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Samantasimha (
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 ...
: Sāmantasiṃha, r. c. 1282-1305 CE) was a king belonging to the
Chahamana dynasty, who ruled the area around Javalipura (present-day
Jalore
Jalore () (ISO 15919 : ''Jālora'' ), also known as ''Granite City'', is a city in the western Indian state of Rajasthan. It is the administrative headquarters of Jalore District.
It has a river known as Jawai Nadi. Jalore lies to south of Su ...
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 ...
). During the later half of his reign, he and his son
Kanhadadeva
Kanhadadeva (IAST: Kānhaḍa-deva, r. c. 1292-1311 CE) was a king belonging to the Chahamanas of Jalor, Chahamana dynasty, who ruled the area around Javalipura (present-day Jalore in Rajasthan). Initially, he ran the administration jointly with ...
jointly ran the administration. 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). raided the kingdom twice during his reign, but could not capture it.
Reign
Find spot
Provenance (from the French ''provenir'', 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody or location of a historical object. The term was originally mostly used in relation to works of art but is now used in similar senses i ...
s of inscriptions issued during the reign of Samantasimha" width="400" height="400" zoom="6" longitude="72.14" latitude="25.09">
Samantasimha succeeded Chachigadeva on the throne of Javalipura. He was probably Chachigadeva's son, although this cannot be said with certainty. He is also known as Samvantasimha and Samyantasimha. The inscriptions issued during his reign give his title as ''Maharajakula''.
According to the 17th century chronicle ''
Nainsi ri Khyat
Nainsi ri Khyat (or 'Khyat of Nainsi') is a late 17th-century Marwari & Dingal text chronicling the history of Marwar. It's author Muhnot Nainsi, an official of Marwar State, based the Khyat (or chronicle) on the Charan accounts and the traditio ...
'', Samantasimha had at least two sons:
Kanhadadeva
Kanhadadeva (IAST: Kānhaḍa-deva, r. c. 1292-1311 CE) was a king belonging to the Chahamanas of Jalor, Chahamana dynasty, who ruled the area around Javalipura (present-day Jalore in Rajasthan). Initially, he ran the administration jointly with ...
and Maladeva. As the
heir apparent
An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...
,
Kanhadadeva
Kanhadadeva (IAST: Kānhaḍa-deva, r. c. 1292-1311 CE) was a king belonging to the Chahamanas of Jalor, Chahamana dynasty, who ruled the area around Javalipura (present-day Jalore in Rajasthan). Initially, he ran the administration jointly with ...
assisted his father in administration from at least 1296 CE onwards. The 1299 CE
Chohtan
Chohtan is a village and tehsil headquarters in Barmer district of 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 ...
inscription refers to their joint reign.
Khalji invasion
According to the Gujarat chronicler Jinaprabha Suri, in 1291-92 CE (1398
VS), the
Delhi Sultan 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 ...
invaded the Jalore kingdom. Samantasimha's neighbour Sarangadeva, the
Vaghela king of Gujarat, came to his rescue. Khalji's army advanced up to Sanchore, but was forced to retreat by the Vaghelas, who were perhaps concerned that the Delhi Sultan would invade Gujarat next.
In 1299, Jalaluddin Khalji's successor
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
The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over lar ...
sent an army to Gujarat, under the command of
Ulugh Khan
Almas Beg (died c. 1302), better known by his title Ulugh Khan, was a brother and a general of the Delhi Sultanate ruler Alauddin Khalji. He held the iqta' of Bayana in present-day India.
Ulugh Khan played an important role in Alauddin's asce ...
and
Nusrat Khan. While returning from Gujarat, the Delhi army marched through the kingdom of Jalore. There, a section of the Delhi army
rebelled against their commanders over distribution of the plunder from Gujarat. According to Munhot Nainsi, Samantasimha's envoys met the neo-Muslim rebel leader Mammushah (Muhammad Shah). Three days after this meeting, the Khalji army was attacked by the rebels from one side and by the Jalore army from the other side. The mutiny was ultimately crushed.
Ziauddin Barani
Ziauddin Barani (1285–1358 CE) was a Muslim political thinker of the Delhi Sultanate located in present-day Northern India during Muhammad bin Tughlaq and Firuz Shah's reign. He was best known for composing the ''Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi'' (also ...
's ''Tarikh-i-Firuz Shahi'' (14th century) also describes the mutiny, but does not mention the Chahamana participation in the conflict. The veracity of Nainsi's account is doubtful, as he inaccurately states that Alauddin personally led the Gujarat campaign.
Inscriptions
The following inscriptions dated to Samantasimha's reign have been found:
References
Bibliography
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{{Chahamanas of Jalor
Chahamanas of Jalor