Going by the name YADAVA this dynasty is indicative of a traditional pastoral community that represents (primarily) large parts of Western and Central India. They word GAVLI represents YADAVAS who belong to the Maharashtra and M.P. region. YADAVAS are basically engaged in land cultivation and to some extent cattle rearing and dairy.
Previous blog ~ CHALUKYA DYNASTY history
Origins of SEUNA YADAVA DYNASTY
The SEUNA YADAVA DYNASTY credits it's origins to king Dridhaprahara (r. 860 - 880 CE). Historical evidence for this king exists by way of inscriptions found in Maharashtra. Dridhaprahara's successor was his son Seunachandra (r. 880-900 CE) after whome the dynasty is named. From 900 to 985 CE there were other rulers, however there is scarce info about them.
Historians claim YADAVA DYNASTY kings were feudatory to the RASHTRAKUTA EMPIRE initially but later Yadava ruler Bhillama II (r. 985- 1005 CE) switched sides to the Western Chalukya Empire under Tailapa-II. In fact Bhillama II was the main reason for the defeat and death of Paramara king Munja that brought victory to the Western Chalukya dynasty. The Western Chalukya king rewarded him by gifting the present-day district of Ahmednagar to his territories.
Vesugi I (r. 1005-1025) succeeded his predecessor Bhillama II. He in turn was followed by Bhillama III and subsequently followed by Vesugi II, Bhillama IV and then Seunachandra II (1050 CE). When the conflict between the two Chalukya royal brothers, Someshvara II and Vikramaditya IV took place, Seunachandra II took sides with Vikramaditya IV. [ Read about Chalukya history to know more, link 🔗 is given above ]. Vesugi II was helped by his son Airammadeva (r. 1085 to 1105) who succeeded him later. And whose brother Simhana (r. 1105 to 1120 CE) ascended the throne after him.
Note- historical records in the form of inscriptions on hero stones and monuments found in the Nasik-trimbakeshwar and present-day Vidharbha region of Maharashtra prove these facts.
The next YADAVA DYNASTY king to be found on record is Mallugi (r. 1145 to 1160 CE) whose overlord was the Chalukya king Tailapa-III. Mallugi was later succeeded by Mallugi-II (his son), Kalliya-Ballala, and then by Bhillama-V around 1175 CE.
The YADAVA Dynasty kingdom takes birth (1187 CE)
During this period (1175 CE), the CHALUKYA EMPIRE under Someshvara II was facing its fair share of struggles and strifes with their other feudatories, namely; the Hoysalas and the KALACHURIs. Ballala-II the Hoysala king got the upper hand and succeeded in defeating the Chalukya king, but Bhillama-V struck back (in 1187 CE) and took back KALYANI (former Chalukya capital) and declared himself as a sovereign ruler.
And that is how Bhillama-V of the YADAVA Dynasty transformed himself from a feudatory of the CHALUKYA EMPIRE into a Sovereign kingdom. He then made Devagiri which is the present-day Daulatabad fort area near Aurangabad, Maharashtra his new capital.
Next to come on the throne was Jaitungi (r. 1191 to 1200 CE), who was Bhillama-V's son. JAITUNGI holds to his merit a victorious battle against the powerful KAKATIYA DYNASTY of Eastern Deccan region. Due to his previous war experiences alongside his father, Jaitungi was able to restrain the Kakatiyas from capturing Kalyani and their new capital Devagiri. By 1195, Kakatiya king Rudra was killed in battle. The Yadava king also took Rudra's nephew Ganapati as prisoner, but later decided to release him and make him a Kakatiya feudatory instead.
SIMHANA~ the brave YADAVA king (r. 1210 to 1246)
JAITUNGI's son Simhana (r. 1210 to 1246) took charge thereafter. Inscriptions in Davangere, North Karnataka throw light on his reign. SIMHANA had accompanied his father during military campaigns against the KAKAIYA rulers, and was himself an ambitious king.
