https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Chamundaraja_%28Chaulukya_dynasty%29Chamundaraja (Chaulukya dynasty) - Revision history2026-08-19T22:36:44ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.43.6https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chamundaraja_(Chaulukya_dynasty)&diff=493274&oldid=prevWaldoOakes4: put up new entry...2026-03-22T22:58:26Z<p>put up new entry...</p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|King of Gujarat from 996 to 1008}}<br />
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}<br />
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2024}}<br />
{{Infobox royalty<br />
| name = Chamundaraja<br />
| succession = King of Gujarat<br />
| reign = 996–1008<br />
| predecessor = [[Mularaja]]<br />
| successor = [[Vallabharaja]]<br />
| issue = Vallabharaja and [[Durlabharaja (Chaulukya dynasty)|Durlabharaja]]<br />
| house = [[Chaulukya]] (Solanki)<br />
| house-type = dynasty<br />
| father = Mularaja<br />
}}<br />
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'''Chamundaraja''' ([[IAST]]: Cāmuṇḍarāja; {{reign|996|1008}}) was an Indian king who ruled parts of present-day [[Gujarat]] from his capital at [[Anahilapataka]] (modern Patan). He was a member of the [[Chaulukya]] (also called Chalukya or Solanki) dynasty.<br />
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== Early life ==<br />
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Cāmuṇḍarāja was the son of the Chaulukya king [[Mularaja|Mūlarāja]]. Inscriptions recording grants made by him as a prince are dated as early as 976, although he ascended the throne much later, sometime during 996–997.{{sfn|Asoke Kumar Majumdar|1956|p=34}}<br />
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== Military career ==<br />
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The [[Vastupala|Vastupāla]]-Tejaḥpāla ''[[prashasti|praśasti]]'' includes conventional praise for Cāmuṇḍarāja, boasting that he decorated the earth with the heads of his enemies, but does not name any specific enemies. According to the 12th century Jain author [[Hemachandra|Hemacandra]], Cāmuṇḍarāja defeated the [[Chalukyas of Lata|Lata Chalukya]] chief Bārapa, although other chroniclers attribute this victory to his father Mūlarāja. Therefore, it appears that Cāmuṇḍarāja participated in the war against Bārapa as a prince.{{sfn|Asoke Kumar Majumdar|1956|p=34}}<br />
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According to the 12th century [[Vadnagar|Vādnagar]] ''praśasti'' inscription, a king named Sindhurāja fled with his elephant forces when he saw Cāmuṇḍarāja's army at a distance, thus losing his well-established fame. This king can be identified with [[Sindhuraja|Sindhurāja]], the [[Paramara dynasty|Paramāra]] king of Gujarat's neighbour [[Malwa|Mālava]]. According to Sindhurāja's court poet Padmagupta, the Paramāra king defeated the rulers of [[Vagada|Vāgaḍa]] and [[Lata (region)|Lāṭa]], which bordered Cāmuṇḍarāja's kingdom. It is possible that the ruler of Lāṭa was a vassal of Cāmuṇḍarāja at this time. Accordingly, Cāmuṇḍarāja came to the rescue of his vassal, forcing Sindhurāja to retreat. The 14th century Jain chronicler Jayasiṁha Sūri claims that Cāmuṇḍaraja killed Sindhurāja in a battle. However, this claim doesn't appear in the earlier sources, and therefore, cannot be taken literally.{{sfn|Asoke Kumar Majumdar|1956|pp=34-35}}<br />
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The [[Chalukyas of Kalyani|Cālukyas of Kalyani]] captured the Lāṭa region during Cāmuṇḍarāja's reign. The 1007 [[Lakkundi]] inscription mentions that the Kalyani Chalukya ruler [[Satyashraya|Satyāśraya]] had returned from a successful campaign in the [[Gurjaradesa|Gūrjara country]]. The Kalyani Chalukya poet [[Ranna (Kannada poet)|Ranna]] also states that Satyāśraya defeated the Gūrjaras with an elephant force. One theory is that the "Gurjara" ruler defeated by Satyāśraya in this particular campaign was Cāmuṇḍarāja. However, there is no direct evidence to support this identification. It is possible that the ruler defeated by Satyāśraya was the Lata Chalukya ruler Bārapa or an obscure descendant of the [[Gurjaras of Nandipuri|Gūrjaras of Nāndīpurī]].{{sfn|Asoke Kumar Majumdar|1956|p=35}}<br />
