Magnates and their honours · The Hoysala kingdom of Veera Ballala II · as at first light, 1 January 1200

Santaras

The Santaras hold the forest hills of the Malnad west of the Bhadra, the Santalige country of Humcha and Kalasa, with the Padmavati temple at Humcha and a Jain community that the Hoysala kings (a Jain-trained house) respect.

They watch the ghat roads from the plateau to the coast. The Hoysalas rose out of the same hills: the dynasty's home at Sosevur (Angadi) lies a day away.

Who he is

Name
not known for 1 January 1200
Title
Santara chief (mahamandaleshvara), a Jain feudatory of the Hoysalas
Since
not pinned
Born
not known
Family
Santara, a Jain line from the legend of Jinadatta Raya of Mathura and the Padmavati image of Humcha; branches at Kalasa and Hosagunda
Confidence
low

Wikipedia (Santara dynasty) gives two capitals, Karkala (coast) and Kalasa (Ghats), Humcha as the older seat, a split by the twelfth century into a Kalasa branch and a Hosagunda branch, and marriage alliances with the Alupas. No ruler of 1200 is named there.

Overlord

Veera Ballala II (Hoysala)

What it holds

  • Humcha (Hombuja, Pombuchcha) and its Jain basadis
  • Kalasa and the Bhadra headwaters
  • the ghat tracks and forest produce of the Santalige country

How it was acquired

Hereditary.

Allies and rivals

Marriage links with the Alupas; Hoysala overlords; the Jain matha at Humcha.

How things stand that morning

A Hoysala feudatory in its own forest country.

Wealth

Pepper, cardamom, forest produce, temple grants.

Military

Hill levies.

Threats

  • Hoysala displeasure

Places of note

  • Humcha (Hombuja), Padmavati temple: Jain seat of the Santaras

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: Capital and structure from Wikipedia; no ruler pinned for 1200.

On the map: Santalige province carries the ground.

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

  1. Santara dynasty, Wikipedia (read for this sheet)
  2. 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.