Gurjara Pratihara dynasty | |
|---|---|
| c. 730–1036 | |
![Gurjara-Pratihara coinage of Mihira Bhoja, King of Kanauj. Obv: Boar, incarnation of Vishnu, and solar symbol. Rev: Traces of Sasanian type. Legend: Srímad Ādi Varāha "The fortunate primaeval boar".[1][2][3] of Gurjara Pratihara](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aPratihara_bhoja.JPG) Gurjara-Pratihara coinage ofMihira Bhoja, King ofKanauj. Obv: Boar, incarnation ofVishnu, and solar symbol. Rev: Traces ofSasanian type. Legend:Srímad Ādi Varāha "The fortunate primaeval boar".[1][2][3] | |
| Capital | |
| Common languages | Sanskrit,Prakrit |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Government | Monarchy |
| Nagabhata I (first) | |
| Yasahpala (last) | |
| Historical era | Medieval India |
• Established | c. 730 |
| 1008 | |
• Disestablished | 1036 |
| Today part of | |
ThePratihara dynasty, also called theGurjara-Pratiharas, thePratiharas of Kannauj or theImperial Pratiharas, was a prominentmedieval Indiandynasty which initially ruled theGurjaradesa until its victory in theTripartite Struggle in 816 which secured its right to the throne of Kannauj.Cadet branches of the dynasty ruled other minor states in the subcontinent.
The Pratiharas were instrumental in containing Arab armies moving east of theIndus River.[5]Nagabhata I defeated the Arab army under Junaid and Tamin in theCaliphate campaigns in India. UnderNagabhata II, the Pratiharas became the most powerful dynasty in northern India. He was succeeded by his sonRamabhadra, who ruled briefly before being succeeded by his son,Mihira Bhoja. Under Bhoja and his successorMahendrapala I, the Pratihara dynasty reached its peak of prosperity and power. By the time of Mahendrapala, the extent of its territory rivalled that of theGupta Empire stretching from the border ofSindh in the west toBengal in the east and from theHimalayas in the north to areas past theNarmada in the south.[6][7] The expansion triggered atripartite power struggle with theRashtrakuta andPala empires for control of theIndian subcontinent. During this period, Imperial Pratihara took the title ofMaharajadhiraja ofĀryāvarta (Great King of Kings ofAryan Lands).
Pratihara are known for their sculptures, carved panels and open pavilion style temples. The greatest development of their style of temple building was atKhajuraho, now aUNESCO World Heritage Site.[8]
The power of the Pratihara dynasty was weakened by dynastic strife. It was further diminished as a result of a great raid led by the Rashtrakuta rulerIndra III who, in about 916, sacked Kannauj. Under a succession of rather obscure rulers, the dynasty never regained its former influence. Their feudatories became more and more powerful, one by one throwing off their allegiance until, by the end of the tenth century, the dynasty controlled little more than the GangeticDoab. Their last important king, Rajyapala, was driven from Kannauj byMahmud of Ghazni in 1018.[7]
The origin of the dynasty and the meaning of the term "Gurjara" in its name is a topic of debate among historians. The rulers of this dynasty used the self-designation "Pratihara" for their clan, and never referred to themselves as Gurjaras.[9] They claimed descent from the legendary heroLakshmana, who is said to have acted as apratihara ("door-keeper") for his brotherRama.[10][11][12]
Multiple inscriptions of their neighbouring dynasties describe the Pratiharas as "Gurjara".[13] The term "Gurjara-Pratihara" occurs only in the Rajor inscription of a feudatory ruler named Mathanadeva, who describes himself as a "Gurjara-Pratihara". According to one school of thought, Gurjara was the name of the territory (seeGurjara-desha) originally ruled by the Pratiharas; gradually, the term came to denote the people of this territory. An opposing theory is thatGurjara was the name of the tribe to which the dynasty belonged, and Pratihara was a clan of this tribe.[14]
Among those who believe that the term Gurjara was originally a tribal designation, there are disagreements over whether they were native Indians or foreigners.[15] The proponents of the foreign origin theory point out that the Pratihars suddenly emerged as a political power in north India around sixth century CE, shortly after theHunas invasion of that region.[16] According to them Gujara-Pratihara were "likely" formed from a fusion of theAlchon Huns ("White Huns") and native Indian elements, and can probably be considered as aHunnic state, although its precise origins remain unclear.[17][18] Critics of the foreign origin theory argue that there is no conclusive evidence of their foreign origin: they were well-assimilated in the Indian culture. Moreover, if they invaded India through the north-west, it is inexplicable why would they choose to settle in the semi-arid area of present-day Rajasthan, rather than the fertileIndo-Gangetic Plain.[19] While scholars such as R.K. Gupta and S.R Bakshi who have doubted the theory of foreign origin for Gurjaras have also opined that Gurjara-Pratiharas were among the first Rajput dynasties.[20]
