Shivneri Fort ( known as Killa ) (Marathi pronunciation: [ʃiʋneɾiː] ) is an ancient military fortification located near Junnar in Pune district in Maharashtra , India . It is the birthplace of Shivaji , the founder of Maratha Kingdom .
99-585: Shivneri got its name as it was under the possession of the Yadavas of Devagiri . This fort was mainly used to guard the old trading route from Desh to the port city of Kalyan . The place passed on to the Bahmani Sultanate after the weakening of Delhi Sultanate during the 15th century and it then passed on to the Ahmadnagar Sultanate in the 16th century. In 1595, a Maratha chief named Maloji Bhosale ,
198-515: A Vasai (Bassein) inscription. He may have helped his father-in-law Jayasimha and his brother-in-law Someshvara I in their campaigns against the Paramara king Bhoja . For unknown reasons, the Yadava power seems to have declined over the next decade, during the reigns of Vesugi II (alias Vaddiga or Yadugi) and Bhillama IV. The next ruler was Seunachandra II, who, according to the Yadava records, restored
297-567: A Brahmin family, he appears to have had a soft corner for the Brahmins, as suggest by his establishments of a number of agrahara (Brahmin settlements). Bichana, the son of Chikkadeva, was born in a Vaishya family. He played an important role in the anti-Hoysala campaigns, and one of his inscriptions claims that he advanced as far as the Kaveri River , where he set up a victory pillar. He succeeded Jagadala Purushottama-deva as Simhana's viceroy in
396-487: A Kannada-speaking background. Around five hundred Yadava inscriptions have been discovered, and Kannada is the most common language of these inscriptions, followed by Sanskrit. Of the inscriptions found in present-day Karnataka (the oldest being from the reign of Bhillama II), most are in Kannada language and script; others are in the Kannada language but use Devanagari script. Older inscriptions from Karnataka also attest to
495-610: A Muslim ruler. This claim is also doubtful, and at best, Simhana's army may have faced a frontier skirmish with a Muslim army during one of its expeditions in Malwa or Gujarat. Some Yadava inscriptions also credit Simhana and his generals (Kholeshvara, Rama and Bichana) with victories in other parts of India. According to these inscriptions, Simhana or his generals defeated the kings of Panchala , Nepala , Anga , Vanga (or Vengi ), Kalinga , Chera , Pallava , and Sindhu . These conventional poetic claims seem to be purely imaginary, and there
594-538: A college of astronomy in Patana town of Khandesh region, in the memory of his grandfather Bhaskaracharya . Simhana had two wives, named Jeha-devi and Kavala-devi. His son Jaitugi II (not to be confused with his father Jaitugi I ) is known to have been the yuvaraja (heir apparent) in 1229, but he probably died before Simhana. Therefore, Simhana was succeeded by his grandson Krishna . According to A. S. Altekar , Krishna's inscriptions suggest that 2 November 1248 fell in
693-580: A daughter of Dhorappa, who was a younger brother of the Rashtrakuta emperor Krishna III . Vandugi participated in Krishna's military campaigns, which may have resulted in an increase in his fief, although this cannot be said with certainty. Little is known about the next ruler, Dhadiyasa (c. 970–985). His son Bhillama II acknowledged the suzerainty of the Kalyani Chalukya ruler Tailapa II , who overthrew
792-530: A feudatory for several years, but assumed independence towards the end of his reign. However, Ganapati did not adopt an aggressive attitude towards the Yadavas, so no major conflict happened between the two dynasties during Simhana's reign. Simhana was succeeded by his grandson Krishna (alias Kannara), who invaded the Paramara kingdom, which had weakened because of invasions from the Delhi Sultanate . He defeated
891-455: A high ransom and an annual tribute. However, this was not paid and the Seuna kingdom's arrears to Khalji kept mounting. In 1307, Khalji sent an army commanded by Malik Kafur , accompanied by Khwaja Haji, to Devagiri. The Muslim governors of Malwa and Gujarat were ordered to help Malik Kafur. Their huge army conquered the weakened and defeated forces of Devagiri almost without a battle. Ramachandra
990-569: A humiliating defeat against the Hoysala king Ballala II at Soratur . The Yadavas decided to avenge this defeat by invading the Hoysala-controlled territory. Simhana's inscriptions discovered in the region to the south of the Malaprabha River are dated as early as 1202, which suggests that the Yadavas had made inroads into this area by this time. A 1206 inscription shows that by that year,
1089-431: A main shrine dedicated to Shiva ; and four subsidiary shrines dedicated to Surya , Vishnu , Parvati , and Ganesha . The Gondeshwar temple was built during the rule of the Seuna (Yadava) dynasty, and is variously dated to either the 11th or the 12th century. Indo-Scythians Indo-Parthians References Sources Simhana Simhana ( IAST : Siṃhaṇa, also transliterated as Singhana ; r. c. 1210-1246
SECTION 10
#17328557277941188-492: A minister in the Yadava court, attempted to formalize Marathi with Sanskrit expressions to boost its status as a court language. Saint-poet Dnyaneshwar wrote Dnyaneshwari (c. 1290), a Marathi-language commentary on the Bhagavad Gita , during Ramachandra's rule. He also composed devotional songs called abhanga s. Dnyaneshwar gave a higher status to Marathi by translating the sacred Geeta from Sanskrit . Mukundaraja wrote
