Avanijanashraya Pulakeshin

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Find spot Provenance (from the French ''provenir'', 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody or location of a historical object. The term was originally mostly used in relation to works of art but is now used in similar senses i ...

s of the inscriptions issued by the Chalukyas of Navasarika" width="300" height="400" zoom="5" longitude="72.94" latitude="20.94"> The Chalukyas (

IAST The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that emerged during ...

: Cālukya) of Navasarika (modern

Navsari Navsari is the ninth biggest city in the state of Gujarat in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Navsari District. Navsari is situated between Surat & Mumbai. Navsari is a twin city of Surat. It is located 37 km south of Sura ...

) were an Indian dynasty that ruled parts of present-day

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

and

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

during 7th and 8th centuries, as vassals of the

Chalukyas of Vatapi The Chalukya dynasty () was a Classical Indian dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th centuries. During this period, they ruled as three related yet individual dynasties. The earliest dynas ...

. They are also known as the "Early Chalukyas of Gujarat" (as opposed to the later Chalukyas of Gujarat). In the late 660s, the Vatapi Chalukya king

Vikramaditya I Vikramaditya I (655–680 CE) was the third son and followed his father, Pulakeshi II on to the Chalukya throne. He restored order in the fractured kingdom and made the Pallavas retreat from the capital Vatapi. Vikramaditya inherited the trad ...

appointed his brother Dharashraya Jayasimhavarman as the governor of the north-western parts of his kingdom, which included southern Gujarat (

Lata Lata (Hindi: लता) is a Hindu/Sanskrit Indian female given name, which means "creeper" and "vine". Lata may refer to: Notable people named Lata *Lata Bhatt (born 1954), Indian singer. * Lata (born 1975), Musician. *Lata Mangeshkar (1929–2 ...

), Nashik region, and northern

Konkan The Konkan ( kok, कोंकण) or Kokan () is a stretch of land by the western coast of India, running from Damaon in the north to Karwar in the south; with the Arabian Sea to the west and the Deccan plateau in the east. The hinterland ...

. Dharashraya's eldest son Shryashraya Shiladitya died before him, and he was succeeded by his younger sons, first Jayashraya Mangalarasa, and then Avanijanashraya Pulakeshin. Avanijanashraya is best known for repulsing an

Arab invasion The spread of Islam spans about 1,400 years. Muslim conquests following Muhammad's death led to the creation of the caliphates, occupying a vast geographical area; conversion to Islam was boosted by Arab Muslim forces conquering vast territories ...

from the

Umayyad Caliphate The Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE; , ; ar, ٱلْخِلَافَة ٱلْأُمَوِيَّة, al-Khilāfah al-ʾUmawīyah) was the second of the four major caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. The caliphate was ruled by th ...

near Navsari, a feat recorded in his 738-739 inscription. After his reign, the history of this Chalukya branch is uncertain: their territory subsequently came under the

Rashtrakuta Rashtrakuta (IAST: ') (r. 753-982 CE) was a royal Indian dynasty ruling large parts of the Indian subcontinent between the sixth and 10th centuries. The earliest known Rashtrakuta inscription is a 7th-century copper plate grant detailing their ...

control.

Dharashraya Jayasimhavarman

The Navsari branch of the Chalukyas was established by Dharashraya Jayasimhavarman (

: Dharāśraya Jaya-siṃha-varman), who was a son of the Vatapi Chalukya king Pulakeshin II, and a younger brother of Pulakeshin's successor

. Sometime before 667-670 CE, Vikramaditya appointed Dharashraya as the governor of the north-western Chalukya territories, which included parts of present-day southern

, and the

and Nashik region of

. Dharashraya is attested by his

Nashik Nashik (, Marathi: aːʃik, also called as Nasik ) is a city in the northern region of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Situated on the banks of river Godavari, Nashik is the third largest city in Maharashtra, after Mumbai and Pune. Nashik ...

inscription, which is dated to 20 or 21 March 685 (year 436 of the Kalachuri era). This Sanskrit-language inscription records the grant of the Dhondhaka village in the Nasikya ''

vishaya A vishaya (IAST: Viṣaya) was a historical administrative unit of India, generally equivalent to a modern district. Several other terms for units equivalent to a modern district appear in historical inscriptions, including ''āhāra'', ''rashtra'' ...

