Vigraha Raja IV of the Chauhans of Ajmer Circa 1150-1164

Chauhan, historically ''Chahamana'', is a clan name historically associated with the various ruling

Rajput Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...

families during the Medieval India 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 ...

Subclans

Khichi, Hada, Songara,

Bhadauria Bhadauria also called Bhadoria, Bhadouria, paik,Bhadauriya, Bhadoriya or Bhaduria are Rajputs of Chauhan clan. They were historically mainly concentrated in what are now the districts of Agra, Etawah, Bhind and Dholpur, which includes the states ...

, Devda etc. are the branches or subclans of Chauhan Rajputs.

Origin

The word ''Chauhan'' is the vernacular form of the

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; 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-cultural diffusion ...

term ''Chahamana'' (IAST: Cāhamāna). Several Chauhan inscriptions name a legendary hero called Chahamana as their ancestor, but none of them state the period in which he lived. The earliest extant inscription that describes the origin of the Chauhans is the 1119 CE Sevadi inscription of Ratnapala, a ruler of the Naddula Chahamana dynasty. According to this inscription, the ancestor of the Chahamanas was born from the eye of

Indra Indra (; Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is the king of the devas (god-like deities) and Svarga (heaven) in Hindu mythology. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes/ref> I ...

. The 1170 CE Bijolia rock inscription of the Shakambhari Chahamana king Someshvara states that his ancestor

Samantaraja Samantaraja (IAST: Sāmantarāja, r. c. 7th century 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. The exact period of Samanta is not ...

was born at Ahichchhatrapura (possibly modern Nagaur) in the gotra of sage Vatsa. The 1262 CE Sundha hill inscription of the Jalor Chahamana king Chachiga-deva states that the dynasty's ancestor Chahamana was "a source of joy" to the Vatsa. The 1320

Mount Abu Mount Abu () is a hill station in the Aravalli Range in Sirohi district of the state of Rajasthan in western India.The mountain forms a rocky plateau 22 km long by 9 km wide. The highest peak on the mountain is Guru Shikhar at abov ...

( Achaleshwar temple) inscription of the Deora Chauhan ruler Lumbha states that Vatsa created the Chahamanas as a new lineage of warriors, after the solar dynasty and the

lunar dynasty The Lunar dynasty ( IAST: Candravaṃśa) is a legendary principal house of the Kshatriyas varna, or warrior–ruling caste mentioned in the ancient Indian texts. This legendary dynasty was said to be descended from moon-related deities ('' ...

had ceased to exist. The Ajmer inscription of the Shakambhari Chahamana ruler Vigraharaja IV (–64 CE) claims that Chahamana belonged to the solar dynasty, descending from Ikshavaku and

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 ...

. The 12th-century '' Prithviraja Vijaya'' mahakavya, composed by Prithviraja III's court poet Jayanaka, also claims a solar dynasty origin for the ruling dynasty. According to this text, Chahamana came to earth from ''Arkamandal'' (the orbit of the sun). Drachms of the Chauhans of Ranthambhor

Stamp of India - 2018 - Colnect 787075 - Prithviraj Chauhan Medieval Hindu Ruler of NW India

The 15th-century '' Hammira Mahakavya'' of Nayachandra Suri, which describes the life of the Ranthambore branch ruler Hammira, gives the following account: Once

Brahma Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp ...

was wandering in search of an auspicious place to conduct a ritual sacrifice. He ultimately chose the place where a lotus from his hand fell; this place came to be known as

Pushkar Pushkar is a city and headquarters of Pushkar tehsil in the Ajmer district in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is situated about northwest of Ajmer and about southwest of Jaipur.danavas (miscreant beings). Therefore, he remembered the Sun, and a hero came into being from the sun's orb. This hero was Chohan, the ancestor of the Hammira's dynasty. The earliest extant recension of '' Prithviraj Raso'' of Chand Bardai, dated to 15th or 16th century, states that the first Chauhan king – Manikya Rai – was born from Brahma's sacrifice. The 16th-century ''Surjana-Charita'', composed by the

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

poet Chandra Shekhara under patronage of the Ranthambore ruler Rao Surjana, contains a similar account. It states that Brahma created the first Chahamana from the Sun's disc during a sacrificial ceremony at Pushkara. Despite these earlier myths, it was the

Agnivanshi In Indian culture, the Agnivanshi are people who claim descent from Agni, the Vedic god of fire. The Agnivanshi lineage (Agnivansha or Agnikula) is one of the three lineages into which the Rajput clans, the others being the Suryavanshi (descended ...

