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Find spot Provenance (from the French ''provenir'', 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody or location of a historical object. The term was originally mostly used in relation to works of art but is now used in similar senses i ...

s of inscriptions issued during the reign of Bhima II" width="400" height="400" zoom="5" longitude="71.89" latitude="23.01"> Bhima II (r. c. 1178–1240 CE), also known as ''Bhola Bhima'', was an Indian king who ruled parts of present-day

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the nin ...

. He was a member of the

Chaulukya The Chaulukya dynasty (), also Solanki dynasty, was a dynasty that ruled parts of what are now Gujarat and Rajasthan in north-western India, between and . Their capital was located at Anahilavada (modern Patan). At times, their rule extended ...

(also called Chalukya or Solanki) dynasty. During his reign, the dynasty's power declined greatly as a result of rebellions by the feudatories as well as external invasions by the

Ghurid The Ghurid dynasty (also spelled Ghorids; fa, دودمان غوریان, translit=Dudmân-e Ğurīyân; self-designation: , ''Šansabānī'') was a Persianate dynasty and a clan of presumably eastern Iranian Tajik origin, which ruled from th ...

s, the

Paramara The Paramara dynasty ( IAST: Paramāra) was an Indian dynasty that ruled Malwa and surrounding areas in west-central India between 9th and 14th centuries. They belonged to the Parmara clan of the Rajputs. The dynasty was established in either ...

s, and the

Yadavas of Devagiri The Seuna, Sevuna, or Yadavas of Devagiri ( IAST: Seuṇa, –1317) was a Medieval Indian dynasty, which at its peak ruled a kingdom stretching from the Narmada river in the north to the Tungabhadra river in the south, in the western part of ...

. The kingdom, however, was saved by his generals Arnoraja, Lavanaprasada and Viradhavala, whose family established the

Vaghela dynasty The Vaghela dynasty were an offshoot vassal clan connected to the Chaulukya (Solanki) dynasty, ruling Gujarat in the 13th century CE. Their capital was Dholka. They were the last Hindu dynasty to rule Gujarat before the Muslim conquest of ...

Early life

Bhima II was a son of the Chaulukya king Ajayapala. He succeeded his brother

Mularaja II Mularaja (), also known as ''Bala Mularaja'' ("Child Mularaja"), was an Indian king from the Chaulukya dynasty of Gujarat. He ruled the present-day Gujarat and surrounding areas from his capital Anahilapataka (modern Patan). He ascended the throne ...

at a young age. Taking advantage of his young age, some of his ''mandalika''s (provincial governors) rebelled against him in order to establish independent states. His loyal feudatory Arnoraja came to his rescue, and died fighting the rebels. Arnoraja's descendants Lavanaprasada and Viradhavala became powerful during Bhima's reign, and ultimately established the sovereign

Conflicts

Hoysalas

The

Hoysala The Hoysala Empire was a Kannadiga power originating from the Indian subcontinent that ruled most of what is now Karnataka between the 10th and the 14th centuries. The capital of the Hoysalas was initially located at Belur, but was later move ...

inscriptions claim that

Veera Ballala II Veera Ballala II ( kn, ವೀರ ಬಲ್ಲಾಳ 2) (r. 1173–1220 CE) was the most notable monarch of the Hoysala Empire. His successes against the Yadavas of Devagiri, the Southern Kalachuris, the Pandyas of Madurai and the wanin ...

defeated the

Gurjara Gurjaradesa ("Gurjara country") or Gurjaratra is a historical region in India comprising the eastern Rajasthan and northern Gujarat during the period of 6th -12th century CE. The predominant power of the region, the Gurjara-Pratiharas eventual ...

king (that is, Bhima), who had allied with other kings to unsuccessfully attack him. However, the historical accuracy of this claim is doubtful. It is possible that the Hoysalas raided the

Lata Lata (Hindi: लता) is a Hindu/Sanskrit Indian female given name, which means "creeper" and "vine". Lata may refer to: Notable people named Lata * Lata Bhatt (born 1954), Indian singer. * Lata (born 1975), Musician. *Lata Mangeshkar L ...

region in the Chaulukya territory.

