| Hammiradeva | |
|---|---|
 Hammira's palace at theRanthambore Fort | |
| Reign | 1283 – 10 July 1301 |
| Died | 10 July 1301[1] |
Hammiradeva (IAST: Hammīra-deva; r. 1283 – 10 July 1301) was the last ruler from theRanthambore branch of the Chauhans (Chahamanas). He is also known as Hamir Dev Chauhan in the Muslim chronicles and the vernacular literature.
Hammiradeva ruled a kingdom centred around Ranthambore in present-dayRajasthan. In the 1280s, he raided several neighbouring kingdoms, which ultimately left him without allies. In the 1290s, he successfully defended his kingdom againstJalaluddin Khalji of theDelhi Sultanate. In 1299, he gave asylum to someMongol rebels from Delhi, which prompted Jalaluddin's successorAlauddin Khalji to invade his kingdom. Hammira's forces achieved some successes against Alauddin's generalsUlugh Khan andNusrat Khan, but he was ultimately defeated and killed in 1301 aftera long siege.
Hammira is celebrated as a hero in several texts composed after his death including Nayachandra Suri'sHammira Mahakavya, Jodharaja'sHammira Raso, and Chandrashekhara'sHammira-Hatha.
Hammiradeva was a son of the Chahamana kingJaitrasimha (Jaitra Singh) and queen Hira Devi.[2] The name "Hammira" is a Sanskritized form of the Arabic titleAmir.[3] Little is known about him, except theHammira Mahakavya, written by a poet about 100 years after Hammiradeva's death and whose reliability has been questioned.[4][5] Hammiradeva had two elder brothers named Suratrana and Virama.[4]
WhenJaitrasimha retired because of old age, he appointed Hammiradeva as his successor, although Hammira was not his eldest son. TheHammira Mahakavya dates Hammira's ascension to 1283 CE (1339VS).[4] However, according to agenealogy given in thePrabandha Kosha, Hammira ascended the throne in 1285 CE.[6] HistorianDasharatha Sharma speculates thatJaitrasimha lived until 1285 CE, which may explain this discrepancy.[4]
Soon after his ascension, Hammiradeva launched a series of raids against his Hindu neighbours until 1288. TheHammira Mahakavya presents these raids as a systematicdigvijaya ("conquests in all directions") campaign. However, Hammiradeva's own inscriptions do not mention anydgivijaya campaign.[7]
The Balvan inscription of 1288 CE mentions that Hammiradeva captured the elephant force ofArjuna II, theParamara king ofMalwa.[8] The Paramaras had greatly declined in power, and their kingdom faced an internal rebellion after Arjuna's death. Taking advantage of this, several of their enemies had plundered Malwa.[9]
According to theHammira Mahakavya, Hammiradeva also subjugated Arjuna, the ruler of a principality called Bhimarasa. Next, he extracted tribute from the Manḍalakṛta fort (modernMandalgarh). Hammira then targetedBhoja II, the successor of Arjuna II in Malwa. He defeated the Paramara forces, and reached as far as Ujjayini (Ujjain) and Dhara (Dhar). He then returned home via the place calledChittor,Abu, Vardhanapura (Badnor), Changa,Pushkar, Maharashtra (present-dayMarot village), Khandilla (Khandela), Champa and Karkarala (Karauli). At Karkarala, he received homage from the ruler of Tribhuvanagiri (Timangarh).[10]
Out of all these raids, Hammira's own inscriptions mention only his successes in Malwa. Therefore, historianDasharatha Sharma doubts the historicity of the other raids described in theHammira Mahakavya, and considers itsdigivjaya account as fictitious.[9]
The Balvan inscription mentions that Hammira performed a ritual sacrifice known asKoti-yajna twice. This sacrifice appears to have been similar to theAshvamedha ceremony, which was proved by ancient Indian kings to prove their sovereignty. TheKoti yajna performed by the royal priest Vishvarupa.[10]
Hammira's wars with his Hindu neighbours ultimately left him without any allies against his powerful northern neighbour, the Muslim-ruledDelhi Sultanate.[11]
In 1290,Jalaluddin Khalji, the ruler of theDelhi Sultanate, invaded Hammira's territory. He defeated Hammira's forces led byGurdan Saini, who was killed in the battle. The Delhi army capturedJhain, and then marched towards Ranthambore.[9] They besieged the Ranthambore fort withmanjaniqs (siege engines), but were unable to capture the fort. Jalaluddin ultimately gave up, and returned to Delhi.[12]
After Jalaluddin's retreat, Hammira recaptured Jhain. In 1292, Jalaluddin once again invaded Jhain, this time unsuccessfully.[12]
In the annals of Rājpūt chivalry, there is scarcely a name better known than that of Hammīra the haṭhī, ruler of Ranthambhor.
