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{{Other uses|Gurjara (disambiguation)}}
{{Short description|Historical region of northwestern India }}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}}
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'''Gurjaradesa''' ({{lit|Gurjara country}}, or '''Gurjaratra''')<ref name=":0">* {{Cite book |last=Mahapatra |first=B. P. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yU8nq-C6wnoC&dq=Gurjaratra+or+Gurjar+country&pg=PA121 |title=Constitutional languages |date=1989 |publisher=Presses Université Laval |isbn=978-2-7637-7186-1 |pages=20 |language=en |quote=The name "Gujarat" is derived from the Sanskrit Gurjaratra through the intermediate Prakrit form "Gujjaratta", which apparently means "the country of the Gujars".}}
* {{Cite book |last=Sharma |first=Sita Ram |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-IVhAAAAMAAJ&q=Gurjaratra+or+Gurjar+country |title=Gujarati |date=1992 |publisher=Anmol Publications |isbn=978-81-7041-545-9 |pages=4 |language=en}}</ref> is a historical region in [[India]] comprising southern [[Rajasthan]] and northern [[Gujarat]] during the period of 6th–12th century CE. The predominant power of the region, [[Gurjara Pratihara]], eventually controlled a major part of North India centered at [[Kannauj]]. The current Indian state of [[Gujarat]] derives its name from the ancient Gurjaratra.{{sfn|Puri|1986|loc=Chapter 1}}<ref name=":0" />

== Early references to Gurjara country ==
[[File:Arabsum5.png|thumb|300px|Campaigns of [[Mohammad bin Qasim]] (712–715), including attacks on [[Bhinmal]].]]
[[File:Arab-Gujarat campaigns 724-740 CE.png|thumb|300px|Arab campaigns from the [[Caliphal province of Sind]] into Gujarat and Gurjaradesa in 724–740 CE.]]
''Gurjaradēśa'', or Gurjara country, is first attested in [[Banabhatta|Bana]]'s ''[[Harshacharita]]'' (7th century CE). Its king is said to have been subdued by [[Harshavardhana|Harsha]]'s father [[Prabhakaravardhana]] (died c. 605 CE).{{sfn|Puri|1986|p=9}} The bracketing of the country with [[Sindh]]a (Sindh), [[Gurjaras of Lata|Lāta]] (southern Gujarat) and [[Malwa|Malava]] (western Malwa) indicates that the region including the northern Gujarat and Rajasthan is meant.<ref>{{citation |first=Shankar |last=Goyal |title=Recent Historiography of the Age of Harṣa |journal=Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute |volume=72/73 |number=1/4 |year=1991 |pages=331–361 |jstor=41694902}}</ref>

[[Hieun Tsang]], the Chinese Buddhist pilgrim who visited India between 631–645 CE during Harsha's reign, mentioned the Gurjara country (''Kiu-che-lo'') with its capital at [[Bhinmal]] (''Pi-lo-mo-lo'') as the second largest kingdom of Western India.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Wink |first1=André |title=Al-hind: The Making of the Indo-islamic World |date=1991 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-09249-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bCVyhH5VDjAC&pg=PA279 |language=en}}</ref> He distinguished it from the neighbouring kingdoms of [[Bharukaccha]] (Bharuch), [[Ujjayini]] (Ujjain), [[Malava]] (Malwa), [[Valabhi]] and [[Surashtra]].{{sfn|Puri|1986|p=9}} The Gurjara kingdom was said to have measured 833 miles in circuit and its ruler was a 20-year old [[kshatriya]], who was distinguished for his wisdom and courage.{{sfn|Puri|1986|p=35}} It is known that, in 628 CE, the kingdom at Bhinmal was ruled by a [[Chapa dynasty]] ruler ''Vyāgrahamukha'', under whose reign the mathematician-astronomer [[Brahmagupta]] wrote his famous treatise. It is believed that the young ruler mentioned by Hieun Tsang must have been his immediate successor.<ref>{{cite journal |first=Vincent A. |last=Smith |title='White Hun' Coin of Vyagrahamukha of the Chapa (Gurjara) Dynasty of Bhinmal |journal=Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland |date=October 1907 |pages=923–928 |doi=10.1017/S0035869X00036868 |jstor=25210490 |s2cid=161891450 |url=https://zenodo.org/record/2131068|doi-access=free }}</ref>
It appears that the Gurjara country at that time comprised modern Rajasthan.{{sfn|Puri|1986|p=9}} Following the death of [[Harsha]], his empire split up into small kingdoms. Gurjaradesa is believed to have become independent.

