57-491: Chauhan , a name derived from the historical Chahamanas , a clan name associated with various ruling Rajput families in the present-day Indian state of Rajasthan from seventh century onwards. Khichi , Hada , Songara , Bhadauria , Devda (Clan) etc. are the branches or subclans of Chauhan Rajputs. The word Chauhan is the vernacular form of the Sanskrit term Chahamana (IAST: Cāhamāna). Several Chauhan inscriptions name
114-723: A Ghaznavid attack, and also defeated the Paramara king Naravarman . He moved the kingdom's capital from Shakambhari to Ajayameru ( Ajmer ), a city that he either established or greatly expanded. His successor Arnoraja raided the Tomara territory, and also defeated the Ghaznavid ruler Bahram Shah in the Slaughter of Turushkas near Ajmer. However, he suffered setbacks against the Gujarat Chaulukya kings Jayasimha Siddharaja and Kumarapala , and
171-499: A court poet of prince Chandrabhana of Neemrana , states that once the Kshatriyas (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
228-556: A fire ritual. However, the earliest extant copy of Prithviraj Raso does not mention this legend at all. Instead, it states that the first ruler of the dynasty was Manikya Rai , who is said to have been born from Brahma's sacrifice. The core territory of the Chahamanas was located in present-day Rajasthan . It was known as Sapadalaksha ( IAST : Sapādalakṣa) or Jangala-desha ( IAST : Jangaladeśa). The term Jangladesha ("rough and arid country") appears to be older, as it mentioned in
285-535: A gift from a vidyadhara (a supernatural being). Little is known about his immediate successors. The 8th century Chahamana ruler Durlabharaja I and his successors are known to have served the Gurjara-Pratiharas as vassals. In 10th century, Vakpatiraja I made an attempt to overthrow the Gurjara-Pratihara suzerainty, and assumed the title Maharaja ("great king"). His younger son Lakshmana established
342-493: A human head styled in the manner described for Vasishtha was discovered in 1958 in Delhi. This piece has been dated to around 3700 BCE, plus minus 800 years, in three western universities (ETH Zurich, Stanford and UC) using among other methods carbon-14 dating tests, spectrographic analysis, X-ray dispersal analysis and metallography . This piece is called "Vasishtha head", because the features, hairstyle, tilak and other features of
399-527: 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 . The 1170 CE Bijolia rock inscription of
456-516: A part of his ancestral kingdom. Hariraja was defeated by the Ghurids in 1194 CE. Govindaraja was granted the fief of Ranthambore by the Ghurids. There, he established a new branch of the dynasty. The Chahamanas commissioned a number of Hindu temples, several of which were destroyed by the Ghurid invaders after the defeat of Prithviraja III . Multiple Chahamana rulers contributed to the construction of
513-679: A portion of the northern Gangetic plain (to the west of Yamuna ). His 1164 CE Delhi-Shivalik pillar inscription claims that he conquered the region between the Himalayas and the Vindhyas , and thus restored the rule of Aryans in Aryavarta . While this is an exaggeration, it is not completely baseless. The inscription was originally found in Topra village, near the Shivalik Hills (Himalayan foothills). Also,
570-529: A realistic approach of mutual "coordination and harmony" between two rival religious ideas by abandoning disputed ideas from each and finding the complementary spiritual core in both. These hymns declare two gods, Indra and Varuna , as equally great. In another hymn, particularly the Rigvedic verse 7.83.9, Vasishtha teaches that the Vedic gods Indra and Varuna are complementary and equally important because one vanquishes
627-464: A solar dynasty origin for the ruling dynasty. According to this text, Chahamana came to earth from Arkamandal (the orbit of the sun). The 15th-century Hammira Mahakavya of Nayachandra Suri, which describes the life of the Ranthambore branch ruler Hammira , gives the following account: Once Brahma was wandering in search of an auspicious place to conduct a ritual sacrifice . He ultimately chose
SECTION 10
#1733085553989684-587: A story could not have invented without the residents observing an ancient river (in Rajasthan) drying up and its tributaries such as Sutlej reflowing to merge into Indus river. Vasishtha is known for his feud with Vishvamitra. The king Vishvamitra coveted Vasishtha's divine cow Nandini ( Kamadhenu ) that could fulfil material desires. Vasishtha destroyed Vishvamitra's army and sons. Vishvamitra acquired weapons from Shiva and incinerated Vasishtha's hermitage and sons, but Vasishtha baffled all of Vishvamitra's weapons. There
