Pithipatis of Bodh Gaya
Pīṭhīpatis of Bodh Gaya | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1120–1290 | |||||||||
 Inscription of Pithipati Jayasena at the Mahabodhi temple sanctum | |||||||||
| Capital | Bodh Gaya | ||||||||
| Religion | Buddhism[1] | ||||||||
| Historical era | Medieval India | ||||||||
• Established | 1120 | ||||||||
• Disestablished | 1290 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
The Pīṭhīpatis of Bodh Gaya (also known as the Pithis) were the rulers of the area around
The Pithipati chiefs styled themselves with the title of
Origin
The historian, Dineshchandra Sircar, noted that the Pithipatis appear to have originally been religious authorities and priests before eventually coming into power themselves at some point in the 11th century during the Pala rule of the region and the Pithis themselves were likely subordinates of the Pala dynasty.[3][4] Pithipati inscriptions refer to the dynasty/clan name as Chinda and Chikkora. Kumaradevī, the daughter of Devaraksita, calls her father a Chikkora, while a later descendant, Jayasena, calls his ancestors Chinda indicating the use of different family names.[2]
History
The first king of this dynasty was Vallabharāja whose rule of Bodh Gaya is confirmed by the Sarnath inscription of Kumaradevi in the 12th century who was one of the wives of
The Pithipatis were contemporaries and neighbours of the Gahadavalas to the west and the
The Pithi chiefs were also noted for providing land to visiting
During the reign of Acarya Pithi Buddhasena, the region began to experience raids from Turkic invaders and was forced to swear fealty to them. This is detailed in the memoirs of the Tibetan pilgrim, Dharmasvamin who visited Bodh Gaya during this period.[8][9]
Relations with neighbours
The sway of the Pithipatis probably only occasionally extended beyond the area of Bodh Gaya and Magadha. The
List of rulers
Rough dates for the period of rule that each of the Pithipati kings reigned for:[2]
- Vallabharāja (1120–1160 CE)
- Deśarāja (1160–1180 CE)
- Devasthira (1180–1200 CE)
- Buddhasena (1200–1240 CE)
- Pūrnabhadra (1240–1255)
- Jayasena (1255–1280)
After Jayasena, other rulers followed of which we know less about including Sangharaksita, Buddhasena II and Madhusena.
References
- ISBN 9783110631685.
- ^ ISBN 9780861592289.
- ISBN 9788170170969.
- ISBN 9789811580673.
- JSTOR 41784923.
- ISBN 9780521526586.
- ISBN 9781000416756.
- ^ Prasad Sinha, Bindeshwari (1977). Dynastic History of Magadha, Cir. 450-1200 A.D. Abhinav Publications. p. 235.
- JSTOR 43854933.