Amba-deva succeeded his elder brother Tripurari as the Kayastha chief in 1272, and soon gave up allegiance to the Kakatiya queen Rudrama.
He defeated several Kakatiya subordinates, and also fought against the neighbouring Pandyas and their vassals to carve out an independent principality with its capital at Valluru-pattana.
[4] However, epigraphic evidence suggests that the Kalukada chiefs - Keshava-deva and his brother Raya-murari Soma-deva - controlled much of this area.
[7] He appears to have been loyal to the Kakatiya monarch Rudrama for some time, as suggested by his title raya-sthapanacharya[8] ("a pillar of support for the kingdom"[9]).
[10] Ambadeva's 1290 CE Tripurantakam inscription, written in Sanskrit language, records his military successes, including his victories over the feudatories (mandalikas) of Rudrama.
[12] The number 75 and the beheading claim are likely poetic exaggeration, and may be interpreted to mean that Amba-deva simply defeated the entire Kakatiya army.
[14] At the time, Kopperunjinga may have been a Pandya vassal sent to support the Kalukada chiefs,[14] and possibly, a Kakatiya ally who was guarding Nellore.
[15] Kopperunjinga may have been supported by the Telugu Choda Vijaya Ganda-gopala, whose 1278-1279 CE Nandalur inscription suggests that he invaded the Kayastha territory.
[17] The Tripurantakam inscription states that Amba-deva defeated the Kalukada chiefs Keshava-deva and Somi-deva, and their ally, the Telugu Chola ruler Allu Ganga of Gutti.
The 1283 CE Akkareddipalli (near Badvel) inscription, which records the construction of a Shiva temple, mentions Gandapendera Tripurai-deva Maharaja as the ruler of the area.
[18] Amba-deva married his daughter to Rajanna, the son of a chief named Bollaya, and conferred upon him the territory around Nandanapura (Nandavaram near Banaganapalli).
[7] According to the Amara-kosha these seven "limbs" refer to "king, minister, friend, treasury, territory, forts and forces"; this suggests that Amba-deva also killed Mallikarjuna's overlord Rudrama.
[21] The Chandupatla inscription records a land gift for the merit of Rudrama and Mallikarjuna, stating that they had "attained Shiva-loka", that is, died.
[22] Amba-deva established an independent principality that included almost all of the former south-western parts of the Kakatiya territory to the south of the Krishna River.
[16] According to Amba-deva's 1287 CE Attirala inscription, his principality included his capital Valluru-pattana, Gandikota, Muliki-nadu, Renadu, Pendekallu, Sakili, Eruva, and Pottapi-nadu.
[24] His Tripurantakam inscription states that the Pandyas nourished friendship with him by sending him elephants and horses, and that the Seuna king gifted him ornaments of gold and gems.