View source for Marasimha II Satyavakya

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2024}}
{{Short description| Western Ganga King  from 963 to 975 CE}}
{{Infobox royalty
| title        = Maharaja<br>Nolambantaka<br>Guttiya-Ganga<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ali |first1=B. Sheikh |title=History of the Western Gangas |date=1976 |publisher=Prasaranga, University of Mysore |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U7wBAAAAMAAJ&q=Guttiya+-+Ganga |language=en}}</ref><ref name="indica"/>
| succession   = 23rd [[Western Ganga Dynasty|Western Ganga]] king
| reign        = 963–975
| predecessor  = Marulaganga Neetimarga (961–963)
| successor    = Rachamalla IV Satyavakya (975–986)
| spouse       = Abbarasi<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gopal |first1=Balakrishnan Raja |title=The Rashtrakutas of Malkhed: Studies in the History and Culture |date=1994 |publisher=Mythic Society, Bangalore by Geetha Book House |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xU5uAAAAMAAJ&q=Marasimha+II |language=en}}</ref>
| issue        = Rachamalla IV Satyavakya, Rachamalla V
| father       = [[Butuga II]]
| mother       = Kallabbarasi (daughter of the Chalukya king Simhavarman)
| religion     = [[Jainism]]
| house        = [[Western Ganga dynasty|Western Ganga]]
}}
{{Western Ganga kings}}
'''Marasimha II Satyavakya''' was a king of the [[Western Ganga Dynasty]], 23rd in the succession. He was the successor of Marulaganga Neetimarga, his half-brother who reigned 961–963. He was succeeded by Rachamalla IV Satyavakya, his eldest son. He was a [[vassal]] of the declining [[Rashtrakuta]] empire and served them until their collapse.<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Vanina |editor1-first=Eugenia |title=Indian History |date=2003 |publisher=Encyclopaedia Britannica (India) |isbn=9788184245684 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MazdaWXQFuQC&dq=Marasimha+II&pg=PR19 |language=en}}</ref>

His reign is considered as a prelude to the decline and fall of the [[Western Ganga dynasty|Ganga Kingdom]].<ref name="archive"/> His two sons- Rachmalla IV and Rachmalla V (Rakkasaganga) were the last kings of the [[Western Ganga Dynasty]]. 

==Reign==
Marasimha II was the second son of [[Butuga II]] through his second wife Kallabbarasi.<ref name="indica">{{cite book |title=Epigraphia Indica and Record of the Archæological Survey of India |date=1899 |publisher=Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing, India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TcIUAAAAYAAJ&dq=Marasimha+II&pg=RA1-PA161 |language=en}}</ref>
He was a loyal [[Vassal|feudatory]] of the [[Rashtrakuta dynasty|Rashtrakutas]] and served them till their demise. He was serving them from the reign of [[Krishna III]], the last great [[Rashtrakuta dynasty|Rashtrakuta]] monarch. He led a campaign into the north for his overlord [[Krishna III]], where he defeated a [[Gurjara-Pratihara]] king named Lalla.<ref name="bombay"/>

He subsequently served [[Rashtrakuta]] kings [[Khottiga]] and [[Karka II]] as governor of multiple southern [[Rashtrakuta]] provinces.<ref name="indica"/> He defeated Nanni Nolamba, ruler of the [[Nolamba dynasty|Pallavas of Nolambavadi]] and assumed the title of "Nolambantaka" (ender of the family of Nolambas).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Others |first1=Muzaffar H. Syed & |title=History of Indian Nation : Ancient India |date=20 February 2022 |publisher=K.K. Publications |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Sy5gEAAAQBAJ&dq=nolambavadi+marasimha&pg=PA350 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="hassan">{{cite book |title=Karnataka State Gazetteer: Hassan |date=1971 |publisher=Director of Print., Stationery and Publications at the Government Press |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wp4BAAAAMAAJ&q=Marasimha+II |language=en}}</ref><ref name="death">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vmc3vs5Ija0C&pg=PA21 | title=Inviting Death: Indian Attitude Towards the Ritual Death | publisher=BRILL | last=Settar | first=S. | series=Monographs and theoretical studies in sociology and anthropology | year=1989 | volume=28 | page=21 | isbn=90-04-08790-7}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=State) |first1=Mysore (India  |last2=Sathyan |first2=B. N. Sri |title=Mysore State Gazetteer |date=1972 |publisher=Director of Print., Stationery and Publications at the Government Press |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RbG1AAAAIAAJ&q=nolambavadi+marasimha |language=en}}</ref> [[Chamundaraya]] was his loyal and able prime minister, who helped him conquer several territories.<ref name="throne">{{cite book |last1=Kāmat |first1=Sūryanātha |title=A Concise History of Karnataka: From Pre-historic Times to the Present |date=1980 |publisher=Archana Prakashana |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oqY9AAAAMAAJ&q=A+concise+history+of+Karnataka+:+from+pre-historic+times+to+the+present. |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Mudiraja">{{cite web |title=46. Rachmalla- Great History of Mudiraja Caste |url=http://mudiraja.weebly.com/46-rachamalla.html |website=Mudiraja weebly |access-date=22 December 2020}}</ref>

