Gahadavala dynasty
Gahadavala dynasty | |||||||||||||
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1089 CE–1197 CE | |||||||||||||
A Kalachuri-style 'seated goddess' coin of Govindachandra (r. c. 1114–1155 CE). 41⁄2 masha, gold. Obv: Four-armed Lakshmi seated cross-legged on lotus on obverse side holding a lotus in the upper two hands.
Rev: Inscription in Nagari script :'Shrimad-Govindachandra'.
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Capital | Banaras and Kannauj | ||||||||||||
Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||||
History | |||||||||||||
• Established | 1089 CE | ||||||||||||
• Disestablished | 1197 CE | ||||||||||||
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Today part of | India |
The Gahadavala dynasty (
Origin
Chandradeva, the first monarch of the dynasty, was a son of Mahichandra and a grandson of Yashovigraha.[4] The Gahadavala inscriptions state that Yashovigraha "seized the earth and made her fond of the king's sceptre (or justice)".[5] He did not bear any royal titles, so it appears that he was a petty chief with some military victories to his credit. He probably served a prominent king, possibly the 11th century Kalachuri king Karna. His son Mahichandra (alias Mahitala or Mahiyala) bore the feudatory title nṛpa, and is said to have defeated several enemies. He may have been a Kalachuri vassal.[6]
According to the 1093 CE and 1100 CE Chandrawati inscriptions, the Gahadavalas occupied Kanyakubja after the descendants of Devapala had been destroyed. This Devapala can be identified as the mid-10th century
The sudden rise of the Gahadavalas has led to speculation that they descended from an earlier royal house.
Yet another theory identifies Chandradeva as Chand Rai, a "keeper of elephants" according to the medieval Muslim historian Salman.
Etymology
The etymology of the term "Gahadavala" is uncertain. This dynastic name appears only in four inscriptions of the Gahadavalas: three inscriptions issued by Chandradeva's grandson
According to the rulers of the Kantit
Territory
The Gahadavala power was concentrated in what is now eastern
The identity of Indrasthaniyaka is unknown, but because of its similarity to the word "Indraprastha", some scholars have identified it as modern Delhi. Based on this, historians such as Roma Niyogi have proposed that the Tomara rulers of Delhi might have been Gahadavala feudatories.[19] If this assumption is true, then the Gahadavala kingdom extended up to Delhi in the north-west.[20][21] However, historical evidence suggests that Delhi was under the control of the Chahamanas since Vigraharaja IV (r. c. 1150-1164 CE), and before that under the Tomara sovereigns. No historical records indicate that the Gahadavalas ever ruled Delhi. Rahin (or Rahan) village in Etawah district is the furthest point in the north-west where the Gahadavala inscriptions have been discovered. Some coins attributed to Madanapala are associated with Delhi, but according to numismatist P. C. Roy these coins were actually issued by a Tomara king of same name. According to Roy, Indrasthaniyaka should be identified with a place other than Delhi.[22]
Capital
The Gahadavalas are associated with two ancient cities:
The vast majority of the Gahadavala inscriptions have been discovered in and around
A verse in the 1104 CE Basahi inscription of Madanapala states that his father Chandradeva had made Kanyakubja his capital. However, Madanapala's 1105 CE Kamauli grant omits this verse, although it repeats all the other introductory verses from the Basahi grant.[25] Other than the 1104 CE Basahi inscription, no other inscription describes Kanyakubja as the Gahadavala capital.[23]
Historian Roma Niyogi theorized that Chandradeva temporarily moved his seat from Varanasi to Kanyakubja, because Kanyakubja was reputed as the capital of the earlier imperial powers.
