Mewar as the Locus of Guhila State (Part-III)

The acquisition of the ancient political landmark  fortress of  Chittaurgarh  gave the legitimate status of regional statehood to the Guhila royal dynasty in the thirteenth century. — Prof. Nandini Kapur Sinha

The credit for annexing Godwar is likely to go to Vairisimha, father of Vijayasimha, as is evident from eulogies and military exploits of Vairisimharecorded in the Kadmal plates.

It is likely that enmity with the Paramâras of Malwa continued into the late eleventh century. But by this period the Paramâras were a declining political power and Vairisimha’s military exploits must have put an end to Paramära ambitions in Mewar. A small Paramâra power which had ruled in Vagod (Dungarpur-Banswara districts) with its political centre at Arthuna (Banswara district) during the eleventh century does not seem to have existed in Vagod beyond 1100.5% Arthuna Inscriptions of ParamâraCamundaräja dated 1078 and 1080 seem to be the last of the Paramâra records in Vagod. Therefore, with fast changing political configurations in western and central India, the Guhilas of Nagda-Ahada entered into matrimonial relationship with the Paramâras of Malwa at this juncture. The Bheraghat Inscriptions of the Chedi dated 907 (AD 1155) mention that Guhila King Vijayasimha married Syamaladevi, the daughter of Paramara King Udayaditya of Malwa (AD 1060-87). This alliance seems to have been utilized as a joint front against the threatening ambitions of Caulukyan ruler Bhima I (AD 1022 64). The Bheraghat inscription also states that Syamaladevi was the mother of Alahanadevi, the queen of Kalacuri Gayäkarna of Dahala.

The early twelfth century witnessed a significant development for the Guhilas of Nägdä-Ahada. The Guhilas, for the first time in their history identified themselves as the sovereigns of the region of Mewar implying territorial integration, and hence, an important step towards regional state formation was taken. The Paldi Inscription of Guhila Arisimha (son of Vijayasimha) of 1116 proclaimed the king as the ruling prince of Medapata (Bhüpäle Medapãamahimâm).” Thus, the identification of the Guhila king with the king of Mewar is a proof of the claim of the Nägdä-AhadaGuhilas on the region of Medapäa at this point of time.

To be sure, there was a brief Caulukyan intrusion into Mewar and Vagod regions (districts of Dungarpur and Banswara in middle Mahi basin), as suggested by Kumarapala’s Chittaurgarh Inscription of 1.150, Bhimadeva II’s short inscriptional records of 1196,61 Ahada grant of 1207 from Gujarat and another record of Siddharaja Jayasimha from the last decade of the twelfth century. Yet, the Nägdä-Ahada Guhilas came to command southern portion of the upper Banas plain in the late twelfth century.” If Pratapgarh records prove that they held some territorial claims in the southern part of upper Banas plain in the mid tenth century, they seem to have integrated this territory into their state by the second half of the twelfth century as is evident from the Jagat Inscription of 1172 of Guhila Samantasimhadeva. It is significant that unlike the status of the Pratihâras in the tenth century in the upper Banas plain, the Guhilas in Jagat inscription figure as sovereigns on their own.

The thirteenth century witnessed the height of territorial expansion for the Guhilas. It was then that the traditional political landmark of Mewar, the fortress of Chittaur, was finally occupied by the Nagda Ahada Guhilas. A number of Guhila records were issued during the reign of Tejasimha from Chittaur.” Jaitrasimha is eulogized in the Achaleœvara Inscription of Samarasimha (his grandson) as the protector of the earth through the exploits of his arms and also as the destroyer of Nadola. He is also eulogized as occupant of a throne along with the monarch of the gods, Indra. As to the age of Jaitrasimha, two inscriptions of AD 1213 (Pillar Inscription near Ekalingaji) and AD 1222 (Nadesama Village Inscription) refer to the reign of Guhila King Jaitrasimha, who is spoken as ruling from Nägadraha.” Thus from all the available evidences it seems that Jaitrasimha was possibly the first Guhila king who annexed the fortress of Chittaur briefly: whereby the political sovereignty of the Nägdä-AhadaGuhilas all over Mewar was sealed. Chittaur was the ancient political landmark of Mewar. Chittaur which began its political career at Nagari, the capital of the Sibis, went on to be the political centre of ancient Mewar under the Aulikäras, the later Moris of eastern Rajasthan and western Uttar Pradesh. It is already noted that Chittaurgarh later came under the control of the Cahamänas, Pratihäras, Paramâras and Caulukyas, before passing into the hands of the Guhilas. The special mention of the rooting out of Nadula by Jaitrasimha implies the occupation of the Godwar region (Pali district) by the Guhilas. As noted, it is evident from the Kadmal plates that the Guhilas had established their sway over Godwar by the late eleventh century. But because of the rise of the Nadol Cähamânas, the Guhilas had to reassert themselves again in Godwar in the thirteenth century. The occupation of Chittaur formally integrated greater part of upper Banas plain into the Guhila state. The end of the Imperial Cahamâna power in central Rajasthan (with the defeat of Prithviraja III at the battle of Tarrain in 1192) evidently facilitated the conquest of Chittaur. The Cahamana occupation of Chittaur and the upper Banas plain in the late twelfth century is evident from Bijolia and Menal stone inscriptions (both in Bhilwara district) of 1168 and 1170 respectively of the reign of Prthviraja III.” However, the Achaleœvara Inscription of Samarasimha proves the sway of the Guhilas over the Mount Abu region (the inscription was issued from the temple of Achaleœvara, Mount Abu) as well as much of Godwar, controlling routes to sea-ports of Gujarat by the late thirteenth century.

Thus the thirteenth century was a decisive period in the history of the state: Mewar finally came to have its own political identity as a regional state. The Guhila acquisition of Chittaurgarh extended their sovereignty over Vagod (districts of Dungarpur and Banswara) as well. The fifteenth century official claim that Jaitrasimha ruled over Citrakûta, Medapãa, Aghata and Vagod,” reflects the actual political configuration of the region in the aftermath of the acquisition.

Thus in contrast to the Guhilas of Kiºkindha and Dhavagartã (seventh eighth centuries), the Guhila royal family of Nagda-Ahada stands out as the effective sovereign of Mewar. It was the Nägdä-Ahada family, of all the Guhila ruling families of Mewar and beyond, which successfully laid the foundation of a state structure.”

Inevitably, there were further, new, and prestigious genealogical claims along with claims of sovereignty over Mewar. The Guhadatta legend of tenth-eleventh centuries was dropped from the records and instead the new legends of Bappaka Häritarasi-Ekalinga-Medapata were adopted.       

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