The Chalukyas of Lata were an Indian dynasty, which ruled the Lata region 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 ...

during 10th and 11th centuries. They ruled as feudatories of the

Western Chalukyas The Western Chalukya Empire ruled most of the western Deccan, South India, between the 10th and 12th centuries. This Kannadiga dynasty is sometimes called the ''Kalyani Chalukya'' after its regal capital at Kalyani, today's Basavakalyan in th ...

in their early years, and were ultimately defeated 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).

History

Barappa, the dynasty's first ruler, is identified as a general of the

Western Chalukya The Western Chalukya Empire ruled most of the western Deccan, South India, between the 10th and 12th centuries. This Kannadiga dynasty is sometimes called the ''Kalyani Chalukya'' after its regal capital at Kalyani, today's Basavakalyan in th ...

king

Tailapa II Tailapa II (r. c. 973-997), also known as Taila II and by his title ''Ahavamalla'', was the founder of the Western Chalukya dynasty in southern India. Tailapa claimed descent from the earlier Chalukyas of Vatapi, and initially ruled as a Rashtr ...

. He might have been made the governor of the Lata region by Tailapa. According to

Merutunga Merutuṅga was a medieval scholar from present-day Gujarat in India and was a Śvētāmbara Jain monk of the Añcala Gaccha. He is presently most well-known for his Sanskrit text, the '' Prabandhacintāmaṇi'', composed in 1306 CE. He also ...

's ''

Prabandha-Chintamani ''Prabandha-Chintamani'' (IAST: Prabandha-cintāmaṇi) is an Indian Sanskrit-language collection of ''prabandhas'' (semi-historical biographical narratives). It was compiled in c. 1304 CE, in the Vaghela kingdom of present-day Gujarat, by Jain s ...

'', Barapa and the ruler of Sapadalaksha (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 ...

king

Vigraharaja II Vigraharāja II (r. c. 971-998 CE ) was a king belonging to the Shakambhari Chahamana dynasty. He ruled the Sapadalaksha country, which included parts of present-day Rajasthan in north-western India. Early life Vigrahraja was born to the Cha ...

) once simultaneously attacked Gujarat.

Mularaja Mularaja () was the founder of the Chaulukya dynasty of India. Also known as the Chalukyas of Gujarat or Solanki, this dynasty ruled parts of present-day Gujarat. Mularaja supplanted the last Chavda king, and founded an independent kingdom with ...

, the

king of Gujarat, asked the Sapadalaksha ruler not to attack him until he dealt with Barapa. He then defeated Barapa, which prompted the Sapadalaksha king to flee Gujarat. Since Merutunga was from Gujarat, this account may be biased. The Chahamana chroniclers claim that Vigraharaja defeated Mularaja, and marched up to

Bhrigukachchha Bharuch (), formerly known as Broach, is a city at the mouth of the river Narmada in Gujarat in western India. Bharuch is the administrative headquarters of Bharuch District. The city of Bharuch and surroundings have been settled since tim ...

, where he constructed a temple dedicated to his family deity

Ashapura Ashapura Mata is an aspect of Devi, a Hindu goddess. She is one of the kuladevis of Kutch, and the Jadeja clan inhabiting the area. She is a goddess regarded to fulfill the wishes of her adherents. In her iconography, the goddess is said to ...

. According to one theory, Vigraharaja II allied with Barapa, and helped him achieve independence. According to

Hemachandra Hemachandra was a 12th century () Indian Jain saint, scholar, poet, mathematician, philosopher, yogi, grammarian, law theorist, historian, lexicographer, rhetorician, logician, and prosodist. Noted as a prodigy by his contemporaries, he gain ...

's ''Dvyashraya Kavya'', Mularaja's son Chamundaraja invaded Lata, and killed Barappa. Barappa's son Gogi-raja may have revived the family's rule in the Lata region. But, by 1074 CE, the dynasty appears to have been vanquished by the Chaulukyas of Gujarat.

Genealogy

The following members of the family (with estimated reigns) are known: * Nimbarka * Barappa, c. 970-990 CE * Gogi-raja or Gongi-raja, c. 990-1010 CE * Kirti-raja, c. 1010-1030 CE * Vatsa-raja, c. 1030-1050 CE * Trilochana-pala, c. 1050-1070 CE

Inscriptions

A 940

Shaka Shaka kaSenzangakhona ( – 22 September 1828), also known as Shaka Zulu () and Sigidi kaSenzangakhona, was the king of the Zulu Kingdom from 1816 to 1828. One of the most influential monarchs of the Zulu, he ordered wide-reaching reforms that ...

(1018 CE) copper-plate inscription of Kirtiraja was discovered in Surat. It names his ancestors as Gogi, Barappa and Nimbarka. Two copper-plate inscriptions of Trilochana-pala dated 972 Shaka (1050 CE Eklahare and 1051 CE Surat) have also been discovered. These inscriptions given an account of the mythical origin of the Chalukyas: the family's progenitor originated from the ''chuluka'' (a vessel or a folded palm to hold water) of the creator deity Virinchi. On the deity's advice, he married the Rashtrakuta princess of

Kanyakubja Kannauj ( Hindustani pronunciation: ənːɔːd͡ʒ is a city, administrative headquarters and a municipal board or Nagar Palika Parishad in Kannauj district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city's name is a corrupted form of the c ...

. Trilochanapala's inscriptions mention four of his ancestors: Vatsa, Kirti, Gogi and Barappa. Vatsa is said to have built a golden

umbrella An umbrella or parasol is a folding canopy supported by wooden or metal ribs that is usually mounted on a wooden, metal, or plastic pole. It is designed to protect a person against rain or sunlight. The term ''umbrella'' is traditionally use ...

for the god Somanatha, and also established a free food canteen (''sattra''). Trilochanapala is titled ''Maha-Mandaleshvara'' in these inscriptions. The 1050 CE inscription records his donation of the Ekallahara village (modern

Eklahare Eklahare is a census town and part of Nashik Metropolitan Region in Nashik district in the state of Maharashtra, India. Demographics India census, Eklahare had a population of 12,010. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Ek ...

) to a Brahmin named Taraditya.

References

{{reflist History of Gujarat Dynasties of India 970s establishments 10th-century establishments in India 11th-century disestablishments in India