Skip to main content

The Solankis of Anhilwara (Gujarat)


Rani ki Vav/ Image credit: Unsplash


The Chalukyas of Anhilwara or Solankis, as they are popularly known, ruled in Gujarat and Kathiawar for nearly three centuries and a half (c 950-1300). One of the earliest kings of this line of Chalukyas was Mularaja who consolidated the Chalukya authority in Gujarat. 

The next king of importance was Bhima I (c. 1022-64), during whose reign Mahmud Ghazni, who made seventeen raids on India between 1001 and 1027, overran Gujarat and plundered the great temple of Somanath. When Mahmud appeared before the capital city Anhilwara (modern Siddhpur Patan), Bhima I took refuge in Kanthkot fort in Kutch. After the withdrawal of Mahmud, Bhima I revived the Chalukya power and entered into a coalition with Lakshmi – Karna Kalachuri against Bhoja (c1010-55), the greatest ruler of the Paramara dynasty of Malwa. 

It was during the reign of Bhima I that the Sun Temple of Modhera was built. His spouse Udaymati is known for constructing Rani ki Vav (Queen's Stepwell'), a stepwell situated in the town of Patan in Gujarat. Rani ki Vav is a UNESCO's World Heritage Site. 

His minister, Vastupala, was responsible for constructing the famous Dilwara Jain temples at Mount Abu in the state of Rajasthan.  These temples are the products of superb craftsmanship.

Jayasimha Siddharaja was the greatest Solanki ruler who, in commemoration of his victory against the Paramaras, assumed the title of Avantinatha. He erected a number of religious edifices in his kingdom and patronised learning. He was the patron of the celebrated Jain scholar Hemachandra. He ruled from 1092 to 1142. 

Kumarapala (c. 1143-1172) of the dynasty was a big votary of Jainism. During his reign, Svetambaras gained a place of great prominence in Gujarat. It is said that during his reign, non-violence was enforced so strictly that those who killed even the flies were severely fined. During the reign of Bhima II (c.1178-1241), Muhammad Ghori made an unsuccessful invasion of Gujarat (AD 1178) and was comprehensively defeated in the Battle of Kayadara that took place in Sirohi district in Rajasthan. His slave Qutab-ud-din Aibak led two expeditions. Anhilwara was plundered and temporarily occupied by the Turkish army. In the same period, the Vaghela chief carved out an independent principality in Gujarat between Sabarmati and the Narmada. 

During the rule of the Chalukyas in Gujarat, architecture reached it zenith in Western India. The beautiful Jaina shrines at Mount Abu in Rajasthan are the case in point. Since the Solanki kingdom was prosperous thanks to the sea borne trade with the Arabs and Persians, large amount of money was spent on the construction of beautiful Hindu and Jaina temples.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Matangini Hazra

Matangini Hazra was a woman revolutionary and brave freedom fighter who fought for the independence of India from the British and laid down her life for it.  She was from a small village called Hogla located near Tamluk, the headquarters of the Purba Medinipur district in West Bengal. Hazra was born on October 19, 1870. Matangini Hazra was one of the protagonists of the Tamralipta Jatiya Sarkar (Tamralipta National Government), a parallel government established during the Quit India Movement.  Matangini Hazra was shot dead by the police in front of the Tamluk Police Station on 29 September 1942.  Matangini Hazra was  affectionately known as Gandhi buri, Bengali for old lady Gandhi.  The famed Hazra Road in Kolkata is also named after her. 
Post a Comment
Read more

Muhammad Shah Rangila

Aurangzeb, the last great Mughal emperor, died in 1707. Muhammad Shah became Mughal emperor in 1719. During the interregnum, Bahadur Shah I , Jahandar Shah, Farrukhsiyar, Rafi-ud-Darajat and Rafi-ud-Daula ascended the Mughal throne. Jahandar Shah was murdered on the orders of Farrukhsiyar who had the support of the two powerful Mughal nobles Sayyid Abdullah and his brother Sayyid Husain Ali at that time. They are famous in history as Sayyid brothers, the King-makers. In 1719, Farrukhsiyar were murdered in utter disregard of a Mughal emperor by Sayyid brothers. Rafi-ud-Darajat died of consumption in a few months. Rafi-ud-Daula was addicted to opium and died in 4 months. Sayyid brothers now chose Raushan Akhtar, a son of Jahan Shah (the fourth son of Bahadur Shah I), to be the emperor. Raushan Akhtar ascended the throne under the title of Muhamamd Shah in September 1719. In the beginning Muhammad Shah was a puppet in the hands of Sayyid brothers who soon began to lose their gri...
1 comment
Read more

Minhaj-us-Siraj: Author of Tabaqat-i-Nasiri

Minhaj-ud-din Abu Uraar bin Siraj-ud-din al-Juzjani, popularly known as Minhaj-us-Siraj,  was a medieval historian who was patronized by Slave Sultan Nasir-ud-din Mahmud to whom he had dedicated his magnum opus Tabaqat-i-Nasiri . Since Siraj held the high office of the Chief Qazi of Delhi to which he was appointed by Nasir-ud-din Mahmud, it is natural that Tabaqat-i-Nasiri gives a first hand account of the historical events from the conquest of Delhi by Muhammad of Ghur up to the year 1260 AD. Siraj was temporarily removed from the post of Chief Qazi from 1253 to 1255 when a section of nobles induced the Sultan to send his prime minister Balban into exile.  Tabaqat-i-Nasiri has been translated into English by Raverty .   -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This page was last edited on 24 July 2021
6 comments
Read more