Gurjara-Pratihara

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Author:Laxman Burdak, IFS (R)

Gurjara-Pratihara was a dynasty that ruled much of Northern India from the mid-8th to the 11th century. They ruled first at Ujjain and later at Kannauj.

Origin

Gurjara-desha was the name of the territory originally ruled by the Pratiharas; gradually, the term came to denote the people of this territory. The rulers of this dynasty used the self-designation "Pratihara" for their clan, and never referred to themselves as Gurjaras.[1] According to Alexander Cunningham[2] Barmer was the capital of ancient Gurjjara Kingdom.[3]

Etymology

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.[4] They claimed descent from the legendary hero Lakshmana, who is said to have acted as a pratihara ("door-keeper") for his brother Rama.[5] Some modern scholars theorize that a Pratihara ancestor served as a "minister of defense" (or Pratihara) in a Rashtrakuta court, and that is how the dynasty came to be known as Pratihara.[6]

Multiple inscriptions of their neighbouring dynasties describe the Pratiharas as "Gurjara".[7]

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 (see Gurjara-desha) originally ruled by the Pratiharas; gradually, the term came to denote the people of this territory. An opposing theory is that Gurjara was the name of the tribe to which the dynasty belonged, and Pratihara was a clan of this tribe.[8]

Early rulers

Nagabhata I (739–760), was originally perhaps a feudatory of the Chavdas 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, conquering Malwa as far as Gwalior and the port of Bharuch in Gujarat. He established his capital at Avanti in Malwa, and checked the expansion of the Arabs, who had established themselves in Sind. In this battle (738 CE), Nagabhata led a confederacy of Pratiharas to defeat the Muslim Arabs who had till then been pressing on victorious through West Asia and Iran. An inscription by Mihira Bhoja ascribes Nagabhata with having appeared like Vishnu "in response to the prayers of the oppressed people to crush the large armies of the powerful Mleccha ruler, the destroyer of virtue".[9] Nagabhata I was followed by two weak successors, his nephews Devraj and Kakkuka, who were in turn succeeded by Vatsraja (775–805).

History

The Gurjara-Pratiharas were instrumental in containing Arab armies moving east of the Indus River.[10] Nagabhata I defeated the Arab army under Junaid and Tamin in the Caliphate campaigns in India. Under Nagabhata II, the Gurjara-Pratiharas became the most powerful dynasty in northern India. He was succeeded by his son Ramabhadra, who ruled briefly before being succeeded by his son, Mihira Bhoja. Under Bhoja and his successor Mahendrapala I, the Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty reached its peak of prosperity and power. By the time of Mahendrapala, the extent of its territory rivalled that of the Gupta Empire stretching from the border of Sindh in the west to Bengal in the east and from the Himalayas in the north to areas past the Narmada in the south.[11][12] The expansion triggered a tripartite power struggle with the Rashtrakuta and Pala empires for control of the Indian subcontinent. During this period, Imperial Pratihara took the title of Maharajadhiraja of Āryāvarta (Great King of Kings of Aryan Lands).

Gurjara-Pratihara are known for their sculptures, carved panels and open pavilion style temples. The greatest development of their style of temple building was at Khajuraho, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[13]

The power of the Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty was weakened by dynastic strife. It was further diminished as a result of a great raid led by the Rashtrakuta ruler Indra 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 Gangetic Doab. Their last important king, Rajyapala, was driven from Kannauj by Mahmud of Ghazni in 1018.[14]

List of rulers

List of Imperial Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty rulers
Serial No. Ruler Reign (CE)
1 Nagabhata I 730–760
2 Kakustha and Devaraja 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

List of feudatories and Branches

List of Pratihara feudatories

List of Pratihara Branches

Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty of Mandavyapura (c. 550 – 750 CE)

Baddoch Branch (c. 600 – 700 CE)

Known Baddoch rulers are-

Rajogarh Branch

Badegujar were rulers of Rajogarh

  • Parmeshver Manthandev, (885 – 915 CE)
  • No records found after Parmeshver Manthandev

References

  1. ↑ Sharma, Sanjay (2006), "Negotiating Identity and Status Legitimation and Patronage under the Gurjara-Pratīhāras of Kanauj", Studies in History, 22 (22): 181–220, doi:10.1177/025764300602200202, S2CID 144128358,p.188
  2. ↑ The Ancient Geography of India/Gurjjara,p. 312
  3. ↑ James Todd Annals/Sketch of the Indian Desert, Vol.III, p.1269, fn-3 says The old name of Bhinmal was Srimal or Bhillamala, which Erskine (iii. A. 194) identifies with Pi-lo-mo-lo of Hiuen Tsiaug. But Beal (Buddhist Records of the Western World, ii. 270) transliterates this name as Balmer or Barmer.
  4. ↑ Sharma, Sanjay (2006), "Negotiating Identity and Status Legitimation and Patronage under the Gurjara-Pratīhāras of Kanauj", Studies in History, 22 (22): 181–220, doi:10.1177/025764300602200202, S2CID 144128358,p.188
  5. ↑ Tripathi, Rama Shankar (1959). History of Kanauj: To the Moslem Conquest. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978-81-208-0478-4.p.223
  6. ↑ Agnihotri, V. K. (2010). Indian History. Vol. 26. p. B8. "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"
  7. ↑ Puri, Baij Nath (1957), The history of the Gurjara-Pratihāras, Munshiram Manoharlal,p.9-13
  8. ↑ Majumdar, R. C. (1981), "The Gurjara-Pratiharas", in R. S. Sharma and K. K. Dasgupta (ed.), A Comprehensive history of India: A.D. 985–1206, vol. 3 (Part 1), Indian History Congress / People's Publishing House, ISBN 978-81-7007-121-1,pp.612-13
  9. ↑ A New History of Rajasthan, Rima Hooja pg – 270–274 University of Rajasthan
  10. ↑ Wink, André (2002). Al-Hind: Early Medieval India and the Expansion of Islam, 7th–11th Centuries. Leiden: BRILL. p. 284. ISBN 978-0-391-04173-8.
  11. ↑ Avari, Burjor (2007). India: The Ancient Past. A History of the Indian-Subcontinent from 7000 BC to AD 1200. New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-203-08850-0. p.303
  12. ↑ Sircar 1971, p. 146.
  13. ↑ Partha Mitter, Indian art, Oxford University Press, 2001 pp.66
  14. ↑ Sircar, Dineschandra (1971). Studies in the Geography of Ancient and Medieval India. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 9788120806900.
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