Breakoutbanglore at 19:12, 21 December 2025

2025-12-21T19:12:19Z

New page

{{Short description|Founder and Rawal of Mewar from 728-763}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}}{{Use Indian English|date=April 2017}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name = Bappa Rawal
| birth_name =
| image = Bappa_Rawal.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Statue of Bappa Rawal at [[Mewar]]
| title = {{noitalic|{{ubl|[[Rawal (title)|Rawal]] of [[Mewar]]|Purana Purusha<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://indianculture.gov.in/history-mewar-earliest-times-1751-ad|author=Ram Vallabh Somani|title = History of Mewar: From earliest times to 1751 A.D.|publisher=C. L. Ranka |location=Jaipur|page=40}}</ref>}}}}
| succession = Ruler of [[Mewar]]
| reign = 728 CE–764 CE<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Tod |first1=James |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9BBTEAAAQBAJ&q=bappa+ |title=Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan (3 Vols): Or the Central and Western Rajput State of India |last2=Crooke |first2=William |date=2010-01-01 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-0380-0 |page=281 |language=en}}"Bappa on the throne of Chitor S. 784 ( A.D. 728 ) , we will proceed to glean from the annals , from the period of his departure for Iran , S. 820 ( A.D. 764 )"</ref>
| dynasty = [[Guhila dynasty]]
| predecessor = [[Chitrangada Mori]]
| successor = Khumana I
| father =
| religion = [[Shaivism|Shaivite Hinduism]]
}}
'''Bappa Rawal,''' also known as '''Kālabhoja''', was the ruler of the [[Guhila dynasty|Guhila Rajput dynasty]] in the [[Kingdom of Mewar]]. While the early Guhila chiefs are mentioned in inscriptions, Bappa Rawal is identified as the first major ruler of [[Mewar]] region in the later chronicles and bardic traditions. He is credited in the chronicles with repelling [[Umayyad campaigns in India|Arab invasion]] in north-western India.

== Literary accounts ==

According to the 15th century text ''Ekalinga Mahatmya'' (also called ''Ekalinga Purana''), Bappa was the ninth descendant of the Guhila dynasty's founder Guhadatta. The text credits him with establishing the [[Mewar Kingdom]] in 728 CE, and with building the [[Eklingji]] temple.{{sfn|David Gordon White|2012|p=120}}
[[File:Bappa Rawal stands before Harit Rishi, detail of a genealogical scroll of the rulers of Mewar, Udaipur, ca.1730–40 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Bappa Rawal stands before Harit Rishi, detail of a genealogical scroll of the rulers of Mewar, Udaipur, ca.1730–40<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bose |first=Melia Belli |title=Royal Umbrellas of Stone: Memory, Politics, and Public Identity in Rajput Funerary Art |date=Aug 25, 2015 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=9789004300569 |pages=254}}</ref>]]
The ''Ekalinga Mahatmya'' and other bardic chronicles state that Bappa's father Nagaditya and all other male members of his family were killed in a battle with the [[Bhil people|Bhils]] of [[Idar, Gujarat|Idar]].{{sfn|David Gordon White|2012|p=120}}{{sfn|Ram Vallabh Somani|1976|p=41}} He remained in disguise, accompanied by his two loyal Bhil attendants. He was brought up by a [[Brahmin]] lady of [[Nagda]], who employed him as a caretaker of cows. One day, he met the sage Harit Rashi.{{sfn|Ram Vallabh Somani|1976|p=41}} The sage agreed to initiate him into a [[Shaivite]] order, it is also said that Kaalbhoj went into extraordinary spirituality. After completing his [[Tapasya]], as directed by Harit Rashi, he defeated his father's killers, and established the [[Mewar]] Kingdom.{{sfn|David Gordon White|2012|p=120}}

According to legends the rishi also encouraged Bappa to build renowned [[Eklingji|Eklingji Temple]] at Nagda, which has been family deity of rulers of Mewar ever since.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hooja|first=Rima|title=A History of Rajasthan|publisher=Rupa Publication|year=2006|isbn=81-291-0890-9|location=New Delhi|page=158}}</ref>

