Ramachandra (
IAST: Rāmacandra, r. ), also known as Ramadeva, was a ruler of the
Seuna (Yadava) dynasty of
Deccan region in India. He seized the throne from his cousin
Ammana
Ammana (IAST: Ammaṇa, r. c. 1270 CE) was a ruler of the Seuna (Yadava) dynasty of Deccan region in India. He succeeded his father Mahadeva, and remained on throne for a few months, before being overthrown by his cousin Ramachandra.
Ascension ...
, after staging a coup in the capital
Devagiri. He expanded his kingdom by fighting his Hindu neighbours such as 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 ...
s, the
Vaghelas, the
Hoysalas, and the
Kakatiyas.
In 1296 CE, he faced a
Muslim invasion
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
from the
Delhi Sultanate
The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for 320 years (1206–1526). , and established peace by agreeing to pay
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 ...
an annual tribute. After he discontinued the tribute payments in 1303-1304 CE, Alauddin sent
an army led by
Malik Kafur
Malik Kafur (died 1316), also known as Taj al-Din Izz al-Dawla, was a prominent slave-general of the Delhi Sultanate ruler Alauddin Khalji. He was captured by Alauddin's general Nusrat Khan during the 1299 invasion of Gujarat, and rose to promi ...
to subjugate him around 1308, forcing him to become a vassal of the Delhi Sultanate. Subsequently, Ramachandra served Alauddin as a loyal feudatory, and helped his forces defeat the Kakatiyas and the Hoysalas.
Early life
Ramachandra was a son of the Yadava king
Krishna
Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is on ...
. At the time of Krishna's death around 1260 CE, Ramachandra was probably very young, because of which his uncle (Krishna's younger brother)
Mahadeva ascended the throne. When Mahadeva's son
Ammana
Ammana (IAST: Ammaṇa, r. c. 1270 CE) was a ruler of the Seuna (Yadava) dynasty of Deccan region in India. He succeeded his father Mahadeva, and remained on throne for a few months, before being overthrown by his cousin Ramachandra.
Ascension ...
became the next king around 1270 CE, Ramachandra also made a claim to the throne. Most of the important officers and generals probably saw Ramachandra as the rightful heir. This is evident from the fact that courtiers
Hemadri
Hemādri Paṇḍit, popularly known as Hemāḍapanta, was a polymath and a prime minister from 1259 to 1274 C.E. in the regimes of King Mahādev (1259–1271) and King Ramachandra (1271–1309) of Seuna Yādav Dynasty of Devagiri, which ruled ...
and Tikkama, who had been loyal to Mahadeva, deserted Ammana and started supporting Ramachandra.
Coup against Ammana
Sometime in the second half of 1271 CE, Ramachandra seized the throne from his cousin Ammana. An inscription of Ramachandra gives the following account of this
coup: Ramachandra and his followers entered the Devagiri fort, disguising themselves as actors. During a performance before the entertainment-loving Ammana, they suddenly seized the king and his supporters.
This account is also supported by literary texts such as ''Bhanuvilasa'' (a
Mahanubhava text) and ''Nagadeva-Charita'' of Parashurama-Vyasa. According to the Mahanubhava texts, Ramachandra blinded Ammana. ''Nagadeva-Charita'' states that Ramachandra killed Ammana, and that Ramachandra's ultimate defeat against the Muslims was a result of this sin. The veracity of this claim is doubtful, since the other texts only mention the blinding, not the killing.
Conflicts with neighbours
Paramaras
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 ...
kingdom of
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 sy ...
was located to the north of the Yadava kingdom. By the 1270s, the Paramara power had weakened considerably, and their kingdom had been divided between the king
Arjunavarman II and his minister. Taking advantage of this situation, Ramachandra invaded the Paramara kingdom in the 1270s, and easily defeated the Paramara army.
Ramachandra's 1271 CE
Paithan inscription alludes to his conquest of Malwa, and his 1276 CE Udari inscription describes him as "a lion in destroying the multitude of the rutting elephants of Arjuna". The Malwa invasion may have been a way to mark his ascension to the throne.
