Vigraharaja II
| Author: Laxman Burdak, IFS (R) |
Vigraharaja II (विग्रहराज द्वितीय) (r. c. 971–998 CE) was a king belonging to the Chauhan dynasty (Shakambhari). He ruled the Sapadalaksha country, which included parts of present-day Rajasthan in north-western India.
Variants
Early life
Vigrahraja was born to the Chahamana ruler Simharaja. He had three brothers Durlabharaja II (his successor), Chandraraja and Govindaraja.[1] The Chahamanas were originally feudatories to the Gurjara-Pratiharas, but Simharaja had assumed the title Maharajadhiraja taking advantage of their decline. Vigraharaja II was the probably first truly independent king of the Chahamana dynasty.[2]
The 973 CE Harsha inscription issued by Vigraharaja states that he revived the fortunes of his distressed family. It indicates that he achieved several military successes and acquired vassals.[3]
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. [4] 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.[5]
Firishta[6], 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.
Military career
Prithviraja Vijaya states that Vigraharaja had a large cavalry.[7]
Chalukyas of Gujarat: According to the eulogists of Vigraharaja's successors, he defeated Mularaja, the Chaulukya king of Gujarat. As this achievement is not mentioned in the Harsha inscription, Vigraharaja must have defeated Mularaja after 973 CE.[8] The Chahamana chronicle Prithviraja Vijaya, which describes the Chalukyas of Gujarat as "Gurjaras", states that Mularaja fled to Kantha-durga (modern Kanthkot) during Vigraharaja's invasion.[9] The 15th century Hammira Mahakavya claims that Mularaja was killed in this battle, and Vigraharaja sacked his territory.[10] Another Chahamana chronicle Surjana-Charita also mentions the victory of the Chahamanas over the Gurjaras.[11]
However, the Gujarat-based 14th century poet Merutunga gives a different account of events. According to his Prabandha-Chintamani, Mularaja's kingdom was attacked simultaneously by the neighbouring kingdoms of Sapadalaksha and Tilinga. Sapadalaksha was the Chahamana territory, while Tilanga here refers to the kingdom of the Kalyani Chalukya ruler Tailapa II. This invasion happened at the time of Navratra religious festival. Mularaja moved to the Kantha-durga, and hoped that the Sapadalaksha ruler would return to his capital Shakambhari to worship his family goddess Ashapuri during the festival. When this did not happen, Mularaja visited the Sapadalaksha king's camp unannounced, and asked him not to attack Gujarat while Mularaja was engaged in a war with the Tilanga ruler. The Sapadalaksha ruler agreed to the demand. Mularaja then defeated the Tilanga army led by General Barapa. When the Sapadalaksha ruler learned about this, he fled away from Gujarat.[12]
It is hard to determine the historical truth in these contradictory accounts. According to historian R. B. Singh, Mularaja ceded a part of his territory to the Chahamanas.[13] Dasharatha Sharma also theorized that Vigraharaja had the upper hand in the conflict, as even Merutunga agrees that Mularaja had to take shelter in the Kantha-durga. That said, the Hammira-Mahakavya's claim of Vigraharaja killing Mularaja appears to be inaccurate.[14]
Chalukyas of Lata: According to Prithviraja Vijaya, Vigraharaja marched to the region around the Narmada River, and subjugated a king of the lunar dynasty. After his victory, he built a temple dedicated to the goddess Ashapuri at Bhrigukachchha (modern Bharuch), on the banks of Narmada.[15]
