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{{Short description|King of Antaravedi from 1155 to 1169}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=March 2019}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name = Vijayachandra
| title = Ashva-pati<br/>Nara-pati<br/>Gaja-pati<br/>Rajatrayadhipati
| succession = King of [[Ganga-Yamuna Doab|Antaravedi]]
| reign = c. 1155–1169
| predecessor = [[Govindachandra (Gahadavala dynasty)|Govindachandra]]
| successor = [[Jayachandra]]
| death_date = 1169
| issue = Jayachandra<br>Valuka Rai
| spouse = Sundri
| house-type = Dynasty
| house = [[Gahadavala]]
| father = Govindachandra
}}

'''Vijaya-chandra''' ({{IAST3|Vijayacandra}}; died 1169) was an Indian king from the [[Gahadavala]] dynasty, ruling from 1155 to 1169. He ruled the Antarvedi country in the [[Ganga|Gangetic]] plains, which includes a major part of the present-day eastern [[Uttar Pradesh]], including [[Varanasi]]. He probably also ruled some parts of western [[Bihar]] through his feudatories. He is believed to have repulsed a [[Ghaznavid]] invasion.

== Early life ==

Vijayachandra was a son of [[Govindachandra (Gahadavala dynasty)|Govindachandra]], the most powerful king of the dynasty. He is also known as Vijayapala or Malladeva.{{sfn|Sailendra Nath Sen|1999|p=271}} The last extant inscription of Govindachandra is dated 1154. The earliest extant inscription of Vijayachandra is dated 1168. His last inscription is from 1169, while the first inscription of his successor [[Jayachandra]] is from 1170 CE. As Govindachandra had already ruled for 40 years by 1154, it can be assumed that his reign ended shortly after 1154. Vijayachandra must have ascended the throne around 1155, and ruled for approximately 15 years.{{sfn|Roma Niyogi|1959|p=90-91}}

Besides Vijayachandra, Govindachandra had at least two other sons: Asphota-chandra and Rajya-pala. Asphotachandra bore the title ''Yuvaraja'' ([[heir apparent]]), as attested by an 1134 CE inscription. Rajyapala bore the title ''Maharajaputra'' (prince), as attested by the 1143 CE Gagaha inscription and the 1146 CE [[Varanasi]] inscription. It is not known why Vijayachandra ascended the throne when Asphotachandra was the ''yuvaraja''. It is possible that the other two princes died during Govindachandra's lifetime, or that Vijayachandra defeated them in a war of succession, but there is no concrete evidence for either of these hypotheses.{{sfn|Roma Niyogi|1959|p=88-89}}

The absence of any Gahadavala inscription between 1154 and 1169 is rather unusual for the dynasty. It may have been a result of the troubled times brought about by external invasions, or a war of succession among Govindachandra's sons.{{sfn|Roma Niyogi|1959|p=91}}

Vijayachandra inherited his father's regnal titles ''Ashva-pati Nara-pati Gaja-pati Rajatrayadhipati'' and ''Vividha-vidya-vichara-vachaspati''.{{sfn|Roma Niyogi|1959|p=102}}

== Military career ==

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The 1169 CE Tara Chandi rock inscription, found near [[Sasaram]], was issued by one ''Mahanayaka'' Pratapadhavala of Japila. It denounces an earlier fake grant of Kalahandi and Vadapila villages issued by Vijayachandra's officer Deu after taking a bribe.{{sfn|Roma Niyogi|1959|p=98}}{{sfn|P.B. Udgaonkar|1986|pp=109-110}} Historian Roma Niyogi theorized that Pratapadhavala was a feudatory of Vijayachandra. According to her, since there is no record of this region being a part of Govindachandra's kingdom, Vijayachandra may have captured it.{{sfn|Roma Niyogi|1959|pp=98-99}}

=== Ghaznavids ===

The Gahadavala inscriptions praise Vijayachandra using vague, conventional terms.{{sfn|Roma Niyogi|1959|p=92}} According to them, the king swept away the world's suffering with tears from the eyes of Hammira's wife. "Hammira" (the Sanskritized form of [[Emir|Amir]]) refers to a Muslim general, possibly a subordinate of a [[Ghaznavid]] ruler. The Ghaznavid ruler could have been either Khusrau Shah or [[Khusrau Malik]]. The Ghaznavids had permanently lost [[Ghazna]] by their time, and were operating out of [[Lahore]]. Their attempts to expand eastwards may have brought them into conflicts with the Gahadavalas. The earliest extant inscription to mention this victory is from 1168, so the battle definitely took place before this year. The [[Chahamanas of Shakambhari|Chahamana]] king [[Vigraharaja IV]] had captured [[Delhi]] by 1164, and is believed to have expelled the [[Turkic peoples|Turushka]]s (Turkic people, that is, Ghaznavids). Therefore, the battle can probably be dated before 1164.{{sfn|Roma Niyogi|1959|p=92-93}}

