Krishna III
| Krishna III | |
|---|---|
| Reign | 939-967 CE |
| Rashtrakuta Emperors (753-982) | |
| Dantidurga | (735 - 756) |
| Krishna I | (756 - 774) |
| Govinda II | (774 - 780) |
| Dhruva Dharavarsha | (780 - 793) |
| Govinda III | (793 - 814) |
| Amoghavarsha | (814 - 878) |
| Krishna II | (878 - 914) |
| Indra III | (914 -929) |
| Amoghavarsha II | (929 - 930) |
| Govinda IV | (930 – 936) |
| Amoghavarsha III | (936 – 939) |
| Krishna III | (939 – 967) |
| Khottiga Amoghavarsha | (967 – 972) |
| Karka II | (972 – 973) |
| Indra IV | (973 – 982) |
|
Tailapa II (Western Chalukyas) |
(973-997) |
Krishna III whose Kannada name was Kannara (r. 939 – 967 C.E.) was the last great warrior and able monarch of the Rashtrakuta Dynasty of Manyakheta. He was a shrewd administrator and skillful military campaigner. He waged many wars to bring back the glory of the Rashtrakutas and played an important role in rebuilding the Rashtrakuta empire. He patronised the famous Kannada poets Sri Ponna, who wrote Shanti purana, Gajankusha, also known as Narayana, who wrote on erotics, and the Apabhramsha poet Pushpadanta who wrote Mahapurana and other works. His queen was a Chedi princess and his daughter Bijjabbe was married to a Western Ganga prince. During his rule he held titles such as Akalavarsha, Maharajadhiraja, Parameshvara, Paramamaheshvara, Shri Prithvivallabha etc. At his peak, he ruled a vast empire stretching from the Narmada river in the north to the Kaveri river delta in the south. A copper grant of 993 issued by the Shilahara king of Thana claims the Rashtrakuta control extended from the Himalayas in the north to Ceylon in the south and from the eastern sea to the western seas. The grant states that when King Krishna III mobilised his armies, the kings of Chola, Bengal, Kannauj, Andhra and Pandya regions used to quiver.
He killed the Western Ganga ruler Rachamalla II and made his brother-in-law Butuga II the king of the Gangavadi territory. He invaded the territory of Gurjara Prathihara and captured Chitrakuta and Kalinjara regions. He even defeated his own family relations, the Chedi of Tripuri who had turned against the Rashtrakutas. Later he invaded the southern Deccan and recaptured Kolar and Dharmapuri from the Banas and Vaidumbas who had given shelter to Govinda IV due to his matrimonial relations with the Cholas. Though he initially may have experienced setbacks, Tondaimandalam (northern Tamil regions) was secured by 944. He defeated the Cholas and captured Kanchi and Tanjore, according to the Siddalingamadam plates of 944. In c.949, he defeated the Cholas decisively in a battle of Takkolam in the North Arcot district. Krishna III was helped by his Western Ganga feudatory Buthuga II in these campaign. Rajaditya Chola was killed while seated on his elephant with a well-aimed arrow. From the famous Atakur inscription it is known that Krishna III gave Buthuga II extensive Ratta territories near Banavasi in return for this victory. He later defeated the Pandyas, the rulers of Kerela region and obtained the submission of the King of Ceylon, extracted tributes from the Manadlika rulers, and erected a pillar of victory at Ramesvaram. This victory is narrated in Somadeva's writing Yashatilaka Champu of 959 as well. However, from location of the inscriptions it is argued that Krishna III had full control only of Tondaimandalam (northern Tamil Nadu) as his inscriptions are not found further south in modern Tamil Nadu. After these victories he proclaimed himself "Conqueror of Kacci and Tanjai" (Kanchi and Tanjore). He exerted influence on the Vengi (modern Andhra Pradesh) by helping Badapa secure the throne against his competitor Amma II. Later, Danarnava of Vengi became his feudatory.
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