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
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 ...
clan of the
Rajputs.
The dynasty was established in either the 9th or 10th century, and its early rulers most probably ruled as vassals of the
Rashtrakutas of Manyakheta. The earliest extant Paramara inscriptions, issued by the 10th-century ruler
Siyaka, have been found in
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 nin ...
. Around 972 CE, Siyaka sacked the Rashtrakuta capital
Manyakheta, and established the Paramaras as a sovereign power. By the time of his successor
Munja, the Malwa region in present-day
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital city, capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar, and Rewa, India, Rewa being the othe ...
had become the core Paramara territory, with
Dhara (now Dhar) as their capital. The dynasty reached its zenith under Munja's nephew
Bhoja, whose kingdom extended from
Chittor in the north to
Konkan
The Konkan ( kok, कोंकण) or Kokan () is a stretch of land by the western coast of India, running from Damaon in the north to Karwar in the south; with the Arabian Sea to the west and the Deccan plateau in the east. The hinterla ...
in the south, and from the
Sabarmati River in the west to
Vidisha in the east.
The Paramara power rose and declined several times as a result of their struggles with the
Chaulukyas of Gujarat, the
Chalukyas of Kalyani, the
Kalachuris of Tripuri,
Chandelas of Jejakabhukti and other neighbouring kingdoms. The later Paramara rulers moved their capital to
Mandapa-Durga (now Mandu) after Dhara was sacked multiple times by their enemies.
Mahalakadeva, the last known Paramara king, was
defeated and killed by the forces of
Alauddin Khalji of
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders wi ...
in 1305 CE, although epigraphic evidence suggests that the Paramara rule continued for a few years after his death.
Malwa enjoyed a great level of political and cultural prestige under the Paramaras. The Paramaras were well known for their patronage to
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominalization, nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cul ...
poets and scholars, and Bhoja was himself a renowned scholar. Most of the Paramara kings were
Shaivites and commissioned several Shiva temples, although they also patronized
Jain scholars.
Origin
Ancestry
The
Harsola copper plates (949 CE) issued by the Paramara king
Siyaka II mentions a king called Akalavarsha, followed by the expression ''tasmin kule'' ("in that family"), and then followed by the name "Vappairaja" (identified with the Paramara king Vakpati I). Based on the identification of "Akalavarsha" (which was a
Rashtrakuta title) with the Rashtrakuta king
Krishna III, historian as D.C. Ganguly theorized that the Paramaras were descended from the Rashtrakutas. Ganguly tried to find support for his theory in ''
Ain-i-Akbari'', whose variation of the
Agnikula myth (see below) states that a predecessor of the Paramaras came to Malwa from
Deccan
The large Deccan Plateau in southern India is located between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, and is loosely defined as the peninsular region between these ranges that is south of the Narmada river. To the north, it is bounded by t ...
. According to ''Ain-i-Akbari'', Dhanji - a man born from a fire sacrifice - came from Deccan to establish a kingdom in Malwa; when his descendant Putraj died heirless, the nobles established Aditya Ponwar - the ancestor of the Paramaras - as the new king. Ganguly also noted Siyaka's successor
Munja (Vakpati II) assumed titles such as
Amoghavarsha, Sri-vallabha and
Prithvi-vallabha
Prithvi-vallabha ( IAST: ), or , was a title adopted by several kings that ruled in present-day India, including the Chalukyas of Vatapi, the Rashtrakutas and their successors.
Chalukyas of Vatapi
All the sovereign rulers of the Vatapi Chaluk ...
: these are distinctively Rashtrakuta titles.
