Mudigonda Chalukyas

Established the family as independent rulers and founded Mudigonda as the first capital. The dynasty is referred to in inscriptions as belonging to the 'Ranamarda family/lineage' (Ranamardd-anvaya), named after him. The family claimed descent from the mythical ancestor Durjaya and traced their lineage through the lunar race (Soma-vamsa) starting from Vishnu.

Primary Capital: Mudigonda – fortified town, political and administrative center for early centuries.
Later Capital (c. 1000 CE): Moved to a place named Bottu (exact location uncertain, south of Mudigonda). The family thereafter adopted "Bottu" as their surname.

Early ruler; known from later genealogical records.

“Ornament of Ranamarda family.” Legendary feat: aided escape of Chalukya Bhima I of Vengi (r. 892–921 CE) from Rashtrakuta captivity, defeated Krishna II (Kannara Ballaha, r. 878–914 CE), wrested back lost territory, restored ‘Ranamarda-kanthi’ necklace. Granted rule over half of Vengi kingdom, including Manchikonda province.

Mentioned in the Koravi Inscription as a contemporary of Chalukya Bhima I of Vengi (r. 892–921 CE). The inscription places Bijayita/Gonangayya in the early 10th century as a Mudigonda Chalukya chief active during Bhima’s reign, confirming his position as one of the earliest securely attested rulers of this line.

A mid‑10th‑century Mudigonda Chalukya ruler attested in the A.D. 935 Koravi Copper Inscription, which records tax remissions and local administrative privileges in the Koravi region. He belongs to the main Mudigonda Chalukya line, succeeding the early chiefs Bijayita/Gonangayya and preceding the later, inscription‑anchored reign of Vijayaditya (c. 970–990 CE).

His period reflects the continued political presence of the Eastern Chalukyas of Vengi in the region, even as Rashtrakuta influence remained strong across the Deccan. The Koravi record shows the Mudigonda Chalukyas functioning as local hereditary chiefs within this shifting power balance, while culturally remaining within the orbit of the Vemulawada Chalukyas, whose religious and administrative traditions shaped several chieftaincies during this era.

970 CE (Kandyam plates) of Eastern Chalukya Danarnava (970–973) state king granted Pottapi-nadu to Mallana and Gundiya of Mudigonda Chalukya (sons of Smara a synonym for Kama or Kusumayudha). His reign fits the transitional phase when Mudigonda authority shifted from Eastern Chalukya to Western Chalukya overlordship.

A late 10th–early 11th‑century Mudigonda Chalukya ruler whose reign is anchored by three inscriptions: the Mudigonda stone inscription (A.D. 999), the Bezawada Copper Plate, and the Narayani Copper Plate (Saka 926 / A.D. 1004). These records collectively place him under the suzerainty of the Western Chalukyas during the reign of Satyāśraya (r. 997–1008 CE). The 999 inscription mentions the digging of a tank (kolanu) by the officer Upara Akamaya under the overlordship of Bedamgadeva (identified with Satyāśraya), while the Narayani and Bezawada plates confirm the dynasty’s continued administrative activity into the early 11th century.

Kusumayudha III had four sons—Gonaga, Nijjayaraja, Mallappa, and Lobhachalaka.

A son of Kusumayudha III and part of the early 11th‑century Mudigonda Chalukya lineage. His period corresponds to the era when the region was under Western Chalukya suzerainty following the shift seen in the 999 CE Mudigonda inscription. Nijjayaraja represents the continuation of the family’s authority into the post‑Satyāśraya phase, bridging the generation between Kusumayudha III and the rise of his nephew Kariya‑Gonaga at Koravipura.

Issuer of the Mogalcheruvula Grant, the most detailed genealogical record of the Mudigonda Chalukyas. His reign marks the consolidation of the family’s authority in the mid‑11th century under Western Chalukya suzerainty. The grant preserves the lineage from the early chiefs such as Bijayita/Gonangayya through Kusumayudha III and his sons, making Kusumayudha IV the key source for reconstructing the dynasty’s historical sequence.

A late 11th‑century Mudigonda Chalukya ruler who appears in the genealogical succession following Kusumayudha IV. His period reflects a phase of administrative reorganization, including the shift of the family’s operational center toward Bottu (modern Bottu‑gudem). This era coincides with the consolidation of Western Chalukya authority in the Telangana region under Someshvara I and Vikramaditya VI, within whose sphere the Mudigonda chiefs continued as local feudatories.

