Katuka-raja (

IAST The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that emerged during ...

: Kaṭukarāja, r. c. 1145–1148 CE) was an Indian king belonging to the Naddula Chahamana dynasty. He ruled the area around

Naddula Nadol is a census town in Desuri tehsil of Pali district, India. Ashapura Mataji temple and Shri Nadol Tirth attract pilgrims. History Nadol was originally called Naddula. The Chahamanas of Naddula (called Chauhans of Nadol in vernacular lege ...

(present-day Nadol in

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 ...

), after seizing the power from his relative

Rayapala Rayapala (IAST: Rāyapāla, r. c. 1132–1145 CE) was an Indian king belonging to the Naddula Chahamana dynasty. He ruled the area around Naddula (present-day Nadol in Rajasthan), before his relative Katukaraja seized the power. Reign Rayap ...

Reign

Katukaraja was a son of the Chahamana monarch

Asharaja Asharaja (IAST: Āśārāja, r. c. 1110–1119 CE) was an Indian king belonging to the Naddula Chahamana dynasty. He ruled the area around Naddula (present-day Nadol in Rajasthan), before being dethroned by his nephew Ratnapala. He then accepte ...

, who was dislodged by his brother Ratnapala. After losing the throne of Naddula, Asharaja became a vassal of the

Chaulukya 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 ...

emperor

Jayasimha Siddharaja Jayasiṃha ( ), who assumed the title Siddharāja (), was an Indian king who ruled western parts of India. He was a member of the Chaulukya (also called Solanki) dynasty. Jayasimha's capital was located at Anahilapataka (modern Patan) in pres ...

. Meanwhile, Ratnapala was succeeded by his son

. Around 1145 CE, Katukaraja seized the throne of Naddula. This is apparent from Katukaraja's 1144-45

Sewari Sewari or Sewadi is a village located in the Bali Tehsil of Pali district of Rajasthan state, amidst the Aravalli Range The Aravalli Range (also spelled ''Aravali'') is a mountain range in Northern- Western India, running approximately in ...

inscription, in which he assumes 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, an ...

''. The inscriptions of Katukaraja are dated in the Simha

calendar era A calendar era is the period of time elapsed since one ''epoch'' of a calendar and, if it exists, before the next one. For example, it is the year as per the Gregorian calendar, which numbers its years in the Western Christian era (the Coptic ...

, which was used in the present-day Gujarat region. His successors were vassals of the Chaulukya kings of Gujarat. Based on this, historian R. B. Singh believes that he captured Naddula with help of the Chaulukya emperor Kumarapala. Singh further theorizes that following Jayasimha's death, Katukaraja may have helped Kumarapala in a war of success against a rival claimant to the Chaulukya throne. According to a

inscription, as a prince, Katukaraja made a donation to

Jain Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...

s for the worship of

Shantinatha Shantinatha was the sixteenth Jain tirthankar of the present age (Avasarpini). Shantinatha was born to King Vishvasena and Queen Aiira at Hastinapur in the Ikshvaku dynasty. His birth date is the thirteenth day of the Jyest Krishna month of the ...

, on the occasion of

Shivaratri Maha Shivaratri ( IAST: Mahāśivarātri) is a Hindu festival celebrated annually in honour of the god Shiva. The name also refers to the night when Shiva performs the heavenly dance called Tandava. In every month of the luni-solar Hindu c ...

. Katukaraja's successor was his younger brother

Alhanadeva Alhana-deva (IAST: Alhaṇadeva, r. c. 1148–1163 CE) was an Indian king belonging to the Naddula Chahamana dynasty. He ruled the area around Naddula (present-day Nadol in Rajasthan), as a vassal of the Chaulukya king Kumarapala. During his re ...

, who served as a vassal of Kumarapala. Another of his brothers, Purnapaksha, also accepted Kumarapala's suzerainty. Purnapaksha controlled the principality of Ratanpur, and is mentioned as a subordinate of Kumarapala in the Ratanpur inscription of his queen Girija-devi.

References

Bibliography

* * {{Chahamanas of Naddula Chahamanas of Naddula 12th-century Indian monarchs