Described as a wise and well-behaved man, a person with a religious bent of mind and a peaceful muni, Amoghavarsha III reigned for a brief four to five years. The driving ambition of an energetic son, Krishna III, the desire of the samantas, the need to uphold the family name and perhaps some sort of divine inspiration led Amoghavarsha to accept the throne of the Rashtrakutas.
His earliest date given in the Chitaldurg inscription is 7 September of 937 and recorded facts about him specify that he gave many villages to brahmans and built many Siva temples. The affairs of the state were conducted by his son Krishna III mostly, appointed as yuvaraja probably during his induction to the throne. The Deoli plates of May AD 940 state that Krishnaraja was comparable to Kumara (meaning Subrahmanya and Yuvaraja) and his enemies perish of their own accord. Acting under his father’s orders, he attained fame and seeing him thus well-established, his father, the best of sages, ended his life.
Nilakanta Sastri says in the light of this epigraph that Krishna III helped brother-in-law to claim the Ganga throne from Rajamalla, a fact corroborated in the Chitaldurg inscription.
Krishna ascended the throne after his father’s death, the Deoli and Karhad plates are certain on this score. The Deoli plates of May 940 state nothing on military expeditions of Krishna after coronation; it refers to a gift of land for the merit of his younger brother Jagatunga Deva, dearer to Krishna than his own Life. His Karhad plates refer to his southern conquest when he is said to have removed the Chola dynasty distributing its territories among his people, extracted tributes from the Chera, Pandya and Sinhala and erected a victory pillar at Ramesvara commemorating his fame.
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It is not definitely known when the fighting began, but a decisive stage was reached in AD 949 at the batde of Takkolam near Arkonam in North Arcot. The Chola records also confirm this stating that hakravartin Kannaradeva Vallabha entered Tondaimandalam after the overthrow of Rajaditya in 949.
His assumption of the title Kanchchiyum-Tanjaiyum- Konda meant that he captured Kanchi and Thanjavur.
Like his predecessors, Krishna III also meddled in the affairs of Vengi whenever there was an opportunity to do so.
In the concluding years of his reign, Krishna undertook an expedition in the north, but against whom and when is not known.
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In many records the great power enjoyed by the Ganga feudatories of the Rashtrakutas is highlighted. Butuga and then his son Marasimha had under their control areas which should really have been ruled directly by Krishna. The Gangas, however, fully honoured the trust Krishna had over them. Another feudatory, Ahavamalla Tailaparasa of the Satyasraya family who got from Krishna the province of Tardavadi near the heart of the empire as anungajivita (military fief) circa 965, did not. In fact, it was Tailapa who brought down the Rashtrakuta empire within a few years after Krishna’s death.
Krishna died circa 966-67. His last regnal year is 28th, mentioned in his Tamil inscriptions from Tondaimandalam and it corresponds with his Kolagullu inscription of 17 February 967, engraved shortly after his death. His half-brother Khottiga followed him on the throne.
Khottiga died circa 972 and was succeeded on the throne by Karka II, son of Nirupama, Krishna and Khottiga’s brother. Taila II Chalukya deposed Karka and the later Bhadana grant (997) of Aparajita describes the event thus, “the light of Kings, Karka, was extinguished by the violent wind named Taipala and the Rattarajya ceased to exist.” The Kharapetan plates of 1008 and the still later Mangoli inscription confirm that.
Tailapa’s efforts to establish the independent kingdom of the Western Chalukyas of Kalyani was successful.