EARLY HISTORY

(A.D. 100).

KOLHAPUR history may be divided into three periods, early Hindu period,
partly mythic and partly historic, reaching to about A.D. 1347; Musalman period
lasting from A.D. 1347 to about 1700; and Maratha period since 1700. Kolhapur
would seem to be one of the very old cities in the country. In making some
excavations on its site in 1877 the foundations of a large Buddhist relic mound
were turned up and in the centre of the mound was found a square stone box with,
on the inner face of its square lid, an inscription of about the third century before
Christ recording " The gift of Bamha made by Dhamaguta." [Journal Bombay
Branch Royal Asiatio Society, XIV. 147-154, Bombay Archeological Survey.
Separate Number 10, page 39.] Copper and lead coins and brass models have also
been found at Kolhapur which show that about the first century after Christ it was
under rulers who were kings or viceroys of the great satakarni or Andhrabhritya
dynasties of the North Deccan, one of whom bore the name Vilivayakura. [Journal
Bom. Br. Roy. As. Soc. XIV. 152-153; Professor
Bhandarkai's Early History ofthe Deccan, 17, 20.] About A.D. 150 the Egyptian
geographer Ptolemy mentions Hippokura as the capital of Baleocures who
governed the southern divisions of the Deccan peninsula. Hippokura is probably
Kolhapur [In fact it is Dr. Bhandarkar who identifies Hippokura with Kolhapur; but
Dr. Katre, who has examined the problem linguistically is of opinion that Hippokura
cannot be derived from Kolhapura (Social Survey of Kolhapur by N. V; Sohani, Vol
II, "page 2).] and Dr. R. G. Bhandarkar identifies Baleocures with the Vilivayakura
of the coins. [Bertius' Ptolemy, 205; Deccan Early History, 20.]

(A.D. 750).

To about this time or a little earlier belong the Buddhist caves called Pandav
Dara about six miles west of Panhala, and the Pavala caves near Jotiba's hill about
nine miles north-west of Kolhapur. From the Andhrabhrtyas the district would
seem to have passed to the early Kadambas (A.D. 500) whose chief capital was at
Palasika or Halsi in Belgaum about a hundred miles south-east of Kolhapur. From
the early Kadambas it would seem to have passed to the early and Western
Calukyas from about 550 to 760; to the Rastrakutas to 973; from the Rastrakutas
to the Western Calukyas, who held the district, to about 1190 and while under
them, to the Kolhapur Silaharas (A.D. 942-1205), and to the Devagiri Yadavas
upto the Musalman conquest of the Deccan about 1347. Of the early and Western
Calukyas no copper plates or stone inscriptions referring to Kolhapur proper have
yet been found, Of the Rastrakutas, two copper plate grants have been found, one
at Samangad fort four miles south of Gadhinglaj and another at Sangli town. The
Samangad grant, which belongs to the seventh Rasrakuta king Dantidurga or
Dantivarma II, bears date sak 675 (A.D. 733-54) and mentions that Dantidurga's
victorious elephants ploughed up the bank of the river Reva or Narmada, that he
acquired supreme dominion by conquering Vallabha, and that he easily defeated
the army of the Karnatak which was expert in dispersing the kings of Kanci or
Conjeveram and Kerala, the Colas, the Pandyas, Sriharsa, and Vajrata. [Fleet's
Kanarese Dynasties, 32-33. This is the earliest known inscription in which the date
is expressed by figures arranged according to the decimal system of notation.] The

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Sangli copper plate grant belongs to the fourteenth king Govind V and is dated Sak
855 (A.D. 933-34) [Jour. Bom. Br. Roy. As. Soc. IV. 97; Fleet's Kanarese
Dynasties 37.]. Of the Western Calukyas who succeeded the Rastrakutas in A. D.
973, there is a copper plate grant from Miraj, which belongs to king Jayasimha III.
It was made by him in Sak 946 (A.D. 1024-25) at his victorious camp which, after
warring against the mighty Colas, the lord of the city of the Candramila and after
seizing the possessions of the lords of the Seven Konkans, was located near the
city of Kolhapura or Kolhapur for conquering the northern country. There is an
inscription of Somadeva in the Mahalaksmi temple at Kolhapur, but it does not
refer to Kolhapur itself. Next in point of time is a reference in a grant of the
Kadamb king of Goa of (A.D. 1078). Therein the king Sastha is said to have gone
to Kolhapur and worshipped the Goddess Mahalaksmi. It was during Somesvara
regime that Colas under Rajendra II invaded the Calukyan territory as far north as
Kolhapur and even claimed to have set up a pillar of victory at this place.
[Excavations at Brahmpuri by Dr. Sankalia and Dr. Dikshit pages 5-6.]

