A monarch more inclined towards literature, Someshvara III had to face the invasion of the Hoysala ruler Vishnuvardhana, but was able to suppress him.
Though not fully able to overthrow the Westeren Chalukya empire, Vishnuvardhana was able to rise his territory to the dignity of a real kingdom and laid the foundations for the conquests that were to follow by his able successors Veera Ballala II and III.
•
Vishnuvardhana worked closely with his elder brother Veera Ballala I in matters of administration and military campaigns.
The first recorded use of the word Nila applied to this region can be traced to 1117 AD in the report of a general of Vishnuvardhana, King of Hoysalas, who in reference to his enemies, claimed to have “frightened the Todas, driven the Kangas underground, slaughtered the Pallavas, put to death the Malayalas, terrified King Kala and then proceeded to offer the peak of Nila Mountain (presumably Dodabetta) to Lakshmi, Goddess of Wealth.
The Bijayagadh Stone Pillar Inscription of Vishnuvardhana, locally known as Bhīm kī Lāţ, was erected at Bayana in Bharatpur district for having perfection been attained in samvat 428 on the fifteenth lunar day of the dark fortnight of (the month) Phâlguna.