He succeeded to the Ganga throne during a time when the Rashtrakuta were the empire on the rise in South India and the Deccan.
The Rashtrakuta monarch Dhruva Dharavarsha defeated Shivamara in Mudagunduru and took the Ganga king captive.
The Rashtrakuta then took direct control of the Gangavadi with the appointment of Kambharasa, son of Dhruva Dharavarsha as its governor.
He was later released, only to be imprisoned again during the rule of Govinda III when he refused to pay the Rashtrakuta tribute.
In spite of being imprisoned on multiple occasions and being at constant war, he found the time to write literary works, including Gajashtaka in Kannada, Gajamathakalpana in Sanskrit and Sethubandha in Prakrit.