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{{Infobox royalty<br />
| name = Kirtipala<br />
| title = [[Maharaja]]<br />
| succession = King of Javalipura<br />
| reign = c. 1160-1182 CE<br />
| dynasty = [[Chahamanas of Jalor]]<br />
| successor = [[Samarasimha]]<br />
| father = [[Alhanadeva|Alhana]]<br />
| issue = Samarasimha<br />
}}<br />
<br />
'''Kirti-pala''' ([[IAST]]: Kīrtipāla, r. c. 1160-1182 CE), also known as Kitu in vernacular legends, was an Indian king belonging to the [[Chahamanas of Jalor|Chahamana dynasty]] of [[Javalipura]] (modern Jalore). A member of the [[Chahamanas of Naddula|Naddula Chahamana]] family, he carved out a principality for himself with Jalore at its capital. He ruled parts of southern [[Rajasthan]] as a feudatory of the [[Chaulukya]]s, and participated in their successful battle against [[Muhammad of Ghor]] in 1178 CE. He also fought with other Chaulukya feudatories, including Asala of Kiratakupa (modern [[Kiradu]]) and the [[Guhilas of Medapata|Guhila]] chief [[Samantasimha (Guhila)|Samantasimha]].<br />
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== Early life ==<br />
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Kirtipala was the youngest of the three sons of the [[Chahamanas of Naddula|Naddula Chahamana]] king [[Alhanadeva|Alhana]] and queen Annalla-devi.{{sfn|Dasharatha Sharma|1959|p=142}} Kirtipala's elder brother [[Kelhanadeva|Kelhana]] became the king of [[Naddula]], while Kirtipala himself became the governor of a fief of 12 villages. According to Kirtipala's 1161 CE Nadol copper-plate inscription, the 12 villages given to him by Alhana and prince Kelhana were:{{sfn|Ashok Kumar Srivastava|1979|pp=1-2}}<br />
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{{columns-list|colwidth=15em|<br />
* Darjit<br />
* Devasuri<br />
* Harvandam<br />
* Kanasuvam<br />
* Kavilada<br />
* Madada<br />
* Mauvadi<br />
* Morekera<br />
* Nadada<br />
* Naddula-grama<br />
* Sonanama<br />
* Sujera<br />
}}<br />
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In the 1182 CE Jalor inscription of his son [[Samarasimha]], he is styled as "[[Maharaja]] Kirtipala-deva".{{sfn|Ashok Kumar Srivastava|1979|p=9}}<br />
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== Military career ==<br />
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Javalipura was originally ruled by the members of a [[Paramara dynasty#Branches and claimed descendants|Paramara branch]]. According to the 17th century chronicle ''[[Nainsi ri Khyat]]'', the ''pradhana'' (prime minister) of the local Paramara ruler was a Dahiya [[Rajput]]. Kitu (Kirtipala) managed to take control of Javalipura after winning over this Dahiya ''pradhana''. Kirtipala's conquest of Javalipura appears to have happened during the reign of his father Alhana. He continued to govern this territory during the reign of his brother Kelhana.{{sfn|Ashok Kumar Srivastava|1979|p=2}} At least in the early part of his reign, he acknowledged the suzerainty of his brother.{{sfn|Ashok Kumar Srivastava|1979|p=7}}<br />
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The [[Chaulukya]]s of [[Gujarat]] were the ultimate overlords of both Naddula and Jalore Chahamana branches. The [[Sundha Mata Temple|Sundha Hill]] inscription boasts that Kirtipala routed the [[Turkic peoples|Turushka]] (Turkic) army at [[Kasahrada]] (modern Kyara in [[Sirohi district]]). This refers to an 1178 CE battle, in which the Chaulukya army defeated the [[Ghurid]] ruler [[Muhammad of Ghor]]. Kirtipala seems to have joined the Chaulukya forces in this battle, during the reign of [[Mularaja II]].{{sfn|Ashok Kumar Srivastava|1979|pp=4-5}}<br />
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A [[Kumbhalgarh]] inscription suggests that Kirtipala invaded the [[Guhilas of Medapata|Guhila]] kingdom, and ousted its ruler [[Samantasimha (Guhila)|Samantasimha]]. Kirtipala probably launched this invasion during 1171-1179 CE, with the approval of his Chaulukya overlord. Later, [[Samantasimha (Guhila)|Samantasimha's]] younger brother Kumarasimha gained his ancestral throne by appeasing the Chaulukya king,{{sfn|Ashok Kumar Srivastava|1979|p=5}} who was probably Mularaja II or his predecessor [[Ajayapala (Chaulukya dynasty)|Ajayapala]].{{sfn|D. C. Ganguly|1957|p=89}} Kirtipala seems to have given up his allegiance to the Chaulukyas as a result of this episode.{{sfn|Ashok Kumar Srivastava|1979|pp=5-6}}<br />
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According to the Sundha Hill inscription, Kirtipala defeated Asala, the ruler of Kiratakupa (modern [[Kiradu]]) and a vassal of the Chaulukyas.{{sfn|Dasharatha Sharma|1959|p=144}} Earlier, in 1152 CE, Kirtipala's father Alhana had obtained control of Kiratakupa as a feudatory of the [[Chaulukya]] king [[Kumarapala (Chaulukya dynasty)|Kumarapala]]. Sometime later, the Chaulukyas had transferred control of Kiratakupa to another Chahamana prince called Madanabrahma. Asala was probably the successor of Madanabrahma.{{sfn|Ashok Kumar Srivastava|1979|p=4}}<br />
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== Personal life ==<br />
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Kirtipala had at least three sons and a daughter.{{sfn|Ashok Kumar Srivastava|1979|p=6}} The three sons were [[Samarasimha]], Lakhanapala and Abhayapala. Samarasimha was his eldest son and successor. According to the 1176 Lalrai inscription, Lakhanapala and Abhayapala controlled Sinavana, which can be identified with the modern [[Sonana Khetlaji|Sonana]] village. The Sundha Hill inscription states that Kirtipala's daughter Rudala-devi commissioned two [[Shiva]] temples at Javalipura.{{sfn|Ashok Kumar Srivastava|1979|p=7}}<br />
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Kirtipala was a [[Hinduism|Hindu]], but also patronized [[Jainism|Jains]]. His 1161 Nadol grant portrays him as a worshipper of [[Surya]] (the sun), [[Agni]] (fire), and [[Shiva|Maheshvara]] (Shiva). It then records a grant to a Jain temple.{{sfn|Ashok Kumar Srivastava|1979|p=8}}<br />
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== References ==<br />
{{reflist|30em}}<br />
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=== Bibliography ===<br />
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{{ref begin}}<br />
* {{cite book |author=Ashok Kumar Srivastava |title=The Chahamanas of Jalor |publisher=Sahitya Sansar Prakashan |year=1979 |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.547206 |oclc=12737199 }}<br />
* {{cite book |author=D. C. Ganguly |chapter=Northern India During The Eleventh and Twelfth Centuries |editor=R. C. Majumdar |editor-link=R. C. Majumdar |title=The Struggle for Empire |series=The History and Culture of the Indian People |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UQtuAAAAMAAJ |year=1957 |publisher=Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan |oclc=26241249 }}<br />
* {{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 |oclc=3624414 }}<br />
{{ref end}}<br />
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{{Chahamanas of Jalor}}<br />
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[[Category:Chahamana kings of Jalor]]</div>MarcyThompson89