Frontier town · The Hoysala kingdom of Veera Ballala II · as at first light, 1 January 1200

Bankapura

A fortified town of the Hangal-500 country, a base of Hoysala northern campaigns from Vishnuvardhana's reign (tradition; not re-read).

On the road north to Dharwad and Lakkundi.

Who holds it

Name
Veera Ballala II (through his dandanayaka)
Title
lord or governor
Confidence
low

Lord in 1200

Veera Ballala II (through his dandanayaka)

How things stand that morning

A garrison town on the Hoysala north march.

Places of note

  • Bankapura: fort-town of the Hangal country

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: Evidence is thin: the place and its main monuments are known; its officers and its size in 1200 are not in the pages we read.

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. Hoysala Empire, 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.