Indologist [[David Gordon White]] notes that there is a similar legend involving the sage [[Gorakhnath]] and the [[Gorkha Kingdom|Gorkha]] king [[Prithvi Narayan Shah]]. The 11th century writer [[Al-Biruni]] has also recorded a similar legend involving the alchemist Vyadi and the king [[Vikramaditya]].{{sfn|David Gordon White|2012|p=311}}

== Historicity ==

=== Period ===

The exact period of Bappa Rawal is not certain. According to the ''Ekalinga Mahatmya'', Bappa Rawal established the Mewar Kingdom in 728 CE,{{sfn|David Gordon White|2012|p=120}} and abdicated the throne in 753 CE/764 CE.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Tod |first1=James |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9BBTEAAAQBAJ&q=bappa+ |title=Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan (3 Vols): Or the Central and Western Rajput State of India |last2=Crooke |first2=William |date=2010-01-01 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-0380-0 |page=281 |language=en}}"Bappa on the throne of Chitor S. 784 ( A.D. 728 ) , we will proceed to glean from the annals , from the period of his departure for Iran , S. 820 ( A.D. 764 )"</ref> [[D. R. Bhandarkar]] and [[G. H. Ojha]] believed this to be an authentic date.{{sfn|Ram Vallabh Somani|1976|p=43}}

=== Identification ===

The word "Bappa" means "father", and Rawal is a royal title. Therefore, scholars such as [[C. V. Vaidya]], [[D. R. Bhandarkar]], [[G. H. Ojha]], and [[Kaviraj Shyamaldas]] believe that "Bappa Rawal" is not a proper noun.{{sfn|Ram Vallabh Somani|1976|p=41}}

Bappa Rawal is mentioned in some inscriptions that provide genealogical lists of the [[Guhila dynasty]], but other inscriptions containing such lists do not mention him. For example, he is mentioned in the 959 CE [[Unawas]] inscription and the 971 CE [[Eklingji|Ekling]] inscription. However, the 977 CE Atpur inscription and the 1083 CE Kadmal inscription do not mention him. Therefore, the historians have assumed that "Bappa Rawal" is an epithet for one of the Guhila rulers, and different scholars have tried to identify him with different Guhila kings.{{sfn|Ram Vallabh Somani|1976|p=42}}

According to the Atpur and Kadmal inscriptions, the Guhila ruler Mahendra was succeeded by Kalabhoja. Several historians, such as [[G. H. Ojha]], have identified Bappa Rawal as Kalabhoja, because the 977 CE Atpur inscription mentions Khumana as a son of Kalabhoja, and the 1404 CE Uparaganva (Dungarpur) inscription of Maharawal Pata names Khumana as the son of Bappa Rawal. R. V. Somani endorses this identification, but cautions that the evidence is not conclusive: Bappa Rawal may have been a different ruler who belonged to another branch of the Guhilas.{{sfn|Ram Vallabh Somani|1976|p=40-42}}

The Atpur inscription names Śila as the successor of Nāga, and predecessor of Aparājita. The 1460 CE Kumbhalgarh inscription names Bappa as the successor of Nāga, and predecessor of Aparājita.{{sfn|N. P. Chakravarti|1987|p=119}} This suggests that Bappa Rawal was another name for Shiladitya (Śila), the great-grandfather of Kalabhoja. Based on this evidence, [[Dasharatha Sharma]] and [[D. C. Sircar]] have identified Bappa Rawal with Shiladitya.{{sfn|Ram Vallabh Somani|1976|p=42}} However, R. V. Somani disputes this identification, arguing that this inscription contains several errors, including naming Bappa Rawal as the father of Guhadatta (who was the dynasty's founder according to some other inscriptions).{{sfn|Ram Vallabh Somani|1976|p=39}}

Some other historians, such as [[D. R. Bhandarkar]], identified Bappa Rawal with Kalabhoja's son Khumana, based on the calculation of average reign of the Guhila rulers.{{sfn|Ram Vallabh Somani|1976|p=42}}