741-614: A tuft to the right, a beard, a handlebar moustache and a tilak on his forehead. In Buddhist Pali canonical texts such as Digha Nikaya , Tevijja Sutta describes a discussion between the Buddha and Vedic scholars of his time. The Buddha names ten rishis , calls them "early sages" and makers of ancient verses that have been collected and chanted in his era, and among those ten rishi is Vasettha (the Pali spelling of Vasishtha in Sanskrit ). Vasishtha
798-587: Is a manasaputra (mind-born son) created by the god Brahma . After the destruction of the Daksha Yajna , Vasishtha is killed, but is recreated by Brahma. Vasishtha became the royal guru of Nimi , a king. However, Nimi forgot to invite Vasishtha in a yajna and in rage, Vasishtha cursed Nimi to die soon. Nimi responded by offering him with the same curse. Frightened, Vashishtha ran towards his father, Brahma. Brahma suggested him to emerge in Varuna and Mitra . When Urvashi
855-618: Is also an instance mentioned in the Mandala 7, of the Rigveda about the Battle of the Ten Kings . This battle was fought as King Sudas of Bharata tribe appointed Vashishtha instead of Vishvamitra as his main priest. However later, Vishvamitra betook severe penances for thousands of years and became a Brahmarshi. He eventually reconciled with Vasishtha. Vasishtha is known as the priest and preceptor, teacher of
912-459: Is also spelled as Vasiṣṭha and is Sanskrit for "most excellent", "best" or "richest". According to Monier-Williams, it is sometimes alternatively spelt as Vashishta or Vashisht ( vaśiṣṭha , वशिष्ठ ). Historically, Vasishtha was a Rigvedic poet and the purohita of Sudās Paijavana , chief of the Bharata tribe . In Rigvedic hymn 7.33.9, Vasishtha is described as a scholar who moved across
969-450: Is distant, not what's near at hand. Look at the highest, not at what's less than highest. Vasishtha is a revered sage in the Hindu traditions, and like other revered sages, numerous treatises composed in ancient and medieval era are reverentially named after him. Some treatises named after him or attributed to him include: According to Mandala 7 of the Rigveda , the gods Mitra - Varuna and
1026-612: Is from the reign of Vigraharaja II . During the reign of Viryarama (r. c. 1040 CE ), the Paramara king Bhoja invaded the Chahamana kingdom, and probably occupied their capital Shakambhari for a brief period. Chamundaraja restored the Chahamana power, possibly with the help of the Naddula Chahamanas. The subsequent Chahamana kings faced several Ghaznavid raids. Ajayaraja II (r. c. 1110 –1135 CE) repulsed
1083-663: Is one of the oldest and revered Vedic rishis or sages, and one of the Saptarishis (seven great Rishis ). Vasishtha is credited as the chief author of Mandala 7 of the Rigveda . Vasishtha and his family are mentioned in Rigvedic verse 10.167.4, other Rigvedic mandalas and in many Vedic texts. His ideas have been influential and he was called the first sage of the Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy by Adi Shankara . The Yoga Vasishtha , Vasishtha Samhita , as well as some versions of
1140-461: Is the author of the seventh book of the Rigveda , one of its "family books" and among the oldest layer of hymns in the Vedic scriptures of Hinduism. The hymns composed by Vasishtha are dedicated to Agni , Indra and other gods, but according to RN Dandekar, in a book edited by Anay Kumar Gupta, these hymns are particularly significant for four Indravarunau hymns. These have an embedded message of transcending "all thoughts of bigotry ", suggesting
1197-582: The Agni Purana and Vishnu Purana are attributed to him. He is the subject of many stories, such as him being in possession of the divine cow Kamadhenu and Nandini her child, who could grant anything to their owners. He is famous in Hindu stories for his legendary conflicts with sage Vishvamitra . In the Ramayana , he was the family priest of the Raghu dynasty and teacher of Rama and his brothers. Vasishtha
SECTION 20
#17330855539891254-469: The Mahabharata . The text does not mention the exact location of the region. The later Sanskrit texts, such as Bhava Prakasha and Shabdakalpadruma Kosha suggest that it was a hot, arid region, where trees requiring little water grew. The region is identified with the area around Bikaner . The term Sapadalaksha (literally "one and a quarter lakhs " or 125,000) refers to the large number of villages in
