Padma's theory is based on the facts that the suffix "Bhattarika" attached to the poet's name indicates her high social status, and that the queen is known to have made generous grants to scholars.
[5] In 2023, Shreenand L. Bapat of Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute identified Shilabhattarika as a daughter of the Chalukya ruler Pulakeshin II, based on the decipherment of an inscription.
According to Bapat, her name appears in a copper-plate charter of the Chalukya king Vijayaditya, dated January-February 717 CE; she was married to Dadiga, a son of the Ganga ruler Mushkara alias Mokkara.
She is known to have written at least 46 poems on topics such as "love, morality, politics, nature, beauty, the seasons, insects, anger, indignation, codes of conduct, and the characteristic features of various kinds of heroines.
[2] Sharngadhara-paddhati, a 14th-century anthology, praises her and three other female poets in the following words:[8] Shilabhattarika, Vijja, Marula, and Morika are poetesses of renown with great poetic genius and erudition.