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== Personal life ==<br />
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[[Hemachandra|Hemacandra]] states that Cāmuṇḍarāja had three sons: [[Durlabharaja (Chaulukya dynasty)|Durlabharāja]], Nāgarāja, and [[Vallabharaja|Vallabharāja]]. Abhayatilaka Gaṇi, who wrote a commentary on Hemacandra's work in the 13th century, states that Cāmuṇḍarāja became licentious, because of which his sister Vācinidevī placed his son Vallabha on the throne.{{sfn|S. B. Rajyagor|Pran Nath Chopra|1982|p=111}} It is not clear how Vacinidevī became powerful enough to replace a ruling king with another.{{sfn|Asoke Kumar Majumdar|1956|p=36}}<br />
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According to Hemacandra, Cāmuṇḍarāja left for a pilgrimage to [[Varanasi|Varanasi (Banaras)]] after his retirement. During this journey, his royal umbrella was confiscated (presumably, by the ruler of a kingdom lying on the way; identified as [[Malwa|Mālava]] by some later chroniclers). As a result, he returned to Gujarat, and asked Vallabha to avenge this insult. However, Vallabha died of [[smallpox]] during a march, and Durlabha became the new Caulukya king. Cāmuṇḍarāja then retired to Śuklatīrtha (modern Shuklatirth) on the banks of [[Narmada]], where he died.{{sfn|Asoke Kumar Majumdar|1956|pp=36-39}}<br />
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== Religion and temples ==<br />
According to [[Someshvara (13th-century poet)|Someshvara]]'s ''Surathotsava Mahakavya'', his ancestor Lalla-sharman served as a priest (''purohita'') to Chamunda-raja.<ref>{{cite book |author=B.J. Sandesara |author-link=Bhogilal Sandesara |title=Literary Circle of Mahāmātya Vastupāla and its Contribution to Sanskrit Literature |series=Singhi Jain Series |year=1953 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5tljAAAAMAAJ |page=45 }}</ref><br />
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Cāmuṇḍarāja built Canḍanātha and Vācineśvara temples in Anahilapataka (now [[Patan, Gujarat|Patan]]). The Vācineśvara temple was probably built for merit of his sister Vācinidevī.<ref name="Dhaky1961">{{cite journal|first=Madhusudan A.|last=Dhaky|author-link=Madhusudan Dhaky|year=1961|editor-last=Deva|editor-first=Krishna|title=The Chronology of the Solanki Temples of Gujarat|url=http://vmis.in/Resources/digital_publication_popup?id=136#page/22|journal=Journal of the Madhya Pradesh Itihas Parishad|publisher=Madhya Pradesh Itihas Parishad|location=[[Bhopal]]|volume=3|pages=23–24}}</ref><br />
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Other extant temples attributed to the first quarter of 11th century include original [[Bhadreshwar Jain Temple|Bhaḍeśvara Jain Temple]] (now completely rebuilt following [[2001 Gujarat earthquake]]); Viṣṇu Temple at Sander village in [[Patan district]]; Akhāḍa Mahādeva temple at Vasai, and Viṣṇnu Temple at Khandosan, both in Vijapur Taluka of [[Mehsana district]] in [[Gujarat]]. Two pieces of ''parshwadevata''s, of Uma-Maheshwara and Ganesha, from old Brahminical temple at [[Jhinjhuwada]] is recovered dated circa 1000.<ref name="Dhaky1961"/><br />
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== References ==<br />
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=== Bibliography ===<br />
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{{ref begin}}<br />
* {{cite book |author=Asoke Kumar Majumdar |title=Chaulukyas of Gujarat |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ffAdAAAAMAAJ |publisher=Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan |year=1956 |oclc=4413150 }}<br />
* {{cite book |author1=S. B. Rajyagor |author2=Pran Nath Chopra |title=History of Gujarat |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-0pAAAAAMAAJ |year=1982 |publisher=S. Chand |oclc=795832789 }}<br />
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{{Chaulukya dynasty}}<br />
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[[Category:Chaulukya kings]]<br />
[[Category:10th-century Indian monarchs]]<br />
[[Category:11th-century Indian monarchs]]<br />
[[Category:Chaulukya dynasty]]<br />
[[Category:10th-century maharajadhirajas]]<br />
[[Category:11th-century maharajadhirajas]]</div>WaldoOakes4