1311-635: The Chandela ruler Paramardi in 1182–83, although he could not annex the Chandela territory to his kingdom. In 1191, he defeated the Ghurid Empire king Muhammad of Ghor at the first Battle of Tarain . However, the next year, he was defeated at the second Battle of Tarain by Muhammad of Ghor, and subsequently killed. Muhammad of Ghor appointed Prithviraja's son Govindaraja IV as a vassal. Prithviraja's brother Hariraja dethroned him, and regained control of
1368-613: The Chauhans of Sambhar or Chauhans of Ajmer , were an Indian dynasty that ruled parts of present-day Rajasthan and neighbouring areas between the sixth and twelfth centuries in the Indian Subcontinent . The territory ruled by them was known as Sapadalaksha. They were the most prominent ruling family of the Chauhan Rajput clan. The Chahamanas originally had their capital at Shakambhari (present-day Sambhar Lake Town ). Until
1425-805: The Chaulukyas of Gujarat, the Tomaras of Delhi, the Paramaras of Malwa and the Chandelas of Bundelkhand. From 11th century onwards, they started facing Muslim invasions, first by the Ghaznavids , and then by the Ghurids . The Chahamana kingdom reached its zenith under Vigraharaja IV in the mid-12th century. The dynasty's power effectively ended in 1192 CE, when the Ghurid invader Muhammad of Ghor defeated and executed Vigraharaja IV's nephew Prithviraj Chauhan . According to
1482-680: The Harshanatha temple, which was probably commissioned by Govindaraja I . According to Prithviraja Vijaya : Vigraharaja IV was known for his patronage to arts and literature, and himself composed the play Harikeli Nataka . The structure that was later converted into the Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra mosque was constructed during his reign. The Chahamana rulers also patronized Jainism . Vijayasimha Suri's Upadeśāmālavritti (1134 CE) and Chandra Suri's Munisuvrata-Charita (1136 CE) state that Prithviraja I donated golden kalashas (cupolas) for
1539-505: The Imperial Pratiharas . Several mythical accounts of the dynasty's origin also exist. The earliest of the dynasty's inscriptions and literary works state that the dynasty's progenitor was a legendary hero named Chahamana. They variously state that this hero was born from Indra 's eye, in the lineage of the sage Vatsa, in the solar dynasty and/or during a ritual sacrifice performed by Brahma . A popular medieval account classifies
1596-407: The Naddula Chahamana branch . Vakpatiraja's elder son and successor Simharaja assumed the title Maharajadhiraja ("king of great kings"), which suggests that he was a sovereign ruler. Simharaja's successors consolidated the Chahamana power by engaging in wars with their neighbours, including the Chaulukyas of Gujarat and the Tomaras of Delhi. The dynasty's earliest extant inscription (973 CE)
1653-462: The Rigveda are among the most intriguing in many ways and influential. Vasishtha emphasizes means to be as important as ends during one's life encouraging truthfulness, devotion, optimism, family life, sharing one's prosperity with other members of society, among other cultural values. Excellence Practise righteousness ( dharma ), not unrighteousness. Speak the truth, not an untruth. Look at what
1710-509: The Sarasvati river to establish his school. At some point, he replaced Viśvāmitra Gāthina as the purohita of Sudās. In later Hindu texts, Viśvāmitra and Vasishtha have a long-standing feud, and scholars have stated they historically had a feud regarding the position of the Bharata purohita. However, this view has been criticized due to lack of internal evidence and the projection of later views onto
1767-673: The Shakambhari Chahamana king Someshvara states that his ancestor Samantaraja 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 ( Achaleshwar temple ) inscription of the Deora Chauhan ruler Lumbha states that Vatsa created
Chauhan dynasty - Misplaced Pages Continue
1824-402: The apsara Urvashi are mentioned as his parents. In the story, Mitra and Varuna are performing a yajna (fire-sacrifice), when they see Urvasi and become sexually aroused. They ejaculate their semen into a pitcher , from which Vasishtha is born after a few days. Vasishtha's birth story is retold in many later Hindu scriptures. The Puranas state that he has three births. In the first, he
1881-553: The 10th century, they ruled as Pratihara vassals. When the Pratihara power declined after the Tripartite Struggle , the Chahamana ruler Simharaja assumed the title Maharajadhiraja . In the early 12th century, Ajayaraja II moved the kingdom's capital to Ajayameru (modern Ajmer ). For this reason, the Chahamana rulers are also known as the "Chauhans of Ajmer". The Chahamanas fought several wars with their neighbours, including