Yadavas of Devagiri: Bhillama

The

invaded Gujarat during Bhima's reign. The 1189 CE Mutgi inscription of the Yadava king

Bhillama V Bhillama V (r. c. 1175-1191 CE) was the first sovereign ruler of the Seuna (Yadava) dynasty of Deccan region in India. A grandson of the Yadava king Mullagi, he carved out a principality in present-day Maharashtra by capturing forts in and around ...

states that he defeated the Gurjaras (that is, Chaulukyas of Gujarat). The Sundha Hill inscription states that Bhillama was defeated by the Naddula Chahamana ruler

Kelhana Kelhana-deva ( IAST: Kelhaṇadeva, r. c. 1163–1193 CE) was an Indian king belonging to the Naddula Chahamana dynasty. He ruled the area around Naddula (present-day Nadol in Rajasthan), as a Chaulukya vassal. He participated in the 1178 CE Bat ...

, who was the northern feudatory of Bhima. It is possible that Bhillama advanced up to the Naddula kingdom after defeating Bhima. Another possibility is that Kelhana marched southwards in Bhima's support.

Chahamanas of Shakambhari

During Bhima's reign, the Chaulukyas also had to fight with the Shakambhari Chahamana king

Prithviraja III Prithviraja III ( IAST: Pṛthvī-rāja; reign. – 1192 CE), popularly known as Prithviraj Chauhan or Rai Pithora, was a king from the Chauhan (Chahamana) dynasty who ruled the territory of Sapadalaksha, with his capital at Ajmer in presen ...

. The legendary text ''

Prithviraj Raso The ''Prithviraj Raso'' ( IAST: Pṛthvīrāja Rāso) is a Braj language epic poem about the life of Prithviraj Chauhan (reign. c. 1177–1192 CE). It is attributed to Chand Bardai, who according to the text, was a court poet of the king. ...

'' states that these kings fought two battles, one near

Nagaur Nagaur is a city and municipal council in Nagaur district of the state of Rajasthan in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Nagaur District. The Nagaur city lies about midway between Jodhpur and Bikaner. Nagaur is famous for spice ...

, and another near

Mount Abu Mount Abu () is a hill station in the Aravalli Range in Sirohi district of the state of Rajasthan in western India.The mountain forms a rocky plateau 22 km long by 9 km wide. The highest peak on the mountain is Guru Shikhar at abov ...

. According to the 14th century chronicler Merutunga, Bhima's general Jagaddeva Pratihara was defeated in a battle against Prithviraja. A later recension of ''Prithviraja Raso'' contains an inaccurate legend, according to which Bhima killed Prithviraja's father

Someshvara Someshwara or its variant spellings ''Someshwar'', ''Someshvara'' and ''Someshvar'' may refer to: * Soma (deity), a Vedic Hindu deity * Shiva, a Hindu deity People * Someshvara I, 11th century Indian king from the Western Chalukya dynasty * Somes ...

, and Prithviraja later killed Bhima. This cannot be correct, because Bhima lived for nearly half a century after Prithviraja's death. The Chahamanas and the Chalukyas appear to have concluded a peace treaty sometime before 1187 CE. According to the '' Kharatara-gachchha

Pattavali A Pattavali (From Sanskrit patta: seat, avali: chain), Sthaviravali or Theravali, is a record of a spiritual lineage of heads of monastic orders. They are thus spiritual genealogies. It is generally presumed that two successive names are teach ...

'', that year, Bhima's general Jagaddeva warned a chief named Abhayadeva not to harass pilgrims from Sapadalaksha (the Chahamana territory). He told the chief that he had just concluded a peace treaty with Prithviraja, with great difficulty.

Ghurids

In 1178 CE, the

king

Muhammad of Ghor Mu'izz ad-Din Muhammad ibn Sam ( fa, معز الدین محمد بن سام), also Mu'izz ad-Din Muhammad Ghori, also Ghūri ( fa, معز الدین محمد غوری) (1144 – March 15, 1206), commonly known as Muhammad of Ghor, also Gh ...

invaded the Chaulukya kingdom, but was defeated. This battle took place during the reign of Bhima's predecessor

, although some Muslim chronicles wrongly assign it to Bhima's reign. In the mid-1190s CE, the Ghurids defeated the Chahamanas and other Hindu kings of northern India. According to the medieval Muslim historians, in 1197 CE, the Ghurid general

Qutb al-Din Aibak Qutb ud-Din Aibak ( fa, قطب‌الدین ایبک), (1150 – 14 November 1210) was a Turkic general of the Ghurid king Muhammad Ghori. He was in charge of the Ghurid territories in northern India, and after Muhammad Ghori's assassination i ...

marched to Nahrwala (that is, the Chalukya capital

Anahilapataka Patan () is the administrative seat of Patan District in the Indian state of Gujarat and is an administered municipality. It was the capital of Gujarat's Chavda and Chaulukya dynasties in medieval times, and is also known as Anhilpur-Patan ...