The Arab chroniclers of [[Sindh]] (an Arab province from 712 CE onward), narrated the campaigns of Arab governors on ''Jurz'', the Arabic term for Gurjara. They mentioned it jointly with ''Mermad'' (Marumāda, in Western Rajasthan) and ''Al Baylaman'' (Bhinmal).<ref>{{harvnb|Bhandarkar|1929|pp=29–30}}; {{harvnb|Wink|2002|p=208}}; {{harvnb|Blankinship|1994|pp=132–133}}</ref> The country was first conquered by [[Mohammad bin Qasim]] (712-715) and, for a second time, by Junayd (723-726).{{sfn|Blankinship|1994|p=133}} Upon bin Qasim's victory, [[Al-Baladhuri]] mentioned that the Indian rulers, including that of Bhinmal, accepted Islam and paid tribute.{{sfn|Blankinship|1994|p=319}} They presumably recanted after bin Qasim's departure, which made Junayd's attack necessary. After Junayd's reconquest, the kingdom at Bhinmal appears to have been annexed by the Arabs.{{sfn|Blankinship|1994|p=133}}

== Successor Gurjara kingdoms ==
{{main|Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty}}

A Gurjara kingdom was founded by Harichandra Rohilladhi at [[Mandore]] (''Mandavyapura'') in about 600 CE. This is expected to have been a small kingdom.{{sfn|Puri|1986|p=34}} His descendant, Nagabhata, shifted the capital to [[Merta City|Merta]] (Medāntakapura) in about 680 CE.{{sfn|Puri|1986|p=35}} Eventually, this dynasty adopted the designation of "Gurjara Pratihara" in line with the [[ Gurjara Pratihara]]s, to whom it became feudatory.{{sfn|Puri|1986|pp=37-39}}{{sfn|Sanjay Sharma|2006|p=191}} They are often referred to as Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty by historians.

The Bharuch line of Gurjaras ([[Gurjaras of Lata]]) was founded by [[Dadda|Dadda I]], who is identified with Harichandra's youngest son of the same name by many historians. These Gurjaras were always recognized as vassals (''sāmanthas'') though their allegiance might have varied over time. They are believed to have wrested a fair portion of the Lata province of the [[Chaulukya dynasty|Chaulukyas]] and their kingdom also came to be regarded as part of Gurjaradesa.{{sfn|Puri|1986|p=41}}

A final line of [[Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty|Gurjars]] was founded by [[Nagabhata I]] at [[Jalore]], in the vicinity of Bhinmal, in about 730 CE, soon after Junayd's end of term in Sindh. Nagabhata is said to have defeated the "invincible Gurjaras," presumably those of Bhinmal.{{sfn|Shanta Rani Sharma|2012|p=8}} Another account credits him for having defeated a "Muslim ruler."{{sfn|Sanjay Sharma|2006|p=204}} [[Nagabhata I|Nagabhata]] is also known to have repelled the Arabs during a later raid.{{sfn|Blankinship|1994|p=188}} His dynasty later expanded to [[Ujjain]] and called itself [[Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty|Pratihara]]. The rival kingdoms of Pratiharas, the [[Rashtrakuta]]s and [[Pala Empire|Palas]], however continued to call them [[Gurjar|Gurjaras]] or kings of Gurjaras (''Gurjaresa''). The [[Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty|Pratiharas]] became the dominant force of the entire Rajasthan and Gujarat regions, establishing a powerful empire centered at [[Kannauj]], the former capital of [[Harsha|Harshavardhana]].{{sfn|Puri|1986|loc=chapters 3–4}}