However, there is a gap before the words ''tasmin kule'' ("in that family") in the Harsola inscription, and therefore, Ganguly's suggestion is a pure guess in absence of any concrete evidence. Moreover, even if the ''Ain-i-Akbari'' legend is historically accurate, Aditya Ponwar was not a descendant of Dhanji: he was most probably a local magnate rather than a native of Deccan. Critics of Ganguly's theory also argue that the Rashtrakuta titles in these inscriptions refer to Paramara rulers, who had assumed these titles to portray themselves as the legitimate successors of the Rashtrakutas in the Malwa region. The Rashtrakutas had similarly adopted the titles such as ''
Prithvi-vallabha
Prithvi-vallabha ( IAST: ), or , was a title adopted by several kings that ruled in present-day India, including the Chalukyas of Vatapi, the Rashtrakutas and their successors.
Chalukyas of Vatapi
All the sovereign rulers of the Vatapi Chaluk ...
'', which had been used by the preceding
Chalukya
The Chalukya dynasty () was a Classical Indian dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th centuries. During this period, they ruled as three related yet individual dynasties. The earliest dynas ...
rulers. Historian
Dasharatha Sharma points out that the Paramaras claimed the mythical
Agnikula origin by the 10th century: had they really been descendants of the Rashtrakutas, they would not have forgotten their prestigious royal origin within a generation.
The later Paramara kings claimed to be members of the
Agnikula or Agnivansha ("fire clan"). The Agnikula myth of origin, which appears in several of their inscriptions and literary works, goes like this: The sage
Vishvamitra forcibly took a
wish-granting cow from another sage
Vashistha on the Arbuda mountain (
Mount Abu). Vashistha then conjured a hero from a sacrificial fire pit (''agni-kunda''), who defeated
Vishvamitra's enemies and brought back the cow. Vashistha then gave the hero the title Paramara ("enemy killer"). The earliest known source to mention this story is the ''
Nava-sahasanka-charita'' of Padmagupta Parimala, who was a court-poet of the Paramara king
Sindhuraja (c. 997–1010). The legend is not mentioned in earlier Paramara-era inscriptions or literary works. By this time, all the neighbouring dynasties claimed divine or heroic origin, which might have motivated the Paramaras to invent a legend of their own.
A legend mentioned in a recension of ''
Prithviraj Raso'' extended their Agnikula legend to describe other dynasties as fire-born Rajputs. The earliest extant copies of ''Prithviraj Raso'' do not contain this legend; this version might have been invented by the 16th-century poets who wanted to foster Rajput unity against the
Mughal
Mughal or Moghul may refer to:
Related to the Mughal Empire
* Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries
* Mughal dynasty
* Mughal emperors
* Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia
* Mughal architecture
* Mug ...
emperor
Akbar. Some
colonial-era historians interpreted this mythical account to suggest a foreign origin for the Paramaras. According to this theory, the ancestors of the Paramaras and other Agnivanshi Rajputs came to India after the decline of the
Gupta Empire around the 5th century CE. They were admitted in the
Hindu caste system
The caste system in India is the paradigmatic ethnographic example of classification of castes. It has its origins in ancient India, and was transformed by various ruling elites in medieval, early-modern, and modern India, especially the Mug ...
after performing a fire ritual. However, this theory is weakened by the fact that the legend is not mentioned in the earliest of the Paramara records, and even the earliest Paramara-era account does not mention the other dynasties as Agnivanshi.
Some historians, such as Dasharatha Sharma and Pratipal Bhatia, have argued that the Paramaras were originally
Brahmin
Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests ( purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers ( ...
s from the Vashistha
gotra. This theory is based on the fact that
Halayudha, who was patronized by Munja, describes the king as "Brahma-Kshtra" in ''Pingala-Sutra-Vritti''. According to Bhatia this expression means that Munja came from a family of
Brahmin
Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests ( purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers ( ...
s who became
Kshatriyas. In addition, the Patanarayana temple inscription states that the Paramaras were of Vashistha
gotra, which is a gotra among Brahmins claiming descent from the sage Vashistha. However, historian Arvind K. Singh points out that several other sources point to a
Kshatriya ancestry of the dynasty. For example, the 1211 Piplianagar inscription states that the ancestors of the Paramaras were "crest-jewel of the Kshatriyas", and the ''Prabha-vakara-charita'' mentions that Vakpati was born in the dynasty of a Kshatriya. According to Singh, the expression "Brahma-Kshatriya" refers to a learned Kshatriya.