1287-489: A ministry of seven officers, all of whom bore high-sounding titles. During his tenure, the Chalukya kingdom saw a war of succession between the brothers Someshvara II and Vikramaditya VI . Seunachandra II supported Vikramaditya (who ultimately succeeded), and rose to the position of Maha-mandaleshvara . His son Airammadeva (or Erammadeva, r. c. 1085–1105), who helped him against Someshvara II, succeeded him. Airammadeva's queen
1386-606: A revolt in the Marwar region, Shankha attacked Bharuch , but was forced to retreat by Vastupala. Subsequently, he launched another invasion of the Chaulukya kingdom with Simhana's assistance. The Kirti-Kaumudi attests that this invasion caused a massive panic in Gujarat. The exact details of this invasion have been obscured by the various poetic legends, none of which give a date for it. According to these legends, Shankha convinced Simhana and
1485-506: A style known after him – Hemadapanti . He wrote many books on vaidhyakshastra (medical science) and he introduced and supported bajra cultivation. Other Sanskrit literary works created during the Seuna period include: The Gondeshwar temple is an 11th-12th century Hindu temple located in Sinnar , a town in the Nashik district of Maharashtra , India. It features a panchayatana plan; with
1584-469: A temple at Varanasi , which suggests that he may have occupied Varanasi for 2–3 years, amid the confusion caused by the Delhi Sultanate 's invasion of the local Gahadavala kingdom. He crushed a rebellion by the Yadava feudatories at Khed and Sangameshwar in Konkan . Ramachandra seems to have faced invasions by Turko-Persian Islamic armies from northern India (called " mlechchhas " or " Turukas ") since
1683-450: A text of the peace treaty between Lavanaprasada and Simhana. However, this appears to be a specimen rather than a true historical document. In the 1240s, Lavanaprasada's grandson Visaladeva usurped the power in Gujarat, and became a monarch. During his reign, Simhana's forces invaded Gujarat unsuccessfully. Simhana's general Rama (a son of Kholeshvara) was killed in this campaign. The Yadavas' conflict with Gujarat ultimately weakened both
1782-459: Is a hill fort having a triangular shape and has its entrance from the South-west side of the hill. Apart from the main gate there is an entrance to the fort from side called locally as the chain gate , where in one has to hold chains to climb up to the fort gate. The fort extends up to 1 mile (1.6 km) with seven spiral well-defended gates. There are mud walls all around the fort. Inside the fort,
1881-450: Is at about 2–3 km from the junnar town. It is easy to reach the fort top via main entrance; however, the trekkers with proper climbing equipment can try the chain route which is located on the western scarp of the fort. From the top of the fort, Narayangad , Hadsar , Chavand and Nimgiri forts can easily be seen. Yadavas of Devagiri The Seuna , Sevuna , or Yadavas of Devagiri ( IAST : Seuṇa , c. 1187 –1317)
1980-424: Is dated 1196, and Simhana's earliest known inscription is dated 1197. However, other inscriptions variously suggest that Simhana ascended the throne in 1200, 1207 or 1210. Two Kandagal inscriptions, dated 1208 and 1220, are stated to have been issued in the 8th and 20th year of his reign respectively, thus suggesting that he ascended the throne in 1200. A third inscription from the same place suggests that he ascended
2079-546: Is known to have ruled Varanasi during Simhana's reign. At best, it is possible that Simhana defeated some local chiefs who claimed to be descendants of the former rulers of Mathura and Varanasi. These kings may have described themselves as the lords of Mathura and Varanasi, just like the Simhana's family claimed descent from the ancient Yadavas and claimed to have ruled their ancient capital Dvaravati . The 1206 Patan inscription also claims that an obscure general of Simhana defeated
SECTION 20
#17328557277942178-476: Is no evidence of the Yadava army having penetrated these distant regions. At best, Pallava here may refer to Kopperunchinga , whose Kadava dynasty was related to the ancient Pallavas . Simhana is regarded as the greatest ruler of his dynasty. The Yadava kingdom reached its greatest extent during his reign. In the north, it probably extended up to the Narmada River . In the south, his kingdom extended up to
2277-614: The Chalukyas — were busy fighting their former feudatories, such as the Hoysalas and the Kalachuris . Bhillama raided the northern Gujarat Chaulukya and Paramara territories, although these invasions did not result in any territorial annexations. The Naddula Chahamana ruler Kelhana , who was a Gujarat Chaulukya feudatory, forced him to retreat. Meanwhile, the Hoysala ruler Ballala II invaded
2376-658: The Gurjaras , a thunderbolt on the mountain Magadha , a Rama to that Pulastya the Chola , a Shiva to the Gauda poison , the bestower of new widowhood on the dames of the lord of the horse... a river raging flood in dashing upon the massive bank Ballala, a conqueror of Vihansaraja. The court poet Hemadri mentions that Simhana captured the elephant force of King Jajalla, and ended the sovereignty of King Kakkula. The name Jajalla sounds like that of
2475-469: The Hoysala territories. According to Mahalingam, the inscriptions that suggest an earlier date (e.g. 1200) for Simhana's coronation were found in the northern part of his kingdom. On the other hand, the inscriptions that place his coronation in 1210 were found in the southern part of his kingdom (that is, south of the Malaprabha River ). A 1226-27 inscription discovered at Doni in the southern region states that sixteen years had passed since Simhana's entry in