TheAgnivansha legend first recorded in the 11th centuryNavasahananka charita byPadmagupta narrates the official origin for the Parmara dynasty. This legend was later appropriated by other dynasties including Chaulukyas, eventually making its way into Prithviraj Raso.[20]: 6–8 According to the legend, the Pratiharas, Parmar, Chauhan and Chaulukya dynasties originated from a sacrificial fire-pit (agnikunda) atMount Abu. Somecolonial-era historians interpreted this myth to suggest a foreign origin for these dynasties. According to this theory, the foreigners were admitted in theHindu caste system after performing a fire ritual.[21] However, this legend is not found in the earliest available copies ofPrithviraj Raso. It is based on aParamara legend composed when the threat of Muslim invasions was not considered serious by Rajput states of North West and Central India.[20]: 9–10 This legend was utilised in the 16th century bybards to claim a heroic descent of clans in order to foster Rajput unity against theMughals.[22]
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The original centre of Pratihara power is a matter of controversy. R. C. Majumdar, on the basis of a verse in the Harivamsha-Purana, 783 CE, the interpretation of which he conceded was not free from difficulty, held that Vatsaraja ruled at Ujjain.[23] Dasharatha Sharma, interpreting it differently located the original capital in the Bhinmala Jalor area.[24] M. W. Meister[25] and Shanta Rani Sharma[26] concur with his conclusion since the writer of the Jaina narrativeKuvalayamala states that it was composed at Jalor in the time of Vatsaraja in 778 CE, which is five years before the composition of Harivamsha-Purana.
Nagabhata I (739–760), was originally perhaps a feudatory of theChavdas of Bhillamala. He gained prominence after the downfall of the Chavda kingdom in the course of resisting the invading forces led by the Arabs who controlled Sindh.Nagabhata Pratihara I (730–756) later extended his control east and south from Mandor, conqueringMalwa as far asGwalior and the port of Bharuch in Gujarat. He established his capital atAvanti in Malwa, and checked the expansion of the Arabs, who had established themselves inSind. In this battle (738 CE), Nagabhata led a confederacy of Pratiharas to defeat the Muslim Arabs who had till then been pressing on victorious throughWest Asia andIran. An inscription byMihira Bhoja ascribes Nagabhata with having appeared likeVishnu "in response to the prayers of the oppressed people to crush the large armies of the powerfulMleccha ruler, the destroyer of virtue".[27] Nagabhata I was followed by two weak successors, his nephews Devraj and Kakkuka, who were in turn succeeded byVatsraja (775–805).
In the Gwalior inscription, it is recorded that Pratihara emperor Nagabhata "crushed the large army of the powerful Mlechcha king." This large army consisted of cavalry, infantry, siege artillery, and probably a force of camels. Since Tamin was a new governor he had a force ofSyrian cavalry fromDamascus, local Arab contingents, converted Hindus of Sindh, and foreign mercenaries like theTurkics. All together the invading army may have had anywhere between 10 and 15,000 cavalry, 5000 infantry, and 2000 camels.[citation needed]
The Arab chronicler Sulaiman describes the army of the Pratiharas as it stood in 851 CE, "The ruler of Gurjara maintains numerous forces and no other Indian prince has so fine a cavalry. He is unfriendly to the Arabs, still he acknowledges that the king of the Arabs is the greatest of rulers. Among the princes of India there is no greater foe of the Islamic faith than he. He has got riches, and his camels and horses are numerous."[28]
After bringing much ofRajasthan under his control, Vatsaraja embarked to become "master of all the land lying between the two seas." Contemporary Jijasena'sHarivamsha Purana describes him as "master of western quarter".[29]
According to the Radhanpur Plate andPrithviraja Vijaya, Vatsaraja led an expedition against the Palas under Dharmapala of Bengal As such, the Palas came into conflict from time to time with the Imperial Pratiharas. According to the above inscriptionDharmapala, was deprived of his two white Royal Umbrellas, and fled, followed by the Pratihara forces under generalDurlabharaja Chauhan ofShakambhari. The Prithviraja Vijaya mentions Durlabhraj I as having "washed his sword at the confluence of the river Ganga and the ocean, and savouring the land of the Gaudas". TheBaroda Inscription (AD 812) statesNagabhata defeated the Dharmapala. Through vigorous campaigning,Vatsraj had extended his dominions to include a large part of northern India, from theThar Desert in the west up to the frontiers ofBengal in the east.[29]
The metropolis of Kannauj had suffered a power vacuum following the death ofHarsha without an heir, which resulted in the disintegration of theEmpire of Harsha. This space was eventually filled byYashovarman around a century later but his position was dependent upon an alliance withLalitaditya Muktapida. When Muktapida undermined Yashovarman, a tri-partite struggle for control of the city developed, involving the Pratiharas, whose territory was at that time to the west and north, thePalas ofBengal in the east and theRashtrakutas, whose base lay at the south in theDeccan.[30][31]Vatsaraja successfully challenged and defeated the Pala rulerDharmapala andDantidurga, the Rashtrakuta king, for control of Kannauj.
