Karna succeeded his father Bhima I, who had invaded the Paramara kingdom of Malwa at the time of Bhoja's death.
Karna is credited with defeating a Bhil chief of Ashapalli, and laying the foundation of the Karnavati city, identified with the modern Ahmedabad in western India.
[3] Kshemaraja, the elder surviving son, renounced his rights to the throne, and retired to Dadhisthali as an ascetic.
According to historian A. K. Majumdar, Merutunga's account appears to be more satisfactory, since voluntary rejections of thrones were very rare.
Therefore, he probably invented a fictional narrative to avoid mentioning Bhima's illegitimate son as an ancestor of his patron.
Lakshmi-Karna seems to have occupied Malwa for sometime, but he soon suffered a series defeats against other neighbouring kings, and Bhima broke away from him.
An inscription from Kumarapala's reign states that Karna defeated the Malwa monarch at the Sudakupa pass.
[7] Another Gujarat poet Someshvara claims that Karna overran Malwa, and the Paramara priest magically invoked an evil spirit to defeat him.
[9]The Jainad inscription of Udayaditya's son Jagaddeva also mentions that he subdued Karna, and made the wives of the Gurjara warriors cry.
The Kalachuri general Vapullaka also conquered the Lata region (present-day south Gujarat), which was located between the Chaulukya and the Paramara kingdoms.
Thus, it appears that Karna expelled the Kalachuris from Lata, and annexed the region to the Chaulukya kingdom.
[12] Karna's victory appears to have been achieved during the reign of the Kalachuri king Yashah-Karna, as suggested by a verse of the Gujarat poet Someshvara.
[12] It appears that Karna lost Lata to one Trivikramapala within three years, but the region was recaptured by his son Jayasimha Siddharaja.
According to their Sundha Hill inscription, the Chahamana ruler Prithvipala defeated Karna, and his successor Jojalladeva occupied the Chaulukya capital Anahilapataka by force.
[13] According to a Ras-Mala account based on the writings of the 14th century chronicler Merutunga, Karna defeated the Bhils and the Kolis.
[13] Two relatively late texts suggest that Karna was defeated by the Chahamana king Durlabharaja III.
The 14th century text Prabandha Kosha claims that Durlabha defeated the Gurjara king, brought him to the Chahamana capital Ajmer in chains and forced him to sell yogurt in a market.
It is possible that Durlabha achieved a minor military success against Karna, which was magnified into a major victory by the later panegyrists.
When Mayanalla recalled this incident from her past life, she decided to marry the king of Gujarat and waive this unfair tax.
Both Hemachandra and Bilhana wrote under Chaulukya patronage, so they had a vested interest in portraying Karna's queen in a positive light.
According to the 14th century chronicler Merutunga, he built a temple dedicated to the goddess Kochharba at Ashapalli after defeating its Bhil chief Asha.
Vayatiya Vasati at Ashapalli probably constructed in early years of Karna, existed before Udayana arrived there.
The temple is discussed in Mahendrasuri's Vadasthala and its rejoiner Prabodhyavadasthala by Jinapatisuri as it had raised controversies in 1192 regarding its sanctity due to its consecration by a Chaityavasi abbot.
[24] Based on style-critical analysis, the rangamandapa and torana at Sun Temple, Modhera is ascribed the early years of Karna's reign.
The Chaulukya kings gave Ama-sharman a considerable amount of wealth, which he used to build Shiva shrines, dig ponds, and make donations to the poor.