Chaulukya dynasty

Not to be confused with Chalukya dynasty.

The Chaulukya dynasty (IAST: Caulukya), also Solanki dynasty, was a dynasty that ruled the Kingdom of Gujarat in western India, between c. 940 CE and c. 1244 CE. Their capital was located at Anahilavada (modern Patan). At times, their rule extended to the Malwa region in present-day Madhya Pradesh. The family is also known as the "Solanki dynasty" in the vernacular literature. They belonged to the Solanki clan of Rajputs.^[3][4][5]

Chaulukya Solanki
A Chaulukya coin, circa 950-1050. Stylized rendition of Chavda dynasty coins: Obverse: Indo-Sassanian style bust; pellets and ornaments around. Reverse: Stylised fire altar; pellets around.[1]
Map of the Chaulukya dynasty c. 1150 CE, according to Joseph E. Schwartzberg, [2]
Parent house	Chavda dynasty
Country	Kingdom of Gujarat Lunavada State
Founded	941
Founder	Mularaja
Final ruler	Tribhuvanapala
Seat	Anahilavada
Cadet branches	Vaghela dynasty

Mularaja, the founder of the dynasty, supplanted the last ruler of the Chavda dynasty around 940 CE. His successors fought several battles with the neighbouring rulers such as the Chudasamas, the Paramaras and the Chahamanas of Shakambhari. During the reign of Bhima I, the Ghaznavid ruler Mahmud invaded the kingdom and raided the Somnath temple during 1024-1025 CE. The Chaulukyas soon recovered, and the kingdom reached its zenith under the rule of Jayasimha Siddharaja and Kumarapala in the 12th century. Several minor dynasties, such as the Chahamanas of Jalor and the Chahamanas of Naddula, served as Chaulukya vassals during this period. After Kumarapala's death, the kingdom was gradually weakened by internal rebellions; uprisings by feudatories; and invasions by the Paramaras, the Ghurids, the Yadavas and others. Taking advantage of this, the Vaghelas, who had earlier served as Chaulukya generals, usurped the power and established a new dynasty in the 1240s.

Several princely state rulers of the Solanki clan claimed descent from the Chaulukyas.

Name

The dynasty used the self-designation "Chaulukya" in all but four of its records.^[6] The four exceptions are:^[7]

• "Chaulukika" in the Kadi grant of Mularaja
• "Saulkika" in a grant of Chamundaraja
• "Chaulakya" in the Sambhar inscription of Jayasimha
• "Chaullakya" in the Jalor inscription of Kumarapala

Hemachandra, a Jain scholar in the Chaulukya court, generally used the terms "Chaulukya" and "Chulukya".^[7] His Dvyasraya Mahakavya mentions the variants "Chulakya", "Chalukka", and "Chulukka"; his Kumarapala-Charita mentions another variant "Chuluga". The Chaulukya court poet Someshvara describes the dynasty as "Chaulukya" (in Kirti-Kaumudi) and "Chulukya" (in the Abu inscription of Vastupala and Tejapala).^[8]

"Solanki" or "Solankhi" is a vernacular form of the term.^[9]

Origins

Find spots of inscriptions issued during the Chaulukya rule.^[10]

The word "Chaulukya" is thought to be a variant of the word "Chalukya". Several other dynasties were known by the name "Chalukya", including the Chalukyas of Vatapi, Navasarika, Vemulavada, Kalyani, Vengi and Lata. These dynasties are sometimes thought to be branches of the same family, but the relationship between all of them is not certain. Unlike the Chalukyas of Kalyani and Vengi, the Chaulukyas of Gujarat never claimed a shared descent or any other association with the earliest Chalukya dynasty — the Chalukyas of Vatapi. Moreover, they never used the term "Chalukya" to describe themselves.^[6]

However, the Chaulukyas of Gujarat shared a myth of origin with the Chalukyas of Kalyani and Vengi. According to this legend, the progenitor of the dynasty was created by Brahma.^[6] The version of the legend mentioned in the Vadnagar prashasti inscription of Kumarapala is as follows: the deities once asked the creator god Brahma to protect them from the danavas (demons). Brahma then created a hero from his chuluka (pot or folded palm in Sanskrit), which was filled with Ganges water. This hero was named "Chulukya", and became the progenitor of the dynasty. A variation of this legend is mentioned by Abhayatilaka Gani in his commentary on Hemachandra's Dvyashraya-Kavya. According to this version, Brahma produced the hero to support the earth, after his other creations disappointed him. These stories are of no historical value, as it was customary for contemporary royal houses to claim mythical and heroic origins. The Kumarapala-Bhupala-Charita of Jayasimha Suri presents Chulukya as a historical warrior, whose capital was Madhupadma. Mularaja was his descendant, with nearly a hundred generations separating the two.^[11] This account may be partly historical: Madhupadma has been identified variously as a location outside Gujarat, including present-day Mathura.^[12]

