The Chahamanas of Jalor, also known as the Chauhans of Jalor in vernacular legends, were an Indian dynasty that ruled the area around
Jalore
Jalore () (ISO 15919 : ''Jālora'' ), also known as ''Granite City'', is a city in the western Indian state of Rajasthan. It is the administrative headquarters of Jalore District.
It has a river known as Jawai Nadi. Jalore lies to south of Su ...
in present-day
Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...
between 1160 and 1311. They belonged to the
Chahamana
Chauhan, historically ''Chahamana'', is a clan name historically associated with the various ruling Rajput families during the Medieval India in Rajasthan.
Subclans
Khichi, Hada, Songara, Bhadauria, Devda etc. are the branches or subclan ...
(Chauhan) clan of the
Rajputs
Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...
They branched off from the
Chahamanas of Naddula
The Chahamanas of Naddula, also known as the Chauhans of Nadol, were an Indian dynasty. They ruled the Marwar area around their capital Naddula (present-day Nadol in Rajasthan) between 10th and 12th centuries. They belonged to the Chahamana (Ch ...
, and then ruled as feudatories of the
Chaulukya
The Chaulukya dynasty (), also Solanki dynasty, was a dynasty that ruled parts of what are now Gujarat and Rajasthan in north-western India, between and . Their capital was located at Anahilavada (modern Patan). At times, their rule extended ...
s of Gujarat. For a brief period, they became independent, but ultimately succumbed to the
Delhi Sultanate
The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for 320 years (1206–1526). at the
Siege of Jalore
In 1311 Delhi Sultanate ruler Alauddin Khalji dispatched an army to capture the Jalore Fort in present-day Rajasthan, India. Jalore was ruled by the Chahamana ruler Kanhadadeva, whose armies had earlier fought several skirmishes with the De ...
.
History
The Chahamanas of Jalor descended from
Alhana, a Chahamana king of the
Naddula branch. Originally, the
Jalore Fort
Jalore Fort is the main attraction of Jalore, a town in the Indian state of Rajasthan, one of the nine castles of the Maru, under the Paramaras in the 10th century. It is one of the most famous and impressive forts in the state and has been ...
was controlled by a branch of the
Paramara
The Paramara dynasty (IAST: Paramāra) was an Indian dynasty that ruled Malwa and surrounding areas in west-central India between 9th and 14th centuries. They belonged to the Parmara clan of the Rajputs.
The dynasty was established in either th ...
s until early 12th century. The Chahamanas of Naddula seized its control during Alhana's reign.
Kirtipala
Kirti-pala ( IAST: Kīrtipāla, r. c. 1160-1182 CE), also known as Kitu in vernacular legends, was an Indian king belonging to the Chahamana dynasty of Javalipura (modern Jalore). A member of the Naddula Chahamana family, he carved out a prin ...
, a son of Alhana, received a feudal grant of 12 villages from his father and his brother (the crown-prince)
Kelhana
Kelhana-deva ( IAST: Kelhaṇadeva, r. c. 1163–1193 CE) was an Indian king belonging to the Naddula Chahamana dynasty. He ruled the area around Naddula (present-day Nadol in Rajasthan), as a Chaulukya vassal. He participated in the 1178 CE Bat ...
. He controlled his domains from Suvarnagiri or Sonagiri, the hill on which
Jalore Fort
Jalore Fort is the main attraction of Jalore, a town in the Indian state of Rajasthan, one of the nine castles of the Maru, under the Paramaras in the 10th century. It is one of the most famous and impressive forts in the state and has been ...
is located. Because of this, the branch to which he belonged came to be known as
Sonagara
Songara or Songira is the name of a branch of the Chauhan clan of Rajputs
Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology ...
.
Kirtipala carved out an independent kingdom for himself before his death. He was a Hindu, but also patronized
Jains
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...
. The family of his son and successor
Samarasimha
Samara-simha (IAST: Samarasiṃha, r. c. 1182–1204 CE) was an Indian king belonging to the Chahamana dynasty of Javalipura (present-day Jalore in Rajasthan). He ruled the area around Jalore as a Chaulukya feudatory.
Reign
Samarasimha succe ...
built several temples and other buildings. His son
Udayasimha
Udaya-simha (IAST: Udayasiṃha, r. c. 1204-1257 CE) was an Indian king belonging to the Chahamana dynasty, who ruled the area around Javalipura (present-day Jalore in Rajasthan). The most powerful king of his dynasty, he overthrew the Chaulukya ...
succeeded him, while another of his sons, Manavasimha was the ancestor of the Chauhan branch of Chandravati and Mount Abu. The ruling family of the
Sirohi State
Kingdom of Sirohi or later Sirohi State (in colonial time) was an independent Hindu state in present-day Rajasthan state of India. The state was founded in 1311 CE and lasted for six centuries until its peaceful dissolution in 1949 CE, when i ...
descended from Manavasimha.
The Jalor dynasty reached its zenith under Udayasimha. He captured
Naddula
Nadol is a census town in Desuri tehsil of Pali district, India. Ashapura Mataji temple and Shri Nadol Tirth attract pilgrims.
History
Nadol was originally called Naddula. The Chahamanas of Naddula (called Chauhans of Nadol in vernacular lege ...
(Nadol), probably from the
Delhi Sultan Aram Shah
Aram Shah ( fa, آرام شاه) (died in June 1211, r. 1210–1211) was the second Sultan of the Delhi Sultanate. He briefly held the throne from Lahore after the unexpected death of Qutb ud-Din Aibak before being defeated and dethroned by Ilt ...
, who had earlier defeated the Chahamanas of Naddula. He also captured Mandavyapura (
Mandor
Mandor is an ILRC and village in Phagi Tehsil in Jaipur district, Rajasthan.