2574-485: The Kakatiya ruler Rudra, but this campaign did not result in any territorial gains for him. Mallugi was succeeded by his elder son Amara-gangeya, who was succeeded by his son Amara-mallugi (alias Mallugi II). The next ruler Kaliya-ballala, whose relationship to Mallugi is unknown, was probably an usurper. He was succeeded by Bhillama V around 1175. At the time of Bhillama V 's ascension in c. 1175, his nominal overlords —
2673-564: The Kakatiyas . As a result of these campaigns, the Kakatiya king Mahadeva was killed, and Mahadeva's son Ganapati was installed on the throne as a Yadava vassal. Ganapati maintained cordial relations with Simhana. During the first half of his reign, Ganapati only assumed the titles of a feudatory chief. A 1228 inscription of Ganapati claims that he defeated the Latas . This suggests that he accompanied
2772-695: The Kalachuris of Kalyani , who ruled in present-day Karnataka. Records show that one of the early rulers, Seunachandra II, had a Kannada title, Sellavidega . The rulers had very close matrimonial relationships with Kannada-speaking royal families throughout their rule. Bhillama II was married to Lachchiyavve, who was from a Rashtrakuta descendant family in Karnataka. Vaddiga was married to Vaddiyavve, daughter of Rashtrakuta chieftain Dhorappa. Wives of Vesugi and Bhillama III were Chalukya princesess. The early Seuna coins also had Kannada legends engraved on them indicating it
2871-641: The Kanarese districts of the Bombay Presidency from the earliest historical times to the Musalman conquest of A.D. 1318 . The earliest historical ruler of the Seuna/Yadava dynasty can be dated to the mid-9th century, but the origin of the dynasty is uncertain. Little is known about their early history: their 13th century court poet Hemadri records the names of the family's early rulers, but his information about
2970-667: The Narmada River in the north to the Tungabhadra River in the south, and from the Arabian Sea in the west to the western part of the present-day Telangana in the east. He launched a military campaign against the Hoysalas (who were engaged in a war with the Pandyas ), and captured a substantial part of their territory. The Rattas of Saundatti , who formerly acknowledged the Hoysala suzerainty, became his feudatories, and helped him expand
3069-705: The Pandyas , which worked in Simhana's favour. In 1216, Simhana launched an expedition against the Kohalpur Shilahara king Bhoja II . Taking advantage of the conflict between the Chalukyas , the Kalachuris , the Yadavas, and the Hoysalas, Bhoja had assumed imperial titles. By 1187, he called himself the Vikrama of the Kaliyuga . By 1205, even his protégé Somadeva had assumed imperial titles such as Paramabhattaraka ("Supreme Overlord"), Rajadhiraja ("King of kings"), and Paschima-chakravarti ("the western Chakravarti "). While
Shivneri Fort - Misplaced Pages Continue
3168-466: The Paramaras . He established a new town called Seunapura (possibly modern Sinnar ). Not much information is available about Seunachandra's successors — Dhadiyappa (or Dadhiyappa), Bhillama I, and Rajugi (or Rajiga) — who ruled during c. 900–950. The next ruler Vandugi (also Vaddiga I or Baddiga) raised the family's political status by marrying into the imperial Rashtrakuta family. He married Vohivayya,
3267-701: The Ratnapura Kalachuri rulers of present-day Chhattisgarh , but no king named Jajalla was a contemporary of Simhana. The last known ruler bearing this name was Jajalla II, who had died by 1170. The name Kakkula sounds like that of the Tripuri Kalachuri rulers, but the last king with a similar name was Kokalla II, who had died around 200 years before Simhana's ascension. It is possible that these victories refer to Simhana's successes in occasional clashes with local chiefs at his north-eastern frontier. His armies may have penetrated their territories, as suggested by
3366-508: The Shilaharas of northern Konkan , whose ruler Someshvara had attempted to assert his sovereignty. He invaded the eastern Kakatiya kingdom, taking advantage of rebellions against the Kakatiya queen Rudrama , but this invasion appears to have been repulsed. He also invaded the southern Hoysala kingdom, but this invasion was repulsed by the Hoysala king Narasimha II . Mahadeva's Kadamba feudatories rebelled against him, but this rebellion
3465-419: The Tungabhadra River , and included Belvola and Banavasi . In the west, it touched the Arabian Sea , and in the east, it included the western part of Andhra : Simhana's inscriptions have been discovered in the present-day Anantapur and Kurnool districts. Simhana consolidated the Yadava rule in the newly annexed territories by posting his trusted lieutenants there. At his northern frontier, he assigned
3564-533: The Western Chalukyas . Around the middle of the 12th century, as the Chalukya power waned, the Yadava king Bhillama V declared independence. The Yadavas reached their peak under Simhana II , and flourished until the early 14th century, when it was annexed by the Khalji dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate in 1308 CE. The Seuna dynasty claimed descent from the Yadavas and therefore, its kings are often referred to as
3663-406: The heir apparent ( yuvaraja ) after 1200, which may explain why some inscriptions date his ascension as early as 1200. According to Altekar, Jaitugi most probably continued to rule until 1210, when Simhana succeeded him as the king. On the other hand, T. V. Mahalingam theorizes that Simhana was crowned as his father's successor in 1200, and had a second coronation in 1210 to mark his conquest of