'' (Nashik province) to a

Brahmana The Brahmanas (; Sanskrit: , ''Brāhmaṇam'') are Vedic śruti works attached to the Samhitas (hymns and mantras) of the Rig, Sama, Yajur, and Atharva Vedas. They are a secondary layer or classification of Sanskrit texts embedded within ea ...

named Trivikrama. The Nashik inscription states that Dharashraya defeated and routed the army of a king named Vajjada, between the Mahi and the Narmada rivers. Historian

V. V. Mirashi Vasudev Vishnu Mirashi (1893–1985) was a Sanskrit scholar and a prominent Indologist of the 20th century who hailed from Maharashtra, India. He was an expert of his times on stone and copper inscriptions and the coinage of ancient India. ...

theorizes that Vajrata invaded the

Gurjara Gurjaradesa ("Gurjara country") or Gurjaratra is a historical region in India comprising the eastern Rajasthan and northern Gujarat during the period of 6th -12th century CE. The predominant power of the region, the Gurjara-Pratiharas eventual ...

kingdom, whose ruler Dadda III was a Chalukya vassal; the Chalukya emperor dispatched Dharashraya to repulse the invader. However, there is no concrete proof to support this theory. Historian Shyam Manohar Mishra theorizes that Vajjada may have been another name for Dadda III. It is possible that this Vajjada is same as the Vajrata, who according to a

Samangad Samangad is a hill fort in Kolhapur District, Maharashtra. It is above sea level. The fort is situated on the oval-shaped top of the hill. The eight-foot-high wall of the fort which encircled the hill top is still intact. Earlier several cisterns ...

inscription, was defeated by the

king

Dantidurga Dantidurga (reigned 735–756 CE), also known as Dantivarman II was the founder of the Rashtrakuta Empire of Manyakheta.Reu (1933), p54 His capital was based in Gulbarga region of Karnataka. His successor was his uncle Krishna I who extended his ...

. It is likely that Dharashraya's campaign against Vajjada was ordered by his overlord and nephew Vinayaditya (the successor of Vikramaditya I), who wanted to expand the Chalukya power in the north.

Shryashraya Shiladitya

Dharashraya's eldest son was Shryashraya Shiladitya (IAST: Śrayāśraya Śilādtiya). An inscription of Shryashraya, issued by him as the

crown prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wif ...

(''yuvaraja''), is dated to 23 May 668 (year 420 of the Kalachuri era). Its

find spot Provenance (from the French ''provenir'', 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody or location of a historical object. The term was originally mostly used in relation to works of art but is now used in similar senses i ...

is unknown. It is written in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

language using an early form of the

Telugu-Kannada alphabet The Kannada–Telugu script (or Telugu–kannada script) was a writing system used in Southern India. Despite some differences, the scripts used for the Kannada and Telugu languages remain quite similar and highly mutually intelligible. Histor ...

. It records the grant of Mudgapadra village to migrant

cousins Revaditya and Varasyaka by Dharashraya and Shryashraya. The inscription was issued from Navasarika (Navsari) and its text was composed by Dhananjaya. A

Surat Surat is a city in the western Indian state of Gujarat. The word Surat literally means ''face'' in Gujarati and Hindi. Located on the banks of the river Tapti near its confluence with the Arabian Sea, it used to be a large seaport. It is now ...

inscription of Shryashraya, also in Sanskrit language, is dated to 28 January 671 (Kalachuri year 421). It records the grant of the Asatti village to Bhogikasvamin. Another of his Sanskrit inscriptions, found at Surat, is dated 692-693 (Kalachuri year 443: the date can be read as 2 August 692 CE, assuming that the inscription was issued in the Kalachuri year 443; or as 23 July 693 CE, assuming that it was issued after the expiry of the Kalachuri year 443). The inscription was issued from Kusumeshvara, and records the grant of a field in the Osumbhala village to Matrishvara Dikshita. Shryashraya appears to have died before his father Dharashraya; therefore, Dharashraya was succeeded by his second eldest son Jayashraya Mangalarasa, who was succeeded by Avanijanashraya Pulakeshin, another of Dharashraya's sons. Tribhuvanashraya Nagavardhana, a fourth son of Dharashraya, is attested by an inscription found at Nirpan village of Maharashtra. This inscription records the grant of the Belegrama village to the shrine of the deity Kapaleshvara, but is considered spurious by historians.

Jayashraya Mangalarasa

Jayashraya Mangalarasa (IAST: Jayāśraya Maṅgalarasa-rāja) was nominally a vassal of the Chalukya king Vinayaditya, but appears to have been practically independent. The Manor inscription of Mangalarasa is dated to 7 April 691 (year 613 of the

Shaka era The Shaka era (IAST: Śaka, Śāka) is a historical Hindu calendar era (year numbering), the epoch (its year zero) of which corresponds to Julian year 78. The era has been widely used in different regions of India as well as in SE Asia. Hist ...

). This Sanskrit language inscription describes Mangalarasa as a crown prince, and records the grant of some villages and other land to the

Sun The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...

temple at Manapura. It indicates that Mangalarasa bore the titles ''Prithvi-vallabha'', ''Yuddhamalla'', and ''Vinayaditya''. The

Diveagar Diveagar (Dive Agar) is a village located in Shrivardhan Taluka, Raigad district in the Indian state of Maharashtra, approximately 170 kilometers south of Mumbai. The region includes a fishing settlement, a beach, a temple, local businesses ...

inscription issued during Mangalarasa's reign is dated to 727-728 (Shaka 649). It records the grant of the Talavallika village by prince Dharashraya Jayasimha to the goddess Katyayani, whose statue was located on the bank of a temple tank in Kadadroho-Votinera. The

Valsad Valsad (Pronunciation: �alsɑɖ (Gujarati: વલસાડ), historically known as Bulsar, is a city and a municipality in Valsad district of the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the district headquarters of Valsad district. The city of Valsad ...

