Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty
Gurjara Pratihara dynasty | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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c. 730 CE–1036 CE | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gurjara-Pratihara coinage of
Kanauj. Obv: Boar, incarnation of Vishnu, and solar symbol. Rev: Traces of Sasanian type. Legend: Srímad Ādi Varāha "The fortunate primaeval boar".[1][2][3] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
RASHTRAKUTAS | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Capital | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Common languages | Sanskrit, Prakrit | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Religion | Hinduism | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• c. 730 – c. 760 | Nagabhata I (first) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• c. 1024 – c. 1036 | Yasahpala (last) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Historical era | Conquest of Kannauj by Mahmud of Ghazni | 1008 CE | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
• Disestablished | 1036 CE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Today part of | India Bangladesh Nepal |
The Gurjara-Pratihara was a dynasty that ruled much of Northern India from the mid-8th to the 11th century. They ruled first at Ujjain and later at Kannauj.
The Gurjara-Pratiharas were instrumental in containing Arab armies moving east of the
Gurjara-Pratihara are known for their sculptures, carved panels and open pavilion style temples. The greatest development of their style of temple building was at
The power of the Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty was weakened by dynastic strife. It was further diminished as a result of a great raid led by the Rashtrakuta ruler Indra III who, in about 916, sacked Kannauj. Under a succession of rather obscure rulers, the dynasty never regained its former influence. Their feudatories became more and more powerful, one by one throwing off their allegiance until, by the end of the tenth century, the dynasty controlled little more than the Gangetic Doab. Their last important king, Rajyapala, was driven from Kannauj by Mahmud of Ghazni in 1018.[7]
Etymology and origin
The origin of the dynasty and the meaning of the term "Gurjara" in its name is a topic of debate among historians. The rulers of this dynasty used the self-designation "Pratihara" for their clan, and never referred to themselves as Gurjaras.[9] They claimed descent from the legendary hero Lakshmana, who is said to have acted as a pratihara ("door-keeper") for his brother Rama.[10][11] [12]
Multiple inscriptions of their neighbouring dynasties describe the Pratiharas as "Gurjara".[13] The term "Gurjara-Pratihara" occurs only in the Rajor inscription of a feudatory ruler named Mathanadeva, who describes himself as a "Gurjara-Pratihara". According to one school of thought, Gurjara was the name of the territory (see Gurjara-desha) originally ruled by the Pratiharas; gradually, the term came to denote the people of this territory. An opposing theory is that Gurjara was the name of the tribe to which the dynasty belonged, and Pratihara was a clan of this tribe.[14]
Among those who believe that the term Gurjara was originally a tribal designation, there are disagreements over whether they were native Indians or foreigners.
According to the
History
The original centre of Pratihara power is a matter of controversy. R. C. Majumdar, on the basis of a verse in the Harivamsha-Purana, 783 CE, the interpretation of which he conceded was not free from difficulty, held that Vatsaraja ruled at Ujjain.
Early rulers
Kalhana's Rajatarangini states that the territories of Bhoja extended to Kashmir in the north, and bhoja had conquered Punjab by defeating ruling 'Thakkiyaka' dynasty .[35][38]
After Devapala's death, Bhoja defeated the Pala King Narayanapala and expanded his boundaries eastward into Pala-held territories near Gorakhpur.
Hudud-ul-Alam a tenth century Persian geographic text states that most of the kings of India acknowledged the supremacy of the powerful 'Rai of Qinnauj', (kannauj was the capital of Imperial Pratiharas) whose mighty army had 150,000 strong cavalry and 800 war elephants.[35]
His son
Decline
Mahmud of Ghazni captured Kannauj in 1018, and the Pratihara ruler Rajapala fled. He was subsequently captured and killed by the Chandela ruler Vidyadhara.[43][44][42] The Chandela ruler then placed Rajapala's son Trilochanpala on the throne as a proxy. Jasapala, the last Gurjara-Pratihara ruler of Kannauj, died in 1036.[42]
The Imperial Pratihara dynasty broke into several small states after the
Gurjara-Pratihara art
There are notable examples of architecture from the Gurjara-Pratihara era, including sculptures and carved panels.
Māru-Gurjara architecture
Māru-Gurjara architecture was developed during Gurjara-Pratihara Empire.
- Mahavira Jain temple, Osian temple was constructed in 783 CE,[47] making it the oldest surviving Jain temple in western India.[48]
- Bateshwar Hindu temples, Madhya Pradesh was constructed during the Gurjara-Pratihara Empire between 8th to 11th century.[49]
- Baroli temples complex are eight temples, built by the Gurjara-Pratiharas, is situated within a walled enclosure.