3762-461: The "Yadavas of Devagiri". The correct name of the dynasty , however, is Seuna or Sevuna. The inscriptions of this dynasty, as well as those of contemporary kingdoms and empires, the Hoysalas , the Kakatiyas and the Western Chalukyas call them Seunas . The name is probably derived from the name of their second ruler, "Seunachandra". The "Sevuna" (or Seuna) name was brought back into use by John Faithfull Fleet in his 1894 book The dynasties of
3861-523: The 1222 Bahal inscription mentions Arjunavarman's defeat, but not his death. The Tiluvalli inscription also states that Simhana humbled the lord of Malwa. The Chaulukya king Bhima II ruled the present-day Gujarat , located to the north-west of the Yadava territory. Simha, the Chahamana ruler of the Lata region in southern Gujarat, was originally a Chaulukya feudatory, but had later shifted his allegiance to
3960-602: The 1270s, for a 1278 inscription calls him a " Great Boar in securing the earth from the oppression of the Turks". Historian P. M. Joshi dismisses this as a boastful claim, and theorizes that he may have "chastised some Muslim officials" in the coastal region between Goa and Chaul . In 1296, Ala-ud-din Khalji of the Delhi Sultanate successfully raided Devagiri . Khalji restored it to Ramachandra in return for his promise of payment of
4059-465: The Chalukya capital Kalyani, forcing Bhillama's overlord Someshvara to flee. Around 1187, Bhillama forced Ballala to retreat, conquered the former Chalukya capital Kalyani, and declared himself a sovereign ruler. He then established Devagiri , a formidable natural stronghold, which became the new Yadava capital. In the late 1180s, Ballala launched a campaign against Bhillama, and decisively defeated his army at Soratur . The Yadavas were driven to
Shivneri Fort - Misplaced Pages Continue
4158-484: The Chaulukya general Lavanaprasada invaded Lata, and captured the important port city of Khambhat . Simhana's feudatory Shankha invaded Chaulukya-controlled territory twice, with his help, but was forced to retreat. The Chaulukya-Yadava conflict came to end in c. 1232 with a peace treaty. In the 1240s, Lavanaprasada's grandson Visaladeva usurped the power in Gujarat, and became the first Vagehla monarch. During his reign, Simhana's forces invaded Gujarat unsuccessfully, and
4257-469: The Chaulukya throne had been seized by an usurper named Jayantasimha, and therefore, the Chaulukyas were unable to help Simha. According to Hammira-mada-mardana , Simha and his brother Sindhuraja died fighting the Yadavas. The 1228 Ambe inscription of Kholeshvara describes his victory, and also mentions that Simha was killed in the battle. Sindhuraja's son Shankha (alias Sangramasimha) was taken prisoner by
4356-502: The Gutta chief rebelled against Simhana, and even raided the Yadava territory. Simhana sent a 30,000-strong cavalry against him: this army captured the Gutti fort. The Yadava records contain exaggerated accounts of Simhana's other victories. For example, one inscription states that Simhana was: a moon to the lotus Bhoja, an axe to the forest of Arjuna, a furious storm blast to the feeble crowd of
4455-525: The Hoysala suzerainty, switched their allegiance to Simhana, and helped him in expanding the Yadava power southwards. Sometime before 1215, the Yadavas captured Banavasi , and Simhana's confidant Sarvadhikarin Mayideva was appointed as its governor. In 1222, he was succeeded by Vanka Ravata, an officer from Karad . By 1220, Simhana had completed his conquest of the area to the north of the Tungabhadra River . The Hoysalas were busy at their southern frontier with
4554-455: The Kakatiyas. The Purushottamapuri inscription of Ramachandra suggests that he expanded the Yadava kingdom at its north-east frontier. First, he subjugated the rulers of Vajrakara (probably modern Vairagarh) and Bhandagara (modern Bhandara ). Next, he marched to the defunct Kalachuri kingdom, and occupied the former Kalachuri capital Tripuri (modern Tewar near Jabalpur ). He also constructed
4653-574: The Kannada-speaking Hoysalas. The earliest instance of the Yadavas using the term " marathe " as a self-designation appears in a 1311 inscription recording a donation to the Pandharpur temple , towards the end of the dynasty's rule. However the word was not used to indicate the Maratha caste but meant “belonging to Maharashtra”. Epigraphic evidence suggests that the dynasty likely emerged from
4752-479: The Marathi language. The early Marathi literature emerged during the Yadava rule, because of which some scholars have theorized that it was produced with support from the Yadava rulers. However, there is no evidence that the Yadava royal court directly supported the production of Marathi literature with state funds, although it regarded Marathi as a significant language for connecting with the general public. Hemadri ,
4851-471: The Marathi-language philosophical treatises Paramamrita and Vivekasindhu during the Yadava period. The Mahanubhava religious sect, which became prominent in present-day Maharshtra during the late Yadava period, boosted the status of Marathi as a literary language. Mahimabhatta wrote Lilacharita , a biography of the sect's founder Chakradhara . The text claims that Hemadri (who was a Brahmanist )
4950-545: The Panhala fort. A 1218 inscription found at Kolhapur records the construction of a gate before the Ambabai temple by Simhana's officer Tailana. Paramaras , the northern neighbours of the Yadavas, ruled the Malwa region. In the past, Simhana's grandfather Bhillama had raided their territories. Simhana's contemporary Paramara king Arjunavarman married the Hoysala princess Sarvakala, who