(Balsar) inscription of Mangalarasa is dated to 731-732 (Shaka 653). It describes him as "Raja Vinayaditya Yuddhamalla Mangalarasa". The

chief Indra I forcibly abducted Bhavanaga, a daughter or niece of Mangalarasa, from a marriage ''

pandal A ''pandal'' in India and neighbouring countries, is a fabricated structure, either temporary or permanent, that is used at many places such as either outside a building or in an open area such as along a public road or in front of a house. This ca ...

'' at Kaira. Kaira was located in the traditional

Maitraka The Maitraka dynasty ruled western India (now Gujarat) from approximately 475 to approximately 776 CE from their capital at Vallabhi. With the sole exception of Dharapaṭṭa (the fifth king in the dynasty), who followed the Mithraic mysteries, ...

territory; therefore, historian A. S. Altekar theorizes that Bhavanaga was to be married to a Maitraka prince. On the other hand, historian Shyam Manohar Mishra theorizes that Mangalarasa had conquered Kaira from the Maitrakas by this time.

Avanijanashraya Pulakeshin

Mangalarasa's younger brother and successor Avanijanashraya Pulakeshin (IAST: Avani-janāśraya Pulakeśi-rāja) ascended the throne sometime between 731 and 739. He is attested by a Sanskrit inscription, which is known as the Navsari inscription, although its exact

is not known. The Epigraphical Society of India received it from a resident of Satem village of

Navsari district Navsari is an administrative district in the state of Gujarat in India, with its headquarters at the city of Navsari. The district covers an area of 2,211 square kilometres and was formed in 1997 after Valsad district was split into Valsad and Na ...

. It is dated to the year 490 of the Kalachuri era; the date can be interpreted as 1 November 738 (assuming current year i.e. it was issued in the 490th year of the Kalachuri era) or 21 October 739 (assuming expired year i.e. it was issued after 490 years of the era had been completed). The inscription records Avanijanashraya's repulsion of an

from the

. It states that the Tajikas (the Arabs) had advanced up to Navsari after plundering the kingdoms 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 ...

s, Kachchhelas, Saurashtra, Chavotkas,

Mauryas The Maurya Empire, or the Mauryan Empire, was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in the Indian subcontinent based in Magadha, having been founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 322 BCE, and existing in loose-knit fashion until 1 ...

, the

Gurjaras Gurjaradesa ("Gurjara country") or Gurjaratra is a historical region in India comprising the eastern Rajasthan and northern Gujarat during the period of 6th -12th century CE. The predominant power of the region, the Gurjara-Pratiharas eventual ...

, and others. The forces of Avanijanashraya defeated the invaders after a fierce battle. As a result of this success, Avanijanashraya's overlord conferred several titles upon him, including "solid pillar of

Dakshinapatha __NOTOC__ Dakshinapatha is an important historical region which is an ancient equivalent of present day South India or Deccan plateau and which may mean; *the "Ancient South of the Indian subcontinent" below Uttarapatha. The term can encompass ...

" (''Dakshinapathasadhara''), "ornament of the Chalukya family" (''Challuki-kulalankara''), "beloved of the earth" (''

Prithvi-vallabha Prithvi-vallabha (IAST: ), or , was a title adopted by several kings that ruled in present-day India, including the Chalukyas of Vatapi, the Rashtrakutas and their successors. Chalukyas of Vatapi All the sovereign rulers of the Chalukyas of Vat ...

''), and "the repeller of the unrepellable" (''Anivartaka-nivartayitri''). The overlord was the Vatapi Chalukya ruler

Vikramaditya II Vikramaditya II (reigned 733 – 744 CE) was the son of King Vijayaditya and ascended the Badami Chalukya throne following the death of his father. This information comes from the Lakshmeshwar inscriptions in Kannada dated 13 January 735 A.D ...

, although the inscription doesn't mention his name, simply calling him "Vallabha Narendra". Avanijanashraya appears to have annexed the former

territory to the Chalukya kingdom after repulsing the Arabs. He became the most powerful ruler of the Navsari Chalukya family, and assumed the title ''Paramabhattaraka''. His use of this title, usually borne by the sovereign rulers, cannot be explained with certainty. It is possible that it signifies his declaration of independence; alternatively, it is possible that he remained a Chalukya vassal, and the assumption of the title was just meant for glorification. The Chalukyas of Navasarika were ultimately supplanted by the

Rashtrakutas Rashtrakuta (IAST: ') (r. 753-982 CE) was a royal Indian dynasty ruling large parts of the Indian subcontinent between the sixth and 10th centuries. The earliest known Rashtrakuta inscription is a 7th-century copper plate grant detailing their ...

in the 8th century.

References

Bibliography

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External links

Inscriptions of the early Chalukyas of Gujarat
History of Gujarat Dynasties of India 7th-century establishments in India 8th-century disestablishments in India Chalukya dynasty