— Dashratha Sharma, Early Chauhān Dynasties
In 1299, someMongol soldiers ofDelhi Sultanatemutined against their generals. Hammira granted asylum to two of these leaders — Muhammad Shah (alias Mahim Shah) and Kabhru — and their followers.[13] He rejected the demands to surrender these soldiers, leading to an invasion from the Delhi Sultanate.[14]
Hammira lost his general Bhimasamha to an invasion led by the Delhi generalUlugh Khan.[12] Hammira held his minister Dharmasimha responsible for this debacle, and had him castrated and blinded. However, Dharmasimha soon gained back the king's favour, by raising money for his fight against the Delhi forces. This money was raised through heavy taxes on the general public, which made Hammira very unpopular among the masses. His brothers Bhoja andPithasimha defected to Alauddin as a result of Dharmasimha's scheming.[15]
At Bhoja's instigation, Alauddin sent a stronger army to Ranthambore. However, this army was defeated by Hammira's generals, which included the rebel Mongol leaders.[16] Alauddin next dispatchedNusrat Khan, the governor ofAwadh, to reinforce Ulugh Khan's forces. The combined Delhi forces advanced up to Ranthambore, and besieged the fort. Some days later, Nusrat Khan was hit by amanjaniq stone and killed. Taking advantage of the situation, Hammira came out of the fort with a large army, and forced Ulugh Khan to retreat.[14][17]
After Nusrat Khan's death, Alauddin decided to personally lead the siege of Ranthambore. He ordered his officers from his various provinces to assemble their contingents atTilpat, and then led a joint force to Ranthambore.[18] After a prolonged siege followed, during which Hammira's officers Ratipala and Ranamalla defected to Alauddin's side.[19]
By July 1301, Hammira was in a dire situation owing to the defections (his ministers Ranmal and Ratanpal, with their armies had betrayed)[20] and a famine-like situation within the fort. Therefore, he decided to fight to death with his loyal men.[19] The ladies of the fort, led by his chief queen Ranga Devi, died byjauhar (mass self-immolation to avoid falling into the enemy hands).[21] Hammira offered safe passages to his brother Virama, his minister Jaja, and the rebel Mongol leader Muhammad Shah, but all of them refused to desert him. Virama died fighting by his side in alast stand. Jaja, whom Hammira had appointed as his successor, died two days later while defending the fort. Muhammad Shah was wounded in the action, and later executed on Alauddin's orders.[22] Hammira and his loyal companions marched to the top of thepasheb mound, where they fought to death with Alauddin's army.[1] Some Rajput-era bards claim that Hammira severed his own head and offered it to the godMahadeva when faced with a certain defeat.[23]Sultan ordered death for Ranmal[24]
According to theJain scholar Nayachandra, Hammira was generous towardsBrahmins, and respected all Indian faiths, including Jainism.[25]
According toSharngadhara-Paddhati, Hammira was a pupil of the scholar-poet Raghavadeva, who was a grandfather of the famous anthologistSharngadhara. Hammira also patronised the poet Bijaditya.[25]
Hammira has been hailed as a hero in several works written after his death, including those written inSanskrit,Prakrit,Hindi andRajasthani languages.[26] TheHammira Mahakavya, his biography by the Jain scholar Nayachandra Suri, is a major source of information about him.Surjana-Charita also describes him, although it is not entirely reliable from a historical point-of-view. He is also mentioned in a few verses ofPrakrta-Pingala (orPrakrta-Paingalam, 14th century) andSharngadhara-Paddhati.[10] A Hindi filmHameer Hath (1964) is based on his life.
Two later Hindi works on his life includeHammira Raso by Jodharaja andHammira-Hatha by Chandrashekhara. However, these are of little historical value.[10]