== Military career ==
=== Siege of Chittor ===
According to some ancient records, Bappa Rawal captured famous Chitrakuta ([[Chittor Fort]]) from the [[mlechchhas]].{{sfn|R. C. Majumdar|1977|p=298-299}} Scholars such as [[R. C. Majumdar]] and R. V. Somani write on the basis of available records that the [[Caliphate campaigns in India|Arab invaders]] defeated the former rulers of Chittor, and Bappa Rawal gained control of Chittor after repulsing the Arab invaders. According to Majumdar, the Moris (Mauryas) were ruling at Chittor when the Arabs (mlechchhas) invaded north-western India around 725 CE.{{sfn|R. C. Majumdar|1977|p=298-299}} The Arabs defeated the Moris, and in turn, were defeated by a confederacy that included Bappa Rawal.{{sfn|Ram Vallabh Somani|1976|p=45}}{{sfn|Khalid Yahya Blankinship|1994|p=188}} Majumdar believes that his heroics against the Arabs raised Bappa Rawal's status to such an extent that he wrongly came to be regarded as the founder of the dynasty.{{sfn|R. C. Majumdar|1977|p=298-299}} R. V. Somani writes in his book that Bappa was a part of the anti-Arab confederacy formed by the [[Gurjara-Pratihara]] ruler [[Nagabhata I]].{{sfn|Ram Vallabh Somani|1976|p=45}}

Shyam Manohar Mishra of [[Lucknow University]] theorized that Bappa Rawal was originally a vassal of the Mori ruler Manuraja (Maan Maurya). He probably led the Mori campaign against the Arabs, which made him more famous than his overlord. Later, he either deposed Manuraja (Maan Maurya), or became the king after Manuraja died childless.{{sfn|Shyam Manohar Mishra|1977|p=48}}

After successful campaigns against Arabs, several conflicts occur in India most famously between [[Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty| Pratiharas]] and [[Rashtrakuta dynasty|Rashtrakutas]], Rashtrakuta king [[Dantidurga]] occupied Ujjain and performed Hiranyagarbha ceremony there, however in short time, Rashtrakutas left and Nagabhata regained his power. Historian R.V. Somani theorizes that in these conflicts, Bappa Rawal also faced [[Dantidurga]]'s armies by helping Pratiharas in their struggle, and thus succeeded in capturing the eastern parts of Mewar region; he also contested with Karanatakas and the [[Chola dynasty|Cholas]] as described in the inscription of Chittor.{{sfn|Ram Vallabh Somani|1976|p=45}}

== Gold coins ==

Multiple gold coins, bearing the [[Nāgarī script|Nagari]] legend "Shri Voppa" or "Shri Vopparaja" have been attributed to Bappa Rawal. However, the identification of Voppa or Vopparaja with Bappa Rawal is disputed. These coins have been alternatively attributed to the king Vappuka of Surasena dynasty, who is mentioned in a 955 CE (1012 VS) inscription from [[Bayana]].<ref>{{cite book |publisher=Numismatic Society of India |title=The Journal of the Numismatic Society of India |volume=22-23 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i0NmAAAAMAAJ |year=1960 |page=279 |quote=But this attribution presents some difficulties because Mewar, in those days, had altogether a different currency and the Guhila rulers of Mewar never adopted the device of cow suckling a calf on the reverse of their coins. Still more, they never issued gold coins because Mewar was not a very big empire during that period. Therefore, it is not plausible to identify Voppa or Vopparaja of these gold coins with Bappa Rawal of Mewar or any other ruler of the neighbouring region. }}</ref>

One gold coin bears the legend "Shri Voppa", and features Shavite icons: a [[trishula]] (trident), a [[linga]], and a [[Nandi (bull)|bull]]. Below these is the image of a man in prostrate position. The man has features with large [[ear piercing|pierced ears]], and the holes are exaggerated. According to Indoligst [[David Gordon White]], this may be a representation of Bappa's initiation into a Shaivite sect, as ear piercing has been associated with the [[Nath|Nath Siddhas]] (a Shaivite sect), who were custodians of the Eklingji shrine before the 16th century.{{sfn|David Gordon White|2012|pp=120-121}} White, however, believes that Bappa is more likely to have been initiated into the [[Pashupata Shaivism|Pashupata]] sect. Pashupata names commonly ended in Rashi ([[IAST]]: Rāśi), and thus, Harit Rishi was likely a Pashupata sage. Moreover, "Rawal" (from [[Sanskrit]] ''rāja-kula'', "royal lineage") was the name of a clan among the Pashupatas in the 8th century: in the 13th century, this clan was absorbed into the Nath sect.{{sfn|David Gordon White|2012|p=121}}

