Chandravati, popularly known as Chandroti,
is a village situated near
Abu Road on the bank of the
West Banas River in the
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
n state of
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 ...
. In ancient times it was an extensive town, and present villages such as Dattani, Kiverli, Kharadi and Santpura were its suburbs. The old ruins, such as temples, torans and images scattered over the large area, bear testimony to its past glory.
History
![Pillars of 13th century Jain temple at Chandravati 1866](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/Pillars_of_13th_century_Jain_temple_at_Chandravati_1866.jpg)
Archeological excavations suggested that there was a large settlement at the place before the establishment of Chandravati by
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.
Chandravati was ruled by the
Paramaras of Abu.
The first Paramara ruler of the area was
Sindhuraja in the early tenth century.
[Mathur, Vijayendra Kumar: Aitihasik Sthanavali (Hindi), Vaigyanik tatha Takaniki Shabdawali Ayog, Government of India, 1990, p.319]
Chandravati was the major city in past said to once been eighteen miles in circuit. Its prosperity seems to have lasted from the seventh to the beginning of the fifteenth century. Tradition gives it an earlier origin than
Dhar, making it the metropolis of Western India, when the
Parmara
Parmar is a Rajput clan found in Northern and Central India, especially in Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Kutch, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and North Maharashtra.
See also
* Paramara Dynasty
The Paramara dynasty ( IAST ...
was paramount lord to whom the nine castles of the desert were the grand subordinate fiefs. In the seventh century,
then subordinate to Dhar, it proved a place of refuge to Raja Bhoj, when, by some northern invader, he was forced to flee from his capital. From the Parmars it was wrested by the Chauhan chieftains of
Sirohi
Sirohi is a city, located in Sirohi district in southern Rajasthan state in western India. It is the administrative headquarters of Sirohi District and was formerly the capital of the princely state of Sirohi ruled by Deora Chauhan Rajput rul ...
, and, on the establishment of the
Chaulukya dynasty
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 ...
of
Anhilwad Patan (942) the rulers of Chandravati became its vassals. The remains at Chandravati and on mount Abu seem to point to the eleventh and twelfth centuries as the time of greatest wealth and splendour. The materials recovered by excavation suggested that it was established around 7th century and expanded into a large settlement (about 50 hectare) around 10th or 11th century when it was a capital township.
In 1024 AD, Chandravati was attacked and plundered by
Mahmud Ghazni
Yamīn-ud-Dawla Abul-Qāṣim Maḥmūd ibn Sebüktegīn ( fa, ; 2 November 971 – 30 April 1030), usually known as Mahmud of Ghazni or Mahmud Ghaznavi ( fa, ), was the founder of the Turkic Ghaznavid dynasty, ruling from 998 to 1030. At th ...
when he passed through Rajasthan to attack
Anhilwad Patan. After defeating
Prithviraj III
Prithviraja III (IAST: Pṛthvī-rāja; reign. – 1192 CE), popularly known as Prithviraj Chauhan or Rai Pithora, was a king from the Chauhan (Chahamana) dynasty who ruled the territory of Sapadalaksha, with his capital at Ajmer in present- ...
in 1192 AD, the Muslim army also attacked Chandravati.
In 1197, its rulers Prahladan and Dharavarsh, as feudatories to Bhimdev II (1178 - 1243) of Anhilwad, encamping near Abu, attempted to hold the entrance into Gujarat against
Kutb-ud-din Aibak (1192 -1210). Notwithstanding their strong position they were attacked, defeated, and put to flight. Great wealth fell into the victor'shands, and, as he passed on and took Anhilvada, it is probable that, on his way, he plundered Chandravati. Kutb-ud-din's expedition was little more than a passing raid, and Dharavarsh's son succeeded
him. He, or his successor, was about 1270 defeated and driven out by the
Chauhans of Nadol
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 ...
. In about 1315 AD Chandravati passed into the hands of Deora
Chauhans.
Then (1304) came
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 ...
's final conquest of Gujarat, and Chandravati, with Anhilwad as the centre of Muslim power, lost almost all independence. Another hundred years completed its ruin. In the beginning of the fifteenth century, by the founding of Sirohi (1405), Chandravati ceased to be the seat of a Hindu chief, and, a few years later (1411 - 1412), its buildings and skilled craftsmen were carried off to enrich the new capital of Sultan
Ahmed Shah I (1411 - 1443) of
Gujarat Sultanate. Since then Chandravati has remained
forsaken and desolate. Even its ruins, sold and carried off as building materials, have all but disappeared. Though some are more modern, most of the Chandravati remains belong to the eleventh and twelfth centuries, the best period of Abu architecture (1032-1247).
