# Jayasimha (Vatapi Chalukya dynasty)

Chalukya dynasties :
Vatapi / Badami Chalukyas Jayasimha 500-520 Ranaraga 520-540 Pulakeshin I 540–566 Kirttivarman I 566–597 Mangalesha 597–609 Pulakeshin II 609–642 Adityavarman 643-645 Abhinavaditya 645-646 Chandraditya 646-649 Vijaya-Bhattarika (regent) 650-655 Vikramaditya I 655–680 Vinayaditya 680–696 Vijayaditya 696–733 Vikramaditya II 733–746 Kirtivarman II 746–753 :
Vengi / Eastern Chalukyas Kubja Vishnuvardhana 624–641 Jayasimha I 641–673 Indra Bhattaraka 673 Vishnu Vardhana II 673–682 Mangi Yuvaraja 682–706 Jayasimha II 706–718 Kokkili 719 Vishnuvardhana III 719–755 Vijayaditya I (Eastern Chalukya) 755–772 Vishnuvardhana IV 772–808 Vijayaditya II 808–847 Kali Vishnuvardhana V 847–849 Vijayaditya III 849–892 Chalukya Bhima I 892–921 Vijayaditya IV 921 Amma I 921–927 Beta Vijayaditya V 927 Tala I 927 Vikramaditya II 927–928 Bhima II 928 Yuddhamalla II 928–935 Chalukya Bhima II 935–947 Amma II 947–970 Tala I 970 Danarnava 970–973 Jata Choda Bhima 973–999 Shaktivarman I 1000–1011 Vimaladitya 1011–1018 Rajaraja Narendra 1019–1061 Vijayaditya VII 1061-1075 :
Kalyani / Western Chalukyas Tailapa II 957–997 Satyashraya 997–1008 Vikramaditya V 1008–1015 Jayasimha II 1015–1042 Someshvara I 1042–1068 Someshvara II 1068–1076 Vikramaditya VI 1076–1126 Someshvara III 1126–1138 Jagadhekamalla II 1138–1151 Tailapa III 1151–1164 Jagadhekamalla III 1163–1183 Someshvara IV 1184–1200 :
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Jayasimha (IAST: Jayasiṃha) was the first ruler of the Chalukya dynasty of Vatapi (modern Badami) in present-day India. He ruled the area around modern Bijapur in the early 6th century, and was the grandfather of the dynasty's first sovereign ruler, Pulakeshin I.

## Reign

Jayasimha finds a mention in the Aihole and Mahakuta inscriptions of his dynasty, but no inscription issued by him has been discovered so far. A 543 CE (Shaka 465) inscription dated to the reign of his grandson Pulakeshin I has been discovered at Badami. Assuming a reign of around 20 years each for Jayasimha and his son Ranaraga, historian Durga Prasad Dikshit dates Jayasimha's reign to c. 500-520 CE. He was succeeded by his son Ranaraga, who appears to have stabilized the Chalukya rule in the region.
The Mahakuta inscription eulogizes Jayasimha as "the very receptacle of brilliance, energy, valour, memory, intellect, splendour, polity and refinement." It compares him to the deity Maghavan (Indra) in terms of good qualities, and to the deity Vaishravana (Kubera) in terms of wealth.

## Political status

The Mahakuta inscription gives Jayasimha's title as nṛpaḥ ("king"). The Chalukya records also accord him various epithets, such as Vallabha, Shri-vallabha, and Vallabhendra. The absence of any imperial titles in this list indicates that Jayasimha was a vassal king.
According to one theory, Jayasimha was a vassal of the Kadambas. The Chalukya inscriptions and coins are somewhat similar in style to those of the Kadambas, who preceded them in the Deccan region. According to the Daulatabad inscription of Jagadekamalla, Jayasimha was "the destroyer of the pomp of the Kadambas". This suggests that Jayasimha was originally a Kadamba vassal, but this cannot be said with certainty. For example, it is possible that Jayasimha was actually a vassal of the early Rashtrakutas of Manapura, and repulsed a Kadamba attack a Rashtrakuta feudatory. Another possibility is that Jayasimha assumed sovereignty after the defeat of his Rashtrakuta overlords by the Nalas and the Mauryas of Konkana, and then repulsed a Kadamba invasion.
Another theory is that Jayasimha was a vassal of the early Rashtrakutas of Manapura (not to be confused with the later imperial Rashtrakutas of Manyakheta). According to the records of the later Chalukyas of Kalyani, who claimed descent from the Chalukyas of Vatapi, the Chalukya family's progenitor Jayasimha defeated the Rashtrakutas (like the 10th century Kalyani Chalukya ruler Tailapa II, who defeated the Rashtrakutas of Manyakheta). These records include the Kauthem inscription and the court poet Ranna's Gadayuddha. The Kauthem inscription names the defeated king as Indra, the son of Krishna; no such early Rashtrakuta king is known from the extant historical records. An inscription of the early Rashtrakuta king Abhimanyu records the grant of the Undikavatika village to the Shaivite ascetic Jatabhara in the presence of Jayasimha, the commander of the Harivatsa fort. This commander may be same as the Chalukya ruler Jayasimha. Historian D. C. Sircar theorized that the Rashtrakutas of Manapura were overthrown by the Nalas and the Konkana Mauryas, who, in turn, were overthrown by the Chalukyas.