1938-399: The 1170 CE Bijolia rock inscription of Someshvara , the early Chahamana king Samantaraja was born at Ahichchhatrapura in the gotra of sage Vatsa. Historian R. B. Singh theorizes that the Chahamanas probably started out as petty rulers of Ahichchhatrapura (identified with Nagaur ), and moved their capital to Shakambhari (Sambhar) as their kingdom grew. Later, they became the vassals of
1995-611: 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
2052-494: The Chahamanas as a new lineage of warriors, after the solar dynasty and the lunar dynasty had ceased to exist. The Ajmer inscription of the Shakambhari Chahamana ruler Vigraharaja IV ( c. 1150 –64 CE) claims that Chahamana belonged to the solar dynasty, descending from Ikshavaku and Rama . The 12th-century Prithviraja Vijaya mahakavya , composed by Prithviraja III 's court poet Jayanaka, also claims
2109-586: The Chauhans and other Rajput clans. According to this myth, some of the Rajput clans originated from Agni , in a sacrificial fire pit. This legend was probably invented by the 10th-century Paramara 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
2166-517: The Ikshvaku kings clan. He was also the preceptor of Manu, the progenitor of Kshatriyas and Ikshvaku's father. Other characters like Nahusha, Rantideva, lord Rama and Bhishma were his disciples. When the Bharata king Samvarta lost his kingdom to the Panchalas, he became the disciple of Vasishtha. Under Vasishtha's guidance, Samvarta regained his kingdom and became the ruler of the earth. A copper casting of
2223-705: The Jain temples at Ranthambore. The Kharatara-Gachchha - Pattavali states that Ajayaraja II allowed the Jains to build their temples in his capital Ajayameru ( Ajmer ), and also donated a golden kalasha to a Parshvanatha temple. Someshvara granted the Revna village to a Parshvanatha temple. Following is a list of Chahamana rulers of Shakambhari and Ajmer, with approximate period of reign, as estimated by R. B. Singh: Vashistha Vasishtha ( Sanskrit : वसिष्ठ , lit. 'most excellent', IAST : Vasiṣṭha )
2280-574: The Rigveda. Under Sudās and Vasishtha, the Tṛtsu-Bharatas won the Battle of the Ten Kings . Sudās decisively won against a Puru -led alliance by the strategic breaching of a (natural) dyke on the Ravi river thereby drowning most of the opponents; the victory is attributed to the benevolence and strategizing of Indra , the patron-god of the Bharatas, whose blessings were secured by Vasishtha's poetics. He
2337-487: The area. It became prominent during the Chahamana reign. It appears that the term originally referred to the area around modern Nagaur near Bikaner. This area was known as Savalak (vernacular form of Sapadalaksha) in as late as 20th century. The early Chahamana king Samantaraja was based in Ahichchhatrapura, which can be identified with modern Nagaur. The ancient name of Nagaur was Nagapura, which means "the city of
Chauhan dynasty - Misplaced Pages Continue
2394-658: The bardic tale of the Khichi clan of Chauhans, the Parwar (Paramara) was born from Shiva '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. The Chauhans were historically a powerful group in the region now known as Rajasthan . For around 400 years from
2451-548: The casting resembles the description for Vasishtha in Hindu texts. The significance of "Vasishtha head" is unclear because it was not found at an archaeological site, but in open Delhi market where it was scheduled to be remelted. Further, the head had an inscription of "Narayana" suggesting that the item was produced in a much later millennium. The item, states Edwin Bryant, likely was re-cast and produced from an ancient pre-2800 BCE copper item that left significant traces of matter with
2508-569: 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 Akbar . Adaptions of the Prithviraj Raso occur in several later works. The Hammira Raso (1728 CE) by Jodharaja,
2565-403: The dynasty among the four Agnivanshi Rajput clans, whose ancestors are said to have come out of sacrificial fire pit . The earliest sources to mention this legend are the 16th century recensions of Prithviraj Raso . Some colonial-era historians interpreted this myth to suggest a foreign origin of the dynasty, speculating that the foreign warriors were initiated into the Hindu society through
