Ajayaraja I (r. c. 721–734 CE ) was a king belonging to the
Chahamana dynasty of Shakambhari (modern
Sambhar). He ruled parts of present-day
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 ...
in north-western India. He is also known as Jayaraja, Ajayapala Chakva or Ajayapala Chakri.
Life
Ajayaraja I succeeded
Naradeva
Naradeva (r. c. 709-721 CE ) was an Indian king belonging to the Chahamana dynasty of Shakambhari (modern Sambhar). He ruled parts of present-day Rajasthan in north-western India.
Naradeva has been mentioned as the successor of Samantaraja in ...
as the Chahamana king. According to the 12th century chronicle ''
Prithviraja Vijaya
''Prithviraja Vijaya'' (IAST: Pṛthvīrāja Vijaya, "Prithviraja's Victory") is an eulogistic Sanskrit epic poem on the life of the Indian Chahamana king Prithviraja III (better known as Prithviraj Chauhan in the vernacular folk legends). It is ...
'', he was a great warrior who defeated several enemies.
According to one theory, Ajayaraja I founded the city of Ajayameru (modern
Ajmer
Ajmer is one of the major and oldest cities in the Indian state of Rajasthan and the centre of the eponymous Ajmer District. It is located at the centre of Rajasthan. It is also known as heart of Rajasthan. The city was established as "' ...
). The ''
Prabandha-Kosha'' states that he commissioned the Ajayameru fort, which later came to be known as the
Taragarh Fort of Ajmer. The ''Akhbar ul-Akhyar'' calls it the first hill fort of India. However, the ''Prithviraja Vijaya'' attributes the establishment of Ajmer to his descendant
Ajayaraja II (12th century CE). According to historian R. B. Singh, Ajayaraja I is more likely to be the founder of Ajmer, considering the fact that inscriptions dated to 8th century CE have been found at Ajmer. Singh theorizes that Ajayaraja II later significantly developed the town and moved the kingdom's capital from
Shakambhari
Shakambhari (Sanskrit: शाकम्भरी, IAST: Śākambharī), also referred to as Shatakshi, is a goddess of nourishment. She is regarded to be an incarnation of Mahadevi, and identified with both Lakshmi and Durga in Hinduism. After ...
to Ajmer. Others, such as Shyam Singh Ratnawat and Krishna Gopal Sharma, believe that it was Ajayaraja II who founded Ajmer.
Ajayaraja I was succeeded by his son
Vigraharaja I
Vigraharāja I (r. c. 734-759 CE ) was an Indian king from the Chahamana dynasty. He ruled parts of present-day Rajasthan in north-western India. He is also known as Vigrahanṛpa.
Vigraharaja succeeded his father Ajayaraja I as the Chahamana r ...
.
References
Bibliography
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{{Chahamanas of Shakambhari
Chahamanas of Shakambhari
8th-century Indian monarchs