Chandel or Chandela is a Rajput
clan from India.
Families belonging to this clan ruled several kingdoms in north India and held various feudal estates. The most notable of these were the
Chandelas of Jejakabhukti
The Chandelas of Jejakabhukti was an Indian dynasty in Central India. The Chandelas ruled much of the Bundelkhand region (then called ''Jejakabhukti'') between the 9th and the 13th centuries. They belonged to the Chandel clan of the Rajputs.
...
, who ruled the
Bundelkhand region.
History
During 10th to 13th century CE, the
Chandelas of Jejakabhukti
The Chandelas of Jejakabhukti was an Indian dynasty in Central India. The Chandelas ruled much of the Bundelkhand region (then called ''Jejakabhukti'') between the 9th and the 13th centuries. They belonged to the Chandel clan of the Rajputs.
...
ruled the Bundelkhand region in present-day
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...
and
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
. Chandel claim Chandravansh lineage,
Historians Such as CV Vaidya and
GS Ojha consider these Chandela Rajput to be of Pure
Lunar(Chandravansh) lineage. The British indologist
V. A. Smith theorised that the Chandelas were of either
Bhar
The Bhar are a caste in India.
History
Influenced by the Arya Samaj movement, as were members of other castes, Baijnath Prasad Adhyapak published ''Rajbhar Jati ka Itihas'' in 1940. This book attempted to prove that the Rajbhar were former ...
or
Gond origin, this theory was not supported by some scholars including
C V Vaidya because this Bhar and Gond Origin theory was based on Marriage of Durgavati to a king of Gond kingdom Dalpat shah who was not a Gond but a
Kachhhwaha Rajput adopted by King Amandas Gond according to Akbarnama.
After the decline of Kalchuri Rajput remaining Kalchuri Rajput kingdom adopted tribal's which lead to the beginning of Gond Kingdom in which Dalpat Shah a Kachhwaha Rajput was adopted by a Gond King Amandas Gond.
Historian R. K. Dikshit also not find Bhar and Gond Origin theory convincing: he argues that Maniya was not a tribal deity. Also, the dynasty's association with Gond territory is not necessarily indicative of a common descent: the dynasty's progenitor may have been posted as a governor in these territories.
Gidhaur zamindari
The zamindari estate of
Gidhaur in
Munger district
Munger district is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar state in eastern India. Munger city is the administrative headquarters of this district. Munger district is a part of Munger Division. Its literacy rate of 73.3% is higher than the st ...
, present-day
Bihar
Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...
was controlled by a branch of the Chandel They are considered to be one of the oldest ruling families in Bihar. It was established by Bir Bikram Shah whose ancestors came from
Mahoba
Mahoba is a city in Mahoba District of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh in the Bundelkhand region, well known for the ninth century granite Sun temple built in Pratihara style. It is also well known for the 24 rock-cut Jain tirthankara image ...
in Bundelkhand but were driven into Bihar during the 12th century following various Muslim incursions. They managed to gain control of Gidhaur after expelling the various aboriginal chiefs from the region. Bir Bikram Shah slowly started to expand his chieftaincy to encompass the surrounding areas. Other rulers belonging to this lineage include Sukhdev Singh, Ram Naranjan Singh and Darp Narayan Singh.
Chandels of Mirzapur
Bijaigarh in modern
Mirzapur district of Eastern
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
was ruled by a family of Chandel Rajputs who traced their line to the Burhur Chandels of Rewa. They were notable for their conflict with the
Bhumihar
Bhumihars, also called Babhan, are a Hindu caste mainly found in Bihar (including the Mithila region), the Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh, and Nepal.
The Bhumihars claim Brahmin stat ...
s of
Benares state
Benares or Banaras State was a kingdom and later princely state in what is today Uttar Pradesh, India. On 15 October 1948, Benares' last ruler signed the accession to the Indian Union.
The state was founded by the local zamindar, Raja Balw ...
and for participating in the
Indian rebellion of 1857
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...
.
Bilaspur Princely State
The Princely family of
Bilaspur State
Bilaspur State or Kahlur State, sometimes Kahloor Riyasat, was a kingdom (697-1849) and later princely state (1849-1948) in the Punjab Province ruled by a separate branch of Chandravanshi Chandel dynasty.Raja Bir Chand 697-730 was the fou ...
are Chandel claiming descent from
Shishupala
Shishupala ( sa, शिशुपाल, lit. ''protector of children'', IAST: ''Śiśupāla''; sometimes spelt Sisupala) was the king of the Chedi kingdom, and an antagonist in the Mahabharata. He was the son of King Damaghosha and Srutashubha, ...
, who reigned in Chanderi in southern Palputana . But according to Bilaspur Past and Present, Bilaspur Gazetteer and Ganesh
Singh's book Chandravansh Vilas and Shashivansh Vinod confirm that the foundation of Kahlur Princely State was laid by Birchand in 697 AD who claims its descent from Chandervanshi
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 ...
who reigned at Chanderi in the
Chedi to northern
Mahismati region, but this is not completely true, Harihar Chand (71st king of
Chanderi) made his son Govind Chand the king of
Chanderi and in old age came north with Bir Chand.
Zaildari
A group of Chandel families claiming a common origin once held the
zaildar
Zaildar was the title of the grand jagirdars (landlords) of the area, who were in charge of a Zail which was an administrative unit of group of villages during the British Indian Empire. The Settlement Officer, with the advice of the Deputy Co ...
is of Ghund, Madhan, and
Theog
Theog is a town and a municipal committee as well as a tehsil in Shimla district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It's just 26 km from state capital Shimla. First settlements were in 1902.
Demographics/History
India census, Theog ...
in present-day
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh (; ; "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several peaks ...
. According to their tradition, their ancestor migrated from
Chanderi to
Bilaspur. After three generations, his descendants moved to Ram Sarai in the
Garhwal region
Garhwal (IPA: /ɡəɽʋːɔɭ/) is one of the two administrative divisions of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Lying in the Himalayas, it is bounded on the north by Tibet, on the east by Kumaon, on the south by Uttar Pradesh state, and on the ...
. After another four generations, four brothers from the family moved to the
Shimla region. The eldest brother became administrator of Madhan; the third youngest - Jai Chand - became the administrator of Theog; and the youngest became the administrator of Ghund.
References
Bibliography
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{{Rajput Groups of India
Rajput clans of Madhya Pradesh
Rajput clans of Uttar Pradesh
Rajput clans of Bihar
Rajput clans of Himachal Pradesh