Agguka I (r. c. 770 - c. 790) was a ruler of the
Saindhava
The Saindhavas, also known as Jayadrathas, was a Medieval Indian dynasty that ruled western Saurashtra (now in Gujarat, India) from c. 735 CE to c. 920 CE, probably in alliance with Maitrakas in its early years. Their capital was at Bhutamab ...
dynasty
and the commander of the Saindhava naval fleet during the last quarter of 8th century. He was the son of Krishnaraj.
During his reign the
Arabs
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Wester ...
made a fresh bid to establish their supremacy over
Saurashtra. In 756 CE the
Arab governor of Sindh sent a
naval fleet
A fleet or naval fleet is a large formation of warships – the largest formation in any navy – controlled by one leader. A fleet at sea is the direct equivalent of an army on land.
Purpose
In the modern sense, fleets are usually, but not ne ...
against the Saindhavas. This naval attack was repulsed by the Saindhavas as they had a strong
naval forces
A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It inc ...
. Later in 776 CE another naval expedition by the Arabs was defeated by the Saindhava naval fleet under the command of Agguka I. A Saindhava inscription relates that Agguka I inflicted a disastrous defeat on the Arab naval fleets which forced the Arabs to withdraw. After this the Caliph
Al-Mahdi
Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Manṣūr ( ar, أبو عبد الله محمد بن عبد الله المنصور; 744 or 745 – 785), better known by his regnal name Al-Mahdī (, "He who is guided by God"), was the third Abba ...
gave up the project of conquering any part of
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
through the Navy. In the Saindhava inscription he was titled as Samudradhipati or Master of the western sea.
References
8th-century Indian people
History of Gujarat
Indian military leaders
Hindu monarchs
{{India-mil-bio-stub