D. C. Sircar theorized that the dynasty descended from the
Malavas. However, there is no evidence of the early Paramara rulers being called Malava; the Paramaras began to be called Malavas only after they began ruling the Malwa region.
Chaulukya-Paramara coin circa AD 950-1050.jpg , A Chaulukya-Paramara coin, c. 950-1050 CE. Stylized rendition of Chavda dynasty coins: Indo-Sassanian style bust right; pellets and ornaments around / Stylised fire altar; pellets around.
Paramaras of Malwa King Naravarman Circa 1094-1133.jpg , Coin of the Paramara king Naravarman, c. 1094–1133. Goddess Lakshmi seated facing / Devanagari legend.
Paramaras of Vidarbha King Jagaddeva 12th-13th centuries.jpg , Coin of the Paramara prince Jagadeva, 12th-13th centuries CE.
Original homeland
Based on the Agnikula legend, some scholars such as
C. V. Vaidya and
V. A. Smith
Vincent Arthur Smith, , (3 June 1843 – 6 February 1920) was an Irish Indologist, historian, member of the Indian Civil Service, and curator. He was one of the prominent figures in Indian historiography during the British Raj.
In the 1890s, he ...
speculated that Mount Abu was the original home of the Paramaras. Based on the Harsola copper plates and ''Ain-i-Akbari'', D. C. Ganguly believed they came from the Deccan region.
The earliest of the Paramara inscriptions (that of Siyaka II) have all been discovered in Gujarat, and concern land grants in that region. Based on this, D. B. Diskalkar and H. V. Trivedi theorized that the Paramaras were associated with Gujarat during their early days. Another possibility is that the early Paramara rulers temporarily left their capital city of Dhara in Malwa for Gujarat because of a Gurjara-Pratihara invasion. This theory is based on the combined analysis of two sources: the ''Nava-sahasanka-charita'', which states that the Paramara king Vairisimha cleared the Dhara city in Malwa of enemies; and the 945-946 CE Pratapgah inscription of the Gurjara-Prathiara king Mahendrapala, which states that he recaptured Malwa.
Early rulers
Whether or not the Paramaras were descended from the Rashtrakutas, they were most probably subordinates of the Rashtrakutas in the 9th century. Historical evidence suggests that between 808 and 812 CE, the Rashtrakutas expelled the
Gurjara-Pratiharas from the
Malwa region. The Rashtrakuta king
Govinda III placed Malwa under the protection of Karka-raja, the Rashtrakuta chief of
Lata (a region bordering Malwa, in present-day Gujarat). The 871 Sanjan copper-plate inscription of Govinda's son
Amoghavarsha I states that his father had appointed a vassal as the governor of Malwa. Since the Paramaras became the rulers of the Malwa region around this time, epigraphist H. V. Trivedi theorizes that this vassal was the Paramara king Upendra, although there is no definitive proof of this. The start of the Paramara rule in Malwa cannot be dated with certainty, but they certainly did not rule the Malwa before the 9th century CE.
Siyaka is the earliest known Paramara king attested by his own inscriptions. His
Harsola copper plate inscription (949 CE) is the earliest available Paramara inscription: it suggests that he was a vassal of the Rashtrakutas. The list of his predecessors varies between accounts:
Paramara is the dynasty's mythical progenitor, according to the
Agnikula legend. Whether the other early kings mentioned in the ''Udaipur Prashasti'' are historical or fictional is a topic of debate among historians.
According to
C. V. Vaidya and
K. A. Nilakantha Sastri
Kallidaikurichi Aiyah Nilakanta Sastri (12 August 1892 – 15 June 1975) was an Indian historian who wrote on South Indian history. Many of his books form the standard reference works on the subject. Sastri was acclaimed for his scholarship and ...
