Somesvara’s successor, his eldest son Somesvara II, feuds with his younger brother, Vikramaditya VI, an ambitious warrior who had initially been governor of Gangavadi in the southern Deccan.

Married to a Chola princess (a daughter of Virarajendra Chola), Vikramaditya VI maintains a friendly alliance with them.

After the death of the Chola king in 1070, Vikramaditya VI invades the Tamil kingdom and installs his brother-in-law, Adhirajendra, on the throne, creating conflict with Kulothunga Chola I, the powerful ruler of Vengi, who seeks the Chola throne for himself.

Vikramaditya VI has undermined his elder brother, Somesvara II of the Western Chalukyas, by winning the loyalty of the Chalukya feudatories: the Hoysala, the Seuna and the Kadambas of Hangal.

Anticipating a civil war, Somesvara II seeks help from Vikramaditya VI's enemies, Kulothunga Chola I and the Kadambas of Goa.

In the ensuing conflict of 1076, Vikramaditya VI emerges victorious and proclaims himself king of the Chalukya empire.

Vikramaditya, the brother of Somesvara II, the eldest son of Somesvara I, had started planning the new king's overthrow as soon as ascended the throne of the Western Chalukya dynasty.

After entering into negotiations with the Chola king Virarajendra Chola, Vikramaditya consents to rule the Vengi kingdom as the Chola feudatory.

Virarajendra also forces Somesvara to bifurcate his kingdom and let Vikramaditya rule the southern half (Gangavadi) independently.

Vikramaditya marries one of Virarajendra's daughters to strengthen the alliance with the Cholas.

During this time Virarajendra Chola had died in 1070 and his son Athirajendra Chola had succeeded to the throne.

Vikramaditya had soon found his Chola alliance a liability.

Rajendra Chalukya (future Kulothunga Chola I), a Vengi prince with close Chola connection, having been denied his rightful place on the Vengi throne by Vikramaditya, wants to assume the Chola throne instead.

Rajendra Chalukya has his opportunity when civil disturbances arise in the Chola kingdom.

To quell rioting in Kanchipuram, Vikramaditya leads his forces into the city to assist his brother-in-law Athirajendra.

Vikramaditya soon after proceeds to the Chola capital and helps Athirajendra inaugurate his reign and to defeat any attempts by Rajendra Chalukya to overthrow the rightful Chola king.

Satisfied that order had been restored, Vikramaditya had returned to his capital.

But news soon came to him that Athirajendra had been murdered in the civil uprising and Rajendra Chalukya had assumed the Chola throne under the title Kulothunga Chola I. Vikramaditya now found enemies on both sides of his domain: Kulothunga in the south and his brother in the north.

Vikramaditya has spend the past six years in protecting himself from this dangerous situation.

He had continued to undermine the position of his brother Somesvara by inducing Somesvara's feudatories to desert him.

Finally with the help of the Seuna, the Hoysalas and the Kadambas of Hangala, Someshwara II is defeated and Vikramaditya assumes sovereignty in 1076.

He marks his accession to the throne by founding the new era called Chalukya Vikram Era.