Chahamanas of Naddula

Template:For Template:Infobox country The Chahamanas of Naddula, also known as the Chauhans of Nadol, were an Indian dynasty. They ruled the Marwar area around their capital Naddula (present-day Nadol in Rajasthan) between 10th and 12th centuries. They belonged to the Chahamana (Chauhan) clan of the Rajputs.

The Chahamanas of Naddula were an offshoot of the Chahamanas of Shakambhari. Their founder, Lakshmana (alias Rao Lakha), was the son of the 10th century Shakambari ruler Vakpatiraja I. His brother Simharaja succeeded their father as the Shakambhari ruler.Template:Sfn The subsequent rulers fought against the neighbouring kingdoms of the Paramaras of Malwa, the Chaulukyas, the Ghaznavids, as well as the Chahamanas of Shakambhari.Template:Sfn The last ruler Jayata-simha was probably defeated by the Ghurid Empire general Qutb al-Din Aibak in 1197 CE.Template:Sfn

History

Early rulers

Lakshmana, the founder of the dynasty, was a son of the Shakambhari Chahamana king Vakpatiraja I. While his elder brother Simharaja succeeded Vakpatiraja, he carved out a principality at Naddula in the mid-10th century.Template:Sfn According to the legendary text Lakhana Raula Prabandha, the Brahmanas of Naddula hired him to protect the town against freebooters called the Medas.Template:Sfn

Lakshmana's son Shobhita defeated the ruler of Arbuda (modern Mount Abu), who probably belonged to a Paramara branch.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Shobhita's son Baliraja fought against the Paramara king Munja, with both the sides claiming victory.Template:Sfn Baliraja probably died heirless, and was succeeded by Lakshmana's younger son Vigrahapala.Template:Sfn

Vigrahapala's son Mahindu helped the Hastikundi Rashtrakuta prince Dhavala against one Durlabharaja, who can be identified as the Shakambhari Chahamana king Durlabharaja.Template:Sfn Mahindu was succeeded by his elder son Ashvapala, whose son and successor Ahila seems to have repulsed an invasion by the Chaulukya king Bhima I.Template:Sfn Ahila, who probably died heirless, was succeeded by Mahindu's younger son Anahilla.Template:Sfn

Expansion

Anahilla (r. c. 1024-1055 CE) was among the dynasty's most successful rulers, and greatly expanded the kingdom.Template:Sfn According to the Sundha Hill inscription, he defeated Bhima, captured Shakambhari, killed the Paramara king Bhoja's general Sadha, and defeated the Turushkas (Turkic people).Template:Sfn Historian Dasharatha Sharma theorizes that the Bhoja occupied Shakambhari after defeating the Shakambhari Chahamana king Viryarama, and Anahilla helped Viryarama's successor Chamundaraja in evicting the Paramaras.Template:Sfn On the other hand, R. B. Singh theorizes that Anahilla helped Bhoja against Viryarama, but their alliance broke, leading to a conflict between Anahilla and Bhoja's general Sadha.Template:Sfn The Turushkas were probably a Ghaznavid force.Template:Sfn

Anahilla was succeeded by his sons Balaprasada and Jendraraja one after another. Jendraraja appears to have defeated a Chaulukya ruler, either Bhima I or Bhima's successor Karna.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Jendraraja's sons Prithvipala, Jojalladeva, and Asharaja succeeded him one after another.Template:Sfn Prithvipala defeated Karna, probably in alliance with his other neighbours such as the Shakambhari Chahamana king Vigraharaja III and the Paramara king Udayaditya.Template:Sfn He also seems to have defeated a Paramara chief of Vagada. He Template:Sfn Jojalladeva is said to have occupied the Chaulukya capital Anahillapura, possibly during a raid.Template:Sfn