Sahasamala Devada shifted his capital to
Sirohi
Sirohi is a city, located in Sirohi district in southern Rajasthan state in western India. It is the administrative headquarters of Sirohi District and was formerly the capital of the princely state of Sirohi ruled by Deora Chauhan Rajput rul ...
around 1450 AD, and from then on Chandravati lost its glory.
In 1824 Sir
Charles Colville
General Sir Charles Colville (7 August 1770 – 27 March 1843) was a British Army officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars. He was an ensign in 1781. He served in the West Indies from 1791 to 1797 and while serving there was promoted to li ...
and his party, the first European visitors to Chandravati, found twenty marble edifices of different sizes. One Brahmanic temple was adorned with rich, very well executed sculptured figures and ornaments in high relief, many of the figures almost quite detached. The chief images were of
Brahma
Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 21 ...
, two
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
,
Mahishasuramardini
Durga ( sa, दुर्गा, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars.
Durga's legend centres around comb ...
,
Yama
Yama (Devanagari: यम) or Yamarāja (यमराज), is a deity of death, dharma, the south direction, and the underworld who predominantly features in Hindu and Buddhist religion, belonging to an early stratum of Rigvedic Hindu deities ...
. The best executed were the dancing nymphs, with garlands and musical instruments, many of them extremely graceful. Except the roof of the domes, whoso outer marble cover was gone, the temple was white marble throughout, the lustre of tho prominent part undimmed. Near the temple, two richly carved columns, supporting an entablature and sculptured pediment, are probably triumphal pillars, ''kirti stambh'', like those at
Sidhpur
Siddhpur, also spelled Sidhpur, is a town, municipality and headquarter of Sidhpur taluka in Patan district, in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is a historical place located on the bank of the endorheic Saraswati River, which is probably a rem ...
. When visited by British explorer Burgess in 1874, of the twenty buildings not more than three or four were left.
The remains of Chandravati was destroyed further during the construction of the railway track between Malwa and Abu road before independence.
It is now a small village.
Arts and literature
There were a large number of temples in Chandravati. They were mainly Shiva temples and Jain temples.
Many European scholars who visited this area in the nineteenth century have written about surviving artistic specimens.
James Tod
Lieutenant-Colonel James Tod (20 March 1782 – 18 November 1835) was an officer of the British East India Company and an Oriental scholar. He combined his official role and his amateur interests to create a series of works about the his ...
has given pictures of some of these temples in his ''Travels in Western India''. In 1824
Charles Colville
General Sir Charles Colville (7 August 1770 – 27 March 1843) was a British Army officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars. He was an ensign in 1781. He served in the West Indies from 1791 to 1797 and while serving there was promoted to li ...
and his party visited Chandravati and found twenty marble edifices of different sizes. One temple to Brahma was adorned with rich and finely executed sculptured figures and ornaments in high relief. Another scholar, Ferguson, found the pillars so highly ornamented in details and varieties that no two pillars are exactly alike.
At present not a single temple is in order. The pieces of old temples were removed and used in temples in distant cities. The many monuments were destroyed by contractors of Rajputana Malwa Railway before independence. The remaining were stolen or were destroyed when Abu Road industrial area was extended and Palanpur-Abu Road Highway was constructed. It divided the ancient site into two parts.
Rulers of Chandravati also patronized literature. Jain monks wrote some literary works there.
Archeology
At least three fortified enclosures were discovered during excavations. The largest fortification is spread over four hectares and is located in the valley of Banas river. Three residential complexes; six room complex in south eastern corner, six room complex in north eastern corner and the large hall with few rooms in south central part of the fort; were discovered. Several minor objects were also discovered from the complexes like terracotta beads, copper and iron objects, animal figures.
The other two fortifications, a large settlement, about thirty six temples, around twelve bawaris are located in the valley of Sevarni river which is tributary of Banas.
References
Notes
Bibliography
*
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History of Rajasthan
Villages in Sirohi district
Tourist attractions in Sirohi district
Abu Road