). He defeated the Chaulukya army on 4 February 1197 CE. The 13th century Muslim historian

Hasan Nizami Hasan Nizami was a Persian language poet and historian, who lived in the 12th and 13th centuries. He migrated from Nishapur to Delhi in India, where he wrote ''Tajul-Ma'asir'', the first official history of the Delhi Sultanate. Early life Li ...

boasts that the Chaulukyas lost 50,000 men in this battle. The 16th century chronicler

Firishta Firishta or Ferešte ( fa, ), full name Muhammad Qasim Hindu Shah Astarabadi ( fa, مُحَمَّد قاسِم هِندو شاہ), was a Persian historian, who later settled in India and served the Deccan Sultans as their court historian. He wa ...

gives the numbers as 15,000 killed and 20,000 captured. According to the Muslim chronicles, the Chaulukya army was led by Rai Karan, Wallan and Darabaras in this battle. Darabaras can be identified with Dharavarsha, the Paramara chief of Abu, who was a feudatory of Bhima. Wallan is probably a corruption of Pahlan, which itself is a corruption of Prahaladana (the brother of Dharavarsha). The identification of Rai Karan is not certain. Some scholars have identified him with

Kirtipala Kirti-pala ( IAST: Kīrtipāla, r. c. 1160-1182 CE), also known as Kitu in vernacular legends, was an Indian king belonging to the Chahamana dynasty of Javalipura (modern Jalore). A member of the Naddula Chahamana family, he carved out a prin ...

, a ruler of the Javalipura Chahamana branch. However, this identification is not tenable on chronological grounds.

D. R. Bhandarkar Devadatta Ramakrishna Bhandarkar ( mr, देवदत्त रामकृष्ण भांडारकर; 19 November 1875 – 13 May 1950) was an Indian archaeologist and epigraphist who worked with the Archaeological Survey of India (A ...

identified Rai Karan as the Naddula Chahamana ruler Kelhana, but this is also chronologically incorrect, as Kelhana died around 1193 CE. R. B. Singh identified him as Kelhana's successor Jayatasimha. According to the Muslim historians, Rai Karan managed to escape after the battle. The Ghurids then entered Anahilapataka, and plundered the town. This sacking of Anahliapataka was witnessed by the Jain scholar Jinapati Suri in 1197 CE. According to Firishta, Qutb al-Din appointed a governor in the Chaulukya capital before leaving for

Ajmer Ajmer is one of the major and oldest cities in the Indian state of Rajasthan and the centre of the eponymous Ajmer District. It is located at the centre of Rajasthan. It is also known as heart of Rajasthan. The city was established as "''Aj ...

. Subsequently, the Chaulukyas restored their power in Gujarat, but there is very little information about how this happened. There are some references to Bhima's generals Lavanaprasada and Shridhara having achieved military successes against the Ghurids (called "Turushka" and "Hammira"). It is known that Bhima was in control of Anahilapataka by 1201 CE.

Paramaras: Subhatavarman

The

s of

Malwa Malwa is a historical region, historical list of regions in India, region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic plateau, volcanic upland north of the Vind ...

, who had once lost their kingdom to the Chaulukyas, had managed to regain their power by the end of the 12th century. Meanwhile, the Chaulukyas had been weakened by the Ghurid attacks. Taking advantage of this situation, the Paramara king

Subhatavarman Subhatavarman (reigned c. 1194–1209 CE), also known as Sohada, was an Indian king from the Paramara dynasty, who ruled in the Malwa region of central India. Early life Subhatavarman succeeded his father Vindhyavarman as the Paramara king ...

successfully invaded the

region around 1204 CE. He probably also sacked the Chaulukya capital Anahilapataka. The 14th century writer Merutunga claims that the Paramara king retreated from the Gujarat border after Bhima's minister recited a verse warning him of reprisals. But this is not supported by historical evidence. According to the Gujarat chronicles, Subhatavarman occupied Darbhavati (present-day

Dabhoi Dabhoi is a town and a municipality in the Vadodara district in the state of Gujarat, India. History Dabhoi was historically known as Darbhavati, Darbikagrama, Darbhavatipura, and Dabhohi. It is first mentioned in the sixth century astrono ...

