UpdateBot at 02:58, 29 June 2022

2022-06-29T02:58:39Z

New page

{{Short description|King of Ranastambhapura from 1283–1301}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name = Hammiradeva
| image = Hammir palace,ranthambor fort.jpg
| caption = Hammira's palace at the [[Ranthambore Fort]]
| succession =
| death_date = 10 July 1301{{sfn|Banarsi Prasad Saksena|1992|p=347}}
| reign = 1283-1301
}}
'''Hammiradeva''' ([[IAST]]: Hammīra-deva; r. c. 1283–1301) was the last ruler from the [[Chahamanas of Ranastambhapura|Ranthambore branch of the Chauhans (Chahamanas)]]. He is also known as Hamir Dev in the Muslim chronicles and the vernacular literature.

Hammiradeva ruled a kingdom centred around Ranthambore in present-day [[Rajasthan]]. In the 1280s, he raided several neighbouring kingdoms, which ultimately left him without allies. In the 1290s, he successfully defended his kingdom against [[Jalaluddin Khalji]] of the [[Delhi Sultanate]]. In 1299, he gave asylum to some [[Mongols|Mongol]] rebels from Delhi, which prompted Jalaluddin's successor [[Alauddin Khalji]] to invade his kingdom. Hammira's forces achieved some successes against Alauddin's generals [[Ulugh Khan]] and [[Nusrat Khan Jalesari|Nusrat Khan]], but he was ultimately defeated and killed in 1301 after [[Alauddin Khalji's conquest of Ranthambore|a long siege]].

Hammira is celebrated as a hero in several texts composed after his death including Nayachandra Suri's ''[[Hammira Mahakavya]]'', Jodharaja's ''Hammira-Raso'', Sudheer Maurya's "Hammir Hath" and Chandrashekhara's ''Hammira-Hatha''.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}}

== Early life ==
Hammiradeva was a son of the Chahamana king [[Jaitrasimha]] (Jaitra Singh) and queen Hira Devi.{{sfn|Kishori Saran Lal|1950|p=103}} The name "Hammira" is a Sanskritized form of the Arabic title [[Emir|Amir]].{{sfn|Romila Thapar|2005|p=120}} Little is known about him, except the ''[[Hammira Mahakavya]]'', written by a poet about 100 years after Hammiradeva's death and whose reliability has been questioned.{{sfn|Dasharatha Sharma|1959|p=106}}<ref>{{cite book|author=Aditya Malik|title=Religion, a Human Phenomenon: XXth World Congress of the International Association for the History of Religions|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FZceq1EzjLQC|year=2011|publisher=Institute for the Advanced Study of Religion|isbn=978-0-9876934-0-2|page=313}}</ref> Hammiradeva had two elder brothers named Suratrana and Virama.{{sfn|Dasharatha Sharma|1959|p=106}}

When [[Jaitrasimha]] retired because of old age, he appointed Hammiradeva as his successor, although Hammira was not his eldest son. The ''[[Hammira Mahakavya]]'' dates Hammira's ascension to 1283 CE (1339 [[Vikrama Samvat|VS]]).{{sfn|Dasharatha Sharma|1959|p=106}} However, according to a [[genealogy]] given in the ''[[Prabandha Kosha]]'', Hammira ascended the throne in 1285 CE.{{sfn|Manabendu Banerjee|2004|p=278}} Historian [[Dasharatha Sharma]] speculates that [[Jaitrasimha]] lived until 1285 CE, which may explain this discrepancy.{{sfn|Dasharatha Sharma|1959|p=106}}

== Early rule ==
Soon after his ascension, Hammiradeva launched a series of raids against his Hindu neighbours until 1288. The ''[[Hammira Mahakavya]]'' presents these raids as a systematic ''[[digvijaya (conquest)|digvijaya]]'' ("conquests in all directions") campaign. However, Hammiradeva's own inscriptions do not mention any ''dgivijaya'' campaign.{{sfn|Dasharatha Sharma|1959|pp=107-108}}