When his [[Rashtrakuta]] overlord [[Karka II]] was killed by his rebellious feudatory [[Tailapa II]], Marasimha II tried to continue the [[Rashtrakuta Empire]] by crowning [[Indra IV]] as emperor at [[Bankapur]] in 973.<ref name="bombay">{{cite book |title=Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency ... |date=1904 |publisher=Printed at the Government Central Press |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SroMAAAAIAAJ&dq=Marasimha&pg=PA714 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Karnataka State Gazetteer: Mysore |date=1988 |publisher=Director of Print, Stationery and Publications at the Government Press |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7yQLAQAAIAAJ&q=Marasimha+II |language=en}}</ref><ref name="archive">{{cite web |last1=Arthikraje |first1=Dr. |title=History of Karnataka |url=http://www.ourkarnataka.com/states/history/historyofkarnataka12.htm |website=Our Karnataka|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061024000548/http://www.ourkarnataka.com/states/history/historyofkarnataka12.htm |archive-date=2006-10-24 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Murthy |first1=M. S. Krishna |title=The Noḷambas: A Political and Cultural Study, C750 to 1050 A.D. |date=1980 |publisher=Prasaranga, University of Mysore |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7WQ9AQAAIAAJ&q=Marasimha+II |language=en}}</ref>

One of his discovered inscription includes the [[Shravanbelgola]] epitaph of Marasimha II.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Epigraphia Indica and Record of the Archæological Survey of India |volume=5 |publisher=Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing, India |date=2008 |page=151 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TcIUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA151 |language=en}}</ref>

==Death==
He starved himself to death by the [[Jain]] ritual of [[Sallekhana]] at [[Bankapur]], in 975.<ref name="bombay"/> The death of Marasimha is considered as a prelude to the decline and fall of the [[Western Ganga dynasty|Ganga Kingdom]].<ref name="archive"/>

His death sparked a civil war in the [[Western Ganga dynasty|Western Ganga Kingdom]], and his former prime minister [[Chavundaraya]] helped Marasimha's eldest son Rachamalla ascend the throne, and Rachamalla came to the throne as Rachamalla IV Satyvakya.<ref name="throne"/><ref name="Mudiraja"/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book |last=Reu|first= Pandit Bisheshwar Nath |title=History of The Rashtrakutas (Rathodas)|orig-date=1933|year=1997|publisher= Publication scheme|location= Jaipur|isbn= 81-86782-12-5 }}
*{{cite book |last= Kamath|first= Suryanath U.|title= A concise history of Karnataka : from pre-historic times to the present|orig-date=1980|year= 2001|publisher= Jupiter books|location= Bangalore|oclc= 7796041 |lccn=80905179}}

==External links==
* [http://www.srikanta-sastri.org/#/gangas-of-talakad-article/4550857520 "Gangas of Talakad"] by [[S. Srikanta Sastri]]

{{S-start}}
{{Succession box 
  | title = [[Western Ganga Dynasty|Western Ganga king]]
  | years = (963–975)
  | before =Marulaganga Neetimarga (961–963)
  | after =[[Rachamalla IV Satyavakya]] (975–986)  
}}
{{S-end}}

[[Category:Western Ganga kings]]
[[Category:10th-century Indian monarchs]]
[[Category:Heads of state who died by suicide]]
[[Category:Suicides in India]]
[[Category:Suicides by starvation]]
[[Category:Royalty who died by suicide]]