, the Paramara dynasty was founded only in the 10th century CE. Vaidya believes that the kings such as Vairisimha I and Siyaka I are imaginary, duplicated from the names of later historical kings in order to push back the dynasty's age. The 1274 CE Mandhata copper-plate inscription of
Jayavarman II similarly names eight successors of Paramara as Kamandaludhara, Dhumraja, Devasimhapala, Kanakasimha, Shriharsha,
Jagaddeva, Sthirakaya and Voshari: these do not appear to be historical figures. HV Trivedi states that there is a possibility that Vairisimha I and Siyaka I of the ''Udaipur Prashasti'' are same as Vairisimha II and Siyaka II; the names might have been repeated by mistake. Alternatively, he theorizes that these names have been omitted in other inscriptions because these rulers were not independent sovereigns.
Several other historians believe that the early Paramara rulers mentioned in the ''Udaipur Prashasti'' are not fictional, and the Paramaras started ruling Malwa in the 9th century (as Rashtrakuta vassals). K. N. Seth argues that even some of the later Paramara inscriptions mention only 3-4 predecessors of the king who issued the inscription. Therefore, the absence of certain names from the genealogy provided in the early inscriptions does not mean that these were imaginary rulers. According to him, the mention of Upendra in ''Nava-Sahasanka-Charitra'' (composed by the court poet of the later king Sindhuraja) proves that Upendra is not a fictional king. Historians such as
Georg Bühler and
James Burgess identify Upendra and Krishnaraja as one person, because these are synonyms (Upendra being another
name of Krishna). However, an inscription of Siyaka's successor
Munja names the preceding kings as Krishnaraja, Vairisimha, and Siyaka. Based on this, Seth however identifies Krishnaraja with Vappairaja or Vakpati I mentioned in the Harsola plates (Vappairaja appears to be the Prakrit form of Vakpati-raja). In his support, Seth points out that Vairisimha has been called ''Krishna-padanudhyata'' in the inscription of Munja i.e. Vakpati II. He theorizes that Vakpati II used the name "Krishnaraja" instead of Vakpati I to identify his ancestor, in order to avoid confusion with his own name.
The imperial Paramaras
The first independent sovereign of the Paramara dynasty was
Siyaka (sometimes called Siyaka II to distinguish him from the earlier Siyaka mentioned in the ''Udaipur Prashasti''). The Harsola copper plates (949 CE) suggest that Siyaka was a feudatory of the Rashtrakuta ruler
Krishna III in his early days. However, the same inscription also mentions the high-sounding ''
Maharajadhirajapati'' as one of Siyaka's titles. Based on this, K. N. Seth believes that Siyaka's acceptance of the Rashtrakuta lordship was nominal.
As a Rashtrakuta feudatory, Siyaka participated in their campaigns against the
Pratiharas. He also defeated some
Huna chiefs ruling to the north of Malwa. He might have suffered setbacks against the
Chandela king
Yashovarman. After the death of
Krishna III, Siyaka defeated his successor
Khottiga in a battle fought on the banks of the
Narmada River. He then pursued Khottiga's retreating army to the Rashtrakuta capital
Manyakheta, and sacked that city in 972 CE. His victory ultimately led to the decline of the Rashtrakutas, and the establishment of the Paramaras as an independent sovereign power in Malwa.
Siyaka's successor Munja achieved military successes against the
Chahamanas of Shakambari, the
Chahamanas of Naddula, the
Guhilas of Mewar, the
Hunas, the
Kalachuris of Tripuri, and the ruler of
Gurjara region (possibly a
Gujarat Chaulukya or
Pratihara ruler). He also achieved some early successes against the
Western Chalukya king
Tailapa II, but was ultimately defeated and killed by Tailapa some time between 994 CE and 998 CE.
As a result of this defeat, the Paramaras lost their southern territories (possibly the ones beyond the
Narmada river) to the Chalukyas. Munja was reputed as a patron of scholars, and his rule attracted scholars from different parts of India to Malwa. He was also a poet himself, although only a few stanzas composed by him now survive.