== Later references ==
Udyotana Suri's ''[[Kuvalayamala]]'' composed in [[Jalore]] in 778 CE describes in detail the Gurjara country as a beautiful country, whose residents are also referred to as Gurjaras.{{sfn|V. B. Mishra|1954|pp=50-51}} They were differentiated from the ''Saindhavas'' (people of [[Sindh]]), ''Latas'' (in [[South Gujarat|southern Gujarat]]), ''Malavas'' (people of [[Malwa]]) and ''Meravas''. They were mentioned to be devotees of [[dharma]] and clever in matters of peace as well as war.<ref>{{citation |last=Manglani |first=J. J. |title=Kuvalayamala - A source of Social and Cultural History of Rajasthan |journal=International Journal of Recent Research and Review |volume=1 |date=March 2012 |url=http://ijrrr.com/papers/7%20Samaraiccakaha.pdf }}</ref>

The term ''Gurjaratra'' is first mentioned in the [[Ghatiyala]] inscription of Kakkuka (Mandore Pratihara) in 861 CE. Kakkuka is said to have won the love of the people of Gurjaratra along with those Marumada, [[Vallabhi|Valla]] and Travani.<ref>{{harvtxt|Puri|1986|p=8}}; {{harvtxt|Krishna Gopal Sharma|1993|p=15}}</ref> Later records suggest that this Gurjaratra mandala was in the region of [[Didwana]] in the old [[Jodhpur State]].{{sfn|Puri|1986|p=8}}

In later times, the term Gurjaratra is used to connote the present day [[Gujarat]]. [[Jinadattasuri|Jinadatta Suri]] (1075-1154 CE) mentions a country of ''Gujaratta'' with its capital at [[Anahilapataka]] ([[Patan, Gujarat|Patan]]) in northern Gujarat. The [[Chaulukya]]s ([[Solanki dynasty|Solankis]]) are also referred to as [[Gurjar|Gurjaras]] in inscriptions and their country as ''Gurjaradesa''.{{sfn|Puri|1986|pp=8-9}}

== Culture and science ==
[[Bhinmal]] was a great centre of learning. According to ''[[Kanhadade Prabandha]]'', it had 45,000 [[Brahmin|Brahmins]] who never tired of studying the ancient sacred books.<ref name="Padmanābha1991">{{citation|author=Padmanābha|title=Kānhaḍade Prabandha, India's Greatest Patriotic Saga of Medieval Times: Padmanābha's Epic Account of Kānhaḍade|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tsdjAAAAMAAJ|year=1991|publisher=Aditya Prakashan|isbn=978-81-85179-54-4 |page=165}}</ref>

[[Brahmagupta]], the well-known mathematicians astronomer, was born in 598 CE in Bhinmal. He is likely to have lived most of his life in the town, during the empire of [[Harsha]]. He wrote two texts on mathematics and astronomy: The [[Brahma Sphuta Siddhanta]] in 628, and the Khandakhadyaka in 665. He made seminal contributions to mathematics, including the first mathematical treatment of [[zero (number)|zero]], rules for manipulating positive and negative numbers, as well as algorithms for algebraic operations on decimal numbers.<ref name="SenAgarwal2015">{{citation|last1=Sen|first1=Syamal K.|last2=Agarwal|first2=Ravi P.|title=Zero: A Landmark Discovery, the Dreadful Void, and the Ultimate Mind|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fwBaCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA39|date=6 November 2015|publisher=Elsevier Science|isbn=978-0-12-804624-1|pages=39–}}</ref> His work on astronomy and mathematics was transmitted to the court of the [[Abbasid Caliphate|Abbasid]] Caliph [[Al-Mansur]] (r. 754-775 CE), who had the Indian astronomical texts translated into [[Arabic]]. Through these texts, the decimal number system spread through the Arab world and later Europe.<ref>{{citation |last=Avari |first=Burjor |author-link=Burjor Avari |title=Islamic Civilization in South Asia: A history of Muslim power and presence in the Indian subcontinent |publisher=Routledge |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-415-58061-8 |page=32}}</ref>

