Anahilla (

IAST The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Brahmic family, Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that ...

: Aṇahilla, r. c. 1024–1055 CE) was an Indian king belonging to the Naddula Chahamana dynasty. He ruled the area around

Naddula Nadol is a census town in Desuri tehsil of Pali district, India. Ashapura Mataji temple and Shri Nadol Tirth attract pilgrims. History Nadol was originally called Naddula. The Chahamanas of Naddula (called Chauhans of Nadol in vernacular le ...

(present-day Nadol in

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

). He defeated 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 ...

king Bhima I, defeated a general of the Paramara king

Bhoja Bhoja was the Paramara dynasty, Paramara king of Malwa from 1010 until his death in 1055. He ruled from Dhara (city), Dhara (modern Dhar), and Military career of Bhoja, fought wars with nearly all his neighbours in attempts to extend his king ...

, and also defended his territory against the

Ghaznavid The Ghaznavid dynasty ( ''Ġaznaviyān'') was a Persianate Muslim dynasty of Turkic ''mamluk'' origin. It ruled the Ghaznavid Empire or the Empire of Ghazni from 977 to 1186, which at its greatest extent, extended from the Oxus to the Indus Va ...

Early life

Anahilla was a son of the Chahamana king Mahindu. His brother Ashvapala succeeded Mahindu. Ashvapala's son Ahila probably died heirless, because of which Anahilla became the next king.

Military career

According to the Sundha Hill inscription, Anahilla defeated

Bhima Bhima (, ), also known as Bhimasena (, ), is a hero and one of the most prominent characters in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. As the second of the five Pandava brothers, Bhima was born to Kunti—the wife of King Pandu—fathered by Vayu, the ...

, captured Shakambhari, killed

's general Sadha, and defeated the

Turushka Turushka (or Turuṣka) may refer to: *a common Sanskrit descriptor for Mohammedans (Muslims), whether of Turkish origin or otherwise * a Sanskrit word for olibanum * a term often used for Turks in some ancient sources; see See also * Turushk ...

s. Bhima, the

king of

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, 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 List of states and union territories ...

, was a southern neighbour of the Chahamanas. According to the Chahamana record, Anahilla's father Ahila had also defeated Bhima. It is not clear when and how Anahilla took control of Shakambhari, which was the capital of the

Chahamanas of Shakambhari The Chahamanas of Shakambhari (IAST: Cāhamāna), colloquially known as the Chauhans of Sambhar or Chauhans of Ajmer, were an Indian dynasty that ruled parts of present-day Rajasthan and neighbouring areas between the sixth and twelfth centuri ...

. According to the epic poem ''

Prithviraja Vijaya ''Prithviraja Vijaya'' (IAST: Pṛthvīrāja Vijaya, "Prithviraja's Victory") is an eulogy, eulogistic Sanskrit kavya, epic poem on the life of the Indian Chahamanas of Shakambhari, Chahamana king Prithviraja III (better known as Prithviraj Chauhan ...

'', the Paramara king

killed the Shakambhari Chahamana king Viryarama. Historian

Dasharatha Sharma Dasharatha Sharma (1903–1976) was an Indologist with a particular interest in the history of the Rajasthan region of India. Born in the Rajasthani city of Churu, he studied in the city of Bikaner and at the University of Delhi. He had degree ...

theorizes that the Paramaras occupied Shakambhari after Viryarama's death, and were evicted by his successor Chamundaraja with help from Anahilla. On the other hand, R. B. Singh speculates that Anahilla and Bhoja formed an alliance against Viryarama; sometime later, the alliance broke, and Anahilla killed Bhoja's general Sadha. The Turushkas (Turkic people) can be identified with the Muslim

Ghaznavids The Ghaznavid dynasty ( ''Ġaznaviyān'') was a Persianate Muslim dynasty of Turkic peoples, Turkic ''mamluk'' origin. It ruled the Ghaznavid Empire or the Empire of Ghazni from 977 to 1186, which at its greatest extent, extended from the Oxus ...

. The Ghaznavid ruler Mahmud invaded India around 1025 CE, and raided the Somanath Hindu temple. According to the 16th-century historian

Firishta Firishta or Ferešte (), full name Muhammad Qasim Hindu Shah Astarabadi (), was a Persian historian, who later settled in India and served the Deccan Sultans as their court historian. He was born in 1570 and died between 1611 and 1623. Life F ...

, some Hindu kings including Param Dev (identified with Paramara Bhoja) assembled a large army to attack him during his return journey. However, Mahmud chose to avoid a conflict, and returned using a different route. R. B. Singh theorizes that Anahilla was a part of the confederacy that planned to fight with Mahmud. The Chahamana claim of Anahilla having defeated the Turushkas probably refers to this event. On the other hand, Dasharatha Sharma speculates that the Ghaznavid army passed through Nadol on its way to Somanath; Anahilla defended Naddula by fighting with Mahmud or one of his generals. According to an inscription, the Naddula Chahamana kingdom comprised only 700 villages at the time of Anahilla's ascension. He increased this number to 7,000 by killing the neighbouring rulers. While this may be an exaggeration, it indicates that Anahilla was one of the most successful rulers of his dynasty. Anahilla was succeeded by his elder son

Balaprasada Bala-prasada (IAST: Bālaprasāda, r. c. 1055–1070 CE) was an Indian king belonging to the Naddula Chahamana dynasty. He ruled the area around Naddula (present-day Nadol in Rajasthan). Reign Balaprasada was the eldest son of his predecesso ...

, who was succeeded by his younger son

Jendraraja Jendraraja (IAST: Jendrarāja, r. c. 1070–1080 CE) was an Indian king belonging to the Naddula Chahamana dynasty. He ruled the area around Naddula (present-day Nadol in Rajasthan), and achieved military successes against the Chaulukyas. Rei ...

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{Chahamanas of Naddula Chahamana kings of Naddula 11th-century Indian monarchs