Political History of Northern India

Author(s): Gulabchandra Chaudhary
Publisher: Sohanlal Jain Dharm Pracharak Samiti Amrutsar

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PREFACE This thesis aims at bringing together and assessing the Jain Sources towards the reconstruction of the Political History of Northern India Circa 650 A.D. to Circa 1300 A.D. In dynastic histories of Northern India, so far written, some of the Jain Sources were used but casually and incompletely. In the following pages it has been endeavoured to collect all possible data available from the Jain Sources. No doubt, this attempt is sectional and focuses light from only one quarter, but it does substantially help in forming a com prehensive picture of India's past. Its value, however, is supplementary to other attempts which have been made in writing the political history of Northern India.
The scope of the thesis includes the fixing of the chronological position of various dynasties and individual rulers, discussion of genealogical sequence, description of wars and conquests, administration, patronage to art and litera ture and personal achievements of individual rulers belonging to different dynasties.
In the part II of this work, an attempt has been made to reconstruct and review the Jain political concepts and administrative ideas prevalent traditionally and practically, during the period under discussion.
The Jain Sources mainly used in this thesis may be mentioned under two heads: A. Literary, including (1) the Caritas and Prabandhas, (2) Narrative Literature, (3) Literature on Polity, (4) Miscellaneous Literature, (5) Pațțūvali(s) and (6) Prasasti(s) (Colophons); B. Epigraphical, including (1) Eulogies, (2) Donations and Grants, (3) Dedications and (4) Memorials, both official and private.
Attempts have also been made to throw new light on the following topics: Āma Nāgāvaloka of Kānyakubja, the so-called Ayudha dynasty, the date of the Pratīhāra king Vināyakapāla, the date of the accession of the Paramāra Bhoja, the early history of the Cāhamānas and Guhilotas, identification of Avantiprabhu of the Arthūna inscription of the Bānswārā Paramära dynasty, the chronological position of Adbhuta Krsparāja on the basis of a Jain inscrip tion from Diyānā near Mt. Abu. The history of the Caulukya dynasty of Anahilavāda has been thoroughly revised in the light of the Jain Sources. In part IT of the thesis special emphasis has been laid on Jainistic approach towards problems relating to polity and administration. The treatment under various heads mentioned above is both independent and corroborative and confirmatory.