) for some time.

Muhammad Aufi Sadīd ud-Dīn Muhammad Ibn Muhammad 'Aufī Bukhārī (1171-1242) ( fa, سدید الدین محمد عوفی), also known under the laqab Nour ud-Dīn, was a Persian historian, philologist, and author. Biography Born in Bukhara, Aufi claimed de ...

, in his ''

Jawami ul-Hikayat ''Jawāmi ul-Hikāyāt wa Lawāmi' ul-Riwāyāt'' ("Collections of Stories and Illustrations of Histories", commonly known by the shorter title, ''Jawāmi ul-Hikāyāt'', also transcribed ''Djami al-Hikayat'' and ''Jami al-Hikayat'') (جوامع ا ...

'', states that the Paramara king plundered cities of Gujarat; Hindu temples as well as places of worship of other religious communities were affected. Subhatavarman is believed to have destroyed a mosque in

Khambat Khambhat (, ), also known as Cambay, is a city and the surrounding urban agglomeration in Anand district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It was once an important trading center, but its harbour gradually silted up, and the maritime trade m ...

, built for the Arab traders. According to the poet Arisimha, he also removed the gold

pitchers In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a ...

from the Vaidyanatha temple of Darbhavati. The Chaulukya general Shridhara repulsed Subhatavarman's attack. His Devapattana ''

prashasti ''Prashasti'' ( IAST: Praśasti, Sanskrit for "praise") is an Indian genre of inscriptions composed by poets in praise of their rulers. Most date from the 6th century CE onwards. Written in the form of poetry or ornate prose, the ''prashastis'' ...

'' inscription suggests that he successfully defended his fort (near Somnath) against a Paramara siege. The Chaulukya general Lavanaprasada probably forced Subhatavarman to abandon his campaign. His Dabhoi ''prashasti'' inscription, composed by the poet Someshvara, states that he was like a repository of medicine against the disease-resembling invaders, which included the ruler of Dhara (the Paramara capital). Another poet Balachandra names Lavanaprasada's adversary as Sribhata of Malwa, who has been identified as Subhatavarman.

Usurpation by Jayantasimha

Sometime during 1205-1210 CE, an usurper named Jayanta-Simha (Jayasimha) occupied Bhima's capital,

. Bhima managed to drive him out only during 1223-1226 CE. Jayantasimha was a part of the Chaulukya family, and traced his ancestry to the dynasty's founder

Mularaja Mularaja () was the founder of the Chaulukya dynasty of India. Also known as the Chalukyas of Gujarat or Solanki, this dynasty ruled parts of present-day Gujarat. Mularaja supplanted the last Chavda king, and founded an independent kingdom with ...

Paramaras: Arjunavarman

The usurper Jayanta-Simha was defeated by

Arjunavarman Arjunavarman (reigned c. 1210-1215 CE) was an Indian king from the Paramara dynasty, who ruled in the Malwa region of central India. Military career Arjuna succeeded his father Subhatavarman, and invaded the kingdom of the Chaulukyas of Guj ...

, the son and successor of Subhatavarman. Like his father, Arjunavarman also invaded Gujarat sometime before 1211 CE. Merutunga calls him the "destroyer of Gujarat". A

Bhopal Bhopal (; ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of both Bhopal district and Bhopal division. It is known as the ''City of Lakes'' due to its various natural and artificial lakes. It ...

inscription indicates that he had reached

Bharuch Bharuch (), formerly known as Broach, is a city at the mouth of the river Narmada in Gujarat in western India. Bharuch is the administrative headquarters of Bharuch District. The city of Bharuch and surroundings have been settled since time ...

by 1213 CE. The Dhar ''prashasti'' inscription states that he defeated Jayanta-Simha in the Parva mountain valley (possibly

Pavagadh Pavagadh is an ancient Triassic Period location with Enriched History from periods of Treta Yuga and Dvapara Yuga. In present day, Pavagadh is a municipal operated region in Panchmahal district about away from Vadodara in Gujarat state in wes ...

). It also states that Arjuna captured Jayanta's daughter Jayashri, and fell in love with her. According to historian A. K. Majumdar, this suggests that Jayanta made peace with the Paramaras through a marriage alliance.

