Kokalla

Author: Laxman Burdak IFS (R)

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Kokalla II (r. c. 990-1015 CE) was a ruler of the Kalachuri dynasty of Tripuri in central India. His kingdom was centered around the Chedi or Dahala region in present-day Madhya Pradesh. His Gurgi inscription suggests that he raided the territories of the Gurjara-Pratiharas, the Palas and the Chalukyas of Kalyani.

Variants

• Kôkkala/Kokkala (कोक्कल)
• Togglala = Kokalla II (कोकल्ल).
• Kokalladeva (कोकल्लदेव)

Ancestry of Ratanpur Kalachuri rulers

Source - Ratanpur Stone Inscription Of Jajalladeva I - (Kalachuri) Year 866 (=1114 AD)

The Ancestry of Ratanpur Kalachuri rulers was as under:

Kartavirya (Haihayas) →

Kokalla (lord of Chedi). He had eighteen sons, of whom the eldest became the lord of Tripuri.

Kalingaraja who leaving the ancestral country (Tritsu) conquered Dakshina Kosala. He resided at Tummâna as the place was previously the capital of his ancestors. From him was born Kamalaraja →

Kamalaraja →

Ratnadeva (I) (adorned Tummâna with several temples, founded Ratanpura and adorned it with many temples). Ratnadeva (I) married Nônallâ (नोनल्ला) the daughter of Vajjûka (वज्जूक), the lord of the Kômô-mandala. She bore to him a son name Prithvideva (I) who succeeded him. →

Prithvideva (I) constructed several temples such as that of Prithvishvara at Tummâna and excavated a large tank at Ratanpura. He married Rajalla (राजल्ला) from whom he had a son named Jajalladeva (I).

Jajalladeva (I) → He defeated Someshvara (सोमेश्वर) of Chakrakota. Jajalladeva (I) founded a town named Jajallapura (जाजल्लपपुर) (modern Janjgir),

Ratnadeva (II)

Early life

Kokalla was a son of the Kalachuri king Yuvarajadeva II. He was placed on the throne by the ministers of the state after his father's death.

Reign

Amoda Plates Of Prithvideva I (Kalachuri) Year 831 (=1079 AD) mentions in VV.4-6 as under:

(V. 4) The kings born in his (Kartavirya) family became (known as) Haihayas on the earth. In their family was born that (famous) Kôkkala, the first king of the Chaidyas (the people of the Chedi country)

(V. 5) By that king was erected on the earth a pillar of victory after forcibly dispossessing the kings of Karnata and Vanga, the lord of the Gurjaras, the ruler of Konkana, the lord of Shakambhari, the Turushka and the descendant of Raghu (Probably the contemporary prince of the Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty) of their treasure, horses and elephants.

(V. 6) He had eighteen, very valiant sons, who destroyed their enemies as lions break open the frontal globes of elephants , the eldest of them, an excellent prince, became the lord of Tripuri and he made his brothers the lords of mandalas by his side.

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The Gurgi inscription of Kokalla boasts that the other kings were afraid of him: the Gurjara king hid in the Himalayas, the Gauda king hid in the watery fort, and the Kuntala king lived in forest. These claims indicate that Kokalla probably raided these territories.

The Gurjara king was probably a Chaulukya king, either Mularaja or Chamundaraja. However, as the Kalachuri inscription suggests that the Himalayan region was part of his kingdom, he can also be identified with a weak Gurjara-Pratihara ruler, probably Rajyapala.

The Gauda king can be identified with the Pala ruler Mahipala.

The Kuntala king can be identified with the Kalayani Chalukya king Vikramaditya V. Kokalla's paternal aunt had married the Chalukya king Tailapa II. It is possible that the Chalukya-Kalachuri relations deteriorated after Tailapa's death.

The Jabalpur and Khaira inscriptions of Kokalla's descendant Yashahkarna boast that Kokalla raided countries in four directions until he reached the four oceans. This seems to be mere conventional praise.

The Udaipur Prashasti inscription of the Paramaras claims that their king Bhoja defeated one Togglala.

S. K. Bose identifies Togglala with Kokalla II. Kokalla was succeeded by his son Gangeyadeva, who appears to have served as Bhoja's vassal during the first few years of his reign.