While fighting with the Ghaznavids, Vijayachandra may have ignored his western frontiers. This later resulted in a [[Sena dynasty|Sena]] invasion led by [[Lakshmana Sena]].{{sfn|Roma Niyogi|1959|pp=94-97}}

=== Description in ''Prithviraj Raso'' ===

The historically unreliable ''[[Prithviraj Raso]]'' claims that Vijayachandra defeated [[Anangpal Tomar|Anangapala]] of [[Delhi]]. There is a possibility that Vijayachandra fought with Anangapala, the [[Tomara dynasty|Tomara]] ruler of Delhi.{{sfn|Roma Niyogi|1959|p=92}} However, there is no other authentic evidence to corroborate this claim. By 1164, Delhi had been captured by the [[Chahamanas of Shakambhari|Chahamana]] king [[Vigraharaja IV]].{{sfn|Roma Niyogi|1959|p=97}}

The text further claims that he defeated the Bhola-Bhima of Pattanapura, that is, [[Bhima II]] of [[Patan, Gujarat|Patan]]. However, Bhima II of the [[Chaulukya]] dynasty ascended the throne only in 1177, after Vijayachandra's death. Therefore, this claim is not accurate.{{sfn|Roma Niyogi|1959|p=92}}

The text also claims that Vijayachandra defeated Mukunda-deva, the [[Somavamshi dynasty|Somavanshi]] king of [[Kataka (city)|Kataka]]. Mukunda was forced to conclude peace by marrying his daughter to prince Jayachandra; [[Samyukta]] was the issue of this marriage. This claim is also wrong, as the Somavanshi dynasty did not have any king named Mukunda-deva. Moreover, the Somavanshis had already been displaced by the [[Eastern Ganga dynasty|Gangas]] before Vijayachandra's ascension.{{sfn|Roma Niyogi|1959|p=92}}

== Inscriptions ==

The following inscriptions from Vijayachandra's reign have been discovered:{{sfn|Roma Niyogi|1959|pp=255-260}}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Date of issue (CE)
! Place of discovery
! Issued at
! Issued by
! Purpose
|-
| 19 April 1158
| [[Rohtas district]]: Tutrahi waterfall (near Tilouthu)
| Unknown
| Pratapadhavala (probably a feudatory)
| Unknown
|-
| 16 June 1168
| [[Varanasi district]]: Kamauli
| Varanasi: Near Adikeshava Temple
| Jayachandra (prince)
| Village grant
|-
| 1168-1169
| Unknown
| Vashishtha [[Ghat]]ta on Yamuna
| Jayachandra (prince)
| Village grant
|-
| 1169
| [[Rohtas district]]: Phulwaria
| Unknown
| Pratapadhavala (probably a feudatory)
| Road construction
|-
| Undated
| [[Rohtas district]]: Phulwaria
| Unknown
| Pratapadhavala (probably a feudatory)
| Records a pilgrimage to Tutrahi waterfall
|-
| 16 April 1169
| [[Rohtas district]]: Tara Chandi
| Unknown
| Pratapadhavala (probably a feudatory)
| Denouncement of a fake grant
|-
| 19 March 1169
| [[Jaunpur district]]: [[Lal Darwaza Masjid, Jaunpur|Lal Darwaza mosque]]
| Unknown
| Bhattaraka Bhabi-bhushana
| Unknown
|}

== Cultural activities ==

Vijayachandra patronized scholars and poets, including [[Sriharsha|Shriharsha]], who composed a now-lost work called ''Shri-Vijaya-Prashasti''. This text may have been a eulogistic biography of Vijayachandra. An inscription of Jayachandra states that reputed poets used to sing about his father's magnificence, which might be a reference to such eulogistic works.{{sfn|Roma Niyogi|1959|p=99}}

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

=== Bibliography ===

* {{cite book |author=Roma Niyogi |title=The History of the Gāhaḍavāla Dynasty |publisher=Oriental |year=1959 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EJQBAAAAMAAJ |oclc=5386449 }}
* {{cite book |author=P.B. Udgaonkar |title=Political Institutions & Administration |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Jdoym34QydQC&pg=PA109 |year=1986 |publisher=[[Motilal Banarsidass]] |isbn=978-81-208-2087-6 }}
* {{cite book |author=Sailendra Nath Sen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC&pg=PA172 |title=Ancient Indian History and Civilization |publisher=New Age International |year=1999 |isbn=9788122411980 }}

{{Wikiquote}}

{{Gahadavala dynasty}}

[[Category:Gahadavala kings]]
[[Category:12th-century Indian monarchs]]

Vijayachandra - Revision history

Abhinavsinghshiva at 01:51, 4 October 2025