Yadavas of Devagiri: Simhana

The

(southern Gujarat) region was repeatedly attacked by the

s and the

during Bhima's reign. It came under the control of a chief named Simha, who was initially allied to the Paramaras. A 1200 CE inscription of the Yadava king

Jaitugi Jaitugi (r. c. 1191-1200), also known as Jaitrapala, was a ruler of the Seuna (Yadava) dynasty of Deccan region in India. Early life Jaitugi was the son of his predecessor Bhillama V, who overthrew the Chalukya suzerainty to become indepen ...

states that he defeated the Gurjaras, which probably refers to his invasion of Lata. The Paramaras abandoned Simha during the Yadava invasion, so he turned to the Chaulukyas for help. During his 1213 CE invasion, the Paramara king Arjunavarman may have replaced Simha with the latter's nephew Shankha (alias Sangrama-Simha). Shankha repulsed a Yadava invasion of the region. Jaitugi's son

Simhana Simhana ( IAST: Siṃhaṇa, also transliterated as Singhana; r. c. 1210-1246 was the most powerful ruler of the Seuna (Yadava) dynasty of Deccan region in India. He expanded his kingdom southwards at the expense of the Hoysalas, and fought the C ...

invaded Gujarat multiple times. In an inscription, his general Kholeshvara claims to have humbled the pride of the Gurjaras. The first invasion of Simhana probably took place around 1229 CE. According to the Chaulukya accounts, Lavanaprasada concluded a peace treaty with Simhana, because he needed to visit

Marwar Marwar (also called Jodhpur region) is a region of western Rajasthan state in North Western India. It lies partly in the Thar Desert. The word 'maru' is Sanskrit for desert. In Rajasthani languages, "wad" means a particular area. English tran ...

to quell a rebellion. It appears that Lavanaprasada sent an army under his son Viradhavala to raid the Yadava territory, because of which Simhana was forced to agree to a peace treaty. After Lavanaprasada departed to Marwar, Shankha attacked

Khambhat Khambhat (, ), also known as Cambay, is a city and the surrounding urban agglomeration in Anand district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Gujarat. It was once an important trading center, but its harbour gradually silted ...

, but was defeated by the Chaulukya general

Vastupala Vastupāla (died 1240 CE) was a prime minister of the Vāghelā king Vīradhavala and his successor Vīsaladeva, who ruled in present-day Gujarat region of India, in the early 13th century. Although he served in an administrative and military ca ...

. Shankha then tried to instigate Simhana to launch a fresh attack on Gujarat. According to the Chaulukya accounts, the Chaulukya spies created a rift between the Shankha and Simhana. Shankha ultimately submitted to the Chaulukya general Viradhavala. The Chaulukyas were in control of the Lata region by 1231-1232 CE, when it was being governed by Lavanaprasada's grandson Visaladeva. Around 1237 CE, Simhana sent another army under Kholeshvara's son Rama to attack Gujarat. Visaladeva repulsed this attack, and Rama was killed in a battle fought on the banks of the Narmada river.

Rebellion in the north

The Chaulukya feudatories in the northern region of

rebelled twice during Bhima's reign, and both times, Bhima's army was facing the Yadava invasions from the south. The first rebellion involved four feudatories, who were subdued by Lavanaprasada and Viradhavala. The second rebellion involved three feudatories: Udayasimha (probably

Udayasimha Udaya-simha ( IAST: Udayasiṃha, r. c. 1204-1257 CE) was an Indian king belonging to the Chahamana dynasty, who ruled the area around Javalipura (present-day Jalore in Rajasthan). The most powerful king of his dynasty, he overthrew the Chaulu ...

, the

Chahamana Chauhan, historically ''Chahamana'', is a clan name historically associated with the various ruling Rajput families during the Medieval India in Rajasthan. Subclans Khichi, Hada, Songara, Bhadauria, Devda etc. are the branches or subclans ...

chief of

Javalipura Jalore () (ISO 15919 : ''Jālora'' ), also known as ''Granite City'', is a city in the western Indian state of Rajasthan. It is the administrative headquarters of Jalore District. It has a river known as Jawai Nadi. Jalore lies to south of Su ...

), Somasimha and Dharavarsha (Paramara chief of Abu). The

Guhilas of Medapata The Guhilas of Medapata colloquially known as Guhilas of Mewar were a Rajput dynasty that ruled the Medapata (modern Mewar) region in present-day Rajasthan state of India. The Guhila kings initially ruled as Gurjara-Pratihara feudatories be ...

