Subhatavarman (reigned c. 1194–1209 CE), also known as Sohada, was an Indian king from the

Paramara dynasty 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 t ...

, who ruled in the

Malwa Malwa is a historical region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic upland north of the Vindhya Range. Politically and administratively, it is also syn ...

region of central India.

Early life

Subhatavarman succeeded his father

Vindhyavarman Vindhyavarman (reigned c. 1175-1194 CE) was an Indian king from the Paramara dynasty, who ruled in the Malwa region of central India. He defeated the Chaulukyas, who had annexed the Paramara territory to their own kingdom in the preceding years. ...

as the Paramara king. His father Vindhyavarman had re-established the Paramara sovereignty in Malwa, after a two-decade-long rule 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 ...

s of

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 ninth ...

. During the early part of his reign, the Chaulukya power had declined because of Muslim invasions. Taking advantage of this situation, Subhatavarman successfully invaded 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 (1929–2 ...

region (southern Gujarat).

Invasion of Gujarat

According to the 14th century writer

Merutunga Merutuṅga was a medieval scholar from present-day Gujarat in India and was a Śvētāmbara Jain monk of the Añcala Gaccha. He is presently most well-known for his Sanskrit text, the '' Prabandhacintāmaṇi'', composed in 1306 CE. He also ...

, Subhatavarman retreated from the Gujarat border after a minister of the Chaulukya king

Bhima II Bhima II (r. c. 1178–1240 CE), also known as ''Bhola Bhima'', was an Indian king who ruled parts of present-day Gujarat. He was a member of the Chaulukya (also called Chalukya or Solanki) dynasty. During his reign, the dynasty's power decl ...

recited a verse warning him of reprisals. But this is not supported by historical evidence. Historical evidence suggests that Subhatavarman invaded the Chaulukya kingdom around 1204 CE, and probably attacked their capital Anahilavada (or Anhilapataka). According to the Gujarati chronicles, he 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. The poet Arisimha states that the king of Malwa 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; these were later restored by the Jain merchant and Vaghela minister

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 ...

. Narendraprabha's ''Vastupala-prashasti'' names this king of Malwa as Subhatavarman.

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'', states that a Paramara king plundered cities of Gujarat, and destroyed Hindu temples as well as mosques. This probably refers to Subhatavarman's invasion. The Paramara king 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 moved ...

, built by the Chaulukyas for the Arab traders. Shridhara, a governor of the Chaulukyas, repulsed Subhatavarman's attack. His Devapattana ''prashasti'' inscription suggests that he successfully defended his fort (near Somnath) against a Paramara siege. The Chaulukya feudatory Lavana-Prasada of

Dholka Dholka is a city and municipality in the Ahmedabad District of the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the headquarters of Dholka Taluka, and is 48 km by road via National Highway 8A southwest of the city of Ahmedabad. Dholka has an average ...

probably forced Subhatavarman to abandon his campaign. Lavana's

''prashasti'' inscription, composed by Someshvara, states that he was like a repository of medicine against the disease-resembling invaders, which included the ruler of Dhara. Although Someshvara does not name the ruler of Dhara (the Paramara capital), he appears to be Subhatavarman. Another poet Balachandra names Lavana's adversary as Sribhata of Malwa, who has been identified as Subhatavarman.

Later life

According to a

Yadava The Yadava (literally, descended from Yadu) were an ancient Indian people who believed to be descended from Yadu, a legendary king of Chandravamsha lineage. The community was formed of various clans, being the Abhira, Andhaka, Vrishni, and ...

inscription, the Yadava king Jaitugi defeated the Malavas (that is, the Paramaras), among other dynasties. The inscription grossly exaggerates the military successes of the Yadava ruler, though it is possible that the Yadava general Sahadeva raided Malwa when Subhatavarman was in Gujarat. There is no evidence that the Yadavas penetrated deep into Malwa, and the conflict was probably a border skirmish. Subhatavarman donated two gardens to a

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...

temple. He was succeeded by his son Arjunavarman I.

References

Bibliography

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