Around 786, the Rashtrakuta ruler Dhruva (c. 780–793) crossed theNarmada River into Malwa, and from there tried to capture Kannauj. Vatsraja was defeated by theDhruva Dharavarsha of the Rashtrakuta dynasty around 800. Vatsaraja was succeeded byNagabhata II (805–833), who was initially defeated by the Rashtrakuta rulerGovinda III (793–814), but later recovered Malwa from the Rashtrakutas, conquered Kannauj and theIndo-Gangetic Plain as far asBihar from the Palas, and again checked theMuslims in the west. He rebuilt the greatShiva temple atSomnath in Gujarat, which had been demolished in an Arab raid fromSindh. Kannauj became the center of the Pratihara state, which covered much of northern India during the peak of their power, c. 836–910.[citation needed]
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Mihira Bhoja first consolidated his territories by crushing the rebellious feudatories in Rajasthan, before turning his attention against the old enemies the Palas and Rastrakutas.[36]
After consolidating his rule, he stepped into awar of succession for the throne of Gujarat betweenDhruva II of theGujarat Rashtrakuta dynasty and his younger brother. Bhoja led a cavalry raid into Gujarat against the Dhruva while supporting his Dhruva's younger brother. Although the raid was repulsed by Dhruva II, Bhoja was able to retain dominion over parts of Gujarat and Malwa.[37]
Bhoja's feudatory, theGuhilasSamanta named Harsha ofChatsu, is described as :
“defeating the northern rulers with the help of the mighty elephant force”, and “loyally presenting to Bhoja the special ‘Shrivamsha’ breed of horses, which could easily cross seas of sand."[36]
Besides being a conqueror, Bhoja was a great diplomat.[38] The kingdoms which were conquered and acknowledged his suzerainty includes Travani, Valla, Mada, Arya, Gujaratra, Lata Parvarta andChandelas ofBundelkhand. Bhoja'sDaulatpura-Dausa Inscription (AD 843), confirms his rule in Dausa region. Another inscription states that,"Bhoja's territories extended to the east of theSutlej river."Kalhana'sRajatarangini states that the territories of Bhoja extended toKashmir in the north, and Bhoja had conqueredPunjab by defeating ruling 'Thakkiyaka' dynasty .[36][39] After Devapala's death, Bhoja defeated thePala emperorNarayanapala and expanded his boundaries eastward into Pala-held territories nearGorakhpur.
In the early 8th century,Arabs fought on and off to take overSindh. Imran ibn-Musa, who governed Sindh, tried to expand Arab rule to nearby areas. When Bhoja became powerful thePratiharas fought back repulsed them from fort of Sindan, pushing the Arabs out of Kutch between 833 and 842 AD. Later on, the Arabs lost a best part ofSindh. This was the major conflict between the forces of Mihirbhoja and Imran ibn-musa[40][41][42]
Around 880, theGurjara-Pratiharas were defeated in large battle inUjjain by Krishna II, the Rastrakuta king of Gujarat. However, retribution likely soon followed on the part of the Pratiharas, as by the end of his reign, Bhoja had successfully exterminated the Gujarat Rashtrakuta line.[43]
Hudud-ul-Alam, a tenth-centuryPersian geographic text, states that most of the kings of India acknowledged the supremacy of the powerful 'Rai of Qinnauj', (Kannauj was the capital of the Imperial Pratiharas) whose mighty army had 150,000 strong cavalry and 800 war elephants.[36]
Bhoja II (910–912) was overthrown byMahipala I (912–944). Several feudatories of the empire took advantage of the temporary weakness of the Pratiharas to declare their independence, notably theParamaras of Malwa, theChandelas ofBundelkhand, theKalachuris ofMahakoshal, theTomaras ofHaryana, and theChahamanas of Shakambhari.[46] The south Indian EmperorIndra III (c. 914–928) of the Rashtrakuta dynasty briefly captured Kannauj in 916, and although the Pratiharas regained the city, their position continued to weaken in the tenth century, partly as a result of the drain of simultaneously fighting offTurkic attacks from the west, the attacks from the Rashtrakuta dynasty from the south and the Pala advances in the east.[46] The Pratiharas lost control of Rajasthan to their feudatories, and the Chandelas captured the strategic fortress of Gwalior in central India around 950.[46] By the end of the tenth century the Pratihara domains had dwindled to a small state centered on Kannauj.[46]
Mahmud of Ghazni capturedKannauj in 1018, and the Pratihara ruler Rajapala fled. He was subsequently captured and killed by the Chandela rulerVidyadhara.[47][48][46] The Chandela ruler then placed Rajapala's son Trilochanpala on the throne as a proxy. Jasapala, the last Pratihara ruler of Kannauj, died in 1036.[46]
The Imperial Pratihara dynasty broke into several small states after theGhaznavid invasions. These branches fought each other for territory and one of the branches ruled Mandore till the 14th century. This Pratihara branch had marital ties withRao Chunda of the Rathore clan and gaveMandore in dowry to Chunda. This was specifically done to form an alliance against the Turks of theTughlaq Empire.[49]
There are notable examples of architecture from the Pratihara era, including sculptures and carved panels.[50] Their temples, constructed in an open pavilion style. One of the most notable Pratihara style of architecture wasKhajuraho, built by their vassals, theChandelas ofBundelkhand.[8]
Māru-Gurjara architecture was developed during Pratihara Empire.
