Simhana (IAST: Siṃhaṇa, also transliterated as Singhana; r. c. 1210-1246 was the most powerful ruler of the Seuna (Yadava) dynasty of the Deccan region of India.
He expanded his kingdom to the south at the expense of the Hoysalas, and fought the Chaulukyas and the Vaghelas for the control of the Lata region in the north.
His generals subjugated several insubordinate feudatory chiefs, and the Yadava territory reached its greatest extent during his reign.
[1] Historian A. S. Altekar theorizes that Simhana was formally associated with his father's administration as the heir apparent (yuvaraja) after 1200, which may explain why some inscriptions date his ascension as early as 1200.
[1] On the other hand, T. V. Mahalingam theorizes that Simhana was crowned as his father's successor in 1200, and had a second coronation in 1210 to mark his conquest of the Hoysala territories.
A 1226-27 inscription discovered at Doni in the southern region states that sixteen years had passed since Simhana's entry in the area (nadu).
[2] Some later inscriptions, such as those discovered at Chikka Sakuna and Munoli, state that Simhana beheaded the king of Telanga, and placed another person on the empty throne.
[6] Ganapati also avoided adopting an aggressive attitude towards the Yadavas, having spent the early part of his life in their captivity.
[7] Simhana's grandfather Bhillama V had suffered a humiliating defeat against the Hoysala king Ballala II at Soratur.
[3] Simhana's inscriptions discovered in the region to the south of the Malaprabha River are dated as early as 1202, which suggests that the Yadavas had made inroads into this area by this time.
[8] A 1206 inscription shows that by that year, the Yadavas had conquered a part of the present-day Bijapur district, and placed it under their general Keshavadeva.
[8] The Rattas of Saundatti, who formerly acknowledged the Hoysala suzerainty, switched their allegiance to Simhana, and helped him in expanding the Yadava power southwards.
Taking advantage of the conflict between the Chalukyas, the Kalachuris, the Yadavas, and the Hoysalas, Bhoja had assumed imperial titles.
[9] A Yadava inscription states that Simhana was "an eagle who caused the serpent in the form of the mighty ruler Bhoja, hiding in the fort of Panhala, to take a flight."
[9][8] This annexation seems to have taken place before 1217, as a 1217 inscription found in the Shimoga district describes Simhana as a vajra (thunderbolt) to the Panhala fort.
A 1218 inscription found at Kolhapur records the construction of a gate before the Ambabai temple by Simhana's officer Tailana.
[10] Simhana invaded the Paramara kingdom in 1215, and according to the later Yadava court poet Hemadri, this invasion resulted in the defeat and death of Arjunavarman.
[8] The Chaulukya king Bhima II ruled the present-day Gujarat, located to the north-west of the Yadava territory.
Simha, the Chahamana ruler of the Lata region in southern Gujarat, was originally a Chaulukya feudatory, but had later shifted his allegiance to the Paramaras.
[15] According to these legends, Shankha convinced Simhana and the Paramara king Devapala to send a joint expedition to Gujarat.
Historian A. S. Altekar speculates that Simhana must have received considerable wealth for agreeing to this peace treaty, in addition to the confirmation of his protectorate over the Lata region.
[7] The Ratta chiefs ruled a small principality in the present-day Belgaum district, and kept shifting their allegiance between the dominant imperial powers of the region.
For example, one inscription states that Simhana was:[2] a moon to the lotus Bhoja, an axe to the forest of Arjuna, a furious storm blast to the feeble crowd of the Gurjaras, a thunderbolt on the mountain Magadha, a Rama to that Pulastya the Chola, a Shiva to the Gauda poison, the bestower of new widowhood on the dames of the lord of the horse... a river raging flood in dashing upon the massive bank Ballala, a conqueror of Vihansaraja.The court poet Hemadri mentions that Simhana captured the elephant force of King Jajalla, and ended the sovereignty of King Kakkula.
[18] Some Yadava inscriptions also credit Simhana and his generals (Kholeshvara, Rama and Bichana) with victories in other parts of India.
According to these inscriptions, Simhana or his generals defeated the kings of Panchala, Nepala, Anga, Vanga (or Vengi), Kalinga, Chera, Pallava, and Sindhu.
These conventional poetic claims seem to be purely imaginary, and there is no evidence of the Yadava army having penetrated these distant regions.
In the west, it touched the Arabian Sea, and in the east, it included the western part of Andhra: Simhana's inscriptions have been discovered in the present-day Anantapur and Kurnool districts.
[5] Kholeshvara was born to a Brahmin named Trivikrama, but adopted a warrior role, and defeated several small chiefs in the Vidarbha and Khandesh regions.
These chiefs included Lakshmideva of Bhambhagiri (modern Bhamer), Hemadri of Khandesh, and Bhoja of Chanda (in present-day Madhya Pradesh).
[19] He played an important role in the anti-Hoysala campaigns, and one of his inscriptions claims that he advanced as far as the Kaveri River, where he set up a victory pillar.