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His young son Amoghavarsha in C. 814 A. D succeeded Govinda III. His rule began under the regency of his cousin, Karka Suvarnavarsha who was the son of Indra of the Gujarat branch. The idea of regency was convieved by Govinda III, as he must have felt that his young son would not cope with the hazards of managing so extensive an empire.

In fact, the accession of a boy - King provoked the enemies of the empire to flout the imperial authority. Factionalism weakened the Rashtrakuta power; conspiracies were hatched with impunity. Feudatories unfurled the flag of rebellion, and "the new government was gripped in the upheaval of opposition, revolt and turmoil all round". No records have handed down the names or the localities of the rebels.

However, Dr. Altekar believes that the rebellion was successful in the initial stages and Amoghavarsha was, in fact, deposed. At this critical moment, Karka rose to the occasion, and succeeded in piloting the ship of state out of the whirlpool of catastrophe. By 821 A. D. the storm subsided, and Amoghavarsha was restored to the Rashtrakuta throne. He owed it mainly to the distinguished services of the regent, Karka.

Once Amoghavarsha came of age and took the reins of government himself, he exerted himself to re-establish the Rashtrakuta supremacy. He marched against the Vengi Chalukya ruler, Gunega Vijayaditya whose attitude towards the Rashtrakutas had been hostile. Amoghavarsha won a great victory against the Vengi Chalukyas in the battle of Vingavalli. The Sangli plates describe how Amoghavarsha offered a right royal feast to Yama on the battlefield of Vingavalli. This Victory must have secured for the Rashtrakutas the submission of the Vengi Kingdom.

The Gangas, who had been treated rather roughly by the Rashtrakutas, continued to remain sullen. The Rashtrakuta general Bankesha held portions of Gangavadi. But when he was recalled to the North, the Gangas tried to exclude the Rashtrakuta influence from their territories. In fact, Nitimarga Ereganga won a victory against the Rashtrakuta forces in the battle of Rajaramudu. Amoghavarsha must have been impressed by the tenacity of the Gangas, and was disposed to take a conciliatory attitude. A matrimonial alliance was concluded between the two houses when Nitimarga's son Butuga married Amoghavarsha's daughter, Chandrobalabbe.

Some scholars have suggested that during the reign of Amoghavarsha, there had been hostilities between the main Rashtrakuta house and the Gujarat branch. It is said that Karka's son Dhruva I lost his life while fighting against one Vallabha who has been identified with Amoghavarsha. Dhruva's successors, Akalvarsha Krishna and Dhruva II, too were said to have faced the hostilities of this Vallabha.

However, it has been argued that Amoghavarsha had no reasons to be hostile to his cousin Karka or his successors. In fact, the suggested identify of Vallabha with Amoghavarsha is untenable, and Dr. P. B. Desai believes that Vallabha might have belonged to a Chalukya family.

Amoghavarsha's reign witnessed peace being established in the south. Pallava Nandivarman could not afford to antagonize the Rashtrakutas, whose help he needed against the Pandyas. The two families drew closer to each other through the marriage of Nandivarman with Amoghavarsha's daughter, Sankha. It is said that the Rashtrakuta ruler subdued the recalcitrant Alupa prince Vimaladitya and brought Alvakheda under his control. The Nilgunda records speak of Amoghavarsha's victories over Anga, Vanga, Magadha and other countries. But these appear to be tall claims, for it is not certain whether he ever led a campaign against any northern power. The Pala ruler, Narayanapala, is said to have overcome a Dravida King, who is sometimes identified with Amoghavarsha. But it is more a hypothesis than a conclusion.

Amoghavarsha's long reign, according to Dr. Altekar, was not brilliant from the military point of view. Unlike his father or grandfather, he was no lover of war. He seemed to revel in the conquests of peace. He learned more and more towards religion as he grew in age, and the Jain traditions claim that he was a devout Jaina. He is believed to be a disciple of Jinasena, the author of Adipurana.

The deep concern of Amoghavarsha for the people is reflected in the story narrated by the Sanjan plates that he offered his own finger as sacrifice to goddess Mahalaxmi to ward off some calamity threatening his subjects. Bhattakalanka's Karnataka Sabdanusasanam tells us that Amoghavarsha excelled Bali twice, Dhadhichi three times, and Jimutvahana a hundred times and Sibi certainly a thousand times! Some sources indicated that Amoghavarsha even abdicated the throne, convinced of the futility of life. But this view is not accepted ay all.

Amoghavarsha was himself a reputed scholar. He is said to have written Kavirajamarga, the earliest known work on Kannada poetics. Another Sanskrit work named Prashnotharamala is also ascribed to him. He patronized many scholars like Sakatayana, Mahaveera Jinasena and Gunabhadra. He is said to have shifted the capital to Manyakheta (Melkhed) from Mayurkhandi.

The Arab traveller, Suleiman thought that Amoghavarsha's empire was one of the four great empires of the world. He must have achieved great reputation for his benevolence and liberal administration. He assumed titles like Nripatunga, Viranarayana and Atisaya-dhavala. R. S. Panchamukhi calls him a great king comparable to Ashoka. For, after all, his fame was not based on the blood-soaked conquests.

to be continued…..

Arthikaje,
Mangalore