Mularaja (), also known as ''Bala Mularaja'' ("Child Mularaja"), was an Indian king from 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 ...

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

. He ruled the present-day Gujarat and surrounding areas from his capital Anahilapataka (modern Patan). He ascended the throne as a child, and his mother Naiki Devi acted as the

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

during his short reign. The Chaulukyas repulsed a

Ghurid The Ghurid dynasty (also spelled Ghorids; fa, دودمان غوریان, translit=Dudmân-e Ğurīyân; self-designation: , ''Šansabānī'') was a Persianate dynasty and a clan of presumably eastern Iranian Tajik origin, which ruled from the ...

invasion when he was 13 years old. The

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 ...

king

Vindhyavarman Vindhyavarman (reigned c. 1175-1194 CE) was an Indian king from the Paramara dynasty, who ruled in the Malwa region of central India. He defeated the Chaulukyas, who had annexed the Paramara territory to their own kingdom in the preceding years. ...

made attempts to evict the Chaulukyas from

Malwa Malwa is a historical region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic upland north of the Vindhya Range. Politically and administratively, it is also syno ...

during his reign, and succeeded in regaining control of Malwa either during Mularaja's lieftime or shortly after his death.

Early life

Brahmanwada. Also shown is the location of Kasahrada (modern Kyara in

Sirohi district Sirohi District is a district of Rajasthan state in western India. The city of Sirohi is the district headquarters. As of 2011 it is the third least populous district of Rajasthan (out of 33), after Jaisalmer and Pratapgarh. History In 1948 ...

)." width="200" height="175" zoom="5" longitude="71.938477" latitude="24.026397" align="right"> Mularaja succeeded his father Ajayapala on the Chaulukya throne. His mother Naikidevi was the daughter of one Paramardin. According to one theory, this Paramardin was the Goa Kadamba king Shivachitta Paramadideva (1148–1179 CE). Another theory identifies him with 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. ...

king

Paramardi Paramardi (reigned c. 1165–1203 CE) was a king of the Chandela dynasty of central India. He was the last powerful Chandela king, and ruled the Jejakabhukti region (Bundelkhand in present-day Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh). Around 1182–11 ...

. The second theory is based on the identification of "Kakaḍādaha" with similar-sounding "Gāḍāraghaṭṭa". The Chandela-era Garra inscription mentions that a Chandela warrior named Rauta Pape lost his life in a battle at Kakaḍādaha. According to the 14th century chronicler

Merutunga Merutuṅga was a medieval scholar from present-day Gujarat in India and was a Śvētāmbara Jain monk of the Añcala Gaccha. He is presently most well-known for his Sanskrit text, the '' Prabandhacintāmaṇi'', composed in 1306 CE. He also ...

, Naikidevi fought the Muslims at Gāḍarāraghaṭṭa. This appears to be same as Kasahrada, where a Chaulukya army defeated the

s in 1178 CE. Mularaja ascended the throne as a young child after his father's death. His mother Naikidevi acted as the regent during his short reign.

Battle of Kasahrada

Rebellion in Malwa

The

kingdom of

had come under Chaulukya control during the reign of Mularaja's predecessors. During Mularaja's reign, a

famine A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including war, natural disasters, crop failure, Demographic trap, population imbalance, widespread poverty, an Financial crisis, economic catastrophe or government policies. Th ...

occurred in Gujarat. Taking advantage of this, the Paramara king

made attempts to regain control of Malwa. The Chaulukya general Kumara was in-charge of the operations against Vindhyavarman. According to ''Surathotsava'', written by Kumara's son Someshvara, Kumara defeated Vindhyavarman. After his victory, Kumara destroyed Vindhyavarman's town Gogasthana, sank a well where the Paramara palace once stood, and plundered Malwa. Vindhyavarman was ultimately successful in regaining control of Malwa. According to historian R. C. Majumdar, he accomplished this during the reign of Mularaja. However, A. K. Majumdar believes that Malwa remained under Chaululkya control during Mularaja's reign.

Death

Mularaja died at a very young age in 1178 CE, and was succeeded by his brother

Bhima II Bhima II (r. c. 1178–1240 CE), also known as ''Bhola Bhima'', was an Indian king who ruled parts of present-day Gujarat. He was a member of the Chaulukya (also called Chalukya or Solanki) dynasty. During his reign, the dynasty's power decli ...

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * {{Chaulukya dynasty 12th-century Indian monarchs Chaulukya dynasty 1178 deaths