Dynastic feuds

Asharaja was dethroned by Prithvipala's son Ratnapala around 1119 CE. As a result, he sought shelter from the Chaulukya king Jayasimha Siddharaja.Template:Sfn As a Chaulukya vassal, he participated in Jayasimha's war against the Paramara king Naravarman.Template:Sfn Meanwhile, Ratnapala was succeeded by his son Rayapala, who was dethroned by Asharaja's son Katukaraja around 1145 CE.Template:Sfn Katukaraja was succeeded by Asharaja's younger son Alhanadeva, who served as a vassal to the Chaulukya king Kumarapala.Template:Sfn For a brief period, Kumarapala replaced Alhanadeva with his own governor at Naddula, when the Chaulukyas were fighting a war against the Shakambhari Chahamana king Arnoraja. Later, he reinstated Alhanadeva as the ruler of Naddula.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn In the mid-12th century, Alhanadeva curbed some disturbances in Saurashtra on behalf of Kumarapala.Template:Sfn

Alhanadeva was succeeded by his elder son Kelhanadeva, while his younger son Kirtipala established the Chahamana principality at Jalore.Template:Sfn

Decline

In 1178 CE, the Ghurids led by Muhammad of Ghor, invaded the Chaulukya kingdom and temporarily dislodged Kelhanadeva from Naddula. Kelhanadeva, his brother Kirtipala and other Chaulukya feudatories helped the Chaulukyas defeat the Ghurids at the Battle of Kasahrada in 1178 CE. As a result, Kelhana managed to regain control of Naddula.Template:Sfn As a Chaulukya feudatory, Kelhanadeva also repulsed an invasion by the Yadava ruler Bhillama V.Template:Sfn

By the time of Kelhanadeva's son Jayatasimha, the Ghurids had grown more powerful, having defeated the Shakambhari Chahamana king Prithviraja III. In 1197 CE, the Ghurid general Qutb al-Din Aibak invaded Naddula and surrounding regions. Jayatasimha abandoned Naddula, and probably joined a Hindu confederacy to oppose the Ghurids at Mount Abu. Qutb al-Din Aibak defeated this confederacy, and the Naddula kingdom disintegrated into several principalities in the subsequent days.Template:Sfn Samantasimha, who is attested by five inscriptions dated 1199-1201 CE, might have been a successor of Jayatasimha.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Coinage

Alexander Cunningham had two Horseman and bull type coins, he categorised those coins as "unknown Rajput coins". One coin he published had legend on the reverse as "Sri Kalhana or Kilahana". Scholar Prafulla Chandra Roy suggested that these coins belong to Chauhan dynasty of Nadol. Col James Tod also procured many Horseman and bull type coins from Nadol.

List of rulers

Following is a list of Chahmana rulers of Naddula, with approximate period of reign, as estimated by R. B. Singh:Template:Sfn

List of Chauhan rulers of Naddula

Serial no.	Kings	Reign (CE)
1	Lakshmana alias Rao Lakha or Lakhan	950–982
2	Shobhita	982–986
3	Baliraja	986–990
4	Vigrahapala	990–994
5	Mahindra alias Mahindu	994–1015
6	Ashvapala	1015–1019
7	Ahila	1019–1024
8	Anahilla	1024–1055
9	Balaprasada	1055–1070
10	Jendraraja	1070–1080
11	Prithvipala	1080–1090
12	Jojalladeva	1090–1110
13	Asharaja alias Ashvaraja	1110–1119
14	Ratnapala	1119–1132
15	Rayapala	1132–1145
16	Katukaraja	1145–1148
17	Alhanadeva	1148–1163
18	Kelhanadeva	1163–1193
19	Jayatasimha	1193–1197

References

Bibliography

• A study of the Cahamana inscriptions of Rajasthan{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Research(1989)
• Chaulukyas of Gujarat{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan(1956)
• Early Chauhān Dynasties{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. S. Chand / Motilal Banarsidass(1959). ISBN 9780842606189
• History of the Chāhamānas{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. N. Kishore(1964)
• Ancient Indian History and Civilization{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. New Age International(1999). ISBN 9788122411980