Munja's brother
Sindhuraja (ruled c. 990s CE) defeated the Western Chalukya king
Satyashraya, and recovered the territories lost to Tailapa II. He also achieved military successes against a
Huna chief, the
Somavanshi of
south Kosala
Dakshina Kosala (IAST: Dakṣiṇa Kosala, "southern Kosala") is a historical region of central India. It was located in what is now Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh along with some parts of Western Odisha. At its greatest extent, it may have al ...
, the
Shilaharas of
Konkana Konkana was a southern kingdom populated by Brahmins during and after the period of Puranas. This kingdom is identified to be the Konkan region (coastal region) of Maharashtra. Other such Brahmin populated kingdoms includes Dravida, Andhra and K ...
, and the ruler of
Lata (southern Gujarat). His court poet Padmagupta wrote his biography ''Nava-Sahasanka-Charita'', which credits him with several other victories, although these appear to be poetic exaggerations.
Sindhuraja's son
Bhoja is the most celebrated ruler of the Paramara dynasty. He made several attempts to expand the Paramara kingdom varying results. Around 1018 CE, he defeated the
Chalukyas of Lata in present-day Gujarat. Between 1018 CE and 1020 CE, he gained control of the northern
Konkan
The Konkan ( kok, कोंकण) or Kokan () is a stretch of land by the western coast of India, running from Damaon in the north to Karwar in the south; with the Arabian Sea to the west and the Deccan plateau in the east. The hinterla ...
, whose Shilahara rulers probably served as his feudatories for a brief period. Bhoja also formed an alliance against the
Kalyani Chalukya king
Jayasimha II, with
Rajendra Chola and
Gangeya-deva Kalachuri
The Kalachuris (IAST: Kalacuri), also known as Kalachuris of Mahishmati, were an Indian dynasty that ruled in west-central India between 6th and 7th centuries. They are also known as the Heheya Kingdom, Haihayas or as the Early Kalachuris to d ...
. The extent of Bhoja's success in this campaign is not certain, as both Chalukya and Paramara
panegyrics claimed victory. During the last years of Bhoja's reign, sometime after 1042 CE, Jayasimha's son and successor
Someshvara I invaded Malwa, and sacked his capital
Dhara. Bhoja re-established his control over Malwa soon after the departure of the Chalukya army, but the defeat pushed back the southern boundary of his kingdom from
Godavari
The Godavari (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''Godāvarī'' Help:IPA/Sanskrit, od̪aːʋəɾiː is India's second longest river after the Ganges river, Ganga river and drains into the third largest basin in Indi ...
to
Narmada.
Bhoja's attempt to expand his kingdom eastwards was foiled by the
Chandela king
Vidyadhara. However, Bhoja was able to extend his influence among the Chandela feudatories, the
Kachchhapaghatas of Dubkund. Bhoja also launched a campaign against the Kachchhapaghatas of
Gwalior
Gwalior() is a major city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh; it lies in northern part of Madhya Pradesh and is one of the Counter-magnet cities. Located south of Delhi, the capital city of India, from Agra and from Bhopal, the ...
, possibly with the ultimate goal of capturing
Kannauj, but his attacks were repulsed by their ruler Kirtiraja. Bhoja also defeated the
Chahamanas of Shakambhari, killing their ruler
Viryarama
Viryarama (r. c. 1040 CE ) was an Indian king belonging to the Shakambhari Chahamana dynasty. He ruled the Sapadalaksha country, which included parts of present-day Rajasthan in north-western India.
Viryarama succeeded Vakpatiraja II as the Ch ...