5049-471: The Paramara army. The Yadava army was also involved in skirmishes against their north-western neighbours, the Vaghelas , with both sides claiming victory. In 1275, he sent a powerful army led by Tikkama to the southern Hoysala kingdom. Tikkama gathered a large plunder from this invasion, although ultimately, his army was forced to retreat in 1276. Ramachandra lost some of his territories, including Raichur , to
SECTION 50
#17328557277945148-735: The Paramara king Devapala to send a joint expedition to Gujarat. Simhana's force was led by Kholeshvara, and Shankha himself led one of the invading armies. Lavanaprasada resolved the threat by creating a rift between the invading allies. One of his spies stole Devapala's favourite horse, and another spy gave it to Shankha claiming that it was a gift from Devapala. Meanwhile, a forged letter was made to fall in Simhana's hands: in this letter, Devapala had purportedly assured Shankha that he would attack Simhana's army in Gujarat, and had also urged him to kill Simhana to avenge his father's death. This letter convinced Simhana that Shankha and Devapala were conspiring against him. It appears that Simhana withdrew from
5247-472: The Paramara king sometime before 1250, although this victory did not result in any territorial annexation. Krishna also attempted an invasion of the Vaghela-ruled Gujarat, but this conflict was inconclusive, with both sides claiming victory. He also fought against the Hoysalas; again, both sides claim victory in this conflict. Krishna's younger brother and successor Mahadeva curbed a rebellion by
5346-512: The Paramaras. After Simhana's victory over the Paramaras, he found himself in a tough situation, and re-accepted the Chaulukya suzerainty. The Chaulukya chronicle Kirti-Kaumudi states that the Chaulukya general Lavanaprasada (of Vaghela family ) forced Simhana to retreat. In 1220, Simhana sent a stronger army to Lata. This army was led by his general Kholeshvara, who held the fief of the neighbouring Khandesh and Vidarbha regions. At this time,
5445-577: The Rashtrakutas. As a Chalukya feudatory, he played an important role in Tailapa's victory over the Paramara king Munja . Bhillama II was succeeded by Vesugi I (r. c. 1005–1025), who married Nayilladevi, the daughter of a Chalukya feudatory of Gujarat. The next ruler Bhillama III is known from his Kalas Budruk grant inscription. He married Avalladevi, a daughter of the Chalukya king Jayasimha II , as attested by
5544-595: The Simhana's forces during their expedition in the Lata region of present-day southern Gujarat ( see below ). During the second half of his reign, Ganapati seems to have assumed an independent status. However, Simhana was an old man by this time, and remained busy with his expeditions in Gujarat. Ganapati also avoided adopting an aggressive attitude towards the Yadavas, having spent the early part of his life in their captivity. Therefore, no major conflict happened between these two kings. Simhana's grandfather Bhillama V had suffered
5643-593: The Yadava general Rama (a son of Kholeshvara) was killed in a battle. Several Yadava feudatories kept shifting their allegiance between the Yadavas and the Hoysalas, and tried to assert their independence whenever presented with an opportunity. Simhana's general Bichana subdued several such chiefs, including the Rattas, the Guttas of Dharwad , the Kadambas of Hangal , and the Kadambas of Goa . The Kakatiya king Ganapati served him as
5742-424: The Yadava power southwards. In 1215, Simhana successfully invaded the northern Paramara kingdom. According to Hemadri, this invasion resulted in the death of the Paramara king Arjunavarman , although this claim is of doubtful veracity. Around 1216, Simhana defeated the Kohalpur Shilahara king Bhoja II , a former feudatory, who had asserted his sovereignty. The Shilahara kingdom, including its capital Kolhapur ,
5841-402: The Yadava territory reached its greatest extent during his reign. Simhana, whose name is also transliterated as Singhana, was the son of his predecessor Jaitugi . His birth was believed to have been the result of the blessings of the goddess Narasimhi of Parnakheta. Therefore, he was named after this goddess. It is not clear when Simhana ascended the throne. Jaitgui's last known inscription
5940-558: The Yadavas had conquered a part of the present-day Bijapur district , and placed it under their general Keshavadeva. By 1212, they had penetrated into the present-day Anantapur , Bellary , Chitradurga , and Shimoga districts, as attested by their inscriptions discovered in these areas. By 1213, they had annexed most of the present-day Dharwad district , as shown by an inscription discovered at Gadag . The Gadag, Paithan , and Tiluvalli inscriptions state that Simhana defeated Ballala. The Rattas of Saundatti , who formerly acknowledged
6039-430: The Yadavas of North India . The territory of the early Yadava rulers was located in present-day Maharashtra , and several scholars (especially Maharashtrian historians ) have claimed a " Maratha " origin for the dynasty. However, Marathi , the language of present-day Maharashtra, began to appear as the dominant language in the dynasty's inscriptions only in the 14th century, before which Kannada and Sanskrit were
SECTION 60
