Toramana

For the Turkish male given name, see Toraman.

Toramana
Ruler of the Alchon Huns
Portrait of Toramana and Gupta script initials Tora, from his bronze coinage.[1]
Toramana is located in South Asia
Sanjeli
Eran
Gwalior
Kura
Kausambi (Toramana seals)
Kausambi
(Toramana seals)
Rīsthal
Alchon Huns
class=notpageimage|
Find spots of epigraphic inscriptions indicating local control by Toramana.[2]
Reign493-515
PredecessorMehama
SuccessorMihirakula
ReligionShaivism

Toramana also called Toramana Shahi Jauvla[3] (Gupta script: Toramāṇa,[4] ruled circa 493-515 CE) was a king of the Alchon Huns who ruled in northern India in the late 5th and the early 6th century CE.[5] Toramana consolidated the Alchon power in Punjab (present-day Pakistan and northwestern India), and conquered northern and central India including Eran in Madhya Pradesh. Toramana used the title "Great King of Kings" (Mahārājadhirāja ), equivalent to "Emperor",[6] in his inscriptions, such as the Eran boar inscription.[7]

The Sanjeli inscription of Toramana speaks of his conquest and control over Malwa and Gujarat. His territory also included Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Kashmir.[8] He probably went as far as Kausambi, where one of his seals was discovered.

According to the Rīsthal inscription, discovered in 1983, the Aulikara king Prakashadharma of Malwa defeated him.[9][10]

  1. ^ ALRAM, MICHAEL (2003). "Three Hunnic Bullae from Northwest India" (PDF). Bulletin of the Asia Institute. 17: 180, Figure 11. ISSN 0890-4464. JSTOR 24049314.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Bakker was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Agrawal, Ashvini (1989). Rise and Fall of the Imperial Guptas. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. ISBN 978-81-208-0592-7.
  4. ^ Fleet, John Faithfull (1960). Inscriptions Of The Early Gupta Kings And Their Successors. p. 162.
  5. ^ Grousset, Rene (1970). The Empire of the Steppes. Rutgers University Press. pp. 70-71. ISBN 0-8135-1304-9.
  6. ^ "the Huna emperor Toramana" in Agrawal, Ashvini (1989). Rise and Fall of the Imperial Guptas. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. p. 251. ISBN 9788120805927.
  7. ^ Fleet, John Faithfull (1960). Inscriptions Of The Early Gupta Kings And Their Successors. pp. 158–161.
  8. ^ Dani, Ahmad Hasan (1999). History of Civilizations of Central Asia: The crossroads of civilizations, A.D. 250 to 750. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. p. 142. ISBN 8120815408. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
  9. ^ Ojha, N.K. (2001). The Aulikaras of Central India: History and Inscriptions, Chandigarh: Arun Publishing House, ISBN 81-85212-78-3, pp.48-50
  10. ^ Salomon, Richard (1989). "New Inscriptional Evidence For The History Of The Aulikaras of Mandasor". Indo-Iranian Journal. 32 (1): 27. doi:10.1163/000000089790082971. ISSN 0019-7246. JSTOR 24654606.