Chamundaraja (r. c. 1045-1065 CE ) was an Indian king belonging to the Shakambhari Chahamana dynasty. He ruled the Sapadalaksha country, which included parts of present-day Rajasthan in north-western India. Chamundaraja succeeded

Viryarama Viryarama (r. c. 1040 CE ) was an Indian king belonging to the Shakambhari Chahamana dynasty. He ruled the Sapadalaksha country, which included parts of present-day Rajasthan in north-western India. Viryarama succeeded Vakpatiraja II as the Ch ...

, who had succeeded

Vakpatiraja II Vakpatiraja II (r. c. 1026-1040 CE) was an Indian king belonging to the Shakambhari Chahamana dynasty. He ruled the Sapadalaksha country, which included parts of present-day Rajasthan in north-western India. Vakpati succeeded his father Govind ...

. According to historian R. B. Singh, Virayarama and Chamundaraja were sons of Vakpatiraja. According to Dasharatha Sharma, all three were sons of

Govindaraja III Govindaraja III (r. c. 1012-1026 CE), also known as Gandu, was an Indian king belonging to the Shakambhari Chahamana dynasty. He ruled the Sapadalaksha country, which included parts of present-day Rajasthan in north-western India. Reign Govi ...

. Chamundaraja's predecessor Viryarama had been killed by 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 ...

king Bhoja. It is possible that the Paramaras occupied Shakambhari for a brief period. According to historian Dasharatha Sharma, Chamundaraja would have evicted them with support from the Naddula Chahamana ruler

Anahilla Anahilla (IAST: Aṇahilla, r. c. 1024–1055 CE) was an Indian king belonging to the Naddula Chahamana dynasty. He ruled the area around Naddula (present-day Nadol in Rajasthan). He defeated the Chaulukya king Bhima I, defeated a general of the ...

. The Sundha inscription of the Naddula Chahamanas claims that Anahilla killed Bhoja's general Sadha, and captured Shakambhari. Chamundaraja appears to have defeated a Muslim army, as suggested by multiple texts including '' Prabandha Kosha'', '' Hammira Mahakavya'' and ''Surjana Charita''. The ''Prabandha Kosha'' describes him as "the slayer of the

Sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...

", while the ''Hammira Mahakavya'' states that he defeated one "Hejim-ud-Din". The Chahamana kingdom bordered the

Ghaznavid Empire The Ghaznavid dynasty ( fa, غزنویان ''Ġaznaviyān'') was a culturally Persianate society, Persianate, Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslim dynasty of Turkic peoples, Turkic ''mamluk'' origin, ruling, at its greatest extent, large parts of Persia, ...

, and it is possible that Chamundaraja foiled a Ghaznavid invasion. No Ghaznavid Sultan after

Mawdud of Ghazni Shahāb-ud-Dawla Mawdūd ( fa, شهاب‌الدوله مودود; died 1050), known as Mawdud of Ghazni (), was a sultan of the Ghaznavids from 1041 – 1050. He seized the throne of the sultanate from his uncle, Muhammad of Ghazni, in revenge fo ...

is known to have personally led an army to India; it is possible that the "Sultan" slayed by Chamundaraja was a Ghaznavid general. According to '' Prithviraja Vijaya'', Chamundaraja commissioned a Vishnu temple at Narapura (modern Narwar in Ajmer district). Chamundaraja was succeeded by his son

Durlabharaja III Durlabharaja III (r. c. 1065-1070 CE) was an Indian 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 Durlabha-raja III, ...

, who was succeeded by his other son Vigraharaja III. The Bijolia inscription places one Simhata between the Chamundaraja and Durlabharaja III. According to Dasharatha Sharma, Simhata could have been an elder brother of Durlabharaja III.

References

Bibliography

* * {{Chahamanas of Shakambhari Chahamanas of Shakambhari 11th-century Indian monarchs