History
Rise to power
By the last quarter of the 11th century, the north-central India was a troubled territory as a result of
Since the Kalachuris controlled the area around Varanasi before the Gahadavalas, it appears that Chandradeva captured this territory from them.[29] The Kalachuri king defeated by him was probably Karna's successor Yashah-Karna.[30] Chandradeva's inscriptions indicate that he also tried to expand his kingdom in the east, but the Pala chronicle Ramacharitam suggests that his plan was foiled by Ramapala's feudatory Bhimayashas.[31]
Consolidation
Chandradeva was succeeded by
Govindachandra succeeded his father as the Gahadavala king sometime during 1109-1114 CE. The Gahadavalas became the most prominent power of northern India as a result of his military conquests and diplomatic relations.[34] His adoption of the Kalachuri titles and coinage indicate that he defeated a Kalachuri king, probably Yashah-Karna or his successor Gaya-Karna.[35]
As a prince, Govindachandra appears to have repulsed a Pala invasion, sometime before 1109 CE. The Pala-Gahadavala conflict halted for a few decades as a result of his marriage with Kumaradevi, a relative of the Pala monarch Ramapala.[36] Epigraphic evidence suggests that there was a revival of the Pala-Gahadavala rivalry in the 1140s CE, during the reign of Govindachandra and the Pala monarch Madanapala (not to be confused with Govindachandra's father). Although the identity of the aggressor is not certain, the conflict seems to have happened over control of present-day western Bihar. Both Pala and Gahadavala inscriptions were issued in this area during this period.[37]
Decline
The last extant inscription of Govindachandra is dated 1154 CE, and the earliest available inscription of his successor
Jayachandra's son
Meanwhile, the control of the region around
The ultimate fate of Harishchandra is not known, but he was probably defeated by the Delhi Sultanate under Iltutmish. A 1237 inscription issued during the reign of one Adakkamalla of Gahadavala family was found in Nagod State (present-day Satna district of Madhya Pradesh). Adakkamalla may have been the successor of Harishchandra.[49] Another possibility is that Adakkamalla was from a different branch of the family that ruled a small fief. Nothing is known about Adakkamalla's successors.[50]
Claimed descendants
The bardic chronicles of
A Muslim account claims that the Bundelas were descendants of Gaharwar Rajput (Gahadavala) men from Khangar concubines.[53] The rulers of Bijaipur-Kantit feudal estate near Mirzapur also described themselves as Gahrwars, and claimed descent from the Gahadavalas.[16]
Administration
The Gahadavalas controlled their territory through semi-independent feudatory chiefs, whose various titles included Rāṇaka, Mahānāyaka,
The king's officials were known as amātyas. Their duties are described in Lakshmidhara's Kṛtya-Kalpataru.[55] The most important court positions included:[56]
- mantrin (minister)
- purohita (royal priest)
- pratīhāra (chamberlain or palace mayor)
- senapati (commander-in-chief)
- bhāṇḍāgārika (treasurer or chief revenue-collector)
- akṣapatalika (accountant general)
- bhiṣak (chief physician)
- naimittika (astrologer)
- antaḥpurika (incharge of queens' quarters)
- dūta (envoy or political agent).
The yuvaraja (heir apparent) and other princes announced grants in their own name, while the grants made by the queens were announced by the king.[57]
The territory directly ruled by the Gahadavala monarch was sub-divided into several administrative divisions:[58]
- viṣaya: provinces
- pathaka: sub-provinces
- pattalā: group of villages
- grāma: villages
- pāṭaka: outlying hamlets associated with some villages
Cultural activities
According to the Gahadavala inscriptions, Govindachandra appreciated and patronized different branches of learning (as indicated by his title Vividha-vidya-vichara-vachaspati).[59] His courtier Lakshmidhara composed Kṛtya-Kalpataru at the king's request.[60]
Religion
The Gahadavala kings worshipped Vishnu.[63] For example, according to the 1167 CE Kamauli inscription, Jayachandra was initiated as a worshipper of Krishna (an incarnation of Vishnu) as a prince.[64] The kings also offered homage to other Hindu gods, including Shiva and Surya. The Gahadvala inscriptions describe the kings as Parama-Maheshvara ("devotees of Shiva").[65]
The Gahadavalas were also tolerant towards
The Gahadavala inscriptions mention a tax called
List of rulers
- Chandradeva (c. 1089-1103 CE)
- Madanapala (c. 1104-1113 CE)
- Govindachandra (c. 1114-1155 CE
- Vijayachandra (c. 1155-1169 CE), alias Vijayapala or Malladeva
- Jayachandra (c. 1170-1194 CE), called Jaichand in vernacular legends
- Harishchandra (c. 1194-1197 CE)
Adakkamalla, attested by a 1237 CE inscription, may have been the successor of Harishchandra.[49] But this cannot be said with certainty.[50]
Family tree
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References
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- ISBN 978-0-14-194976-5.
The eastern Ganges plain did not experience the disruption of Punjab, despite Mahmud's attack on Kannauj. Kannauj was soon restored and became once more the prize and on account of this suffered continual attack from various states the Chalukyas, and later the Gahadavalas who claimed Rajput status
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The rise of a new section called the Rajputs and the controversy about their origins have already been mentioned. With the break-up of the Pratihara empire, a number of Rajput states camne into existence in north India. The most important of these were the Gahadavalas of Kannauj, the Paramaras of Malwa, and the Chauhans of Ajmer
- ^ Niyogi 1959, p. 38.