#17328557277946138-474: The Yadavas were engaged in their campaign against the Hoysalas during 1210–1215, Bhoja seems to have attacked their kingdom. As a result, Simhana invaded the Shilahara territory, and defeated Bhoja, who fled to Panhala . A Yadava inscription states that Simhana was "an eagle who caused the serpent in the form of the mighty ruler Bhoja, hiding in the fort of Panhala, to take a flight." This suggests that Bhoja, who
6237-406: The Yadavas. Simhana later released Shankha, and allowed him to rule Lata as a Yadava feudatory. Shankha remained loyal to Simhana in the later years. Meanwhile, the Chaulukya general Lavanaprasada invaded Lata, and captured the important port city of Khambhat . The Chaulukya minister Vastupala was appointed as its governor in 1219. Sometime later, while the Chaulukya forces were busy suppressing
6336-421: The area ( nadu ). This suggests that Simhana conquered this southern region in c. 1210, and therefore, the inscriptions found in this region count his reign from that year. Some later inscriptions, such as those discovered at Chikka Sakuna and Munoli, state that Simhana beheaded the king of Telanga , and placed another person on the empty throne. This suggests that he participated in his father's campaign against
6435-585: The discoveries of a few coins of Simhana in Chhattisgarh. Historian A. S. Altekar notes that a king named Kakakla is known to have ruled a part of southern Karnataka, and wonders if this king is Hemadri's Kakkula. A 1206 Patan inscription claims that the kings of Mathura and Varanasi had felt the menace of the Yadava power. The accuracy of these claims is doubtful, as they are not supported by any historical evidence. The Ambe inscription states that Simhana defeated king Ramapala of Varanasi, but no such king
6534-500: The existence of Yadava feudatories (such as Seunas of Masavadi) ruling in the Dharwad region in the 9th century, although these feudatories cannot be connected to the main line of the dynasty with certainty. Many of the dynasty's rulers had Kannada names and titles such as "Dhadiyappa", "Bhillama", "Rajugi", "Vadugi" and "Vasugi", and "Kaliya Ballala". Some kings had names like "Simhana" (or "Singhana") and "Mallugi", which were also used by
6633-403: The family's fortunes just like the god Hari had restored the earth's fortunes with his varaha incarnation. Seunachandra II appears to have ascended the throne around 1050, as he is attested by the 1052 Deolali inscription. He bore the feudatory title Maha-mandaleshvara and became the overlord of several sub-feudatories, including a family of Khandesh. A 1069 inscription indicates that he had
6732-539: The fiefs of Khandesh and Vidarbha to his general Kholeshvara. At his southern frontier, he assigned the fief of southern Karnataka to his general Bichana. Kholeshvara was born to a Brahmin named Trivikrama, but adopted a warrior role, and defeated several small chiefs in the Vidarbha and Khandesh regions. These chiefs included Lakshmideva of Bhambhagiri (modern Bhamer ), Hemadri of Khandesh, and Bhoja of Chanda (in present-day Madhya Pradesh ). Since Kholeshvara came from
6831-404: The first major dynasty to use Marathi as an official language. Earlier, both Sanskrit and Kannada had been used for official inscriptions in present-day Maharashtra; subsequently, at least partly due to the efforts of the Yadava rulers, Marathi became the dominant official language of the region. Even if they were not of Marathi origin, towards the end of their reign, they certainly identified with
6930-539: The fort there are two water springs, called Ganga and Yamuna , which have water throughout the year. Two kilometers away from this fort there are the Buddhist rock-cut caves, called Lenyadri caves, which is also one of Ashtavinayak temple in Maharashtra. It has been declared as a protected monument. The nearest town Junnar is a taluka place and is well connected by road. Junnar is about 90 km from Pune . The fort
7029-465: The grandfather of Shivaji Bhosale , was ennobled by the Ahmadnagar Sultan, Bahadur Nizam Shah and he gave him Shivneri and Chakan . Shivaji was born at the fort on 19 February 1630, and spent his childhood there. Inside the fort is a small temple dedicated to goddess Shivai Devi (some accounts gives us information that name shivaji came from the name of the fort i.e. Shivneri), after whom Shivaji
7128-503: The kingdoms, and paved way for the Muslim conquest of these kingdoms half a century after Simhana's death. The Ratta chiefs ruled a small principality in the present-day Belgaum district , and kept shifting their allegiance between the dominant imperial powers of the region. Sometime during 1228–1238, Simhana's general Bichana appears to have conquered the Ratta principality. The last Ratta ruler
7227-409: The major buildings are the prayer hall, a tomb and a mosque. There is an overhanging where executions took place. There are many gates structures protecting this fort. Maha Darvaja is one of the many gates of the fort. Its also called the origin of Tune. At the centre of the fort is a water pond which is called 'Badami Talav', and to the south of this pond are statues of Jijabai and a young Shiva. In
7326-532: The north of the Malaprabha and Krishna rivers, which formed the Yadava-Hoysala border for the next two decades. Bhillama's son Jaitugi successfully invaded the Kakatiya kingdom around 1194, and forced them to accept the Yadava suzerainty. Jaitugi's son Simhana , who succeeded him around either 1200 or 1210, is regarded as the dynasty's greatest ruler. At its height, his kingdom probably extended from