Vaghelas
During the northern campaign against the Paramaras, Ramachandra also appears to have been involved in skirmishes against his north-western neighbours, the
Vaghelas of
Gurjara. Inscriptions of both the dynasties claim victories, so this conflict appears to have ended inconclusively. The
Thane
Thane (; also known as Thana, the official name until 1996) is a metropolitan city in Maharashtra, India. It is situated in the north-eastern portion of the Salsette Island. Thane city is entirely within Thane taluka, one of the seven taluk ...
copper-plate inscription of Ramachandra states that the Yadavas won the war, while the Cintra copper-plate inscription of Sarangadeva claims that the Vaghelas emerged victorious in this conflict.
Hoysalas
During the reign of Ramachandra's uncle
Mahadeva, the Yadavas had suffered a defeat against their southern neighbours, the
Hoysalas. To avenge this defeat, Ramachandra decided to send a powerful expedition against the Hoysalas. He spent 2–3 years preparing for this expedition. The expedition was led by experienced generals such as Saluva Tikkama, Joyideva, Irungola Chola of Nirgunda, and Harapala (a son-in-law of Ramachandra). Their force was supported by another force led by the general Kannaradeva and the ministers Chaundarasa and Vanadaevarasa.
The Yadava force led by Tikkama invaded the Hoysala territory in the autumn of 1275. When Tikkama encamped at
Belavadi near the Hoysala capital
Dvarasamudra, the Hoysala king
Narasimha III send a force led by Anka and Maideva to counter him. Tikkama defeated this Hoysala force in January 1276.
Meanwhile, the Yadava force led by Kannaradeva attacked Doravadi in the Hoysala territory. The Yadavas won the battle, but their minister Vanadevarasa was killed by the Hoysala chief Singeya Nayaka.
Tikkama subsequently besieged the Hoysala capital Dvarasamudra. Over the next few months, the Hoysala generals such as Nanjeya and Gullaya were killed defending their capital against the invaders. On 25 April 1276, the Hoysala commander-in-chief's son Ankeya Nayaka led a decisive attack against the Yadavas, and forced Tikkama to retreat to Dhummi.
Although he was unable to conquer the Hoysala capital, Tikkama managed to gather a large plunder from this invasion, including a large number of elephants and horses. There were some minor skirmishes between the two kingdoms over the next few years, but there was no major conflict. The Hoysala king Narasimha remained occupied in a family feud against his brother Ramanatha, while Ramachandra was busy in campaigns against other rivals.
Kakatiyas
Ramachandra's uncle
Mahadeva had suffered a setback against their eastern neighbours, the
Kakatiyas. Instead of launching a direct attack against the Kakatiyas, Ramachandra appears to have supported the chiefs who were unhappy with the Kakatiya queen
Rudrama. The Kakatiya queen retaliated to these political maneuvers, resulting in the conquest of some Yadava territories by the Kakatiya general Vitthala-deva-nayaka. This general built new fortifications at
Raichur in the former Yadava territory in 1294.
North-eastern campaign
The Purushottamapuri inscription of Ramachandra suggests that he expanded the Yadava kingdom at its north-east frontier. First, he subjugated the rulers of Vajrakara (probably modern Vairagad) and Bhandagara (modern
Bhandara).
The inscription suggests that he next marched to the defunct
Kalachuri kingdom, and occupied the former Kalachuri capital
Tripuri (modern Tewar near
Jabalpur
Jabalpur is a city situated on the banks of Narmada River in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. According to the 2011 census, it is the third-largest urban agglomeration in Madhya Pradesh and the country's 38th-largest urban agglomeration. ...
). Using Tripuri as his base, he marched to Kashi (
Varanasi
Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.
*
*
*
* The city has a syncretic t ...
), which had been captured by the
Delhi Sultanate
The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for 320 years (1206–1526). from the
Gahadavalas in the preceding decades. The inscription states that he built a temple dedicated to the god Sharangadhara (
Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...
) in Kashi. According to historian
A. S. Altekar, this suggests that Ramachandra occupied Varanasi for at least 2–3 years. This may have happened during 1286–1290, when the Delhi Sultanate had been weakened following the death of
Ghiyas ud din Balban
Ghiyas ud din Balban (1216–1287, reigned: 1266–1287) ( ur, ); (Hindi: ग़ियास उद-दीन बलबन); ( IAST: ''Ghiyās ud-Dīn Balban'') was the ninth sultan of the Mamluk dynasty of Delhi.
