Political History of Northern India

SR No.: 001744
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Gulabchandra Chaudhary
Publisher: Sohanlal Jain Dharm Pracharak Samiti Amrutsar
Publication Year: 1954
Total Pages: 482
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, History, & Culture
File Size: 10 MB

Page 155

THE DYNASTIES OF RAJASTHANA
125
1. CĀHAMĀNAS OF SĀKAMBHARI
We have three important sources about this dynasty in the Jain historical materials. The first is the Jain inscription from Bijolia noted above and the other two are the Hammiru-mahākāvya of Nayacandrasūri and the Prabundha-kośa of Rājasekharasüri, though the literary sources are not of primary importance.
The Jain inscription from Bijolia, a village in Mewar about 100 miles from the capital (Udaipur), is the most important and peculiar inscription among hundreds of inscriptions of the Cāhamāna dynasty. Though it is a later authority dated V.E. 1226 (c. 1169 A.D.) of the reign of Someśvara, it, however, gives the name of 29 predecessors of Someśvara. It is an almost complete and trustworthy authority over the dynasty. This inscription testifies the genealogical lists supplied by the Pythvīrāja-vijaya-mahakāvya composed in c. 1200 A.D.
Cahamāna: This is a very long inscription, but its verses from 10 to 28 only contain a genealogical list of the Cāhamānas of Sākambhari. From the 10th verse of this inscription, the first person appears to have been the illustrious Cāhamăna. It may be said here that almost all the scholars regard that the genealogy according to this inscription begins from Sāmanta. According to them the compound expression 'śri Cāhamāna Kșitirājavamśa' in the first quarter of verse 10 means 'Sri Cāhamāna eva Kșitirājavamsa" the royal or princely dynasty known as Cahamāna. But they forget one point in this respect that this compound should also mean 'Sri Cāhamānasya Ksitirä javansa' in which case the present genealogy suggests itself to start from Cahamāna.” The Pythvirāja-vijaya and Hammira-mahākāvya also begin this genealogy from Cāhamana.
Vasudeva: The second person of this branch, who has been regarded as historical, is Vişnu* described in the 11th verse who, according to the other authorities, may be taken as identical with Văsudeva. The author of this inscription is said to have been fond of employing variants in the case of proper names both geographical as well as genealogical. He has evidently referred to Vasudeva by the variant Vişnu. This Vişņu (Väsudeva) of the
1 El., XXVI, pp. 84-112. 2 Ibid., Introduction, p. 87. 3 JRAS., 1913, p. 263: HMK., Canto I, V. 17. HETTAT greita naista racont: 1 4 See supra, p. 121. 5 JRAS., 1913, p. 263: HMK., Canto I, V. 27.