The Chalukyas of Lata were an Indian dynasty, which ruled the Lata region of present-day

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 ...

during 10th and 11th centuries. They ruled as feudatories of the

Western Chalukyas The Western Chalukya Empire ( ) ruled most of the western Deccan, South India, between the 10th and 12th centuries. This Kannada dynasty is sometimes called the ''Kalyani Chalukya'' after its regal capital at Kalyani, today's Basavakalyan i ...

in their early years, and were ultimately defeated by 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 (Solankis).

History

Barappa, the dynasty's first ruler, is identified as a general of the

Western Chalukya The Western Chalukya Empire ( ) ruled most of the western Deccan, South India, between the 10th and 12th centuries. This Kannada dynasty is sometimes called the ''Kalyani Chalukya'' after its regal capital at Kalyani, today's Basavakalyan i ...

king

Tailapa II Tailapa II (r. c. 973-997) also known as Taila II and by his title ''Ahavamalla'', was the founder of the Western Chalukyas, Western Chalukya Empire in peninsular India. Tailapa claimed descent from the earlier imperial Chalukyas of Vatapi (Bad ...

. He might have been made the governor of the Lata region by Tailapa. According to

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

's ''

Prabandha-Chintamani ''Prabandha-Chintamani'' (IAST: Prabandha-cintāmaṇi) is an Indian Sanskrit-language collection of '' prabandhas'' (semi-historical biographical narratives). It was compiled in c. 1304 CE, in the Vaghela kingdom of present-day Gujarat, by Jain ...

'', Barappa and the ruler of Sapadalaksha (the Chahamana king Vigraharaja II) once simultaneously attacked Gujarat.

Mularaja Mularaja () was the king of Gujarat and the founder of the Chaulukya dynasty. Also known as the Chaulukyas of Gujarat or Solanki, this dynasty ruled parts of present-day Gujarat. Mularaja supplanted the last Chavda dynasty, Chavda king, and foun ...

, the

king of Gujarat, asked the Sapadalaksha ruler not to attack him until he dealt with Barappa. He then defeated Barappa, which prompted the Sapadalaksha king to flee Gujarat. Since Merutunga was from Gujarat, this account may be biased. The Chahamana chroniclers claim that Vigraharaja defeated Mularaja, and marched up to Bhrigukachchha, where he constructed a temple dedicated to his family deity Ashapura. According to one theory, Vigraharaja II allied with Barappa, and helped him achieve independence. According to

Hemachandra Hemacandra was a 12th century () Śvetāmbara Jaina acharya, ācārya, scholar, poet, mathematician, philosopher, yogi, wikt:grammarian, grammarian, Law, law theorist, historian, Lexicography, lexicographer, rhetorician, logician, and Prosody ...

's ''Dvyashraya Kavya'', Mularaja's son Chamundaraja invaded Lata, and killed Barappa. Barappa's son Gogi-raja may have revived the family's rule in the Lata region. But, by 1074 CE, the dynasty appears to have been vanquished by the Chaulukyas of Gujarat.

Genealogy

The following members of the family (with estimated reigns) are known: * Nimbarka * Barappa, c. 970-990 CE * Gogi-raja or Gongi-raja, c. 990-1010 CE * Kirti-raja, c. 1010-1030 CE * Vatsa-raja, c. 1030-1050 CE * Trilochana-pala, c. 1050-1070 CE

Inscriptions

A 940

Shaka Shaka kaSenzangakhona (–24 September 1828), also known as Shaka (the) Zulu () and Sigidi kaSenzangakhona, was the king of the Zulu Kingdom from 1816 to 1828. One of the most influential monarchs of the Zulu, he ordered wide-reaching reform ...

(1018 CE) copper-plate inscription of Kirtiraja was discovered in

Surat Surat (Gujarati Language, Gujarati: ) is a city in the western Indian States and territories of India, state of Gujarat. The word Surat directly translates to ''face'' in Urdu, Gujarati language, Gujarati and Hindi. Located on the banks of t ...

. It names his ancestors as Gogi, Barappa and Nimbarka. Two copper-plate inscriptions of Trilochana-pala dated 972 Shaka (1050 CE Eklahare and 1051 CE Surat) have also been discovered. These inscriptions given an account of the mythical origin of the Chalukyas: the family's progenitor originated from the ''chuluka'' (a vessel or a folded palm to hold water) of the creator deity Virinchi. On the deity's advice, he married the

Rashtrakuta The Rashtrakuta Empire was a royal Indian polity ruling large parts of the Indian subcontinent between the 6th and 10th centuries. The earliest known Rashtrakuta inscription is a 7th-century copper plate grant detailing their rule from Manapu ...

princess of Kanyakubja. Trilochanapala's inscriptions mention four of his ancestors: Vatsa, Kirti, Gogi and Barappa. Vatsa is said to have built a golden

umbrella An umbrella or parasol is a folding canopy supported by wooden or metal ribs that is mounted on a wooden, metal, or plastic pole. It is usually designed to protect a person against rain. The term ''umbrella'' is traditionally used when protec ...

for the god Somanatha, and also established a free food canteen (''sattra''). Trilochanapala is titled ''Maha-Mandaleshvara'' in these inscriptions. The 1050 CE inscription records his donation of the Ekallahara village (modern Eklahare) to a Brahmin named Taraditya.

References

{{reflist History of Gujarat 970s establishments 10th-century establishments in India 11th-century disestablishments in India Chalukya dynasty