- ^ Niyogi 1959, p. 40.
- ^ Niyogi 1959, p. 41.
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- ^ Niyogi 1959, p. 42.
- ^ a b c d Niyogi 1959, p. 29.
- ^ Niyogi 1959, pp. 30–32.
- ^ Niyogi 1959, p. 33.
- ^ a b c d Niyogi 1959, p. 36.
- ^ a b Wink 1990, p. 134.
- ^ Niyogi 1959, p. 37.
- ^ Niyogi 1959, pp. 37–38.
- ^ a b c Niyogi 1959, p. 35.
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- ^ Roy 1980, p. 99.
- ^ a b c d e f g Niyogi 1959, pp. 50–51.
- ^ a b Singh 2009, p. 60.
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- ^ Khan 2002, p. 242.
- ^ Niyogi 1959, pp. 43–45.
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- ^ Niyogi 1959, p. 74.
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- ISBN 978-0-14-196655-7.
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- ^ Niyogi 1959, p. 115.
- ^ Niyogi 1959, p. 116.
- ^ Jackson 2003, pp. 134–135.
- ^ a b Sen 1999, p. 272.
- ^ a b Niyogi 1959, pp. 115–117.
- ^ Niyogi 1959, p. 30.
- ^ Niyogi 1959, pp. 30–31.
- ^ Jain 2002, p. 34.
- ^ Niyogi 1959, p. 136.
- ^ Niyogi 1959, p. 140.
- ^ Niyogi 1959, pp. 148–153.
- ^ Niyogi 1959, pp. 144–145.
- ^ Niyogi 1959, pp. 137–139.
- ^ Niyogi 1959, p. 87.
- ^ Niyogi 1959, p. 84.
- ^ Niyogi 1959, p. 99.
- ^ Mukherjee 1998, p. 142.
- ^ Niyogi 1959, p. 194.
- ^ Niyogi 1959, p. 197.
- ^ Niyogi 1959, p. 196.
- ^ Niyogi 1959, pp. 87–88.
- ^ Dutt 1988, p. 209.
- ^ Niyogi 1959, p. 198.
- ISBN 978-1-60606-616-4.
- ^ Niyogi 1959, p. 180.
- ^ Jackson 2003, p. 7.
- ^ Niyogi 1959, p. 200.
- S2CID 152060043.
Bibliography
- Dutt, Sukumar (1988) [1962]. Buddhist monks and monasteries of India : their history and their contribution to Indian culture. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 9788120804982.
- Jackson, Peter (2003). The Delhi Sultanate: A Political and Military History. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-54329-3.
- Jain, Ravindra K. (2002). Between History and Legend: Status and Power in Bundelkhand. Orient Blackswan. ISBN 9788125021940.
- Khan, Zahoor Ali (2002). "Geography of The Gahadavala Kingdom". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 63: 243–246. JSTOR 44158091.
- Mukherjee, Sujit (1998). A Dictionary of Indian Literature. Vol. 1. Orient Blackswan. ISBN 9788125014539.
- Niyogi, Roma (1959). The History of the Gāhaḍavāla Dynasty. Oriental. OCLC 5386449.
- Roy, P. C. (1980). The Coinage of Northern India. Abhinav. ISBN 9788170171225.
- Sen, Sailendra Nath (1999). Ancient Indian History and Civilisation. New Delhi: New Age International Publishers. ISBN 81-224-1198-3.
- Singh, Rana P. B. (2009). Banaras: Making of India's Heritage City. Cambridge Scholars. ISBN 9781443815796.
- Talbot, Cynthia (2015). The Last Hindu Emperor: Prithviraj Cauhan and the Indian Past, 1200–2000. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781107118560.
- Wink, André (1990). Al- Hind: The slave kings and the Islamic conquest. Vol. 1. BRILL. p. 269. ISBN 9789004095090.
Further reading
- Deepak Yadav (2011). "Aspects of rural settlement under the Gahadavala dynasty: c. 11th century CE to 13th century CE (An inscriptional analysis)". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 72 (1): 360–367. JSTOR 44146729.
- Saurabh Kumar (2015). "Rural Society and Rural Economy in the Ganga Valley during the Gahadavalas". Social Scientist. 43 (5/6): 29–45. JSTOR 24642345.