(r. 1042–1068)
considers a Somavati Amavasya to be a particularly good time to worship Shiva,
as well as to bathe (snana) in a holy river such as the Ganges, or to do any
other religious deed.
The Chalukya dynasty's monarch.
Apart from his lengthy rule, he is most remembered for
committing religious suicide by drowning himself in the Tungabhadra River as
his mental abilities started to deteriorate.
Although suicide was harshly condemned in general, suicide
by a person suffering from a fatal illness or chronic agony was a
well-documented exception.
This kind of suicide was carried out in accordance with a
well-defined ritual designed to put the perpetrator in the right state of mind.
This was deemed one of the "forbidden in the Kali
[Age]" (Kalivarjya) ceremonies about the twelfth century, despite the fact
that it had previously been authorized.