Ghiyas ud Din was the ''re ...
and before the ascension of
Jalaluddin Khalji
Jalal-ud-din Khalji, also known as Firuz-Al-Din Khalji or Jalaluddin Khilji (c. 1220 – 19 July 1296, ) ( fa, جلالالدین خلجی) was the founder and first Sultan of the Khalji dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate from 1290 to ...
. On the other hand, historian P. M. Joshi dismisses such claims made in the inscription as "totally hollow".
The Purushottamapuri inscription further claims that after Kashi, Ramachandra marched to
Kanyakubja and
Kailasha mountain. However, there is no historical evidence of such conquests. These claims appear to be a result of poetic
alliteration
Alliteration is the conspicuous repetition of initial consonant sounds of nearby words in a phrase, often used as a literary device. A familiar example is "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers". Alliteration is used poetically in various ...
(Kashi - Kanyakubja - Kailasha), and are not based on actual historical incidents.
Meanwhile, Ramachandra's feudatories at
Khed and
Sangameshwar in
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 hinterland ...
rebelled against him. Ramachandra's son crushed this revolt.
Reduction to vassal status
Ramachandra seems to have faced invasions by Muslims (called "
mlechchhas" or "
Turukas") since the 1270s. A 1278 inscription of the king calls him a "
Great Boar (Varaha) in securing the earth from the oppression of the Turks"; a similar claim is made in some subsequent inscriptions as well. P. M. Joshi notes that even after becoming a vassal of the Delhi Sultanate, Ramachandra claimed (or allowed his officials to claim) great victories over the ''Turukas''. Therefore, Joshi dismisses the "great boar" claim as a boastful one, theorizing that at best, Ramachandra may have "chastised some Muslim officials" in the coastal region between
Goa and
Chaul. The Yadavas were certainly aware of the danger of Muslim invasion by 1291, when ''Rukmini-Svayamvara'' by the Yadava court poet Narendra mentions "the prowess and ruthlessness" of the mlechchhas.
In 1296,
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 ...
, the governor of the
Kara province of
Delhi Sultanate
The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for 320 years (1206–1526). , raided Devagiri. At the time of Alauddin's invasion, a major part of the Yadava army was away from the capital, under the crown prince Simhana. Ramachandra was not adequately prepared for a defence, and agreed to a peace treaty, promising Alauddin a large tribute. However, before the treaty could be realized, Simhana returned to the capital with the Yadava army. Alauddin defeated him, and imposed a much heavier tribute on Ramachandra.
The Yadavas lost their prestige as a result of Alauddin's invasion. Taking advantage of the weakened Yadava power, the Kakatiya ruler
Prataparudra annexed the eastern part of Ramachandra's kingdom, which included the present-day
Anantapur and
Raichur districts. The
Hoysala ruler
Ballala III and his general Gangeya Sahani recaptured the territories that the Hoysalas had lost to the Yadavas in the preceding years, including the town of
Banavasi.
Alauddin Khalji usurped the throne of Delhi from his uncle
Jalaluddin Khalji
Jalal-ud-din Khalji, also known as Firuz-Al-Din Khalji or Jalaluddin Khilji (c. 1220 – 19 July 1296, ) ( fa, جلالالدین خلجی) was the founder and first Sultan of the Khalji dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate from 1290 to ...
in 1296, shortly after his successful raid against the Yadavas. Ramachandra stopped sending tributes to Alauddin after 1303–1304. According to the 14th century Muslim chronicler
Isami, Ramachandra secretly informed Alauddin that he did not want to rebel against the Sultanate, and that the rebel Yadava faction was being controlled by his son. In 1308, Alauddin Khalji sent a force led by his general
Malik Kafur
Malik Kafur (died 1316), also known as Taj al-Din Izz al-Dawla, was a prominent slave-general of the Delhi Sultanate ruler Alauddin Khalji. He was captured by Alauddin's general Nusrat Khan during the 1299 invasion of Gujarat, and rose to promi ...
to subjugate Ramachandra. Malik Kafur's army conclusively defeated the Yadava army led by the crown-prince, and took Ramachandra to Delhi. In Delhi, Alauddin treated Ramachandra with courtesy, and reinstated him as a vassal in Devagiri. Alauddin bestowed upon him the title ''Raja-i-Rajan'' ("king of kings"), and also gave him
Navsari as a personal
jagir.