The Balvan inscription of 1288 CE mentions that Hammiradeva captured the elephant force of [[Arjunavarman II|Arjuna II]], the [[Paramara]] king of [[Malwa]].{{sfn|Dasharatha Sharma|1975|p=124}} The Paramaras had greatly declined in power, and their kingdom faced an internal rebellion after Arjuna's death. Taking advantage of this, several of their enemies had plundered Malwa.{{sfn|Dasharatha Sharma|1959|p=108}}

According to the ''[[Hammira Mahakavya]]'', Hammiradeva also subjugated Arjuna, the ruler of a principality called Bhimarasa. Next, he extracted tribute from the Manḍalakṛta fort (modern [[Mandalgarh]]). Hammira then targeted [[Bhoja II (Paramara dynasty)|Bhoja II]], the successor of Arjuna II in Malwa. He defeated the Paramara forces, and reached as far as Ujjayini ([[Ujjain]]) and Dhara ([[Dhar]]). He then returned home via the place called [[Chittor]], [[Mount Abu|Abu]], Vardhanapura ([[Badnor, Rajasthan|Badnor]]), Changa, [[Pushkar]], Maharashtra (present-day [[Maroth, Rajasthan|Marot]] village), Khandilla ([[Khandela]]), Champa and Karkarala ([[Karauli]]). At Karkarala, he received homage from the ruler of Tribhuvanagiri ([[Timangarh]]).{{sfn|Dasharatha Sharma|1959|p=107}}

Out of all these raids, Hammira's own inscriptions mention only his successes in Malwa. Therefore, historian [[Dasharatha Sharma]] doubts the historicity of the other raids described in the ''Hammira Mahakavya'', and considers its ''digivjaya'' account as fictitious.{{sfn|Dasharatha Sharma|1959|p=108}}

The Balvan inscription mentions that Hammira performed a ritual sacrifice known as ''Koti-[[yajna]]'' twice. This sacrifice appears to have been similar to the [[Ashvamedha]] ceremony, which was proved by ancient Indian kings to prove their sovereignty. The ''Koti yajna'' performed by the royal priest Vishvarupa.{{sfn|Dasharatha Sharma|1959|p=107}}

== Conflict with the Delhi Sultanate ==

<mapframe text="Location of Delhi and Ranthambore" width="400" height="400" zoom="5" longitude="76.84" latitude="27.34">
{
"type": "FeatureCollection",
"features": [
{
"type": "Feature",
"properties": { "marker-symbol": "circle", "title": "[[Delhi]]" },
"geometry": { "type": "Point", "coordinates": [77.2273958, 28.661898] }
},
{
"type": "Feature",
"properties": { "marker-symbol": "star", "title": "[[Ranthambore Fort|Ranthambore]]" },
"geometry": { "type": "Point", "coordinates": [76.4553456, 26.019058] }
}
]
}
</mapframe>

Hammira's wars with his Hindu neighbours ultimately left him without any allies against his powerful northern neighbour, the Muslim-ruled [[Delhi Sultanate]].{{sfn|Sailendra Nath Sen|1999|p=336}}

=== Jalaluddin Khalji ===
In 1290, [[Jalaluddin Khalji]], the ruler of the [[Delhi Sultanate]], invaded Hammira's territory. He defeated Hammira's forces led by [[Gurdan Saini]], who was killed in the battle. The Delhi army captured [[Jhain]], and then marched towards Ranthambore.{{sfn|Dasharatha Sharma|1959|p=108}} They besieged the Ranthambore fort with [[manjaniq]]s (siege engines), but were unable to capture the fort. Jalaluddin ultimately gave up, and returned to Delhi.{{sfn|Dasharatha Sharma|1959|p=109}}