![One of the four entrances of the Teli ka Mandir. This Hindu temple was built by the Pratihara emperor Mihira Bhoja.[32]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aTeli_ka_Mandir_(15702266503).jpg)
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Historians of India, since the days ofElphinstone, have wondered at the slow progress of Muslim invaders in India, as compared with their rapid advance in other parts of the world. The Arabs possibly only stationed small invasions independent of the Caliph. Arguments of doubtful validity have often been put forward to explain this unique phenomenon. Currently it is believed that it was the power of the Pratihara army that effectively barred the progress of the Muslims beyond the confines of Sindh, their first conquest for nearly three hundred years. In the light of later events this might be regarded as the "Chief contribution of the Pratiharas to the history of India".[28]
| Serial No. | Ruler | Reign (CE) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nagabhata I | 730–760 |
| 2 | Kakustha andDevaraja | 760–780 |
| 3 | Vatsaraja | 780–800 |
| 4 | Nagabhata II | 800–833 |
| 5 | Ramabhadra | 833–836 |
| 6 | Mihira Bhoja or Bhoja I | 836–885 |
| 7 | Mahendrapala I | 885–910 |
| 8 | Bhoja II | 910–913 |
| 9 | Mahipala I | 913–944 |
| 10 | Mahendrapala II | 944–948 |
| 11 | Devapala | 948–954 |
| 12 | Vinayakapala | 954–955 |
| 13 | Mahipala II | 955–956 |
| 14 | Vijayapala II | 956–960 |
| 15 | Rajapala | 960–1018 |
| 16 | Trilochanapala | 1018–1027 |
| 17 | Yasahpala | 1024–1036 |
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Known Baddoch rulers are-
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Badegujar were rulers of Rajogarh
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)Modern historians believed that the name was derived from one of the kings of the line holding the office of Pratihara in the Rashtrakuta court
Although it is not certain, it also seems likely that the formidable Gurjara Pratihara regime (ruled from the seventh-eleventh centuries AD) of northern India,may had a powerfulWhite Hunnic element. The Gurjara Pratiharas who were likely created from a fusion of White Hunnic and native Indian elements, ruled a vast Empire in northern India, and they also halted Arab Muslim expansion in India through Sind for centuries...
The Gurjara-Pratiharas were chronologically the earliest, and historically the most important of the Rajput dynasties.
When we have to compare a khākhärä temple of Kalinga with anything outside its borders, the most logical analogue coming to our mind will be that of Teli ka Mandir at Gwalior of the time of Pratihara Mihira Bhoja.
Perhaps after initially consolidating his inheritance, Bhoja I then turned towards Central India, the Deccan and Gujarat. Stepping into a struggle for the throne of Gujarat between Dhruva Il of the Gujarat Rashtrakuta dynasty and his younger brother, Bhoja led a cavalry raid into Gujarat, with the stated objective of supporting the claim of the latter. The raid was repulsed by Dhruva II. Amoghavarsha's army may also have taken up arms against the Imperial Pratiharas at this point. Bhoia I was able to retain dominion over parts of Gujarat and Malwa , but further expansion in that direction was effectively checked. This may have led Bhoja to concentrate on the lands other than those under the Rashtrakutas for the time being.
He was undoubtedly one of the outstanding political figures of India in ninth century and ranks with Dhruva and Dharmapala as a great general and empire builder.
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