. However, he was forced to retreat by the
Chahamanas of Naddula. According to medieval Muslim historians, after sacking
Somnath,
Mahmud of Ghazni changed his route to avoid confrontation with a Hindu king named Param Dev. Modern historians identify Param Dev as Bhoja: the name may be a corruption of Paramara-Deva or of Bhoja's title ''Parameshvara-Paramabhattaraka''. Bhoja may have also contributed troops to support the
Kabul Shahi ruler
Anandapala's fight against the
Ghaznavids. He may have also been a part of the Hindu alliance that expelled Mahmud's governors from
Hansi,
Thanesar and other areas around 1043 CE. During the last year of Bhoja's reign, or shortly after his death, the Chaulukya king
Bhima I and the Kalachuri king
Karna attacked his kingdom. According to the 14th-century author Merutunga, Bhoja died of a disease at the same time the allied army attacked his kingdom.
At its zenith, Bhoja's kingdom extended from
Chittor in the north to upper
Konkan
The Konkan ( kok, कोंकण) or Kokan () is a stretch of land by the western coast of India, running from Damaon in the north to Karwar in the south; with the Arabian Sea to the west and the Deccan plateau in the east. The hinterla ...
in the south, and from the
Sabarmati River in the west to
Vidisha in the east. He was recognized as a capable military leader, but his territorial conquests were short-lived. His major claim to fame was his reputation as a scholar-king, who patronized arts, literature and sciences. Noted poets and writers of his time sought his sponsorship. Bhoja was himself a polymath, whose writings cover a wide variety of topics include grammar, poetry, architecture, yoga, and chemistry. Bhoja established the
Bhoj Shala which was a centre for
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominalization, nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cul ...
studies and a temple of
Sarasvati in present-day
Dhar. He is said to have founded the city of
Bhojpur, a belief supported by historical evidence. Besides the
Bhojeshwar Temple there, the construction of three now-breached dams in that area is attributed to him. Because of his patronage to literary figures, several legends written after his death featured him as a righteous scholar-king. In terms of the number of legends centered around him, Bhoja is comparable to the fabled
Vikramaditya.
Decline
Bhoja's successor
Jayasimha I, who was probably his son, faced the joint
Kalachuri
The Kalachuris (IAST: Kalacuri), also known as Kalachuris of Mahishmati, were an Indian dynasty that ruled in west-central India between 6th and 7th centuries. They are also known as the Heheya Kingdom, Haihayas or as the Early Kalachuris to d ...
-
Chaulukya invasion immediately after Bhoja's death.
Bilhana's writings suggest that he sought help from the Chalukyas of Kalyani. Jayasimha's successor and Bhoja's brother
Udayaditya was defeated by Chamundaraja, his vassal at
Vagada. He repulsed an invasion by the
Chaulukya ruler
Karna, with help from his allies. Udayaditya's eldest son
Lakshmadeva
Lakshmadeva (IAST: Lakṣma-deva) was a member of the Paramara dynasty of Malwa region in central India. According to one theory, he ascended the Paramara throne after his father Udayaditya, and reigned during the 1080s CE. According to anothe ...
has been credited with extensive military conquests in the ''
Nagpur
Nagpur (pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, aːɡpuːɾ is the third largest city and the winter capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the 13th largest city in India by population and according to an Oxford's Economics report, Nag ...
Prashasti'' inscription of 1104-05 CE. However, these appear to be poetic exaggerations. At best, he might have defeated the
Kalachuris of Tripuri. Udayaditya's younger son
Naravarman faced several defeats, losing to the
Chandelas of Jejakabhukti and the Chaulukya king
Jayasimha Siddharaja. By the end of his reign, one Vijayapala had carved out an independent kingdom to the north-east of Ujjain.
Yashovarman lost control of the Paramara capital
Dhara to Jayasimha Siddharaja. His successor
Jayavarman I regained control of Dhara, but soon lost it to an usurper named Ballala. The Chaulukya king
Kumarapala defeated Ballala around 1150 CE, supported by his feudatories the
Naddula Chahamana ruler
Alhana and the
Abu Paramara chief Yashodhavala. Malwa then became a province of the Chaulukyas. A minor branch of the Paramaras, who styled themselves as ''Mahakumara''s, ruled the area around
Bhopal
Bhopal (; ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of both Bhopal district and Bhopal division. It is known as the ''City of Lakes'' due to its various natural and artificial lakes. It ...
