Gahadavala dynasty

Gahadavala dynasty
1072–1237
A Kalachuri-style 'seated goddess' coin of Govindachandra (r. c. 1114–1155 CE). 412 masha, gold. Obv: Four-armed Lakshmi seated cross-legged on lotus on obverse side holding a lotus in the upper two hands. Rev: Inscription in Nagari script :'Shrimad-Govindachandra'.
Approximate territory of the Gahadavalas circa 1150, during the reign of Govindachandra.[1]
Approximate territory of the Gahadavalas circa 1150, during the reign of Govindachandra.[1]
CapitalBanaras and Kannauj
Religion
Hinduism
Buddhism
Jainism
GovernmentMonarchy
History 
• Established
1072
• Disestablished
1237
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty
Kalachuris of Tripuri
Ghurid dynasty
Delhi Sultanate
Today part ofIndia

The Gahadavala dynasty (IAST: Gāhaḍavālas) also Gahadavalas of Kannauj was a Rajput dynasty[2][3] that ruled parts of the present-day Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, during 11th and 12th centuries. Their capital was located at Banaras (now Varanasi) in the Gangetic plains, and for a brief period, they also controlled Kannauj.

Chandradeva, the first monarch of the dynasty, established a sovereign kingdom sometime before 1090, after the decline of the Kalachuri power. The kingdom reached its zenith under his grandson Govindachandra who annexed some of the Kalachuri territories, warded off Ghaznavid raids, and also fought the Palas. In 1194, Govindachandra's grandson Jayachandra was defeated by the Ghurids, which effectively ended the dynasty's imperial power. The kingdom completely ceased to exist when Jayachandra's successors were defeated by the Delhi Sultanate Mamluk dynasty ruler Iltutmish (r. 1211–1236).

  1. ^ Schwartzberg, Joseph E. (1978). A Historical Atlas of South Asia. Oxford University Press, Digital South Asia Library. p. 147, Map "c".
  2. ^ Romila Thapar (28 June 1990). A History of India. Penguin UK. ISBN 978-0-14-194976-5. The eastern Ganges plain did not experience the disruption of Punjab, despite Mahmud's attack on Kannauj. Kannauj was soon restored and became once more the prize and on account of this suffered continual attack from various states the Chalukyas, and later the Gahadavalas who claimed Rajput status
  3. ^ Satish Chandra (2007). History of Medieval India: 800–1700. Orient Longman. p. 62. ISBN 978-81-250-32267. The rise of a new section called the Rajputs and the controversy about their origins have already been mentioned. With the break-up of the Pratihara empire, a number of Rajput states camne into existence in north India. The most important of these were the Gahadavalas of Kannauj, the Paramaras of Malwa, and the Chauhans of Ajmer