Jayakeshi III

Who he is

Name

Jayakeshi III

Title

Maharaja, Konkanadhipati

Since

1188 (Wikipedia, Kadambas of Goa)

Born

not recorded

Family

Kadamba of Goa, descendant of Shashthadeva; predecessor Vishnuchitta Vijayaditya II (1179-1187 on the list). Shivachitta Vajradeva is listed from 1193 beside him and is not explained in the page we read.

Confidence

medium

The Hangal page of Wikipedia says Jayakeshi III declared himself independent on his accession in 1187-88, ending the Kadamba obedience to the Chalukya line that had failed. His inscriptions were not re-read.

Overlord

none; he courts Yadava and Hoysala as the case needs

What it holds

• Gopakapattana and its fleet
• Chandrapura (Chandor)
• the Goa islands and channels
• the Brahmapuris of Salcete
• customs on the horse trade

How it was acquired

By succession, with independence declared on accession in 1187-88.

Allies and rivals

Greater neighbours: Hoysala Ballala II (south-east), Yadava Jaitugi (above the ghats), Silahara (north). Kin: the Hangal Kadamba, who sit in the Hoysala orbit.

How things stand that morning

Independent and wealthy, with no army that could face either the Hoysala or the Yadava in the field; the harbour is his defence.

Wealth

Customs, the gadyana coinage, salt, areca and rice; no figure survives.

Military

River craft, a fleet, forts on the creeks; no numbers.

Threats

• A Hoysala or Yadava descent by the ghat road
• A rival from within the house (Shivachitta Vajradeva is listed beside him)

What the year holds

What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.

1. 1202 and 1216 (later)On Wikipedia's list Shivachitta Vajradeva's span ends in 1202 and Jayakeshi III's in 1216, when Sovideva Tribhuvanamalla follows.Depends on: The list being right; the dates are a reconstruction. Stopped by: An earlier death or a succession war.

Places of note

• Gopakapattana (Goa Velha): harbour and royal seat
• Chandrapura (Chandor): old capital, revenue seat
• Saptakoteshwara temple, Divar: the house's god (temple site on the island)

Where the sources disagree

• The two spans on the list, Jayakeshi III from 1188 and Shivachitta from 1193, overlap; the page we read does not say who Shivachitta was. We give Jayakeshi III as the king and Shivachitta as a puzzle.

Evidence: The reign list is a reconstruction; the port, trade and temples are well attested.

Primary sources for Kadambas of Goa

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.