Bhima II

Bhima II
Abhinava-Siddharaja Saptama-Chakravarti Bala-Narayana
King of Gujarat
Reign	c. 1178–1240 CE
Predecessor	Mularaja II
Successor	Tribhuvanapala
Spouse	Liladevi and Sumaladevi
dynasty	Chaulukya (Solanki)

Bhima II (r. c. 1178–1240 CE), also known as Bhola Bhima, was an Indian king who ruled parts of present-day Gujarat. He was a member of the Chaulukya (also called Chalukya or Solanki) dynasty. During his reign, the dynasty's power declined greatly as a result of rebellions by the feudatories as well as external invasions by the Ghurids, the Paramaras, and the Yadavas of Devagiri. The kingdom, however, was saved by his generals Arnoraja, Lavanaprasada and Viradhavala, whose family established the Vaghela dynasty.

Bhima II was a son of the Chaulukya king Ajayapala. He succeeded his brother Mularaja II at a young age. Taking advantage of his young age, some of his mandalikas (provincial governors) rebelled against him in order to establish independent states. His loyal feudatory Arnoraja came to his rescue, and died fighting the rebels. Arnoraja's descendants Lavanaprasada and Viradhavala became powerful during Bhima's reign, and ultimately established the sovereign Vaghela dynasty.

The Hoysala inscriptions claim that Veera Ballala II defeated the Gurjara king (that is, Bhima), who had allied with other kings to unsuccessfully attack him. However, the historical accuracy of this claim is doubtful. It is possible that the Hoysalas raided the Lata region in the Chaulukya territory.

The Yadavas of Devagiri invaded Gujarat during Bhima's reign. The 1189 CE Mutgi inscription of the Yadava king Bhillama V states that he defeated the Gurjaras (that is, Chaulukyas of Gujarat). The Sundha Hill inscription states that Bhillama was defeated by the Naddula Chahamana ruler Kelhana, who was the northern feudatory of Bhima. It is possible that Bhillama advanced up to the Naddula kingdom after defeating Bhima. Another possibility is that Kelhana marched southwards in Bhima's support.

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