C. V. Vaidya theorized that the Chaulukyas were different from the Chalukyas. G. H. Ojha opposed this theory, pointing out that an inscription of the Lata Chalukya ruler Kirtiraja describes his family as "Chalukya", while an inscription of his grandson Trilochanapala describes the family as "Chaulukya".^[8] According to Asoke Majumdar, while these similar-sounding names suggest a common origin for all these dynasties, there is no concrete evidence to draw any definitive conclusion.^[6] Majumdar theorized that the Chaulukyas were connected to the Sulikas or the Chulikas, a tribe mentioned in several ancient records. This tribe is described as living on the northern frontier of ancient India. However, Majumdar admitted that there is not enough evidence to regard this theory as conclusive.^[13] According to the Agnikula myth mentioned in a 16th-century recension of the legendary epic poem Prithviraj Raso, four Rajput clans including the Chaulukyas were born from a fire-pit on Mount Abu. A section of colonial-era historians interpreted this mythical account to suggest that these clans were foreigners who came to India after the decline of the Gupta Empire around the 5th century CE, and were admitted in the Hindu caste system after performing a fire ritual.^[14][15]

The Chaulukya rulers have been called "Gurjararāja" and "Gurjareśvara" ("ruler of Gurjara").^[16] Based on this legend, D. R. Bhandarkar and others theorized that the Chaulukyas were a branch of Gurjaras, whom they believed to be a tribe of foreign origin.^[17] Bhandarkar and Augustus Hoernle also believed that the name of the "Lata" region changed to "Gurjaratra" (later Gujarat) during the Chaulukya reign, presumably because they were Gurjaras.^[18]

However, this foreign-origin theory is weakened by a number of factors. The Chaulukyas did not claim an Agnikula origin for themselves:^[19] it was the neighbouring Paramara rulers who used the legend to explain their own origin.^[20] The inscriptions from the reign of Bhima II prove that the Chaulukyas knew about the Agnikula legend, but associated it with the Paramaras, not themselves.^[21] The earliest copies of Prithviraj Raso do not mention this legend either.^[21] The legend that includes the Chaulukyas among the fire-born clans is first mentioned by the 16th century poets, who may have extended the Paramara legend to include other dynasties, in order to foster Rajput unity against the Mughals.^[22] Moreover, there is no evidence that the Chaulukya territory area came to be known as "Gurjaratra" during the Chaulukya reign.^[18] "Gurjara" and "Lata" were two distinct historical regions in northern and southern parts of present-day Gujarat respectively, and the term "Lata" was never used to describe the whole of Gujarat.^[23] The Chaulukya kings were called "Gurjararāja" and "Gurjareśvara" because they ruled the territory which was already called Gurjara by their time.^[16][24] Several other kings who held similar epithets had earlier ruled this territory: these include the Gurjara-Pratiharas and the Gurjaras of Nandipuri.^[25] Historian Asoke Kumar Majumdar points out that even the southern Ganga chief Marasimha II assumed the title "king of Gurjaras" after defeating a northern king on behalf of the Rashtrakutas.^[24]

Religion

The Rani ki vav was constructed during the rule of the Chaulukya dynasty. It is located on the banks of Saraswati river.^[26]

Most of the dynasty's rulers were Shaivaite, although they also patronized Jainism.^[27] The dynasty's founder Mularaja is said to have built Mulavasatika temple for Digambara Jains and the Mulanatha-Jinadeva temple for the Svetambara Jains.^[28] The earliest of the Dilwara Temples and the Modhera Sun Temple were constructed during the reign of Bhima I. According to popular tradition, his queen Udayamati also commissioned the Queen's step-well.^[29] Kumarapala started patronizing Jainism at some point in his life, and the subsequent Jain accounts portray him as the last great royal patron of Jainism.^[30] The Chaulukya rulers also endowed mosques to maintain good relationship with the Muslim traders.^[31]

Claimed descendants

The Vaghela dynasty, which succeeded the Chaulukyas, claimed descent from a sister of Kumarapala.^[32]

Various princely state dynasties calling themselves Solanki (the vernacular form of Chaulukya) claimed descent from the Chaulukyas as well. These included the rulers of the Lunavada State, which was a tributary to the Marathas before coming under the British rule.^[33]

Family tree

Chaulukya dynasty

Mularaja I (1) r. c. 941-996 Chamundaraja (2) r. c. 996-1008 Vallabharaja (3) r. c. 1008 Durlabharaja (4) r. c. 1008-1022 Nagaraja Bhima I (5) r. c. 1022-1064 Kshemaraja Karna (6) r. c. 1064-1092 Devaprasada Jayasimha Siddharaja (7) r. c. 1092-1142 Tribhuvanpala Kumarapala (8) r. c. 1143-1172 Ajayapala (9) r. c. 1172-1175 Mularaja II (10) r. c. 1175-1178 Bhima II (11) r. c. 1178-1240 Tribhuvanapala (12) r. c. 1240-1244

