Gurjara-Pratihara

The Pratihara were a dynasty in north-west India (about 725-1036 ), which is attributed to the Rajputs or the tribe of the Gurjara, so it is also called Gurjara - Pratihara. In its heyday, the Pratihara rulers ruled over large parts of North India and took over the defense against the Muslim invaders, the Arabs in Sind and later the Ghaznavids.

Etymology

The word means something like Pratihara (door ) switch, governor ( Vogt ) or protector. Therefore, most historians believe that the occupied Pratiharas originally Although high-level, but ultimately serving and military tasks at the court of the Rashtrakutas.

History

As an ancestor of Brahmin Harichandra (6th century ) is mentioned. The first historical personality of the dynasty was a certain Nagabhata. He sat in Avanti ( in Westmalwa ) and threw the troops of the Arab governor of Sind, Jumaid, from Ujjain and Malwa ( at 725-40 ).

Vatsaraja (reigned about 775-805 ), who was the real founder of Pratihara power by combining the Gurjara clan, extended his empire around 783 over the Rajputana and parts of North West India. He defeated the Pala king Dharmapala (reigned about 775-810 ) at Allahabad, but was by the Rashtrakuta king Dhruva (reigned about 779-793 ) struck at 786.

Under his son Nagabhatra II was repeated the game: he was able to wrest Dharmapalas vassals Kannauj and defeat at Monghyr also Dharmapala himself. But in the years 806/ 07 attacked the Rashtrakuta Govindra III. (reigned about to 813 ) and his brother Indra with two fast- advancing armies to the north and beat Nagabhatra II, who fled into the desert of Rajasthan. Nagabhatra II Kannauj could ultimately hold, but only at the price of concessions; so he had to tolerate the Chandella chief Nannuka as his liege lord.

Only Bhoja Adivaraha (reigned about 836-885 ) moved his residence 836 final after Kannauj. Bhoja and his successor Mahendrapala (reigned about 885-908 ) led there a luxurious court life and überfeinertes and held North India with several victories together. Kannauj was expanded and a center of art (architecture, poetry, music ); the work of the poet Rajashekhara falls into this time. Due to the subsequent Islamic conquest, however, not a single representative of temples from this period remained in the vicinity of Kannauj.

King Mahipala (reigned about 914-943 ) has already threatened despite its four large armies of internal strife, Kannauj fell to 915/16 for a short time at the Rashtrakuta Indra III. Whose General Narasinha pursued him through the country. The assassination of Indra III. in the year 917 and the support of the Chandella Harshavarman and Guhilot Bhatta saved Mahipala; his vassals expelled the Rashtrakutas, and set him on the throne.

As a result, the power of the vassals took to resistant. Especially the Pratihara kings were now dependent on the Chandella, which took over the role of family Meier: 954 had King Devapala the kingdom sanctuary, an idol of Vishnu, assign them to the Chandella Vasovarman (reigned about 930-950 ) and went to the 960ern his successor Vijayapala lost large tracts of land to the Chandella Dhanga (reigned about 950-1002 ). Nevertheless, they were still formally recognized as feudal lords, though little respectful, because the Chandella were now the true masters of North India - to Mahmud of Ghazni came.

The King Rajyapala was fighting the Muslims of Mahmud of Ghazni from his newly independent long vassals (as since the Chaulukya or Solanki, Chauhan, Paramara, Tomara, Kalachuri and of course the Chandella would ) let down; the Chandella Ganda (reigned about 1002-25 ) even occurred to him in the back. Rajyapala fled from Kannauj, has now been accused of being "traitors", defeated by the Chandella and other princes and eventually murdered ( 1018). His successor Trilochanpala lost Kannauj and fled to Prayag. The last Pratihara ruler died in 1036.

List of Pratihara kings

  • Nagabhata I. (about 725-756 )
  • Vatsaraja (about 775-805 )
  • Param Bhattarak Parmeshwar Nagabhata II (about 800-833 )
  • Ramabhadra (about 833-835 )
  • Samrat Mihir Bhoja Mahan (about 836-885 )
  • Mahendrapala I. (about 885-908 )
  • Bhoja II (about 908-914 )
  • Samrat Mahipala (about 914-943 )
  • Mahendrapala II (about 943-948 )
  • Devapala (about 948-954 )
  • Vijayapala (about 954-955 )
  • Mahipala II (about 955-956 )
  • Vijaypala II (about 956-960 )
  • Rajyapala ( until about 1018)
  • Trilochanpala (about 1018-1027 )
  • Jasapala ( Yashpal ) (about 1024-1036 )

Temples

In its heyday (ca. 725-950 ), the Hinduism appended ruler of the Pratihara dynasty operated - probably from making political considerations - as very active founders of temples in central India. The so-called ' Pratihara temple ' extend from Gwalior ( Teli -ka- Mandir ) and its surroundings ( Naresar, Amrol ) to the north of Vidisha ( Badoh, Pathari, Gyraspur ). Several relatively well preserved Pratihara temples are also found in the wider area of ​​Lalitpur: Indor, Mahua, Terahi the northwest, Deogarh in the south and Markhera in the Northeast. Probably the most beautiful and last temple (about 950 ) in the Pratihara style is in Barwasagar (about 25 km south-east of Jhansi ). Many temples - not only from the Pratihara period - were destroyed during the period of Islamic conquests in northern India in large parts.

Rashtrakuta dynasty Chandela Mewar Kalachuri dynasty Gyaraspur Archaeological Survey of India
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