One gold coin features a [[halo (religious iconography)|haloed]] [[Rama]] holding [[bow and arrow]], with a bull to his left, and an elephant to his right. The other side of the coin features an enthroned ruler with attendants on his sides, with the legend "Shri Voppa" below.{{sfn|Arthur L. Friedberg|Ira S. Friedberg|2017|p=481}}

Another gold coin features the legend "Shri Vopparaja", with the images of a bull, a trident, a linga, and an attendant. The other side features a cow with a suckling calf.{{sfn|Arthur L. Friedberg|Ira S. Friedberg|2017|p=481}}

== Monuments ==

* Shri Bappa Rawal Temple is dedicated to Bappa Rawal is in Mathatha, Rajasthan located close to the [[Eklingji]] temple, 24 kilometres north of [[Udaipur]].{{citation needed|date=January 2020}}

== In popular culture ==

The 1925 Indian silent ''Mewadpati Bappa Rawal'' portrayed Rawal's life on screen.<ref name="Mittal1975">{{cite book|author=Mahendra Mittal|title=Bhāratīya Calacitra|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4P8vAAAAMAAJ|year=1975|publisher=Alankar Prakashan|page=208}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

=== Bibliography ===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |author1=Arthur L. Friedberg |author2=Ira S. Friedberg |title=Gold Coins of the World |edition=9th |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VHZEDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA481 |year=2017 |publisher=Coin & Currency Institute |isbn=978-0-87184-009-7 }}
* {{cite book |author=David Gordon White |author-link=David Gordon White |title=The Alchemical Body: Siddha Traditions in Medieval India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pQuqAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA119 |year=2012 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |isbn=978-0-226-14934-9 |page=119}}
* {{cite book |author=Khalid Yahya Blankinship |title=The End of the Jihad State: The Reign of Hisham Ibn 'Abd al-Malik and the Collapse of the Umayyads |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Jz0Yy053WS4C&pg=PA188 |year=1994 |publisher=SUNY Press |isbn=978-0-7914-1827-7 |page=188 }}
* {{cite book |author=N. P. Chakravarti |author-link=N. P. Chakravarti |chapter=Appendix: Rajaprasasti Inscription of Udaipur (Continued from Vol. XXIX, Part V) |editor1=N. Lakshminarayan Rao |editor2=D. C. Sircar |title=Epigraphia Indica |volume=XXX |year=1987 |orig-date=1958 |publisher=Archaeological Survey of India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3XBDAAAAYAAJ }}
* {{cite book |author=Ram Vallabh Somani |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NcIBAAAAMAAJ |title=History of Mewar, from Earliest Times to 1751 A.D. |publisher=Mateshwari |year=1976 |oclc=2929852 }}
* {{cite book |author=R. C. Majumdar |title=Ancient India |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |year=1977 |isbn=978-81-208-0436-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XNxiN5tzKOgC&pg=PA327 }}
* {{cite book |author=Shyam Manohar Mishra |title=Yaśovarman of Kanauj |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kZWgj-YMdVEC&pg=PA48 |year=1977 |publisher=Abhinav |oclc=557679616 }}
* {{cite book |author=S.B. Bhattacherje | title=Encyclopaedia of Indian events and dates |year=1922 |location=New Delhi |publisher=Sterling Publishers}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |first1=Omendra |last1=Ratnu |isbn= 9789355211644 |title=Maharanas: A Thousand Year War for Dharma}}

{{refend}}

{{Udaipur}}

[[Category:Monarchs of Mewar]]
[[Category:Guhila dynasty]]
[[Category:Hindu monarchs]]
[[Category:Year of birth uncertain]]
[[Category:Year of death uncertain]]
[[Category:Indian Hindus]]

Bappa Rawal - Revision history

Breakoutbanglore at 19:12, 21 December 2025