Devavarman (reigned c. 1050-1060 CE) was a king of the

Chandela 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. ...

dynasty of India. He ruled the Jejakabhukti region ( Bundelkhand 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 ...

). Devavarman was born to the Chandela ruler

Vijayapala Vijayapala ( IAST: Vijayapāla; reigned c. 1035-1050 CE) was a king of the Chandela dynasty of India. He ruled in the Jejakabhukti region ( Bundelkhand in present-day Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh). Vijayapala was born to the Chandela ruler ...

and his queen Bhuvanadevi. His titles included the usual Chandela titles such as ''Kalanjaradhipati'' ("Lord of

Kalanjara Kalinjar ( hi, कालिंजर) is a fortress-city in Bundelkhand, in Banda District of Uttar Pradesh, in India. It was ruled by several dynasties including the Guptas, the Vardhana Dynasty, the Chandelas, Solankis of Rewa, Mughal an ...

") and ''Parama-bhattaraka

Maharajadhiraja Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king". A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, a ...

Parameshvara''. He also called himself ''Parama- Maheshvara'', which indicates that he was a

Shaivite Shaivism (; sa, शैवसम्प्रदायः, Śaivasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Supreme Being. One of the largest Hindu denominations, it incorporates many sub-traditions rangin ...

. Devavarman is known only from the two inscriptions issued by him: the 1051 CE Nanyaura inscription, and the 1052 CE

Charkhari Charkhari is a city in Mahoba district in the state of Uttar Pradesh , India . This is the Kashmir of Bundelkhand . It was the capital of the Charkhari concession . There are lakes named Vijay Sagar, Malkhan Sagar, Vanshi Sagar, Jai Sagar, Rata ...

inscription. According to these inscriptions, he succeeded Vijayapala. The other Chandela records omit his name, and mention his brother Kirttivarman as the next king after Vijayapala. Such omissions suggest the possibility of a dynastic conflict, but there is no definitive evidence on this matter. Another possible reason for these omissions might have been the subjugation of the Chandelas by the

Kalachuris of Tripuri The Kalachuris of Tripuri (IAST: ), also known the Kalachuris of Chedi, ruled parts of central India during 7th to 13th centuries. They are also known as the Later Kalachuris to distinguish them from their earlier namesakes, especially the Kala ...

during his reign. The allegorical play ''Prabodha-Chandrodaya'', composed by Chandela court scholar Krishna Misra, suggests that the Kalachuri king de-throned the Chandela king. Another literary work — ''Vikramanka-Deva-Charita'' by

Bilhana Kaviraj, Kavi Bilhana was an 11th-century Kashmiri Pandits, Kashmiri poet. He is known for his love poem, the ''Caurapañcāśikā''. According to legend, Bilhana fell in love with the daughter of King Madanabhirama, Princess Yaminipurnatilaka, ...

— states that the Kalachuri king Lakshmi-Karna was like the lord of death to the lord of Kalanjara. The later Chandela inscriptions credit Devavarman's successor Kirttivarman with resurrecting the Chandela power.

References

Bibliography

* * {{Chandelas of Jejakabhukti Chandelas of Jejakabhukti 11th-century Indian monarchs