According to Isami, Ramachandra also gave his daughter Jhatyapali in marriage to Alauddin. This daughter is alternatively called Chhitai, Jhitai, Jethapali or Kshetrapali in various historical texts. Isami states that she was the mother of Alauddin's son and successor
Shihab-ud-din Omar
Shihab-ud-din Omar (1316) was the third Sultan of the Khalji Dynasty and fourteenth Sultan of Delhi Sultanate in India. After the death of his father Alauddin Khalji in 1316, he ascended the throne as a minor, with the support of Alauddin's slav ...
. The 14th century Persian historian
Wassaf, in his ''Tajziyat al-amsar'', also mentions that the ruler of Devagiri gave his daughter to Alauddin to save his life. The 16th century historian
Firishta
Firishta or Ferešte ( fa, ), full name Muhammad Qasim Hindu Shah Astarabadi ( fa, مُحَمَّد قاسِم هِندو شاہ), was a Persian historian, who later settled in India and served the Deccan Sultans as their court historian. He was ...
claims that after Alauddin's death, his viceroy
Malik Kafur
Malik Kafur (died 1316), also known as Taj al-Din Izz al-Dawla, was a prominent slave-general of the Delhi Sultanate ruler Alauddin Khalji. He was captured by Alauddin's general Nusrat Khan during the 1299 invasion of Gujarat, and rose to promi ...
married Ramachandra's daughter. ''Chhitai Varta'' (c. 1440), a Hindi poem by Narayan-das, narrates her legend.
Ramachandra remained loyal to Alauddin until his death, and helped Malik Kafur defeat the
Kakatiyas (1309) and the
Hoysalas (1311). When the Sultanate forces halted at Devagiri during their invasion of the Kakatiya capital
Warangal
Warangal () is a city in the Indian state of Telangana and the district headquarters of Warangal district. It is the second largest city in Telangana with a population of 704,570 per 2011 Census of India, and spreading over an .
Warangal ser ...
, Ramachandra put his kingdom's facilities at their disposal. During the Sultanate's invasion of the Hoysala capital
Dvarasamudra, Ramachandra supported them with supplies during their halt at Devagiri. He also ordered his general Purushottama to guide the Sultanate forces to the Hoysala frontiers.
Successors
Ramachandra appears to have died sometime in 1311, although the exact date of his death is not certain. The Nala inscription, his last extant inscription, is dated 1311 CE (1233
Shaka). He was succeeded by his son Simhana III (also Shankaradeva or Singhana), who was defeated and killed after unsuccessfully rebelling against
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 ...
.
Ramachandra had two other sons: Ballala and
Bhima (also called Bimba). Of these, Bhima escaped 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 hinterland ...
, where he established a base at Mahikavati (modern
Mahim in
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...
).
Religion
The Yadava records call Ramachandra a great devotee of
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one o ...
(''maha-maheshvara''), and state that he anointed eight
icons of the god "with the milk of his fame". These records also compare him to
Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...
and his various
avatar
Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appear ...
s; for example, he is called "
Narayana among kings" (''raya-narayana''). An inscription compares him to the legendary hero
Rama
Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bei ...
, and states that he liberated the holy city of
Varanasi
Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.
*
*
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* The city has a syncretic t ...
from the
mlechchhas (foreigners), and built a golden temple of Sharngadhara (
Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...
) there.
Hemadpant, a minister of Ramachandra and his father, is credited with building five temples at
Ramtek, which were dedicated to Rama-
Sita
Sita (; ) also called as Janaki and Vaidehi is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic, ''Ramayana''. She is the consort of Rama, the avatar of the god Vishnu, and is regarded as a form of Vishnu's consort, Lakshmi. She ...
, Lakshmana-svami,
Hanuman
Hanuman (; sa, हनुमान, ), also called Anjaneya (), is a Hindu god and a divine '' vanara'' companion of the god Rama. Hanuman is one of the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is an ardent devotee of Rama and on ...
, goddess Ekadashi, and
Lakshmi-Narayana. An inscription discovered at the Lakshmanasvami temple suggests that Ramachandra empowered his viceroy to promote the Rama worship at
Ramtek.
The land grants issued by Ramachandra declare that the "dam of
dharma
Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...
" is common to all kings, and urge all future kings to abide by this "dam".
References
Bibliography
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{{Seuna (Yadava) dynasty
Seuna (Yadava) dynasty
13th-century Indian monarchs
14th-century Indian monarchs