A Kalyani Chalukya mint town of numerous temples and Jain basadis, with a famous stepped well, south-east of Gadag.
A Sanskrit record of 1192 of Ballala II makes it his capital (Wikipedia, Lakkundi). The campaign board says holding Lakkundi is what makes the Hoysala claim to the north real, and that it is two days' ride from ground the Yadavas ride over; it lies on the southern edge of the Malaprabha belt.
Who holds it
- Name
- Veera Ballala II, through a governor not named in our sources (provinces answered to dandanayakas on the Hoysala Empire page's account)
- Title
- lord or governor
- Confidence
- low
Lord in 1200
Veera Ballala II, through a governor not named in our sources (provinces answered to dandanayakas on the Hoysala Empire page's account)
What the town holds
By Ballala II's northern war of about 1191.
Allies and rivals
Yadava Jaitugi across the Malaprabha belt; the Guttas to the south-east.
How things stand that morning
Hoysala northern base since the 1190s. Quiet in January; the dry season is the Yadava campaigning season.
Communities
Jain merchants and monks of the basadis; Shaiva Brahmins; Lingayat households growing
Militia
Contingents under the governor of the Belvola (our inference); no numbers
Walls and castle
A wall and gates of the old Chalukya town (state in 1200 not known; from memory, not re-read)
Trade and crafts
A mint town (the Chalukya Lokkigundi coinage; Hoysala issues in the 1190s are our inference, not a source); stone work; cotton of the black soil
Places of note
- Lakkundi stepped well and temples: the Chalukya-period temples and well
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Lakkundi's temples and the 1192 record are firm; the governor is not named.
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
- Lakkundi, Wikipedia (read for this sheet)
- Hoysala Empire, 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.