The oldest Kannada province, the old Kadamba country: the forested uplands of Sirsi, Siddapur and Yellapur, the Varada valley, and the Shimoga forests to the east.
Ballala II took Banavasi about 1190 from the last Chalukya of Kalyani (Wikipedia). It grows rice, areca, pepper and timber, and its roads run from the plateau to the Gokarna coast.
Who holds it
- Name
- not named for 1 January 1200
- Title
- Hoysala officers; the Hangal Kadamba chief as a local lord
- Since
- not pinned
- Confidence
- low
No source we read names the holder for 1 January 1200.
Overlord
Veera Ballala II
What it holds
- Banavasi
- the Varada valley rice
- areca and pepper gardens
- forest timber
How it was acquired
By Ballala II's war about 1190.
How things stand that morning
Hoysala ground by the war of about 1190; the Hangal Kadamba chief keeps a local power.
Wealth
Areca, pepper, rice, timber; no figure.
Military
Forest fort garrisons; no numbers.
Threats
- A Yadava push down the Varada
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Province names and extents come from the old Kannada district reckoning (Kamath; Fleet), not re-read here; the holder is not named in our sources.
On the map: The 12,000 is the old name, not a count.
Primary sources for Hoysala kingdom
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- Epigraphia Carnatica: inscriptions of the Mysore country, Various (Hoysala chancery and temple scribes), edited by B. Lewis Rice and R. Narasimhachar (inscriptions of the 4th to 19th centuries; the series ran from 1886 to 1905, revised from 1972). The Hoysala kingdom of Veera Ballala II (reigning 1173 to 1220) is documented almost wholly by the inscriptions in this series, arranged by district and taluk with full English translations. Read online
- Inscriptions of the Silaharas, Various (Silahara chanceries), edited by V. V. Mirashi (inscriptions of the 9th to 13th centuries; edited 1977). Collects the records of the three Silahara houses: North Konkan (Thana), South Konkan, and Kolhapur.
- Sanskrit and Old Canarese Inscriptions relating to the Yadava Kings of Devagiri, Various (Yadava chancery), edited by J. F. Fleet (inscriptions of the 12th and 13th centuries; edited 1876). The first collected edition of the Yadava (Seuna) records, with texts and translations, from the Indian Antiquary. Read online
- South Indian Inscriptions (Archaeological Survey of India), Various (Chola, Pandya and other chanceries and temple scribes), edited by E. Hultzsch, V. Venkayya, H. Krishna Sastri and successors (inscriptions of the 7th to 17th centuries; the series ran from 1890). The temple inscriptions printed here are the primary record of the Tamil country in 1200. Read online
Sources and studies
- Hoysala Empire, Wikipedia (read for this sheet)
- Kadambas of Hangal, Wikipedia (read for this sheet)
- Veera Ballala II, Wikipedia (read for this sheet)
- OMNIA board notes for the place (a lead, checked against the other sources)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.