(or Agnikula) myth that became most popular among the Chauhans and other Rajput clans. According to this myth, some of the Rajput clans originated from

Agni Agni (English: , sa, अग्नि, translit=Agni) is a Sanskrit word meaning fire and connotes the Vedic fire deity of Hinduism. He is also the guardian deity of the southeast direction and is typically found in southeast corners of Hi ...

, in a sacrificial fire pit. This legend was probably invented by the 10th-century

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 ...

court poet Padmagupta, whose '' Nava-sahasanka-charita'' mentions only the Paramaras as fire-born. The inclusion of Chauhans in the Agnivanshi myth can be traced back to the later recensions of ''Prithviraj Raso''. In this version of the legend, once

Vashistha Vasishtha ( sa, वसिष्ठ, IAST: ') is one of the oldest and most revered Vedic rishis or sages, and one of the Saptarishis (seven great Rishis). Vashistha is credited as the chief author of Mandala 7 of the ''Rigveda''. Vashishtha ...

and other great sages begin a major sacrificial ceremony on Mount Abu. The ritual was interrupted by miscreant

daitya According to ancient scriptures, the daityas ( Sanskrit: दैत्य) are a race of asuras, descending from Kashyapa and his wife, Diti. Prominent members of this race include Hiranyaksha, Hiranyakashipu, and Mahabali, all of whom overran t ...

s (demons). To get rid of these demons, Vashistha created progenitors of three Rajput dynasties from the sacrificial fire pit. These were Parihar ( Pratiharas), Chaluk (

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 extende ...

or Solanki), and Parmar (Paramara). These heroes were unable to defeat the demons. So, the sages prayed again, and this time a fourth warrior appeared: Chahuvana (Chauhan). This fourth hero slayed the demons. The earliest available copies of ''Prithviraj Raso'' do not mention the Agnivanshi legend. It is possible that the 16th-century bards came up with the legend to foster Rajput unity against the

Mughal emperor The Mughal emperors ( fa, , Pādishāhān) were the supreme heads of state of the Mughal Empire on the Indian subcontinent, mainly corresponding to the modern countries of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The Mughal rulers styled ...

Akbar Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (25 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar the Great ( fa, ), and also as Akbar I (), was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Hum ...

. Adaptions of the ''Prithviraj Raso'' occur in several later works. The ''Hammira Raso'' (1728 CE) by Jodharaja, a court poet of prince Chandrabhana of Neemrana, states that once the

Kshatriya Kshatriya ( hi, क्षत्रिय) (from Sanskrit ''kṣatra'', "rule, authority") is one of the four varna (social orders) of Hindu society, associated with warrior aristocracy. The Sanskrit term ''kṣatriyaḥ'' is used in the co ...

s (warriors) became extinct. So, the great sages assembled at Mount Abu and created three heroes. When these three heroes could not defeat the demons, they created Chahuvanaji. A slight variation occurs in the writings of Surya Malla Mishrana, the court poet of Bundi. In this version, the various gods create the four heroes on Vashistha's request. According to the bardic tale of the

Khichi Chauhan, a name derived from the historical Chahamanas, a clan name associated with the various ruling Rajput families in Rajasthan during the Medieval Indian eras . Subclans Khichi, Hada, Songara, Bhadauria, Devda etc. are the branche ...

clan of Chauhans, the Parwar (Paramara) was born from

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 ...

's essence; the Solankhi (Solanki) or Chaluk Rao (Chalukya) was born from Brahma's essence; the Pariyar (Parihar) was born from Devi's essence; and the Chahuvan (Chauhan) was born from Agni, the fire.

History

The Chauhans were historically a powerful group in the region now known as

. For around 400 years from the 7th century CE their strength in Sambhar was a threat to the power-base of the Guhilots in the south-west of the area, as also was the strength of their fellow Agnivanshi clans. They suffered a set-back in 1192 when their leader, Prithviraj Chauhan, was defeated at the Second Battle of Tarain but this did not signify their demise. The kingdom broke into the Satyapura and Devda branches after the invasion of

Qutbu l-Din Aibak Qutb ud-Din Aibak ( fa, قطب‌الدین ایبک), (1150 – 14 November 1210) was a Turkic general of the Ghurid king Muhammad Ghori. He was in charge of the Ghurid territories in northern India, and after Muhammad Ghori's assassination in ...

in 1197. The 13th and 14th centuries saw the struggle between the Chauhan Rajputs and 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).

to control the strategic areas of Delhi, Punjab and Gujarat. The earliest Chauhan inscription is a copper-plate inscription found at

Hansot ’Hansanagari’ but well known as Hansot is a village in Bharuch district, Southern Gujarat, India. It is about southwest of the city of Bharuch, and south of the Narmada River. The village and its surrounding ''taluka'' were acquired by the ...