7425-473: The people of Khandesh region from enemy raiders, amid the instability brought by the Pratihara-Rashtrakuta war . Dridhaprahara's son and successor was Seunachandra (c. 880–900), after whom the dynasty was called Seuna-vamsha ( IAST : Seuṇa-vaṃśa) and their territory was called Seuna-desha. He probably became a Rashtrakuta feudatory after helping the Rashtrakutas against their northern neighbours,
7524-463: The planned invasion, and the Chaulukya-Yadava conflict came to end in c. 1232 with a peace treaty. Historian A. S. Altekar speculates that Simhana must have received considerable wealth for agreeing to this peace treaty, in addition to the confirmation of his protectorate over the Lata region. The 13th century text Lekhapaddhati , which provides specimens for different types of letters, includes
7623-575: The pre-12th century rulers is often incomplete and inaccurate. The dynasty claimed descent from Yadu , a legendary hero mentioned in the Puranas . According to this account, found in Hemadri's Vratakhanda as well as several inscriptions, their ancestors originally resided at Mathura , and then migrated to Dvaraka (Dvaravati) in present-day Gujarat . A Jain legend states that the Jain saint Jinaprabhasuri saved
7722-527: The pregnant mother of the dynasty's founder Dridhaprahara from a great fire that destroyed Dvaraka. A family feudatory to the Yadavas migrated from Vallabhi (also in present-day Gujarat) to Khandesh . But otherwise, no historical evidence corroborates their connection to Dvaraka. The dynasty never tried to conquer Dvaraka, or establish any political or cultural connections with that region. Its rulers started claiming to be descendants of Yadu and migrants from Dvaraka after becoming politically prominent. Dvaraka
7821-410: The primary language of their inscriptions. Marathi appears in around two hundred Yadava inscriptions, but usually as translation of or addition to Kannada and Sanskrit text. During the last half century of the dynasty's rule, it became the dominant language of epigraphy, which may have been a result of the Yadava attempts to connect with their Marathi-speaking subjects, and to distinguish themselves from
7920-402: The second year of his reign, while 25 December 1248 fell in the third year of his reign. Therefore, Altekar concludes that Simhana most probably died in either November of December 1246, when Krishna succeeded him. According to T. V. Mahalingam (1957), there are at least six inscriptions which suggest that Simhana ruled at least until October 1247. Some Yadava inscriptions suggest that Krishna
8019-555: The southern part of the Yadava kingdom, in 1230. The authorship of Sangita-ratnakara , a work on music, is attributed to Simhana's court poet Sharanga-deva . A commentary on this work is attributed to Simhana himself. It is not certain if Simhana actually wrote this commentary, or if he was the patron of its actual author. Simhana's courtiers included two noted astronomers: Anantadeva and Changadeva. Anantadeva wrote commentaries on Brahmagupta 's Brahma-sphuta-siddhanta and Varahamihira 's Brihat-jataka . Changadeva established
8118-449: The throne in 1210. The Kallaru stone inscription suggests that he ascended the throne in 1208–09. The Elavata, Kadkal and Kuppataru inscriptions suggest another date for his ascension. Simhana had definitely not ascended the throne in 1197, because Jaitugi is known to have appointed the Kakatiya ruler Ganapati as his vassal in 1198. Historian A. S. Altekar theorizes that Simhana was formally associated with his father's administration as
8217-507: Was Lakshmideva II, and he is last known to have ruled in 1228. By 1238, Bichana ruled the former Ratta territory as a feudatory of Simhana. Bichana also subdued other chiefs, such as the Guttas of Dharwad , the Kadambas of Hangal , and the Kadambas of Goa . These chiefs kept shifting their allegiance between the Hoysalas and the Yadavas, and tried to become independent whenever presented with an opportunity. Bichana inflicted severe punishments on these chiefs for their insubordination. In 1237,
8316-449: Was Yogalla, but little else is known about his reign. The Asvi inscription credits him with helping place Vikramaditya on the Chalukya throne. Airammadeva was succeeded by his brother Simhana I (r. c. 1105–1120). The Yadava records state that he helped his overlord Vikramaditya VI complete the Karpura- vrata ritual, by getting him a karpura elephant. An 1124 inscription mentions that he
8415-617: Was a medieval Indian dynasty, which at its peak ruled a realm stretching from the Narmada river in the north to the Tungabhadra river in the south, in the western part of the Deccan region. Its territory included present-day Maharashtra , northern Karnataka and parts of Madhya Pradesh , from its capital at Devagiri (present-day Daulatabad in modern Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district , Maharashtra). The Yadavas initially ruled as feudatories of
8514-436: Was a court language. The early Yadavas may have migrated northwards owing to the political situation in the Deccan region, or may have been dispatched by their Rashtrakuta overlords to rule the northern regions. The earliest historically attested ruler of the dynasty is Dridhaprahara (c. 860–880), who is said to have established the city of Chandradityapura (modern Chandor ). He probably rose to prominence by protecting
8613-412: Was a great patron of learning and literature. He established the college of astronomy to study the work of celebrated astronomer Bhaskaracharya . The Sangita Ratnakara , an authoritative Sanskrit work on Indian music was written by Śārṅgadeva (or Shrangadeva) during Simhana's reign. Hemadri compiled the encyclopedic Sanskrit work Chaturvarga Chintamani . He is said to have built many temples in
