[3][4] The death of Avantivarman led to a power struggle, His son and Successor Sankaravarman, had at first to contend for the throne with his cousin Sukhavarman, who had been set up as Yuvaraja, as well as with other rivals.

[7] The Darvabhisara was the first conquered territory, we must conclude that Sankaravarman's initial efforts were directed towards the recovery of the hill-trade which stretches from the Pir Pantsal range towards the plains of the Punjab, and which had been lost to Kasmir during the rule of the later Karkotas.

[5] At the advance of Sankaravarman's host, Prthivicandra, ruler of Trigarta, the present Kangra, is said to have approached the king in order to offer homage, but to have subsequently fled in terror.''

This territory, the name of which is preserved in that of the modern town of Gujrat, comprised, as I have shown else where, the upper portion of the flat Doab between the Jehlam and Cinab rivers south of Darvabhisara, and probably also a part of the Punjab plain farther east, Alakhana is said to have saved his kingdom by ceding to Sankaravarman the Takka-land, by which designation a tract adjoining the lower hills east of the Cinab is probably meant.

[5] During the reign of Mahendrapala, Bjoja's successor, Sankaravarman, had wrested all the territories and areas from the Gujara-pratiharas which had earlier been subjugated by King Bhoj.