Vigraharaja II

Genealogy of Chauhan rulers Chandanaraja - Vigraharaja IV

Vigraharaja II of Chauhan dynasty (973 AD), was a ruler in North Western India.

History

Simharaja was succeeded by his son Vigraharaja II, the greatest of the early Chauhans of Sakambhari, for whom we have the Harsha inscription of V.1030 (973 A.D.). It is obvious from the description given therein that not only had the danger to his dynasty passed away by that time but that the new ruler had probably made some new conquests and was being served by feudatories. The record, however, does not say anything about his most talked of achievement, the one that captured the imagination of all the Chauhan eulogists from Jayanaka to Chandrasekhara and has been recorded even by the chroniclers of Gujarat. This great feat was the defeat of Mularaja Chaulukya. The omission is, perhaps, to be explained by its having occurred after V.1030 and before V.1055.

He was a very powerful ruler. He had attacked king Mularaja I of Chalukya dynasty and after conquering Sarasvat Mandala and later he had extended his empire up to river Narmada. But according to Hamiramahakavya of Nayachandra Suri, Vigraharaj had killed Moolaraj. This does appear to be correct. According to Prithvirajavijaya, Vigraharaja II forced the Gujarat ruler Mularaja to shut himself up in the Kantha fort and carried his arms upto Bhrigukachchha where Vigraharaj had built a temple of Ashapuri Devi in Bhrigukachchha at the bank of river Narmada.

Firishta, if believed in, would lead us o conclude that Vigraharaja II fought also against the Muslims and the Ray of Ajmer sent a contigent to join the league organized by the ruler of Lahore against Subuktigin in the year 997 AD.

Vigraharaja II was, without question, the greatest of the early Chauhan rulers of Sapadalaksha. He came to the throne when the Chauhan kingdom lay prostrate at the feet of his enemies. That he could within a few years restore his family merely to its former glory but also add to its greatness by exacting tributes from many princes and humbling the pride of Mularaja, the strong ruler of Gujarat, speaks volumes for his resourcefulness and excellent generalship. Like his grandfather Vakpati I, he was a great cavalry leader; the title Khuranajondhakara connotes well the great reputation that he must have enjoyed as a campaigner.

हर्षनाथ-हर्षगिरि-हर्षनगरी

विजयेन्द्र कुमार माथुर ने लेख किया है ...[p.1011]: हर्षनाथ प्राचीन नगर के अवशेष राजस्थान राज्य में सीकर के निकट स्थित हैं। स्थानीय अनुश्रुति के अनुसार यह स्थान पूर्वकाल में 36 मील के घेरे में बसा हुआ था। एक प्राचीन कहावत भी प्रचलित है-- जगमालपुरा हर्षनगरी, जीमै हाठ हजार मढ़ै गुदड़ी, [p.1012]: बमै तालाब बड़ी छतरी। वर्तमान में हर्षनाथ नामक ग्राम हर्षगिरि पहाड़ी की तलहटी में बसा हुआ है और सीकर से प्रायः आठ मील दक्षिण-पूर्व में हैं। हर्षगिरि ग्राम के पास हर्षगिरि नामक पहाड़ी है, जो 3,000 फुट ऊँची है और इस पर लगभग 900 वर्ष से अधिक प्राचीन मंदिरों के खण्डहर हैं। इन मंदिरों में एक काले पत्थर पर उत्कीर्ण लेख प्राप्त हुआ है, जो शिवस्तुति से प्रारम्भ होता है और जो पौराणिक कथा के रूप में लिखा गया है। लेख में हर्षगिरि और मन्दिर का वर्णन है और इसमें कहा गया है कि मन्दिर के निर्माण का कार्य आषाढ़ शुक्ल त्रयोदशी, सोमवार 1013 विक्रम सम्वत् (956 ई.) को प्रारम्भ होकर विग्रहराज चौहान के समय में आषाढ़ कृष्ण 15, 1030 विक्रम सम्वत (973 ई.) को पूरा हुआ था। यह लेख संस्कृत में है और इसे रामचन्द्र नामक कवि ने लेखबद्ध किया था। मंदिर के भग्नावशेषों में अनेक सुंदर कलापूर्ण मूर्तियाँ तथा स्तंभ आदि प्राप्त हुए हैं, जिनमें से अधिकांश सीकर के संग्रहालय में सुरक्षित हैं।