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

Barkur

A river port on the Sita, the Alupa royal seat in several readings, with Udayavara (Udupi) the older centre.

Tradition gives it many temples and tanks and a mint; the Alupas have held it from the Rashtrakuta age. It is the second of the two Alupa capitals, nearer to the Hangal-Banavasi road and to the Kundapura creeks.

Who holds it

Name
The Alupa king (not named for this year) in the Hoysala orbit
Title
lord or governor
Confidence
low

Lord in 1200

The Alupa king (not named for this year) in the Hoysala orbit

What the town holds

Alupa seat.

Allies and rivals

Under the Hoysala; Kadamba of Goa far to the north.

How things stand that morning

Alupa town; the Hoysala overlordship is real but light.

Communities

Brahmin, Jain and Bunt households

Militia

Alupa levies; no numbers

Walls and castle

Fort and moat of the Alupa seat (state in 1200 not known)

Trade and crafts

River shipping, rice, areca and coconut; temple services

Places of note

  • Barkur: Alupa river port

Where the sources disagree

  • The campaign board entry puts Barkur under the Kadambas of Goa; it is Alupa.

Evidence: The Alupa seat at Barkur is a standard reading; the campaign board says so; no source we read dates the move.

"The campaign board" is OMNIA's working map. These notes record where its earlier claims were checked against the sources.

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. Alupas, 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.