After Jalaluddin's retreat, Hammira recaptured Jhain. In 1292, Jalaluddin once again invaded Jhain, this time unsuccessfully.{{sfn|Dasharatha Sharma|1959|p=109}}

=== Alauddin Khalji ===
{{main|Alauddin Khalji's conquest of Ranthambore}}

{{Blockquote
| text = In the annals of Rājpūt chivalry, there is scarcely a name better known than that of Hammīra the haṭhī, ruler of Ranthambhor.
| author = Dashratha Sharma
| title =
| source = Early Chauhān Dynasties
| character =
| multiline =
| class =
| style =
}}
In 1299, some [[Mongols|Mongol]] soldiers of [[Delhi Sultanate]] [[Alauddin Khalji's conquest of Gujarat#Mutiny near Jalore|mutined against their generals]]. Hammira granted asylum to two of these leaders — Muhammad Shah (alias Mahim Shah) and Kabhru — and their followers.{{sfn|Kishori Saran Lal|1950|p=88}} He rejected the demands to surrender these soldiers, leading to an invasion from the Delhi Sultanate.{{sfn|Banarsi Prasad Saksena|1992|p=342}}

Hammira lost his general Bhimasamha to an invasion led by the Delhi general [[Ulugh Khan]].{{sfn|Dasharatha Sharma|1959|p=109}} Hammira held his minister Dharmasimha responsible for this debacle, and had him castrated and blinded. However, Dharmasimha soon gained back the king's favour, by raising money for his fight against the Delhi forces. This money was raised through heavy taxes on the general public, which made Hammira very unpopular among the masses. His brothers Bhoja and [[Pithasimha]] defected to Alauddin as a result of Dharmasimha's scheming.{{sfn|Dasharatha Sharma|1959|p=110-111}}

At Bhoja's instigation, Alauddin sent a stronger army to Ranthambore. However, this army was defeated by Hammira's generals, which included the rebel Mongol leaders.{{sfn|Dasharatha Sharma|1959|p=111}} Alauddin next dispatched [[Nusrat Khan Jalesari|Nusrat Khan]], the governor of [[Awadh]], to reinforce Ulugh Khan's forces. The combined Delhi forces advanced up to Ranthambore, and besieged the fort. Some days later, Nusrat Khan was hit by a [[manjaniq]] stone and killed. Taking advantage of the situation, Hammira came out of the fort with a large army, and forced Ulugh Khan to retreat.{{sfn|Banarsi Prasad Saksena|1992|p=342}}{{sfn|Dasharatha Sharma|1959|p=112}}

After Nusrat Khan's death, Alauddin decided to personally lead the siege of Ranthambore. He ordered his officers from his various provinces to assemble their contingents at [[Tilpat]], and then led a joint force to Ranthambore.{{sfn|Banarsi Prasad Saksena|1992|pp=343-344}} After a prolonged siege followed, during which Hammira's officers Ratipala and Ranamalla defected to Alauddin's side.{{sfn|Dasharatha Sharma|1959|p=113}}

By July 1301, Hammira was in a dire situation owing to the defections and a famine-like situation within the fort. Therefore, he decided to fight to death with his loyal men.{{sfn|Dasharatha Sharma|1959|p=113}} The ladies of the fort, led by his chief queen Ranga Devi, died by ''[[jauhar]]'' (mass self-immolation to avoid falling into the enemy hands).{{sfn|Kishori Saran Lal|1950|p=112 }} Hammira offered safe passages to his brother Virama, his minister Jaja, and the rebel Mongol leader Muhammad Shah, but all of them refused to desert him. Virama died fighting by his side in a [[last stand]]. Jaja, whom Hammira had appointed as his successor, died two days later while defending the fort. Muhammad Shah was wounded in the action, and later executed on Alauddin's orders.{{sfn|Dasharatha Sharma|1959|pp=118-119}} Hammira and his loyal companions marched to the top of the ''pasheb'' mound, where they fought to death with Alauddin's army.{{sfn|Banarsi Prasad Saksena|1992|p=347}} Some Rajput-era bards claim that Hammira severed his own head and offered it to the god [[Shiva|Mahadeva]] when faced with a certain defeat.{{sfn|Kishori Saran Lal|1950|p=104}}

