दौरान विजयादित्य के भाई भीमसलुकि ने उत्तराधिकार के लिए युद्ध छेड़ दिया और गोविंद तृतीय से सहायता माँगी। फलतः गोविंद ने 803 ई. में वेंगी पर आक्रमण कर विजयादित्य को पराजित किया और भीमसलुकि को वेंगी के राजसिंहासन पर प्रतिष्ठित कर दिया।
गोविंद तृतीय का मूल्यांकन
गोविंद तृतीय राष्ट्रकूट वंश के महानतम् शासकों में से एक था। उसने पालों, प्रतिहारों, गंगों, चोलों, चालुक्यों, पांड्यों तथा पल्लवों को पराजित कर उत्तर में हिमालय से लेकर दक्षिण में श्रीलंका तक और पश्चिम में सौराष्ट्र से लेकर पूरब में बंगाल तक के विस्तृत भूभाग में अपनी विजय पताका को फहराया। कहा जाता है कि दकन के ढोल हिमालय की गुफाओं से लेकर मालाबार के तट तक सुने जाते थे। गोविंद तृतीय की शक्ति इतनी बढ़ गई थी कि सिंहल नरेश ने भी भयभीत होकर बिना किसी संघर्ष के उसकी अधीनता स्वीकार कर ली थी। वनी डिंडोरी अभिलेख में सही कहा गया है कि गोविंद के राजसिंहासन पर प्रतिष्ठित होने के पश्चात् राष्ट्रकूट अजेय हो गये थे। राष्ट्रकूट अभिलेखों में गोविंद तृतीय की तुलना महाभारत के पार्थ (अर्जुन) तथा सिकंदर महान् से अकारण नहीं की गई है।
शासन के अंतिम दिनों में गोविंद तृतीय ने अपने अल्पवयस्क पुत्र शर्व ‘अमोघवर्ष ’ को युवराज घोषित कर अपने भतीजे इंद्र के पुत्र कर्क सुवर्णवर्ष को उसका संरक्षक नियुक्त किया। कर्क मालवा एवं गुजरात का प्रांतीय शासक था। चूंकि गोविंद तृतीय ने दिसंबर 813 ई. में तोखर्दे ताम्रपत्र जारी किया था। इससे लगता है कि उसने 793 ई. से 814 ई. तक शासन किया था।