A mid‑11th to early‑12th century Mudigonda Chalukya ruler who governed under the overarching authority of the Western Chalukyas during the reigns of Vikramaditya VI and his successors. His period reflects the continued integration of the Mudigonda chiefs into the Western Chalukya administrative sphere following the earlier consolidation under Someshvara I. Kusumayudha V represents the transitional phase leading toward the later rulers Bottu‑Beta, Kusumaditya, and Nagati, who would eventually confront the rising power of the Kakatiyas.

Late Mudigonda Chalukya ruler mentioned in the Kukkanuru Plates as the predecessor and father of Kusumaditya. Married to Mahadevi, he was also the father of Nagati, the dynasty’s last prominent ruler. Bottu‑Beta’s reign represents the final period of internal stability before the political turbulence that led to Kusumaditya’s exile and the eventual confrontation with the Kakatiyas under Nagati.

Son of Bottu‑Beta and queen Mahadevi, and younger brother of Nagati. A late Mudigonda Chalukya ruler active during the rise of Kakatiya power. Early in his reign, he attempted to assert independence but was defeated by the Kakatiya Rudradeva, an event described in his own records as a bhumipraghattambu ("calamity") occurring in his first regnal year. This disaster forced Kusumaditya into a twelve‑year exile in the forests, after which he was restored to the throne with the help of loyal ministers and regional allies.

Kusumaditya is the issuer of the celebrated Kukkanuru Copper‑Plate Grant, one of the earliest inscriptions composed entirely in Telugu prose. The plates trace the dynasty's origin to Soma (the Moon) and list key ancestors including Bottu‑Beta and Nagati. Most importantly, the inscription records that during his twelve‑year exile, his ministers Indaparaju and Remaraju, together with Kariyagonugondu, the lord of Koravipura, safeguarded the kingdom and later restored him to power. In gratitude, Kusumaditya granted them the royal insignia and the city of Krivvaka (modern Kukkunuru) in Visuru‑nandu as an agrahara.

Kummarakuntla (Sundella) Inscription – March 28, 1197 CE: Issued during the reign of Kakatiya king Mahadeva (father of Ganapatideva), this record identifies Kusumanayaka as the Mahamandaleshwar and Lord of Koravi. It documents the construction of a Trikuta temple (dedicated to Mahadeva, Vasudeva, and Suryadeva) in the village of Repundi by a subordinate official named Mallireddi. Kusumanayaka is noted as the governing authority under whose tenure these religious endowments were granted.

Kumari Kunta (Warangal) Inscription – A.D. 1197 (Saka 1119): Originally found at Kumari Kunta (Warangal District) and currently preserved in the Archaeology Museum, Warangal, this record describes the village of Romupuru as the nija-vritti (personal fief or hereditary estate) of Mahasamanta Kusumanayaka, the chief of Kota-kuravi-pura. The inscription records that his subordinate, Mallireddi (son of Navireddi and Kommambika), constructed a major irrigation tank and a Trikuta temple at Romupuru. It further registers land grants (vrittis) for the temple's maintenance and for several Brahmanas.

Son of Bottu‑Beta and queen Mahadevi, and elder brother of Kusumaditya. A late Mudigonda Chalukya ruler who led the dynasty’s final bid for independence following the death of the Kakatiya king Mahadeva. His attack on the Kakatiya kingdom provoked a counter‑campaign led by the general Recherla Rudra, who defeated him, resulting in the final annexation of the Mudigonda territory into the expanding Kakatiya Empire around c. 1200 CE. The Palampet inscription (A.D. 1213) records that Rudra “put to flight” a king named Nagati and Kusumaditya, likely the grandson of the Nagati mentioned in the Kukkunuru plates, whose family held lands across parts of modern Warangal and Khammam districts.

Sons of Smara and early Mudugonda Chalukya princes mentioned in the Kandiyam Plates of A.D. 970 issued by Eastern Chalukya king Danarnava. The plates record the royal grant of Pottapi‑nāḍu to the two brothers, indicating their installation or confirmation as local chiefs in this region. Their position reflects the early expansion of the Mudugonda Chalukyas beyond their core at Mudigonda, with Pottapi‑nāḍu serving as a secondary territorial base under Eastern Chalukya suzerainty.

Founder and lord of Koravipura (Koravi). Identified in both the Kukkunuru Plates and the Mogalcheruvula Grant as the son of Gonaga and grandson of Kusumayudha . Said to have risen after “59 earlier chiefs” of Koravipura—referring to the local Koravi lineage—marking the establishment of a distinct Mudigonda Chalukya cadet branch separate from the main line at Mudigonda.