The Sanskrit poet [[Magha (poet)|Magha]], the author of ''[[Shishupala Vadha|Sisupalavadha]],'' lived here in 680 CE.
The Jain scholar Siddharshi Gani, a resident of Bhinmal wrote
''Upmitibahava prapancha katha'' in 905 CE. The ''[[Jain Ramayana]]'' was written by Jain monk Vijayagani in 1595 CE. [[Jain acharya]] Udyotana Suri wrote ''[[Kuvalayamala]]'' here.

== See also ==
* [[Rajasthani people]]
* [[Architecture of Rajasthan]]
* [[Brahmagupta]]
* [[Hindu-Arabic numerals]]
* [[Mandore]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}
; Sources
* {{cite journal |last=Bhandarkar |first=D. R. |author-link=D. R. Bhandarkar |title=Indian Studies No. I: Slow Progress of Islam Power in Ancient India |journal=Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute |volume=10 |number=1/2 |year=1929 |pages=25–44 |jstor=41682407 }}
* {{cite book |last=Blankinship |first=Khalid Yahya |author-link=Khalid Yahya Blankinship |title=The End of the Jihad State: The Reign of Hisham Ibn 'Abd al-Malik and the Collapse of the Umayyads |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Jz0Yy053WS4C |access-date=10 May 2015 |year=1994 |publisher=SUNY Press |isbn=978-0-7914-1827-7 }}
* {{cite journal |first=V. B. |last=Mishra |title=Who were the Gurjara-Pratīhāras? |journal=Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute |volume=35 |number=1/4 |year=1954 |pages=42–53 |jstor=41784918 |ref={{sfnref|V. B. Mishra|1954}}}}
* {{cite book |last=Puri |first=Baij Nath |author-link=Baij Nath Puri |title=The History of the Gurjara-Pratiharas |publisher=Munshiram Manoharlal |location=Delhi |year=1986 }}
** {{citation |first=Baij Nath |last=Puri |author-link=Baij Nath Puri |title=The history of the Gurjara-Pratihāras |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=szkhAAAAMAAJ |year=1957 |publisher=Munshiram Manoharlal }}
* {{cite book |first=Krishna Gopal |last=Sharma |title=Early Jaina inscriptions of Rajasthan, Volume 1 |publisher=Navrang |year=1993 |isbn=8170130816 |ref={{sfnref|Krishna Gopal Sharma|1993}}}}
* {{cite journal |last=Sharma |first=Sanjay |title=Negotiating Identity and Status Legitimation and Patronage under the Gurjara-Pratīhāras of Kanauj |journal=Studies in History |volume=22 |number=22 |year=2006 |pages=181–220 |doi=10.1177/025764300602200202 |s2cid=144128358 |ref={{sfnref|Sanjay Sharma|2006}}}}
* {{cite journal |last=Sharma |first=Shanta Rani |title=Exploding the Myth of the Gūjara Identity of the Imperial Pratihāras |journal=Indian Historical Review |volume=39 |number=1 |year=2012 |pages=1–10 |doi=10.1177/0376983612449525 |s2cid=145175448 |ref={{sfnref|Shanta Rani Sharma|2012}}}}
* {{cite book |last=Wink |first=André |title=Al-Hind: The Making of the Indo-Islamic World |publisher=Brill |year=2002 |orig-year=first published 1996 |isbn=0391041738 }}
* {{cite book |title=The Glory That was Gurjardesha, Part 3 |last=Munshi |first=K.M.|publisher=Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan |year=1944 |location=Bombay}}

[[Category:Historical regions in India]]
[[Category:Geography of Rajasthan]]
[[Category:Geography of Gujarat]]
[[Category:History of Gujarat]]
[[Category:History of Rajasthan]]

Gurjaradesha - Revision history

NXHLillian: Started first data basic info