Veera Ballala II

Veera Ballala II
Hoysala King
Reignc. 1173 – c. 1220 CE
PredecessorNarasimha I
SuccessorVira Narasimha II
SpouseCholamahadevi,
Ketaladevi
IssueVira Narasimha II, Somaladevi
DynastyHoysala
Hoysala Kings
Nripa Kama II1026–1047
Vinayaditya1047–1098
Ereyanga1098–1102
Veera Ballala I1102–1108
Vishnuvardhana1108–1152
Narasimha I1152–1173)
Veera Ballala II1173–1220
Vira Narasimha II1220–1235
Vira Someshwara1235–1263
Narasimha III1263–1292
Veera Ballala III1292–1343
Harihara Raya1342–1355
Amrutheshwara Temple at Amruthapura, c. 1196
Veeranarayana Temple in Belavadi, c. 1200
The Kedareshwara temple at Halebidu, c. 1200
Nageshvara (near) and Chennakeshava (far) temples at Mosale, c. 1200
Old Kannada inscription (c. 1196 AD) from the rule of Veera Ballala II in the Amrutesvara temple at Amruthapura
Old Kannada inscription (c. 1193 AD) of Hoysala empire King Veera Ballala II from Bagali, Karnataka

Veera Ballala II (Kannada: ವೀರ ಬಲ್ಲಾಳ 2) (r. 1173–1220 CE) was the most notable king of the Hoysala Kingdom. His successes against the Yadavas of Devagiri, the Southern Kalachuris, the Pandyas of Madurai and the waning Western Chalukya Empire, and his domination over the diminishing Cholas of Tanjore took the Hoysalas to the peak of their power.[1][2][3][4] The historian Chaurasia claims that by the end of the 12th century, Ballala II's conquests had made the Hoysalas the most powerful dynasty of Deccan.[5] According to historian Derrett, Ballala II was "the most outstanding among Hoysala kings", and historian William Coelho in comparing Ballala II to King Vishnuvardhana writes, "he vied in glory with his grandfather".[6]

His court was adorned with some of the most notable of medieval Kannada language poets including the Jain poets Janna and Nemichandra, and the Brahman poet Rudrabhatta.[7][8] According to the historians Chopra et al., during his rule, the Hoysala kingdom consolidated into an independent empire commencing an age of "Hoysala imperialism".[9] His architectural legacy includes numerous ornate temples, the Kedareshwara temple, the Veera Narayana temple and the Amrutesvara temple.[7] He was ably supported in war and in administrative matters by his son, prince Vira Narasimha II, and crowned queen Umadevi. His other queen Cholamahadevi was a Chola princess. His daughter Somaladevi was given in marriage to the Chola monarch Kulothunga Chola III.[7]

  1. ^ Kamath (1980), pp.126-127
  2. ^ Chopra, Ravindran and Subrahmanian (2003), part I, pp.154-155
  3. ^ Sastri (1955), p.193
  4. ^ Sen, Sailendra (2013). A Textbook of Medieval Indian History. Primus Books. pp. 58–60. ISBN 978-9-38060-734-4.
  5. ^ Radhey Shyam Chaurasia, p.248, History of Ancient India: Earliest Times to 1000 A. D., Atlantic Publishers (2002), New Delhi, ISBN 978-81-269-0027-5
  6. ^ Kamath (1980), p.126
  7. ^ a b c Kamath (1980), p.127
  8. ^ E.P. Rice (1921), p.43
  9. ^ Chopra, Ravindran and Subrahmanian (2003), part I, p.154