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OCTOBER, 1028] WHO WERE THE IMPERIAL PRATIHARAS OF KANAUJ
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WHO WERE THE IMPERIAL PRATIHARAS OF KANAUJ ?
By R. R. HALDER. THE Imperial Pratihâras of Kanauj seem to have derived their family name from the office of a pratiharal (door-keeper) and not from the name of their primeval man like the Chauhanas, Chaulukyas, Paramaras, Guhilas, etc. This view derives support from the Gwalior prasastis of Bhoja, which says that in the Solar race, Manu, Ikshvaku, and others were born. In their race was born Rama, whose younger brother Lakshmana was his (Rama's) doorkeeper (pratihara), in whose family, which bore the emblem of Pratihara, Nagabhata (L, the founder of the Imperial dynasty) appeared. It further records that Vatsardija, the son of his nephew Dêvarêja,3 wrested the empire from the famous house of Bhandi. Thus it traces the origin of the Pratihåras of Kanauj and, in addition, explains the significance of the word 'Pratihara'. In old days, the office of a Pratihara was open to anyone, who could secure the confidence of a king in watching the safety of his person by standing at his palace-gate, and consequently, there arose Pratihåras of different castes, such as Brah
mana, Gurjaras, Kshatriya , Chapotkatar (Chavada) and Raghuvamsi, of whom the lastnamed gradually came to be the rulers of a very large part of the country.
Before Kanauj became their capital, the Imperial Pratihara dynasty seems to have ruled over the Gurjara-country in Marwår, as is indicated in the Wani® and Rådhanpurlo inscriptions of Govindaraja III, dated in Saka Samvat 730 (A.D. 808), which say that Dhôrå (Dhru. varaja, the Rashtrakutaking of Deccan), by his matchless arms, quickly drove to Maru (Marwar) Vatsaraja, who was proud of having seized the fortune of royalty of the Gauda country, and wrested from him (Vatsarájá) the two white (royal) umbrellas originally belonging to the king of Gauda. The Barodall inscription of Karkaraja II, dated in Saka Samvat 734 (A.D. 812) says
1 The word 'Pratihara ' seems to be analogous to Panchakula (Pancholi) which denotes an office or rank, and not a caste or creed. ३ श्रेय : कन्दवपुस्ततस्समभवद्भास्थानतचापरे मन्विक्ष्वाकुक्कुस्थमूलपृथव : क्षमापानकल्पद्रुमाः ॥२॥
तेषां वंशे सुजन्मा क्रमनिहितपदे धाम्नि वनेषु घोरं राम : पौलस्त्यहिन्धं (हिंनं) क्षतविहतिसमित्कर्म चक्रे पलाशैः । श्लाघ्यस्तस्यानुजोसौ मघवमदमुषो मेघनादस्य संख्ये सौमिचिस्तीत्रदण्ड : प्रतिहरण विधेर्यः प्रतीहार पासीत् ॥ ३॥ तद्वन्शे ( वंशे )प्रतिहारकेतनभृति त्रैलोक्यरक्षास्पदे देवो नागभट : पुरातनमुनेमूर्तिर्बभूवाद्भुतम् ।
ख्या(ताद )भण्डिकुलान्मदोत्कटकरिताकारदुलहतो यः साम्राज्यमधिज्यकार्मुकसखा संख्ये हठादाहीत् । एक: क्षत्रियपुङ्गवेषु च यशोगुवान्धुरं प्रोद्वहनिक्ष्वाको : कुलमुन्नतं सुचरितैश्चके स्वनामाङ्कितं ॥७॥ Annual Report of the Archeological Survey of India, 1903-4, pp. 280-81.
8 This Devaraja is different from Devaraja of the Bhatti clan, who is said to have been defeated by the Pratihâra king Siluka (Ep. Ind., XVIII, 98), to whose family possibly the Imperial Pratihêras belonged (Ibid., p. 90). Kakka, the fourth in succession from Siluka, married Padmini of the Bhatti clan and is said to have been the contemporary of Devaraja of the Imperial family. 4 Ep. Ind., vol. XVIII, p. 88.
B Ep. Ind., vol. III, p. 265. 6 Ep. Ind., vol. XVIII, p. 88. Tho Pratihâras of Mandor being the descendants of Harichandra by his Kshatriya wifo Bhadra, are known as Kshatriya Pratihdras. The sons of Brahmana father born of Kshatriya mother were called Kshatriyas.
यत्त ब्राह्मणेन क्षत्रियायामुत्पादित : क्षत्रिय एव भवतीति...इति शंखस्मरणम् । Yajnavalkyasmriti, Acharadhyâya, sloka, 91, fika (Midtkshard).
Soo Sangttaratnavalk of somaraja, verse b. 8 The old Gurjara-country included the whole of the eastern part of Már war and a portion of the present Gujarat as far as the river Sedhi in le Bombay Presidency.
हेलास्वीकृतगौडराज्यकमलामत्तं प्रवेश्याचिरादुर्मार्ग मरुमध्यमप्रतिव (ब)लयों वत्सरो(रा)जंव(ब)ले: । गौडीय शरदिन्दुपादधवल छत्रद्वयं को(के) वलं तस्मानाइत तयशोपि कुकुभां प्रान्ते स्थितं तत्क्षणात् ॥ Ind. Ant., vol. XI, p. 167, 11. 11.13.
10Ep. Ind., vol. VI, p. 243, 1.12-14. 11 गौडेन्द्रवह पतिनिञ्जयदुविदग्धसद्गूर्जरेश्वरदिगार्गलतां च यस्य ।
नीत्वा भुनं विहतमानवरक्षणात्ये स्वामी तथान्यमपि राज्यछ(क)लानि भुक्त। Ind. Ant., vol. XIL p.160, 11. 39-40.