during this time. Nearly two decades later, Jayavarman's son
Vindhyavarman defeated the Chaulukya king Mularaja II, and re-established the Paramara sovereignty in Malwa. During his reign, Malwa faced repeated invasions from the
Hoysala
The Hoysala Empire was a Kannadiga power originating from the Indian subcontinent that ruled most of what is now Karnataka between the 10th and the 14th centuries. The capital of the Hoysalas was initially located at Belur, but was later move ...
s and the
Yadavas of Devagiri. He was also defeated by the Chaulukya general Kumara. Despite these setbacks, he was able to restore the Paramara power in Malwa before his death.
Vindhyavarman's son
Subhatavarman
Subhatavarman (reigned c. 1194–1209 CE), also known as Sohada, was an Indian king from the Paramara dynasty, who ruled in the Malwa region of central India.
Early life
Subhatavarman succeeded his father Vindhyavarman as the Paramara king ...
invaded Gujarat, and plundered the Chaulukya territories. But he was ultimately forced to retreat by the Chaulukya feudatory Lavana-Prasada. His son
Arjunavarman I
Arjunavarman (reigned c. 1210-1215 CE) was an Indian king from the Paramara dynasty, who ruled in the Malwa region of central India.
Military career
Arjuna succeeded his father Subhatavarman, and invaded the kingdom of the Chaulukyas of Guj ...
also invaded Gujarat, and defeated Jayanta-simha (or Jaya-simha), who had usurped the Chaulukya throne for a brief period. He was defeated by
Yadava general Kholeshvara in
Lata.
Arjunavarman was succeeded by
Devapala, who was the son of Harishchandra, a ''Mahakumara'' (chief of a Paramara branch). He continued to face struggles against the Chaulukyas and the Yadavas. The
Sultan of Delhi Iltutmish captured
Bhilsa during 1233-34 CE, but Devapala defeated the Sultanate's governor and regained control of Bhilsa. According to the ''
Hammira Mahakavya'', he was killed by Vagabhata of
Ranthambhor, who suspected him of plotting his murder in connivance with the Delhi Sultan.
During the reign of Devapala's son
Jaitugideva, the power of the Paramaras greatly declined because of invasions from the Yadava king Krishna, the Delhi Sultan
Balban, and the
Vaghela prince Visala-deva. Devapala's younger son
Jayavarman II also faced attacks from these three powers. Either Jaitugi or Jayavarman II moved the Paramara capital from Dhara to the hilly Mandapa-Durga (present-day
Mandu), which offered a better defensive position.
Arjunavarman II, the successor of Jayavarman II, proved to be a weak ruler. He faced rebellion from his minister. In the 1270s, the Yadava ruler
Ramachandra invaded Malwa, and in the 1280s, the
Ranthambhor Chahamana ruler
Hammira also raided Malwa. Arjuna's successor
Bhoja II also faced an invasion from Hammira. Bhoja II was either a titular ruler controlled by his minister, or his minister had usurped a part of the Paramara kingdom.
Mahalakadeva, the last known Paramara king, was defeated and killed by the army of
Alauddin Khalji in 1305 CE.
List of rulers
Find spots of the inscriptions from the reigns of Paramara monarchs of Malwa" width="350" height="350" zoom="5" longitude="76.15" latitude="22.25">
According to historical 'Kailash Chand Jain', "Knowledge of the early Paramara rulers from Upendra to Vairisimha is scanty; there are no records, and they are known only from later sources."
The Paramara rulers mentioned in the various inscriptions and literary sources include:
After death of
Mahalakadeva in 1305 CE, Paramara dynasty rule was ended in
Malwa region, but not in other
Parmar states.
An inscription from
Udaipur indicates that the Paramara dynasty survived until 1310, at least in the north-eastern part of Malwa. A later inscription shows that the area had been captured by the
Delhi Sultanate by 1338.