Mandor has seven patwar circles - Kansel, Pachala, Mandor, Rotwara, Ladana, Sawai Jaisinghpura and Sultaniya
Soltaniyeh ( fa, سلطانيه, also Romanized ...
), but the Delhi Sultanate conquered it in 1226, under
Iltumish
Shams ud-Din Iltutmish ( fa, شمس الدین ایلتتمش; died 30 April 1236, ) was the third of the Mamluk dynasty (Delhi), Mamluk kings who ruled the former Ghurid Empire, Ghurid territories in northern India. He was the first Muslim sove ...
. In addition, he conquered Vagbhatameru (
Barmer), which was probably a principality ruled by a
Paramara
The Paramara dynasty (IAST: Paramāra) was an Indian dynasty that ruled Malwa and surrounding areas in west-central India between 9th and 14th centuries. They belonged to the Parmara clan of the Rajputs.
The dynasty was established in either th ...
branch. He also conquered several other territories that were previously controlled by the
Chaulukya
The Chaulukya dynasty (), also Solanki dynasty, was a dynasty that ruled parts of what are now Gujarat and Rajasthan in north-western India, between and . Their capital was located at Anahilavada (modern Patan). At times, their rule extended ...
s of Gujarat (Solankis). The Chaulukyas were fighting the
Yadavas of Devagiri
The Seuna, Sevuna, or Yadavas of Devagiri (IAST: Seuṇa, –1317) was a Medieval Indian dynasty, which at its peak ruled a kingdom stretching from the Narmada river in the north to the Tungabhadra river in the south, in the western part of t ...
on their southern frontier. Taking advantage of this, Udayasimha formed a confederacy with the
Guhilas of Mewar
The Guhilas of Medapata colloquially known as Guhilas of Mewar were a Rajput dynasty that ruled the Medapata (modern Mewar) region in present-day Rajasthan state of India. The Guhila kings initially ruled as Gurjara-Pratihara feudatories be ...
, the
Paramaras of Chandravati
The Paramaras of Chandravati ruled the area around the Arbuda mountain (present-day Mount Abu) in India during 10th-13th centuries. Their capital was located at Chandravati, and their territory included parts of present-day southern Rajasthan an ...
and other rulers of
Marwar
Marwar (also called Jodhpur region) is a region of western Rajasthan state in North Western India. It lies partly in the Thar Desert. The word 'maru' is Sanskrit for desert. In Rajasthani languages, "wad" means a particular area. English tran ...
. The confederacy attacked the Chaulukyas from north, following which the Chaulukya general Lavana-prasada was forced to sign a treaty with them. Udayasimha also formed a confederacy against Iltumish, forcing the Delhi Sultan to retreat from Marwar.
Udayasimha's son
Chachigadeva
Chachiga-deva (IAST: Cācigadeva, r. c. 1257-1282 CE) was a king belonging to the Chahamana dynasty, who ruled the area around Javalipura (present-day Jalore in Rajasthan). He maintained the borders of his ancestral kingdom intact, and achieved ...
retained the territories he inherited. Chachiga's son
Samantasimha
Samantasimha (IAST: Sāmantasiṃha, r. c. 1282-1305 CE) was a king belonging to the Chahamanas of Jalor, Chahamana dynasty, who ruled the area around Javalipura (present-day Jalore in Rajasthan). During the later half of his reign, he and his so ...
faced attack from the Delhi Sultanate, but was saved by his neighbour, the
Vaghela king Saranagadeva.
Kanhadadeva
Kanhadadeva (IAST: Kānhaḍa-deva, r. c. 1292-1311 CE) was a king belonging to the Chahamanas of Jalor, Chahamana dynasty, who ruled the area around Javalipura (present-day Jalore in Rajasthan). Initially, he ran the administration jointly with ...
, practically the last king of the dynasty, was
defeated and killed by the forces of
Alauddin Khalji
Alaud-Dīn Khaljī, also called Alauddin Khilji or Alauddin Ghilji (), born Ali Gurshasp, was an emperor of the Khalji dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate
The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over lar ...
. According to the ''
Kanhadade Prabandha
''Kānhaḍade Prabandha'' is a book by Indian poet Padmanābha written in 1455, in a western Apabhramsha dialect. The book tells the story of Raval Kanhadade (Kanhadadeva), the Chahamana ruler of Jalore.
Textual history
Padmanabha wrote ' ...
'', during this siege, Kanhadadeva's son
Viramadeva
Viramadeva (died c. 1311) was the son of the Jalore Chahamana king Kanhadadeva. He was crowned during Alauddin Khalji's invasion of Jalore, and was killed in the conflict 2½ days later.
Legend
Legends in Padmanābha's ''Kanhadade Praban ...
was formally crowned King, but he died 2½ days later.
List of rulers
The Chahamana rulers of the Jalor branch, with their estimated periods of reign, are as follows:
Virama-deva (1311 CE) was last ruler of dynasty, crowned during the
Siege of Jalore
In 1311 Delhi Sultanate ruler Alauddin Khalji dispatched an army to capture the Jalore Fort in present-day Rajasthan, India. Jalore was ruled by the Chahamana ruler Kanhadadeva, whose armies had earlier fought several skirmishes with the De ...
, but died 2½ days later.
References
Bibliography
*
* {{cite book , author=Ashok Kumar Srivastava , title=The Chahamanas of Jalor , publisher=Sahitya Sansar Prakashan , year=1979 , url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.547206 , oclc=12737199
History of Rajasthan
12th-century establishments in India
14th-century disestablishments in India
Jalore district
Dynasties of the Rajputs