Kokalla I

Kokalla I (850-890 CE) was a ruler of the Kalachuri dynasty of Tripuri in central India. His kingdom was centered around the Chedi or Dahala region in present-day Madhya Pradesh. He appears to have been the first powerful ruler of the dynasty. He consolidated his kingdom and maintained matrimonial relations with the Rashtrakuta empire, and Chandela dynasty.[1]

Kokalla I
King of Chedi
Reign850-890 CE
PredecessorLakshmana-raja I (825-850 CE)
SuccessorShankaragana II (890-910 CE)
SpouseNatta-devi
IssueShankaragana II, Arjuna, Valleka, Mahadevi, unnamed son (founder of the Ratanpur branch of Kalachuris)
DynastyKalachuris of Tripuri

He is credited with increasing the prestige of his dynasty through a combination of diplomatic and military maneuvers.[2][3]

Reign

Kokalla I was most likely born before 817 AD to the Kalachuri king Lakshmana-raja I (825-850 CE).[4][5] Kokalla I was a subordinate ruler under the Gurjara-Pratihara emperor Mihira Bhoja, and played an important role in expanding the south-eastern borders of the Pratihara empire. He also assisted Mihira Bhoja in his conflict against the Pala Empire of Bengal.[6] His alliegance to Bhoja may have been nominal, and he appears to have laid the foundation of the Kalachuri empire by expanding his own sphere of influence in the southern part of the Pratihara empire.[7] Rama Shankar Tripathi states that Kokalla I aided the Gurjara-Pratihara Bhoja II in the civil war against his half-brother Mahipala I.[8] However, this is not probable because Kokalla's reign ended two decades before Bhoja II's reign.

Kokalla married his daughter Mahadevi to the Rashtrakuta king Krishna II as a marriage alliance.[9] This was the beginning of a strong alliance between the Rashtrakutas and Kalachuris. He invaded the North Konkan to help his son-in-law, Krishna II.[10] He defeated Harsha, a ruler of the Guhila dynasty which ruled the Mewar region in Rajasthan, and Guhaka of Sakambhari near Ajmer in Rajasthan.[6] He also defeated Shankargana, ruler of the Kalachuris of Sarayupara.[11]

Personal life

Kokalla I married Natta-devi (IAST: Naṭṭā-devi), a princess of the Chandela dynasty which ruled the region of Bundelkhand. Natta-devi was probably a daughter of the Chandela king Jayashakti.[12][13][14] However, R.K. Dikshit thinks that Natta-devi was the daughter of king Rahila, which is unlikely due to the chronological difference.[15] He had eighteen sons and one daughter named Mahadevi, who was given in marriage to the Rashtrakuta king Krishna II.[16] His eldest son from Natta-devi was Shankaragana II (890-910 CE), who succeeded him as king of Chedi. His other known sons were Arjuna, who is mentioned in Rashtrakuta inscriptions; and prince Valleka, who is known by his Gyaraspur inscription.[17]

An unnamed son of Kokalla founded the Ratanpur branch of the Kalachuris, who flourished until 1758.[18][19][16] His other sons were assigned to the governorship of mandalas (provinces) within the Kalachuri kingdom.[20]

References
  1. "Kalachuri dynasty". www.britannica.com.
  2. The Pallavas, the Pandyas and the Kalachuris (PDF).
  3. Das, Sudarshan (2021). History of Kalchuri Dynasty up to Laksmikarna.
  4. Verma, Rajiv Kumar (2002). Feudal Social Formation in Early Medieval India: A Study of Kalachuris of Tripuri. Anamika. ISBN 978-81-7975-015-5.
  5. Dasgupta 1981, p. 707.
  6. Dasgupta 1981, p. 708.
  7. Salomon 1996, p. 152-153.
  8. Tripathi, Rama Shankar (1 January 2014). History of Ancient India. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978-81-208-0017-5.
  9. Archæological Survey of India (1882). Reports: Volume 15. Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing. p. 152.
  10. P. L. Kessler; Abhijit Rajadhyaksha; Madhu Nimkar. "Far East Kingdoms – South Asia: Northern Kalachuri Kingdom (Chedi / Haihaya / Dahalas / Tumanna)". The History Files.
  11. P. L. Kessler; Abhijit Rajadhyaksha. "Far East Kingdoms – South Asia: Kalachuris of Sarayupara". The History Files.
  12. Ramesh Chandra Majumdar (1951). The History and Culture of the Indian People: The age of imperial Kanauj. G. Allen & Unwin. p. 83.
  13. Dasgupta 1981, p. 709.
  14. Majumdar, R. C. (1949). "The Kalachuri King Kokalla I". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 12: 123–126. ISSN 2249-1937. JSTOR 44140519.
  15. Dikshit, R. K. (1976). The Candellas of Jejākabhukti. Abhinav Publications. ISBN 9788170170464.
  16. Sil, Jogendra Nath (1917). History of the Central Provinces and Berar. p. 27-28.
  17. Salomon 1996, p. 149-150.
  18. F. Kielhorn (1888). "Rajim stone inscription of Jagapala of the Kulachuri year 896". The Indian Antiquary: 137-138.
  19. Om Prakash Misra (2003). Archaeological Excavations in Central India: Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Mittal Publications. p. 14. ISBN 978-81-7099-874-7.
  20. "The Kalachuris of Tripuri".

Bibliography
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