Branches and claimed descendants
Besides the Paramara sovereigns of Malwa, several branches of the dynasties ruled as feudatories at various places. These include:
*
Paramaras of Chandravati
** Ruled the Arbuda-mandala (
Mount Abu area)
** Became feudatories of the
Chaulukyas of Gujarat by the 12th century
* Paramaras of
Bhinmal-
Kiradu
** Branched off from the Paramaras of Chandravati
** Like the Paramaras of Chandravati, they were connected to the Chaulukyas, and were subdued by the Chahamanas in the 12th century
* Paramaras of
Jalor
** Another branch of the Paramaras of Chandravati
** Supplanted by the
Chahamanas of Jalor
* Paramaras of
Vagada
** Ruled at
Arthuna as feudatories of the Paramaras of Malwa
The rulers of several
princely state
A princely state (also called native state or Indian state) was a nominally sovereign entity of the British Indian Empire that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule, subject to ...
s claimed connection with the Paramaras. These include:
*
Baghal State: It is said to have been founded by Ajab Dev Parmar, who came to present-day
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh (; ; "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several peak ...
from
Ujjain
Ujjain (, Hindustani pronunciation: d͡ːʒɛːn is a city in Ujjain district of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the fifth-largest city in Madhya Pradesh by population and is the administrative centre of Ujjain district and Ujjain ...
in the 14th century.
*
Danta State
The Danta State was a sovereign state that was established in 1061 and lasted till its merger with the Indian Republic. It was located in what is now Banaskantha District of Gujarat, India.
See also
*List of Rajput dynasties and states
D ...
: Its rulers claimed membership of the Parmar clan and descent from the legendary king
Vikramaditya of Ujjain
*
Dewas State (Senior and Junior): The
Maratha
The Marathi people (Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as a ...
Puar rulers of these states claimed descent from the Paramara dynasty.
*
Dhar State: Its founder Anand Rao Puar, who claimed Paramara descent, received a fief from
Peshwa
The Peshwa (Pronunciation: e(ː)ʃʋaː was the appointed (later becoming hereditary) prime minister of the Maratha Empire of the Indian subcontinent. Originally, the Peshwas served as subordinates to the Chhatrapati (the Maratha king); later ...
Baji Rao I in the 18th century.
*
Muli State
The Muli Princely State had an area of and contained twenty four villages including Muli city. The Parmar rajputs of fire dynasty (Agnivansha) came to this area from Tharparkar District, Sindh, Pakistan in the 15th century A.D.. Lakhdhirji Par ...
: Its rulers claimed Paramara descent, and are said to have started out as feudatories of the
Vaghelas.
*
Narsinghgarh State
*
Jagdishpur and
Dumraon: The Rajputs of
Bhojpur district in present-day
Bihar
Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...
, who styled themselves as Ujjainiya Panwar Rajputs, started claiming descent from the royal family of Ujjain in the 17th century. The Rajas of Jagdishpur and Dumraon in Bihar claimed descent from the Ujjainia branch of Paramaras.
* The
Gandhawaria Rajput
The Gandhavariya (also known as Gandhawariya and Gandhawaria) are a Rajput clan based in northern Bihar. They are descendants of King Vikukshi and they are descendants of Lava, son of Lord Rama . They ruled over parts of Madhepura district and S ...
s of
Mithila and the
Ujjainiyas of
Bhojpur also claim descent from the Paramara dynasty.
[
]
See also
*
Bhojshala
The Bhojshala (IAST: Bhojaśālā, sometimes Bhoj Shala, meaning 'Hall of Bhoja') is an historic building located in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, India. The name is derived from the celebrated king Bhoja of the Paramāra dynasty of central India, a ...
*
Panwar Dynasty
*
Bhojeshwar Temple
*
Military career of Bhoja
*
Harsola copper plates
Notes
References
Bibliography
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{{Paramara dynasty
9th-century establishments in India
1305 disestablishments in Asia
Rajput rulers
14th-century disestablishments in India
Dynasties of the Rajputs