== Cultural activities ==
According to the [[Jain]] scholar Nayachandra, Hammira was generous towards [[Brahmin]]s, and respected all Indian faiths, including Jainism.{{sfn|Dasharatha Sharma|1959|p=115}}

According to ''[[Sharngadhara-paddhati|Sharngadhara-Paddhati]]'', Hammira was a pupil of the scholar-poet Raghavadeva, who was a grandfather of the famous anthologist [[Sharngadhara]]. Hammira also patronised the poet Bijaditya.{{sfn|Dasharatha Sharma|1959|p=115}}

== In popular culture ==

Hammira has been hailed as a hero in several works written after his death, including those written in [[Sanskrit]], [[Prakrit]], [[Hindi]] and [[Rajasthani language|Rajasthani]] languages.{{sfn|Dasharatha Sharma|1959|p=116}} The ''[[Hammira Mahakavya]]'', his biography by the Jain scholar Nayachandra Suri, is a major source of information about him. ''Surjana-Charita'' also describes him, although it is not entirely reliable from a historical point-of-view. He is also mentioned in a few verses of ''Prakrta-Pingala'' (or ''Prakrta-Paingalam'', 14th century) and ''Sharngadhara-Paddhati''.{{sfn|Dasharatha Sharma|1959|p=107}} A Hindi film ''Hameer Hath'' (1964) is based on his life.

Two later Hindi works on his life include ''Hammira-Raso'' by Jodharaja and ''Hammira-Hatha'' by Chandrashekhara. However, these are of little historical value.{{sfn|Dasharatha Sharma|1959|p=107}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|2}}

=== Bibliography ===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |author=Dasharatha Sharma |title=Early Chauhān Dynasties |publisher=S. Chand / Motilal Banarsidass |year=1959 |isbn=9780842606189 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n4gcAAAAMAAJ }}
* {{cite book |author=Banarsi Prasad Saksena |author-link=Banarsi Prasad Saksena |chapter=The Khaljis: Alauddin Khalji |editor=Mohammad Habib and Khaliq Ahmad Nizami |title=A Comprehensive History of India: The Delhi Sultanat (A.D. 1206-1526) |volume=5 |edition=Second |year=1992 |publisher=The Indian History Congress / People's Publishing House |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_9cmAQAAMAAJ |oclc=31870180 }}
* {{cite book |author=Kishori Saran Lal |author-link=K. S. Lal |title=History of the Khaljis (1290-1320) |year=1950 |publisher=The Indian Press |location=Allahabad |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2XXqAQAACAAJ |oclc=685167335 }}
* {{cite book |author=Manabendu Banerjee |title=Historicity in Sanskrit Historical Kāvyas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AgtkAAAAMAAJ |year=2004 |publisher=Sanskrit Pustak Bhandar |oclc=69734858 }}
* {{cite book |author=Romila Thapar |title=Somanatha: The Many Voices of a History |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PnBMFaGMabYC&pg=PA119 |publisher=Verso |year=2005 |isbn=9781844670208 }}
* {{cite book |author=Sailendra Nath Sen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC&pg=PA336 |title=Ancient Indian History and Civilization |publisher=New Age International |year=1999 |isbn=9788122411980 }}
* {{cite book |author=Sudheer Maurya |title=Hammir Hath |publisher=Rajmangal Publication |year=2020 |isbn=9788194612278 }}
{{refend}}

[[Category:Maharajas of Rajasthan]]
[[Category:Rajput rulers]]
[[Category:1301 deaths]]
[[Category:Hindu monarchs]]

Hammiradeva - Revision history

UpdateBot at 02:58, 29 June 2022