8712-446: Was a loyal feudatory to the Chalukya king Tailapa III . His general Dada and Dada's son Mahidhara fought with Tailapa's rebellious Kalachuri feudatory Bijjala II . He extended his territory by capturing Parnakheta (modern Patkhed in Akola district ). The Yadava records claim that he seized the elephants of the king of Utkala , but do not provide any details. He also raided the kingdom of
8811-475: Was already an old man by this time, had to flee from Panhala. Nothing is known about the ultimate fate of Bhoja or his son Gandaraditya. Epigraphic evidence suggests that the Shilahara kingdom, including the capital Kolhapur , was annexed to the Yadava kingdom. This annexation seems to have taken place before 1217, as a 1217 inscription found in the Shimoga district describes Simhana as a vajra (thunderbolt) to
8910-468: Was annexed to the Yadava kingdom as a result of this victory. In 1220, Simhana sent an army to the Lata region in present-day Gujarat , whose rulers kept shifting his allegiance between the Yadavas, the Paramaras, and the Chaulukyas . Simhana's general Kholeshvara killed the defending ruler Simha, and captured Lata. Simhana then appointed Simha's son Shankha as a Yadava vassal in Lata. Sometime later,
9009-483: Was associated with Yadu's descendants , and the dynasty's claim of connection with that city may simply be a result of their claim of descent from Yadu rather than their actual geographic origin. The Hoysalas , the southern neighbours of the dynasty, similarly claimed descent from Yadu and claimed to be the former lords of Dvaraka. But there are no early records directly linking the Seuna Yadavas and Hoysala Yadavas to
9108-634: Was jealous of Chakradhara's popularity, and the Yadava king Ramachandra ordered killing of Chakradhara, who escaped with his yogic powers. The claim is of doubtful historicity. Kannada was the court language of Yadavas till late Seuna times, as is evident from a number of Kannada-language inscriptions (see Origin section). Kamalabhava a Jain scholar, patronised by Bhillama V, wrote Santhishwara-purana . Achanna composed Vardhamana-purana in 1198. Amugideva, patronised by Simhana II, composed many Vachanas or devotional songs. Chaundarasa of Pandharapur wrote Dashakumara Charite around 1300. Simhana
9207-549: Was killed in the ensuing battle and Khalji's army occupied Devagiri. The kingdom was annexed by the Khalji sultanate in 1317. Many years later, Muhammad Tughluq of the Tughluq dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate subsequently renamed the city Daulatabad. The rulers of the Seuna / Yadava dynasty include: Feudatories Sovereigns as tributaries of the Khalji dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate The Yadavas were
9306-654: Was named. The English traveller Fraze visited the fort in 1673 and found it invincible. According to his accounts, the fort was well-stocked to feed thousand families for seven years. The fort came under the control of the British rule in 1819 after the Third Anglo-Maratha War . In 2021, it was added to the tentative list of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee as part of "Serial Nomination of Maratha Military Architecture in Maharashtra". Shivneri Fort
9405-409: Was probably a daughter of granddaughter of the Hoysala king Ballala. Simhana's invasion of the Hoysala territory appears to have led to a fresh conflict between the Paramaras and the Yadavas. Simhana invaded the Paramara kingdom in 1215, and according to the later Yadava court poet Hemadri , this invasion resulted in the defeat and death of Arjunavarman. The veracity of Hemadri's claim is doubtful, as
9504-511: Was ruling the Paliyanda-4000 province (identified as the area around modern Paranda ). The dynasty's history over the next fifty years is obscure. The 1142 Anjaneri inscription attests the rule of a person named Seunachandra, but Hemadri's records of the dynasty do not mention any Seunachandra III; historian R. G. Bhandarkar theorized that this Seunachandra may have been a Yadava sub-feudatory. The next known ruler Mallugi (r. c. 1145–1160)
9603-404: Was suppressed by his general Balige-deva around 1268. Mahadeva was succeeded by his son Ammana , who was dethroned by Krishna's son Ramachandra after a short reign in 1270. During the first half of his reign, Ramachandra adopted an aggressive policy against his neighbours. In the 1270s, he invaded the northern Paramara kingdom, which had been weakened by internal strife, and easily defeated
9702-520: Was taken to Delhi. Khalji reinstated Ramachandra as governor in return for a promise to help him subdue the Hindu kingdoms in southern India . In 1310, Malik Kafur mounted an assault on the Kakatiya kingdom from Devagiri. The plundered wealth obtained from the Kakatiyas helped finance the freelance soldiers of the Khalji army. Ramachandra's successor Simhana III challenged the supremacy of Khalji, who sent Malik Kafur to recapture Devagiri in 1313. Simhana III
9801-526: Was the most powerful ruler of the Seuna (Yadava) dynasty of the Deccan region of India. He expanded his kingdom to the south at the expense of the Hoysalas , and fought the Chaulukyas and the Vaghelas for the control of the Lata region in the north. He also defeated the Paramaras of Malwa , the Shilaharas of Kolhapur and the Rattas of Belgaum . His generals subjugated several insubordinate feudatory chiefs, and
#793206