Dynasties and states

The ruling dynasties belonging to the Chauhan clan included: * Chahamanas of Shakambhari (Chauhans of Ajmer) * Chahamanas of Naddula (Chauhans of Nadol) * Chahamanas of Lata * Chahamanas of

Dholpur Dholpur is a city in the Dholpur district in Rajasthan state of India. It is situated on the left bank of the famous Chambal river. The city is the administrative headquarters of Dholpur District and was formerly seat of the Dholpur pri ...

* Chahamanas of Partabgarh *

Chahamanas of Jalor The Chahamanas of Jalor, also known as the Chauhans of Jalor in vernacular legends, were an Indian dynasty that ruled the area around Jalore in present-day Rajasthan between 1160 and 1311. They belonged to the Chahamana (Chauhan) clan of the ...

(Chauhans of

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 ...

); branched off from the Chahamanas of Naddula * Chauhan's of Raghogarh State; branched off from the Chahmanas of Shakamabhari and GagronImperial Gazetteer of India, v. 21, p. 34.
/ref> * Chahamanas of

Sirohi State Kingdom of Sirohi or later Sirohi State (in colonial time) was an independent Hindu state in present-day Rajasthan state of India. The state was founded in 1311 CE and lasted for six centuries until its peaceful dissolution in 1949 CE, whe ...

; branched off from the Chahamanas of Naddula * Chahamanas of Ranastambhapura (Chauhans of Ranthambore); branched off from the Chahamanas of Shakambhari * Chauhan's of Bundi State branched off from the Chahmanas of ShakamabhariM. S. Naravane, V. P. Malik, ''The Rajputs of Rajputana: a glimpse of medieval Rajasthan'', p. 121 * Chauhan's of

Kota State Kota State, also known as Kotah State, was a state in India, centered on the city of Kota, now located in Rajasthan State of the India. History The average revenue of Kota state in 1901 was Rs.31,00,000. Rulers The rulers of Kota were fro ...

; branched off from the Chahamanas of Shakamabhari (later Bundi)M. S. Naravane, V. P. Malik, ''The Rajputs of Rajputana: a glimpse of medieval Rajasthan'', p. 121 * Chauhan's of Patna State; branched off from the Chuahans of Garh Sambhar (Mainpuri) * Chauhan's of

Tulsipur State Tulsipur State was a small kingdom in the Awadh region of India that became the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh under the British Raj and Dundwa Range of the Siwaliks in the Dang and Deukhuri Valleys that became part of the Kingdom of N ...

* Chuahans of Vav; branched off from the Chahmanas from Naddula * Chauhan's of Dhami State; branched off from the Chahmanas from Delhi * Chauhan's of

Sambalpur State Sambalpur State, also known as Hirakhand Kingdom was a sovereign state founded in the 1570 CE. It ruled over a vast kingdom spread across Western Odisha and Eastern Chhattisgarh in central-eastern India prior to the Maratha occupation in 1800 AD ...

* Chauhan's of

Sonepur State Sonepur also known as Sonpur State, was one of the princely states of India during the period of the British Raj. Its ruler was entitled to a nine gun salute. Formerly it was placed under the Central India Agency, but in 1905 it was transferred ...

* Chauhan's of

Changbhakar Changbhakar State, also known as Chang Bhakar, was one of the princely states of British Empire in India in the Chhattisgarh States Agency. It included 117 villages and had an area of with a 1941 population of 21,266 people. Bharatpur was the ...

* Chauhan's of

Koriya Korea State, currently spelled as Koriya, was a princely state of the British Empire of India. After Indian independence in 1947, the ruler of Koreaccededto the Union of India on 1 January 1948, and Koriya was made part of Surguja District of ...

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * {{Authority control Indian surnames Rajput clans Gurjar clans Agnivansha