-
One of the four entrances of the Teli ka Mandir. This Hindu temple was built by the Pratihara emperor Mihira Bhoja.[31]
-
Jainism-related cave monuments and statues carved into the rock face inside Siddhachal Caves, Gwalior Fort.
-
Ghateshwara Mahadeva temple at Baroli Temples complex. The complex of eight temples, built by the Gurjara-Pratiharas, is situated within a walled enclosure.
-
Bateshwar Hindu temples in Madhya Pradesh was built by the Gurjara-Pratiharas.
Legacy
Historians of India, since the days of Elphinstone, have wondered at the slow progress of Muslim invaders in India, as compared with their rapid advance in other parts of the world. The Arabs possibly only stationed small invasions independent of the Caliph. Arguments of doubtful validity have often been put forward to explain this unique phenomenon. Currently it is believed that it was the power of the Gurjara-Pratihara army that effectively barred the progress of the Muslims beyond the confines of Sindh, their first conquest for nearly three hundred years. In the light of later events this might be regarded as the "Chief contribution of the Gurjara-Pratiharas to the history of India".[27]
List of rulers
Serial No. | Ruler | Reign (CE) |
---|---|---|
1 | Nagabhata I | 730–760 |
2 | Kakustha and Devaraja | 760–780 |
3 | Vatsaraja | 780–800 |
4 | Nagabhata II | 800–833 |
5 | Ramabhadra | 833–836 |
6 | Mihira Bhoja or Bhoja I | 836–885 |
7 | Mahendrapala I | 885–910 |
8 | Bhoja II | 910–913 |
9 | Mahipala I | 913–944 |
10 | Mahendrapala II | 944–948 |
11 | Devapala | 948–954 |
12 | Vinayakapala | 954–955 |
13 | Mahipala II | 955–956 |
14 | Vijayapala II | 956–960 |
15 | Rajapala | 960–1018 |
16 | Trilochanapala | 1018–1027 |
17 | Yasahpala | 1024–1036 |
List of feudatories and Branches
History of India |
---|
Timeline |
List of Pratihara feudatories
- Chahamanas of Shakambari
- Chandelas of Jejakabhukti
- Guhila dynasty
- Tomaras of Delhi
List of Pratihara Branches
- Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty of Mandavyapura (c. 550 – 750 CE)
- Baddoch Branch (c. 600 – 700 CE)
Known Baddoch rulers are-
- Rajogarh Branch
Badegujar were rulers of Rajogarh
- Parmeshver Manthandev, (885 – 915 CE)
- No records found after Parmeshver Manthandev
See also
- Mihira Bhoja
- Tripartite Struggle
- Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty of Mandavyapura
- History of Rajasthan
- List of battles of Rajasthan
- Umayyad campaigns in India
- List of Rajput dynasties and states
- List of Hindu empires and dynasties
References
- ^ Smith, Vincent Arthur; Edwardes, S. M. (Stephen Meredyth) (1924). The early history of India : from 600 B.C. to the Muhammadan conquest, including the invasion of Alexander the Great. Oxford : Clarendon Press. p. Plate 2.
- ISBN 9781000227932.
- ISBN 978-0-691-18074-8.
- ISBN 0226742210.
- ISBN 978-0-391-04173-8.
- ^ Avari 2007, p. 303.
- ^ a b Sircar 1971, p. 146.
- ^ a b Partha Mitter, Indian art, Oxford University Press, 2001 pp.66
- ^ Sanjay Sharma 2006, p. 188.
- ^ Tripathi 1959, p. 223.
- ^ Puri 1957, p. 7.
- ^ Agnihotri, V. K. (2010). Indian History. Vol. 26. p. B8.
Modern historians believed that the name was derived from one of the kings of the line holding the office of Pratihara in the Rashtrakuta court
- ^ Puri 1957, p. 9-13.
- ^ Majumdar 1981, pp. 612–613.
- ^ Puri 1957, p. 1-2.
- ^ Puri 1957, p. 2.
- White Hunnicelement. The Gurjara Pratiharas who were likely created from a fusion of White Hunnic and native Indian elements, ruled a vast Empire in northern India, and they also halted Arab Muslim expansion in India through Sind for centuries...
- ISBN 978-90-04-09249-5.
- ^ Puri 1957, pp. 4–6.
- ^ Yadava 1982, p. 35.
- ^ Singh 1964, pp. 17–18.
- ^ Majumdar, R.C. (1955). The Age of Imperial Kanauj (First ed.). Bombay: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. pp. 21–22.