(Guhilots of

Mewar Mewar or Mewad is a region in the south-central part of Rajasthan state of India. It includes the present-day districts of Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Pratapgarh, Rajsamand, Udaipur, Pirawa Tehsil of Jhalawar District of Rajasthan, Neemuch an ...

) also rebelled against Bhima sometime between 1207-1227 CE, and declared their independence.

Pithadeva's invasion of Kutch

According to the medieval text ''Jagadu-Charita'', Pithadeva of Para invaded the Kutch region during Bhima's reign. A merchant named

Jagadu Jagadu ( IAST:Jagaḍu), also called Jagadu Shah, Jagdusha or Jagadeva, was a thirteenth century Jain merchant from Bhadreshwar, Kutch (now in Gujarat, India). Source of information The ''Jagaducharita'', the thirteenth century verse biography b ...

sought help from Lavanaprasada, who dispatched an army that defeated Pithadeva. The identity of Pithadeva is not certain, but he was probably a Soomra ruler of

Nagarparkar Nagarparkar ( ur, , sd, ننگرپارڪر), is a tehsil in at the base of the Karoonjhar Mountains in Tharparkar District in Sindh province of Pakistan. The historic Churrio Jabal Durga Mata Temple is situated here. The taluka is located at a ...

, who is variously called Pithu, Pahtu or Phatu by the Muslim chroniclers.

Personal life

Two queens of Bhima are known: Liladevi and Sumaladevi. Liladevi was the daughter of Samara-Simha, the

ruler of

, as attested by the 1205

Kadi Kadi may refer to: Radio * KADI-FM, a radio station (99.5 FM) licensed to serve Republic, Missouri, United States * KICK (AM), a radio station (1340 AM) licensed to serve Springfield, Missouri, which held the call sign KADI from 2005 to 2015 * WFU ...

inscription. According to the medieval chronicles, Bhima was a charitable person. He assumed the titles ''Abhinava-Siddharaja'', ''Saptama-Chakravarti'' and ''Bala-Narayana''.

Temples

File:Navlakha arial view 02.jpg,

Navlakha Temple, Ghumli Navlakha Temple at Ghumli, Gujarat, India, is a 12th Century temple built by Jethwa dynasty rulers. History Navlakha Temple at Ghumli was built by Jethwa rulers in 11th century dedicated to Sun god, Surya and is oldest sun temple of Gujara ...

File:Harshad Temple (On Hill).jpg, Harshad Mata Temple on hill near Miani File:Temple of Rama Laxman, View from sea side.jpg,

Rama Lakshamana Temple, Baradia The Rama Lakshamana Temples or Samba Lakshamana Temples are the late 12th century twin Hindu temples in Baradia, a village in Okhamandal region of Devbhoomi Dwarka district, Gujarat, India. Baradia is about five km southeast of Dwarka. There are s ...

File:Rukmini Devi Temple.JPG,

Rukmini Devi Temple The Rukmini Devi Temple is a temple dedicated to Hindu goddess Rukmini, situated in Dwarka, Gujarat, India. It is a richly carved temple decorated with sculptures of gods and goddesses on the exterior with the sanctum housing the main image of ...

, Dwarka File:Bawka.jpg, Shiva Temple, Bavka, Panchmahal The temple construction activity had declined significantly during his time. According to two inscriptions, he built a ''mandapa'' called Meghanada or Meghadhvani in front of Somnath in 1217 CE. The temples of Bhimeshwara and Lileshwara were built by him in 1207 CE for the merits of his queen Lilavati at Lilapura, a town founded after her name. Lavanaprasada founded Salakshanapura, named after her mother, in Gambhuta district and built Analeshwara and Salakshaneshwara temples. His other queen Sumaladevi, daughter of Lavanaprasada, also built Sumaleshwara sometime before 1239 CE according to the Chusadi grant. Prahladana, brother of Paramara Dharavarsha of Abu, founded Prahladanapur (

Palanpur Palanpur is a city and a municipality of Banaskantha district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Palanpur is the administrative headquarters of Banaskantha district. Palanpur is the ancestral home to an industry of Indian diamond merchants. Ety ...

) in 1218 and built Prahladana-vihara dedicated to Pallaviya

Parshwanatha ''Parshvanatha'' (), also known as ''Parshva'' () and ''Parasnath'', was the 23rd of 24 ''Tirthankaras'' (supreme preacher of dharma) of Jainism. He is the only Tirthankara who gained the title of ''Kalīkālkalpataru (Kalpavriksha in this "Kal ...