List of feudatories

• Chahamanas of Naddula
• Chahamanas of Jalor

References

1. Post-Gupta (Chaulukya-Paramara) coin, Classical Numismatic Group.
2. Schwartzberg Atlas,p.148
3. Hermann Kulke (2004). A History of India. Psychology Press. p. 117. ISBN 978-0-415-32919-4. 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.
4. Brajadulal Chattopadhyaya (2006). Studying Early India: Archaeology, Texts and Historical Issues. Anthem. p. 116. ISBN 978-1-84331-132-4. 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.
5. David Ludden (2013). India and South Asia: A Short History. Simon and Schuster. pp. 88–89. ISBN 978-1-78074-108-6. 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...
6. Asoke Kumar Majumdar 1956, p. 5.
7. Asoke Kumar Majumdar 1956, p. 421.
8. Jai Narayan Asopa 1976, p. 43.
9. Jai Narayan Asopa 1976, p. 42.
10. Asoke Kumar Majumdar 1956, pp. 498–502.
11. Asoke Kumar Majumdar 1956, pp. 6–7.
12. Asoke Kumar Majumdar 1956, p. 22.
13. Asoke Kumar Majumdar 1956, p. 13-17.
14. Ganga Prasad Yadava 1982, p. 35.
15. N. Jayapalan 2001, p. 146.
16. Shanta Rani Sharma 2012, pp. 7–8.
17. Asoke Kumar Majumdar 1956, p. 8.
18. Durga Prasad Dikshit 1980, p. 21.
19. Asoke Kumar Majumdar 1956, p. 8-9.
20. Dasharatha Sharma 1959, p. 4.
21. Asoke Kumar Majumdar 1956, p. 9.
22. R. B. Singh 1964, pp. 17–18.
23. Asoke Kumar Majumdar 1956, p. 12.
24. Asoke Kumar Majumdar 1956, p. 13.
25. Asoke Kumar Majumdar 1956, pp. 10–12.
26. "Rani-ki-Vav (the Queen's Stepwell) at Patan, Gujarat – UNESCO World Heritage Centre". whc.unesco.org. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
27. Kantilal F. Sompura (1968). The Structural Temples of Gujarat, Upto 1600 A.D. Gujarat University. p. 97. ISBN 9780861862450.
28. John E. Cort 1998, p. 87.
29. Vinod Chandra Srivastava 2008, p. 857.
30. Asoke Kumar Majumdar 1956, p. 119.
31. Edward A. Alpers 2014, p. 57.
32. P.B. Udgaonkar 1986, p. 215.
33. David P. Henige 2004, p. 125.

Bibliography

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• David P. Henige (2004). Princely States of India: A Guide to Chronology and Rulers. Orchid. ISBN 978-974-524-049-0.
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• John E. Cort, ed. (1998). Open Boundaries: Jain Communities and Cultures in Indian History. SUNY Press. ISBN 978-0-7914-3785-8.
• Jonah Blank (2001). Mullahs on the Mainframe: Islam and Modernity Among the Daudi Bohras. University of Chicago Press. p. 44. ISBN 978-0-226-05676-0.
• Michell, George (1977). The Hindu Temple: An Introduction to its Meaning and Forms. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-53230-1.
• Michell, George (1990). The Penguin Guide to the Monuments of India, Volume 1: Buddhist, Jain, Hindu. Penguin Books. ISBN 0140081445.
• Krishna Narain Seth (1978). The Growth of the Paramara Power in Malwa. Progress. OCLC 8931757.
• N. Jayapalan (2001). History of India. Atlantic Publishers & Distri. ISBN 978-81-7156-928-1.
• P.B. Udgaonkar (1986). Political Institutions & Administration. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978-81-208-2087-6.
• Romila Thapar (2008). Somanatha. Penguin. ISBN 9780143064688.
• R. B. Singh (1964). History of the Chāhamānas. N. Kishore. OCLC 11038728.
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• Schwartzberg, Joseph E. (1978). "A map of the Chaulukya territory". A Historical atlas of South Asia. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. pp. 37, 147: map XIV.3 (b). ISBN 0226742210.
• Shanta Rani Sharma (2012). "Exploding the Myth of the Gūjara Identity of the Imperial Pratihāras". Indian Historical Review. 39 (1): 1–10. doi:10.1177/0376983612449525. S2CID 145175448.
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External links

• Media related to Chaulukya dynasty at Wikimedia Commons