Part 44 - Ayyapadeva (A.D. 1178-1193)

Eldest son of Gonka I, Ayyapadeva succeeded his father and grandfather on the Chalukya throne at Vengi in A.D. 1178 and ruled for fifteen years. He had experience in the art of government for over thirty-five years, when he found himself as the ruler of the kingdom. His earliest record is dated A.D. 1141, at Tadikolapudi. His next inscription is from Bezvada, with date A.D. 1150, wherein Ayyapa is mentioned as Pedavengi Bayapadeva maharaja. Bayapa is evidently a mistake for Ayyapa. Ayyapa’s only record after he became ruler iff. from Telikicherla dated A.D. 1193. Ayyapa had two sons—Ganapati by queen Muppalamahadevi and Manmagonka probably named after his father Gonka I.

His Political Relations

King Ayyappa appears as Vengi Ayyapadeva and pedavengi Ayyapadeva in his records. Probably he associated his two sons and brother in the governance of the kingdom. Vengi was the capital and Tadikalapudi which is 13 miles to the north-east of Ellore was a provincial capital.

Some of the rulers contemporaneous with Ayyapa in other kingdoms were Gonka III and Prithvisvara of the Velanandus, Mallideva I and Manmasatya II of the Konamandala Haihayas, Somayanaka of Kolanu, and Vijayaditya III Vishnuvardhana (A.D. 1158 to 1202) of the Chalukyas of Pithapur. Probably like his father Ayyapa recognised Vijayaditya Ill’s suzerainty and did not come into conflict with other rulers.