SIMHANA fought a victorious battle (in 1202) against the Hoysala king Ballala-II and made inroads into Hoysala territories. Then later in 1206, he took under his control the present-day district of Bijapur. By 1212-1213 he had conquered a vast portion of North Karnataka (Bellary, Chitradurga, Dharwad, Shimoga and Anantpur). The Ratta dynasty of Saundatti (town in present-day Belagavi district) who were vassals of the Hoysalas switched over to the YADAVA side.
In 1216, he launched an expedition against Raja Bhoja-II the Shilahara king of Kolhapur thereby forcing Bhoja-II to flee to the nearby hilly regions of Panhala and thereafter bringing Kolhapur under the YADAVA EMPIRE fold. On the northern front, Simhana invaded the Malva region (present-day Madhya Pradesh) belonging to the Paramaras in 1215 CE.
In 1220, under the command of an able general named Kholeshvara led a large army in territories* that belonged to the LATA DYNASTY RULERS and came back victorious after inflicting heavy losses on their opponents. The later Lata rulers accepted YADAVA DYNASTY suzerainty.
*Lata dynasty held much of South Gujarat between Mahi river to the north and Tapi river to the south. Bharuch, Kheda, Surat and Vadodara will fall in this region.
The Lata region aggressions may not have been a good idea it seems! The Chalukyas later captured KHAMBAT which was important port town. This resulted in YADAVAS with the help of Shankha, their new LATA feudal chief to make a counter-attack. A great deal of time and effort was invested during the CHALUKYA - YADAVA conflicts that weakened both kingdoms consequently. This would have repercussions in the near future, as we shall see.
Krishna (r. 1246 to 1261 CE) was SIMHANA's grandson and next successor to the throne. Like his grandfather, he too had many conquests to his name~ he fought the Paramaras, the Vaghelas of Gujarat, the Hoysalas, KALACHURIs, the Pandyas and Cholas in the south.
Krishna's younger brother Mahadeva (r. 1261 to 1270 CE) became his successor after him. In terms of military might, Mahadeva managed to subdue the vassal kings who attempted to assert their will now and then from being mere feudatories to becoming independent states. The story of brave king Someshvara of the Shilahara dynasty is held with awe. He fought tooth and nail against the YADAVAS both on land and sea, but was sadly defeated. It is said Someshvara preferred to drown at sea rather than being captured by the YADAVA king Mahadeva. Such was the force of the YADAVA EMPIRE.
Mahadeva, disregarding his predecessor/ brother's son Ramachandra, instead installed his own son Ammana (r. 1270 CE) as the next successor to the throne. Within just a few months and In a dramatic coup of sorts, his cousin Ramachandra (r. 1271 to 1311 CE) however dethroned him and ascended the throne as the next YADAVA king.
Just like his predecessors Ramachandra too followed an aggressive policy fighting wars with neighbouring Hindu kings, gaining ground and losing some. And then came a time when he was looking at muslim invasions in the face.
HOW DEVAGIRI WAS DESTROYED BY ALAUDDIN KHALJI of the DELHI SULTANATE
In the year 1296 CE, Allauddin Khilji (r. 1296 to 1316 CE) of the Delhi Sultanate raided DEVAGIRI, capital of the YADAVA EMPIRE. Unable to hold up to the muslim forces, it is said Ramachandra was given the option to pay a heavy ransom in order to get his capital city back, which unfortunately he was unable to. In 1307, Malik Gafur, Khilji's general along with other muslim governors from Gujarat and Malva region crushed the YADAVA kings forces.
Khilji spared Ramachandra's life only so he could be used to subdue other Hindu kings of south India, namely; The Kakatiyas and the Hoysalas~ which went as planned.
SIMHANA III (r. 1311 to 1313) succeeded Ramachandra. He tried his best to resist Khilji but got killed in the bargain. The YADAVA EMPIRE had lost its prestige in the face of these defeats. and Harapaladeva (r. 1313 to 1317 CE), SIMHANA III's successor may have well been the last king of the erstwhile YADAVA DYNASTY of DEVAGIRI.
CONCLUSION
And so it seems that Hindu kings lost to a single-minded and focused Allauddin Khilji. That was all it took!
Next blog~ Delhi Sultanate- muslim invasions, Part 2
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