. Tripurantaka, a Shaivaite abbot built five temples at Somnath. The extant temples of his period include Nilkantha Mahadeva Temple (1204 CE) at Miani, Harshad Mata temple on the hill opposite creek near Miani, the temple complex of Muladwarka at Visavada. The Navlakha Temple of Ghumli is the best surviving example. Other temples include Rama Lakshamana Temple at Baradia in Okhamandal, Rukmini Temple in Dwarka and the ruined Shiva temple of Bavka in

Dahod district Dahod district is a district of Gujarat state in western India. This largely tribal district is mostly covered by forests and hills. Geography Dahod is located in eastern Gujarat. It is located at the tripoint between Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madh ...

. The ''mandapa'' was added to Vaidyanath Mahadeva temple at Vadali. The surviving ''mandapa'' of Parshwanatha temple at Ghumli is contemporary of Navlakha Temple. The ruined Cheleshwar temple on the hills there is also of this period. The Vikia and Jetha stepwells near Navlakha Temple, Ghumli belonged to the 13th century. The Gyan stepwell near Visavada village in the Barda hills is ascribed to the time of Bhima II. The ruined stepwell of nearby Keshav village is of the same period.

Last days

Bhima's general Lavanaprasada and his son Viradhavala established the

, which replaced the Chaulukyas in Gujarat some years after Bhima's death. According to the poet Someshvara, the goddess Gurjara-raja-lakshmi appeared in Lavanaprasada's dream, and ordered him to save the kingdom that had been decaying under the inexperienced king Bhima. Someshvara himself convinced Lavanaprasada to obey the divine order to save his motherland. Another poet Arisimha claims that the deceased Chaulukya king Kumarapala appeared in Bhima's dream, and advised the young king to appoint Lavanaprasada as ''Sarveshvara'' (chief lord) and Viradhavala as ''yuvaraja'' (

heir apparent An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...

), in order to propagate the

Jain faith Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current ...

. Yet another writer Udayaprabha claims that Bhima himself entrusted his kingdom to Lavanaprasada, because Lavanaprasada's father Arnoraja had made him the king by defeating the rebellious feudatories. Of all these writers, Someshvara was the most knowledgeable about the contemporary affairs. The "divine-order-in-a-dream" was a favourite device of the contemporary poets to justify the reprehensible actions of their patrons. Therefore, it appears that Lavanaprasada usurped the power from Bhima. By 1231 CE (1288 VS), Lavanaprasada had assumed the title ''

Maharajadhiraja Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king". A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, ...

'' ("king of great kings") and Viradhavala was called a ''

Maharaja Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great Monarch, king" or "high king". A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Em ...

'' ("great king"), as attested by multiple

Girnar Girnar is an ancient hill in Junagadh, Gujarat, India. Geology Mount Girnar is a major igneous plutonic complex which intruded into the basalts towards the close of the Deccan Trap period. The rock types identified in this complex are g ...

inscriptions. However, the two continued to nominally acknowledge Bhima (and his successor

Tribhuvanapala Tribhuvanapala (r. c. 1240–1244 CE) was the last king of the Chaulukya dynasty of western India. He ruled parts of present-day Gujarat from his capital at Anahilapataka (modern Patan). He ruled for a short period before dying heirless or b ...

) as their overlord.

In popular culture

* 2006–2009: ''

Dharti Ka Veer Yodha Prithviraj Chauhan ''Dharti Ka Veer Yodha Prithviraj Chauhan'' ( en, Prithviraj Chauhan, the Brave Warrior of the Land) is an Indian historical drama broadcast on Star Plus. It was produced by Sagars which is based on ''Prithviraj Raso'', a Brajbhasha poem by C ...

'', broadcast by

Star Plus StarPlus is an Indian Hindi language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Disney Star (formerly ''Star India''), a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company India. The network's programming consists of family dramas, comedie ...

, where Bhima was portrayed by

Chetan Hansraj Chetan Hansraj (born 15 June 1972) is an Indian film and television actor. Career Hansraj started his career as a child actor in 1980, doing over 250 press advertisements and 30 ad films, and his debut film ''Kook Doo Koo'' was selected for th ...

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * {{Chaulukya dynasty 12th-century Indian monarchs 13th-century Indian monarchs Chaulukya dynasty