Sripurusha was a

Western Ganga Dynasty Western Ganga was an important ruling dynasty of ancient Karnataka in India which lasted from about 350 to 1000 CE. They are known as "Western Gangas" to distinguish them from the Eastern Gangas who in later centuries ruled over Kalinga (m ...

king who ruled from 726 - 788 CE. According to the Javali inscription Sripurusha ruled for 62 years. He had marital relations with the Badami Chalukyas and used titles such as ''Muttarasa'', ''Rajakesari'', ''Bhimakopa'' and ''Ranabhajana''. An able warrior and a scholar, he authored the Sanskrit work ''Gajasastra''. He is known to have undertaken significant irrigation projects such as the construction of a dam (''Katta'').

Politics of the South

The rule of Sripurusha Muttarasa seems to have been filled with conflicts with the

Pallavas The Pallava dynasty existed from 275 CE to 897 CE, ruling a significant portion of the Deccan, also known as Tondaimandalam. The dynasty rose to prominence after the downfall of the Satavahana dynasty, with whom they had formerly served as f ...

of Kanchi, Pandyas, later the

Rashtrakutas Rashtrakuta ( IAST: ') (r. 753-982 CE) was a royal Indian dynasty ruling large parts of the Indian subcontinent between the sixth and 10th centuries. The earliest known Rashtrakuta inscription is a 7th-century copper plate grant detailing the ...

who overthrew the

Vatapi Badami, formerly known as Vatapi, is a town and headquarters of a taluk by the same name, in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka, India. It was the regal capital of the Badami Chalukyas from CE 540 to 757. It is famous for its rock cut monuments ...

Chalukyas The Chalukya dynasty () was a Classical Indian dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th centuries. During this period, they ruled as three related yet individual dynasties. The earliest dynas ...

. The victory of Sripurusha over the Pallava Paramesvaravarman II and assumed the title ''Permanadi''. He had good relations with Chalukyas and had helped them fight the Pallavas during the rule of

Vikramaditya II Vikramaditya II (reigned 733 – 744 CE) was the son of King Vijayaditya and ascended the Badami Chalukya throne following the death of his father. This information comes from the Lakshmeshwar inscriptions in Kannada dated 13 January 735 A.D ...

and later he fought the Pandyas during the rule of Chalukya

Kirtivarman II Kirtivarman II also known as Rahappa (reigned 746 – 753 CE) was the last ruler in the Badami Chalukya dynasty. He succeeded his father Vikramaditya II. His reign was continuously troubled by the growing power of the Rashtrakutas and Pandyas ...

but suffered reversal at Venbai. When the Rashtrakutas rose to power, though betrayed by the

Nolambas The Nolamba dynasty the area they held sway over is referred to as ''Nolambasa-37'' of Henjeru (Hemavathi), ''Nolambalige'' (''Nolambavadi''-32000), etc. R. Narasimhacharya states that the Nolambas were a native Kannada dynasty. Officers and kings ...

, Sripurusha had many victories against

Krishna I Krishna I ( kn, ಅಕಾಲವರ್ಷ ಶುಭತುಂಗ ಕೃಷ್ಣ) (reign 756–774 CE), an uncle of Dantidurga, took charge of the growing Rashtrakuta Empire by defeating the last Badami Chalukya ruler Kirtivarman II in 757. This ...

and occupied some Ratta territories. This resistance to Rashtrakutas continued for some time before the Gangas normalised their relationship with martial alliances.

References

;Notes ;Sources * Dr. Suryanath U. Kamat, Concise history of Karnataka, 2001, MCC, Bangalore (Reprint 2002) {{refend

External links

History of Karnataka by Dr.Arthikaje

8th-century Indian monarchs History of Karnataka