Apart from the inscriptional evidence on the basis of which the early history of
Kolhapur is being traced here, there are many references in Puranas which throw
light both on the derivation of the word Kolhapur and the sacredness that the city
has come to possess on account of the location of Ambabai temple there. The
Puranic evidence has to be utilised with great caution, but it would be wrong to
keep it out of sight altogether. "According to Puranas," says Major Graham writing
in 1854, " this tract of the country was originally called ' Kurwir' (Karavira) from
the goddess Mahalaksmi using her mace (Kur) in lifting her favoured retreat from
the waters of the great deluge." According to another legend the name " Kolhapur"
is derived from the story that a demon " Kole " was defeated and killed on a hill in
the vicinity of Kolhapur. [Sankalia and Dikshit, p. 1.] Karavir-mahatmya which was
written in A.D. 1867 and is said to form part of Padmapurana refers to the goddess
Mahalaksml. So does a section of the Markandeya purana called Devimahatmya,
which is said to be not older than A.D. 800. Another Purana, Harivamia, refers to
Karavirpura which is said to be the same as Kolhapur. It has been stated therein
that Krisna, and Balaram in their fight against Jarasandha at Mathura had to go to
the south and reached Karavirpura. The place was then ruled by Srgala who was a
man of an evil disposition. The two brothers after some unsuccessful effort to
settle elsewhere, gave battle to Srgala and killed him. The throne of Karvirpura
was given to his son Sakradeva. After waiting for some time the two brothers went
back to Mathura and they are said to have reached the distance within six days.

Among the literary references the most authentic and datable is that of
Hemacandra (C.A.D. 1130), the famous Jain writer of Gujarat. In
his Dvyasraya kavya he refers to the gift sent by the lord of Kollapura, who was
blessed by the goddesses Laksmi and Gauri, for Prince Camunda, the son of
Mularaja. If the account is a genuine record of events, then the antiquity of
Kolhapur as a seat (pitha) of these goddesses can be placed at least one hundred
years earlier than the time of Hemacandra himself (A. D. 1088-1173).
In Visvakarma Sastra referred to by Hemadri in his caturvarga cintamanithere is a
reference to (Mahalaksml of Kollapura. Another work Sarasvatipurana refersto
Kollapura as a Mahapitha (great seat) wherein the four goddesses Mahalaksml,
Mahakali, Kolla and Kankala were installed in east, north, south and west of the
place respectively by Jayasinha Siddharaja (C.A.D. 1093-1142). In Jain literature,
Harisena'sBrhat Kathakosa, composed in A.D. 931-932 at Vardhamanapura,

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probably Wadhawan in Saurastra, refers in one of the stories to Kolladigiripattana
in Daksinapatha. This seems to be no other than Kolhapur. As this mention occurs
in a folk story recorded in the 10th century, the town must probably have been
known by this name a couple of centuries earlier. [The above account is based
upon the Report on the ' Excavations at Bramhapuri' (1945-46) by Dr. H. D.
Sankalia and Dr. M. G. Dikshit, pp. 1 to 3]

Fresh light has been thrown by recent excavations on the antiquity and the
earliest habitation of this place. The report on the excavations states that the
oldest village from out of which Kolhapur later developed into a great city was
situated on a hill on the banks of the river Pancaganga. It is now known as
Bramhapuri. " An inscription of the Kolhapura Silahara king Gandaraditya
of Saka 1048' (A.D. 1126-27) calls Kolhapura a Mahatirtha and refers to a temple
Khedaditya (a Sun temple) at Bramhapuri." The statement in the inscription that
Kolhapura or Bramhapuri was created by Brahman might signify that the site of
Bramhapuri was so old that its origin in course of time was attributed to Brahma,
the lord of creation himself. The inscription also mentions the capital
Vallavadagrama, identified with Valavade, the site of the present Radhanagari, 27
miles south-west of Kolhapur. [Sankalia and Dikshit, p. 4. The exact identification
of Vallavadagrama is controversial.] The years later in Saka 1058 (A.D. 1135) the
same king's patronage to a Jaina temple by the name Rupa-Narayana at Kolhapur
is referred to in an inscription located in the same temple in the present (Sukrawar
Peth).