Chauhan, a name derived from the historicalChahamanas, a clan name associated with various rulingRajput families in the present-day Indian state ofRajasthan from seventh century onwards.[1]
Khichi,Hada,Songara,Bhadauria,Devda (Clan),Nirban etc. are the branches or subclans of Chauhan Rajputs.[2][3]
The wordChauhan is the vernacular form of theSanskrit termChahamana (IAST: Cāhamāna).[definition needed] Several Chauhan inscriptions name a legendary hero called Chahamana as their ancestor, but none of them state the period in which he lived.[4]
The earliest extant inscription that describes the origin of the Chauhans is the 1119 CESevadi inscription ofRatnapala, a ruler of theNaddula Chahamana dynasty. According to this inscription, the ancestor of the Chahamanas was born from the eye ofIndra.[5]
The 1170 CEBijolia rock inscription of theShakambhari Chahamana kingSomeshvara states that his ancestorSamantaraja was born at Ahichchhatrapura (possibly modernNagaur[6]) in thegotra ofsage Vatsa. The 1262 CE Sundha hill inscription of theJalor Chahamana king Chachiga-deva states that the dynasty's ancestor Chahamana was "a source of joy" to the Vatsa. The 1320Mount Abu (Achaleshwar temple) inscription of the Deora Chauhan ruler Lumbha states that Vatsa created the Chahamanas as a new lineage of warriors, after thesolar dynasty and thelunar dynasty had ceased to exist.[7]
The Ajmer inscription of the Shakambhari Chahamana rulerVigraharaja IV (c. 1150–64 CE) claims that Chahamana belonged to the solar dynasty, descending fromIkshavaku andRama. The 12th-centuryPrithviraja Vijayamahakavya, composed byPrithviraja III's court poet Jayanaka, also claims a solar dynasty origin for the ruling dynasty. According to this text, Chahamana came to earth fromArkamandal (the orbit of the sun).[8]
The 15th-centuryHammira Mahakavya of Nayachandra Suri, which describes the life of theRanthambore branch rulerHammira, gives the following account: OnceBrahma was wandering in search of an auspicious place to conduct aritual sacrifice. He ultimately chose the place where a lotus from his hand fell; this place came to be known asPushkara. Brahma wanted to protect his sacrificial ceremony against interference fromdanavas (miscreant beings). Therefore, he rememberedthe Sun, and a hero came into being from the sun'sorb. This hero was Chohan, the ancestor of the Hammira's dynasty.[9] The earliest extant recension ofPrithviraj Raso ofChand Bardai, dated to 15th or 16th century, states that the first Chauhan king –Manikya Rai – was born from Brahma's sacrifice.[9] The 16th-centurySurjana-Charita, composed by theBengali 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.[10]
Despite these earlier myths, it was theAgnivanshi (or Agnikula) myth that became most popular among the Chauhans and other Rajput clans. According to this myth, some of the Rajput clans originated fromAgni, in a sacrificial fire pit. This legend was probably invented by the 10th-centuryParamara court poet Padmagupta, whoseNava-sahasanka-charita mentions only the Paramaras as fire-born.[11] The inclusion of Chauhans in the Agnivanshi myth can be traced back to the later recensions ofPrithviraj Raso. In this version of the legend, onceVashistha and other great sages begin a major sacrificial ceremony on Mount Abu. The ritual was interrupted by miscreantdaityas (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 the demons. So, the sages prayed again, and this time a fourth warrior appeared: Chahuvana (Chauhan). This fourth hero slayed the demons.[12][13]
The earliest available copies ofPrithviraj Raso do not mention the Agnivanshi legend.[14] It is possible that the 16th-century bards came up with the legend to foster Rajput unity against theMughal emperorAkbar.[15] Adaptions of thePrithviraj Raso occur in several later works. TheHammira Raso (1728 CE) by Jodharaja, a court poet of prince Chandrabhana ofNeemrana, states that once theKshatriyas (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.[16] A slight variation occurs in the writings of Surya Malla Mishrana, the court poet ofBundi. In this version, the various gods create the four heroes on Vashistha's request.[17] According to the bardic tale of theKhichi clan of Chauhans, the Parwar (Paramara) was born fromShiva's essence; the Solankhi (Solanki) or Chaluk Rao (Chaulukya) 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.[18]
The Chauhans were historically a powerful group in the region now known asRajasthan. For around 400 years from the 7th century CE their strength inSambhar was a threat to the power-base of theGuhilots in the south-west of the area, as also was the strength of their fellow Agnivanshi clans.[19] They suffered a set-back in 1192 when their leader, Prithviraj Chauhan, was defeated at theSecond Battle of Tarain but this did not signify their demise.[20] The kingdom broke into the Satyapura and Devda branches after the invasion ofQutbu l-Din Aibak in 1197.[21] The 13th and 14th centuries saw the struggle between the Chauhan Rajputs and theDelhi Sultanate to control the strategic areas of Delhi, Punjab and Gujarat.[22]
The earliest Chauhan inscription is a copper-plate inscription found atHansot.[23]
The ruling dynasties belonging to the Chauhan clan included:
When Gurjara Pratiharas power declined after the sacking of Kannauj by the Rashtrakutkas in the early tenth century many Rajput princes declared their independence and founded their own kingdoms, some of which grew to importance in the subsequent two centuries. The better known among these dynasties were the Chaulukyas or Solankis of Kathiawar and Gujarat, the Chahamanas (i.e. Chauhan) of eastern Rajasthan (Ajmer and Jodhpur), and the Tomaras who had founded Delhi (Dhillika) in 736 but had then been displaced by the Chauhans in the twelfth century.
The period between the seventh and the twelfth century witnessed gradual rise of a number of new royal-lineages in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, which came to constitute a social-political category known as 'Rajput'. Some of the major lineages were the Pratiharas of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and adjacent areas, the Guhilas and Chahamanas of Rajasthan, the Caulukyas or Solankis of Gujarat and Rajasthan and the Paramaras of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
This is curious statement for the Chahamanas who were known to be one of the eminent Rajput family of early medieval period
By contrast in Rajasthan a single warrior group evolved called Rajput (from Rajaputra-sons of kings): they rarely engaged in farming, even to supervise farm labour as farming was literally beneath them, farming was for their peasant subjects. In the ninth century separate clans of Rajputs Cahamanas (Chauhans), Paramaras (Pawars), Guhilas (Sisodias) and Caulukyas were splitting off from sprawling Gurjara Pratihara clans...
The Tomaras ultimately met their destruction at the hand of another Rajput clan, the Chauhans or Chahamanas. Delhi was captured from the Tomaras by the Chauhan king Vigraharaja IV (the Visala Deva of the traditional bardic histories) in the middle of twelfth century
The Chauhans (Cahamanas) Rajputs had emerged in the later tenth century and established themselves as a paramount power, overthrowing the Tomar Rajputs. In 1151 the Tomar Rajput rulers (and original builders) of Delhi were overthrown by Visal Dev, the Chauhan ruler of Ajmer
Delhi, Punjab and Gujarat were seen as strategic centres by the Sultans of Delhi. Throughout the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, intense struggle to control these towns waged between the various sultans of Delhi and Rajput lineages like Chauhans.
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