Prithvi-pala (

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 ...

: Pṛthvīpāla, r. c. 1080–1090 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 ...

). He achieved military successes against 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 ...

s, the Paramaras of Vagada, and a

Ghaznavid The Ghaznavid dynasty ( fa, غزنویان ''Ġaznaviyān'') was a culturally Persianate, Sunni Muslim dynasty of Turkic ''mamluk'' origin, ruling, at its greatest extent, large parts of Persia, Khorasan, much of Transoxiana and the northwest ...

raider.

Reign

Prithvipala was eldest son of the Chahamana king

Jendraraja Jendraraja ( IAST: Jendrarāja, r. c. 1070–1080 CE) was an Indian king belonging to the Naddula Chahamana dynasty. He ruled the area around Naddula (present-day Nadol in Rajasthan), and achieved military successes against the Chaulukyas. Rei ...

. He succeeded his father on the throne of Naddula. According to the Sundha Hill inscription, Prithvipala defeated the

Gurjara Gurjaradesa ("Gurjara country") or Gurjaratra is a historical region in India comprising the eastern Rajasthan and northern Gujarat during the period of 6th -12th century CE. The predominant power of the region, the Gurjara-Pratiharas eventual ...

(

) king

Karna Karna (Sanskrit: कर्ण, IAST: ''Karṇa''), also known as Vasusena, Anga-raja, and Radheya, is one of the main protagonists of the Hindu epic '' Mahābhārata''. He is the son of the sun god Surya and princess Kunti (mother of the ...

. The Shakambhari Chahamana king

Vigraharaja III Vigraharāja III (r. c. 1079-1090 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. Early life Vigraharaja III, als ...

also claimed to have helped 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

Udayaditya Udayaditya (reigned c. 1070–1093) was a Paramara ruler of Malwa region of central India, who succeeded Jayasimha I. He was succeeded by his son, either Lakshmadeva or Naravarman. Ascension Udayaditya was a brother of Bhoja, the most reno ...

defeat Karna. Historian R. B. Singh theorizes that these three neighbouring kings (Prithvipala, Vigraharaja and Udayaditya) formed an alliance against Karna in order to curb his growing power. Another Chahamana inscription states that Prithvipala defeated a ruler named Mandalika at Rohadavapika. This ruler can be identified with a ruler of the Paramara branch of

Vagada Vagad (also known as Vagar, Hindi: वागड) is a region in southeastern Rajasthan state of western India. Its boundaries are roughly defined by those of the districts of Dungarpur and Banswara. Major cities of the region are Dungarpur and B ...

. The same inscription also states that Prithvipala was once surrounded by a

Turushka Turushka (or Turuṣka) may refer to: * a Sanskrit word for olibanum * a term often used for Turks in some ancient sources; see * Turushka dynasty, a ruling dynasty of ancient South Asia See also * Turushkaf, a village in Arabkhaneh Rural ...

(Turkic) enemy, and rescued by his younger brother

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 ...

. The Turushka enemy can be identified as a

raider, who must have been a subordinate of the

Ibrahim of Ghazna Ibrahim of Ghazna (b. 1033 – d. 1099) was sultan of the Ghaznavid empire from April 1059 until his death in 1099. Having been imprisoned at the fortress of Barghund, he was one of the Ghaznavid princes that escaped the usurper Toghrul's massacre ...

. Prithvipala waived some taxes on the farmers, and may have commissioned an image of a deity known as Prithvipaleshvara. Prithvipala had a son named Ratnapala, but he was succeeded by his younger brother

Jojalladeva Jojalla-deva (r. c. 1090–1110 CE) was an Indian king belonging to the Naddula Chahamana dynasty. He ruled the area around Naddula (present-day Nadol in Rajasthan). The Chahamana records claim that he invaded the Chaulukya kingdom, and occupied ...

. It is possible that Ratnapala was born after Prithvipala's death, or that he was a minor at the time of his father's death. Prithvipala was thus succeeded by his brothers Jojalladeva and Asharaja. Ratnapala gained control of the throne during Asharaja's reign.

References

Bibliography

* * {{Chahamanas of Naddula Chahamanas of Naddula 11th-century Indian monarchs