Hammira-Varman ( IAST: Hammīravarman, c. 1288-1311 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 central India. He ruled in the Jejakabhukti region ( Bundelkhand in present-day

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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 ...

). During his reign, the Delhi Sultan

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 in the Indian subcontinent. Alauddin instituted a number of significant administrativ ...

conquered some parts of the Chandela kingdom.

Early life

The name Hammiravarman ( IAST: Hammīravarman) derives from the words "Hammira", a

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

ized form of the Muslim title

Amir Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cer ...

, and "Varman", a traditional Indian title. "Hammira" became popular among the Rajput dynasties amid Turkic (

Khalji The Khalji or Khilji (Pashto: ; Persian: ) dynasty was a Turco-Afghan dynasty which ruled the Delhi sultanate, covering large parts of the Indian subcontinent for nearly three decades between 1290 and 1320.Bhojavarman as the Chandela king. However, the name of Bhojavarman has been omitted in the list of predecessors given in his 1308

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 ...

copper plate inscription. The inscription mentions Bhojavarman's predecessors Paramardideva, Trailokyavarman and Viravarman. This indicates that Bhojavarman was not an ancestor of Hammiravarman. Rai Bahadur Hiralal theorized that the two kings were brothers, but this assumption has not been corroborated by any other evidence. According to Eliky Zannas, the two kings were probably cousins, Hammiravarman being the son of Viravarman. Hiralal also suggested that

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derives its name from Hammiravarman. However, according to the Hamirpur District Gazetteer, the city is named after Hamira Deva, a Kalachuri ruler.

Reign

The earliest and the latest known inscriptions of Hamiravarman are dated to 1289 CE and 1311 CE. This indicates that his reign lasted at least 22 years.

, the

Sultan of Delhi The following list of Indian monarchs is one of several lists of incumbents. It includes those said to have ruled a portion of the Indian subcontinent, including Sri Lanka. The earliest Indian rulers are known from epigraphical sources fou ...

, had taken control of large parts of north India by this time. The Charkhari copper plate uses the title "

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 ...

" (King of kings) for his ancestors, but not for him. This suggests that the status of the Chandela king had lowered by his time. A

Parihar Pratihar, Padiyar is a Rajput 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 ...

chief named Vaghadeva, who ruled the

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area, appears to have been a vassal of Hammiravarman. A 1304 CE

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stone inscription from Salaiya village states that it was issued during the reign of ''Maharajaputra'' ("King's son") Vaghadeva. A 1308 CE Sati record from Bamni village (in

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) also mentions Vaghadeva as the contemporary ruler. In addition, it describes his suzerain Hammiravarman 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 ...

"). However, a 1309 CE sati stone from the Salaiya village names "Alayadina Sultana" (Sultan Alauddin Khalji) as the contemporary ruler. This indicates that by 1309, the Delhi Sultanate had captured this area. Muslim sources indicate that the Delhi forces were marching towards

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by the late 1300s. This suggests that they might have captured the Damoh-Jabalpur area that fell on the way to Deccan. However, a 1311 CE sati stone found at Ajaygadh suggests that Ajaygadh (and possibly Kalanjara) remained under Chandela rule. There is no record of these having been captured by the Delhi Sultanate during Alauddin Khalji's reign. Hammiravarman's successors might have retained control of the Ajaygadh and Kalanjara forts. However, the Chandela power would have declined because of the rising Muslim influence, as well as the rise of other local dynasties, such as the

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s, the Baghelas and the Khangars. The 1315 Ladvari (Larwari) inscription suggests that Hammiravarman was succeeded by an obscure king Viravarman II, whose titles do not indicate a high political status. One minor branch of the family continued ruling Kalanjara: its ruler was killed by

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's army in 1545 CE. Another minor branch ruled at

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: one of its princesses married into the Gond royal family of

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. Some other families also claimed Chandela descent (see Chandel).

Inscriptions

We know of three inscriptions, which mention Hammiravarman as the reigning monarch: *

copper plate (1346 VS, 11 September 1289 CE) * Bamni (Bamhni) sati record (1365 VS, 1308 CE) * Ajaygadh sati stone inscription (1368 VS, 1311 CE)

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * {{Chandelas of Jejakabhukti Chandelas of Jejakabhukti 14th-century Indian monarchs 13th-century Indian monarchs