At that time, Bhrigukachchha was ruled by the Lata Chalukyas, who were originally feudatories of the Kalyani Chalukyas. So, it appears that Vigraharaja defeated the Lata Chalukya ruler Barapa (or Varappa), who once served as the Kalyani Chalukya general.[16]
According to Dasharatha Sharma, one possibility is that Vigraharaja allied with Barapa to defeat the Gujarat Chaulukya king Mularaja, but this is only a conjecture.[17] Historian R. B. Singh, on the other hand, theorized that after Vigraharaja subjugated Mularaja, the allied army of Vigraharaja and Mularaja attacked Barapa. This theory is based on a narrative in Hemachandra's Dvyashraya Kavya, which was composed under the Gujarat Chalukya patronage. According to this narrative, Mularaja and his son Chamundaraja marched to Bhrigukachchha, and killed Varappa.[18]
Other conflicts: According to the 16th century Muslim historian Firishta, in 997 CE, the ruler of Ajmer joined an alliance formed by the ruler of Lahore against the Ghaznavid ruler Sabuktigin. Since Vigraharaja ruled over the present-day Ajmer area at that time, it would appear that he fought against the Ghaznavids. However, the accuracy of Firishta's account is doubtful. Earlier accounts by Muslim historians do not mention any such alliance.[19]
Legacy
A stone inscription dated to Vigraharaja's reign has been found at Harsha temple. This inscription records the grant of two villages by the king for maintaining the temple dedicated to the deity Harsha-deva. The villages were named Chhatrachara and Shankaranka.[20]
Vigraharaja was succeeded by his brother Durlabharaja II.[21] The Harsha inscription compares them to Rama-Lakshmana and Krishna-Balarama.[22]
विग्रहराज द्वितीय
विग्रहराज द्वितीय चौहान वंश के राजा थे इनका राज्य अभिषेक 971 में हुआ था इन्होंने 998 तक शासन किया और उनके शासन काल के समय कई बार बाहरी आक्रमण हुए लेकिन इनहोने आक्रमणों का बड़ी वीरता से सामना किया और विदेशी आक्रमणकारियों को भारत भूमि में घुसने नहीं दिया। जिस कारण ये कुशल शासक माने जाते थे।
"विग्रहराज द्वितीय" ने गुजरात के चालुक्य शासक मूलराज प्रथम को हराकर गुजरात विजय प्राप्त की तथा गुजरात के भृगुकच्छ नामक स्थान पर अपनी कुलदेवी आशापुरा माता के मंदिर का निर्माण करवाया। हर्षनाथ के शिलालेख में विग्रहराज द्वितीय को सांभर के आरंभिक चौहान शासकों में सबसे प्रतापी शासक बताया गया। जिसने दक्षिण की ओर नर्मदा तक सैनिक अभियान किया।
हर्षनाथ-हर्षगिरि-हर्षनगरी
विजयेन्द्र कुमार माथुर[23] 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।
External links
References
- ↑ Dasharatha Sharma (1959). Early Chauhān Dynasties. S. Chand / Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 9780842606189.
- ↑ R. B. Singh (1964). History of the Chāhamānas. N. Kishore. OCLC 11038728.p.119
- ↑ Dasharatha Sharma 1959, p. 29.
- ↑ Harshagiri Inscription of 961 AD, Verse 24
- ↑ "Early Chauhan Dynasties" by Dasharatha Sharma, pp. 34-35
- ↑ Tarikh-i-Firishta, I, pp,7 and 18
- ↑ R. B. Singh (1964). History of the Chāhamānas. N. Kishore. OCLC 11038728.p.121
- ↑ Dasharatha Sharma 1959, p. 30.
- ↑ R. B. Singh 1964, p. 119.
- ↑ Dasharatha Sharma 1959, p. 30.
- ↑ R. B. Singh 1964, p. 119.
- ↑ Dasharatha Sharma 1959, p. 30.
- ↑ R. B. Singh 1964, p. 120.
- ↑ Dasharatha Sharma 1959, p. 30.
- ↑ R. B. Singh 1964, p. 120.
- ↑ R. B. Singh 1964, pp. 120–121.
- ↑ Dasharatha Sharma 1959, pp. 30–32.
- ↑ R. B. Singh 1964, p. 121.
- ↑ Dasharatha Sharma 1959, p. 32.
- ↑ R. B. Singh 1964, p. 121.
- ↑ R. B. Singh 1964, p. 122.
- ↑ Dasharatha Sharma 1959, p. 33.
- ↑ Aitihasik Sthanavali by Vijayendra Kumar Mathur, p.1011-12