- ^ Sharma, Dasharatha (1966). Rajasthan through the Ages. Bikaner: Rajasthan State Archives. pp. 124–30.
- ISBN 0195629213.
- ISBN 978-93-85593-18-5.
- ^ A New History of Rajasthan, Rima Hooja pg – 270–274 University of Rajasthan
- ^ ISBN 978-81-269-0027-5.
- ^ ISBN 8129108909.
- ISBN 978-81-207-2503-4.
- ISBN 978-0-415-32920-0.
- ^ ISBN 978-81-263-1155-2.
- ISBN 978-81-208-0824-9.
- ^ Rajan, K. V. Soundara (1984). Early Kalinga Art and Architecture. Sundeep. p. 103.
When we have to compare a khākhärä temple of Kalinga with anything outside its borders, the most logical analogue coming to our mind will be that of Teli ka Mandir at Gwalior of the time of Pratihara Mihira Bhoja.
- ISBN 978-81-284-0067-4.
- ^ ISBN 8129108909.
- ISBN 9789380607344
- ^ ISBN 978-81-269-0027-5.
He was undoubtedly one of the outstanding political figures of India in ninth century and ranks with Dhruva and Dharmapala as a great general and empire builder.
- ^ Dasharatha Sharma, Rajasthan Through the Ages "a comprehensive and authentic history of Rajasthan" Bikaner, Rajasthan State Archives 1966, pp.144–54
- ISBN 978-81-8424-568-4.
- ISBN 978-81-241-1064-5.
- ISBN 0226742210.
- ^ ISBN 978-81-241-1064-5.
- ISBN 9788170170464.
- ISBN 9788120819979.
- ISBN 9789004300569.
- ISBN 978-81-7017-228-4.
- ^ Kalia 1982, p. 2.
- ^ Cort 1998, p. 112.
- ^ "ASI to resume restoration of Bateshwar temple complex in Chambal". Hindustan Times. 21 May 2018.
Bibliography
- ISBN 978-0-203-08850-0.
- Sircar, Dineschandra (1971). Studies in the Geography of Ancient and Medieval India. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 9788120806900.
- Ganguly, D. C. (1935), Narendra Nath Law (ed.), "Origin of the Pratihara Dynasty", The Indian Historical Quarterly, XI, Caxton: 167–168
- Majumdar, R. C. (1981), "The Gurjara-Pratiharas", in R. S. Sharma and K. K. Dasgupta (ed.), A Comprehensive history of India: A.D. 985–1206, vol. 3 (Part 1), Indian History Congress / People's Publishing House, ISBN 978-81-7007-121-1
- Majumdar, R.C. (1955). The Age of Imperial Kanauj (First ed.). Bombay: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.
- Mishra, V. B. (1954), "Who were the Gurjara-Pratīhāras?", Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, 35 (¼): 42–53, JSTOR 41784918
- Meister, M.W (1991). Encyclopaedia of Indian Temple Architecture, Vol. 2, pt.2, North India: Period of Early Maturity, c. AD 700–900 (first ed.). Delhi: American Institute of Indian Studies. p. 153. ISBN 0195629213
- Puri, Baij Nath (1957), The history of the Gurjara-Pratihāras, Munshiram Manoharlal
- Puri, Baij Nath (1986) [first published 1957], The History of the Gurjara-Pratiharas, Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal
- Sharma, Dasharatha (1966). Rajasthan through the Ages. Bikaner: Rajasthan State Archives
- Sharma, Sanjay (2006), "Negotiating Identity and Status Legitimation and Patronage under the Gurjara-Pratīhāras of Kanauj", Studies in History, 22 (22): 181–220, S2CID 144128358
- Sharma, Shanta Rani (2012), "Exploding the Myth of the Gūjara Identity of the Imperial Pratihāras", Indian Historical Review, 39 (1): 1–10, S2CID 145175448
- Singh, R. B. (1964), History of the Chāhamānas, N. Kishore
- Sharma, Shanta Rani (2017). Origin and Rise of the Imperial Pratihāras of Rajasthan: Transitions, Trajectories and Historical Change (First ed.). Jaipur: University of Rajasthan. p. 77–78. ISBN 978-93-85593-18-5.
- Tripathi, Rama Shankar (1959). History of Kanauj: To the Moslem Conquest. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978-81-208-0478-4.
- Yadava, Ganga Prasad (1982), Dhanapāla and His Times: A Socio-cultural Study Based Upon His Works, Concept
- Kalia, Asha (1982), Art of Osian Temples: Socio-economic and Religious Life in India, 8th–12th Centuries A.D., Abhinav Publications, ISBN 9780391025585
- ISBN 9780791437865