2622-415: The evil by the defeat of enemies in battles, while other sustains the good during peace through socio-ethical laws. The seventh mandala of the Rigveda by Vasishtha is a metaphorical treatise. Vasishtha reappears as a character in Hindu texts, through its history, that explore conciliation between conflicting or opposing ideologies. According to Ellison Findly – a professor of Religion, Vasishtha hymns in
2679-610: The exiled ruler of Malwa (Vindhyan region) possibly acknowledged his suzerainty. Thus Vigraharaja's influence extended from the Himalayas to the Vindhyas, at least in name. Vigraharaja was succeeded by his son Amaragangeya , and then his nephew Prithviraja II . Subsequently, his younger brother Someshvara ascended the throne. The most celebrated ruler of the dynasty was Someshvara's son Prithviraja III, better known as Prithviraj Chauhan . He defeated several neighbouring kings, including
2736-659: The first Chauhan king – Manikya Rai – was born from Brahma's sacrifice. The 16th-century Surjana-Charita , composed by the Bengali 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 (or Agnikula) myth that became most popular among
2793-463: The invasion of Qutbu l-Din Aibak in 1197. The 13th and 14th centuries saw the struggle between the Chauhan Rajputs and the Delhi Sultanate to control the strategic areas of Delhi, Punjab and Gujarat. The earliest Chauhan inscription is a copper-plate inscription found at Hansot . The ruling dynasties belonging to the Chauhan clan included: Chahamanas of Shakambhari The Chahamanas of Shakambhari ( IAST : Cāhamāna), colloquially known as
2850-400: The legend, once Vashistha and other great sages begin a major sacrificial ceremony on Mount Abu. The ritual was interrupted by miscreant daityas (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 or Solanki), and Parmar (Paramara). These heroes were unable to defeat
2907-454: The observed C-14 dating. There is an Ashram dedicated to Vasishtha in Guwahati , India . This Ashram is situated close to Assam - Meghalaya border to the south of Guwahati city and is a major tourist attraction of Guwahati. Vasishtha's Temple is situated in Vashisht village, Himachal Pradesh. Vashishtha Cave, a cave on the banks of Ganges at Shivpuri, 18 km from Rishikesh is also locally believed to be his winter abode and houses
SECTION 50
#17330855539892964-453: The place where a lotus from his hand fell; this place came to be known as Pushkara . Brahma wanted to protect his sacrificial ceremony against interference from 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
3021-428: The serpent". Ahichchhatrapura has a similar meaning: "the city whose chhatra or protector is serpent". As the Chahamana territory expanded, the entire region ruled by them came to be known as Sapadalaksha. This included the later Chahamana capitals Ajayameru ( Ajmer ) and Shakambhari ( Sambhar ). The term also came to be applied to the larger area captured by the Chahamanas. The early medieval Indian inscriptions and
3078-403: The writings of the contemporary Muslim historians suggest that the following cities were also included in Sapadalaksha: Hansi (now in Haryana ), Mandore (now in Marwar region), and Mandalgarh (now in Mewar region). The earliest historical Chahamana king is the 6th century ruler Vasudeva . According to a mythical account in Prithviraja Vijaya , he received the Sambhar Salt Lake as
3135-433: Was killed by his own son Jagaddeva . Arnoraja's younger son Vigraharaja IV greatly expanded the Chahamana territories, and captured Delhi from the Tomaras . He also defeated Ghaznavid King Khusrau Shah in Vigraharaja IV's first war against the Muslims . His kingdom included parts of the present-day Rajasthan, Haryana, and Delhi. It probably also included a part of Punjab (to the south-east of Sutlej river ) and
3192-407: Was married to Arundhati, and therefore he was also called Arundhati Natha , meaning the husband of Arundhati. Later, this region is believed in the Indian tradition to be the abode of sage Vyasa along with Pandavas , the five brothers of Mahabharata . He is typically described in ancient and medieval Hindu texts as a sage with long flowing hairs that are neatly tied into a bun that is coiled with
3249-405: Was seen by Varuna and Mitra, Vasishtha reemerged from them. According to Agarwal, one story states that Vasishtha wanted to commit suicide by falling into river Sarasvati . But the river prevented this sacrilege by splitting into hundreds of shallow channels. This story, states Agarwal, may have very ancient roots, where "the early man observed the braiding process of the Satluj" and because such
#988011