Guhila is a clan of
Rajput
Rājpūt (, from Sanskrit ''rājaputra'' meaning "son of a king"), also called Thākur (), is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating fro ...
s and claims to have descended from the
Suryavanshi dynasty. They ruled a number of kingdoms and principalities including Mitaron,
Mewar
Mewar, also spelled as 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 Rajasth ...
,
Banswara
Banswara is a city in the Banswara district in southern Rajasthan, India. The name, Banswara, came from king ‘Bansiya Bhil’.
Banswara is also known as "City of a Hundred Islands", "The Green City", which is often referred to as " Cherrap ...
,
Dungarpur
Dungarpur is a city in the southernmost part of Rajasthan, India.
History
Dungarpur is the seat of the elder branch of the Guhilot of Mewar family. The seat of the younger branch is that of the Maharana of Udaipur. The city was founded in ...
,
Pratapgarh,
Shahpura,
Bhavnagar
Bhavnagar is a city and the headquarters of Bhavnagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It was founded in 1723 by Bhavsinhji Gohil. It was the capital of Bhavnagar State, which was a princely state before it was merged into the Dominion ...
,
Palitana
Palitana is a city in the Bhavnagar district of the Indian state of Gujarat. It is one of the most significant pilgrimage destinations for followers of Jainism, renowned for the Shatrunjaya hill temples, a sprawling complex of over 900 marble t ...
,
Lathi and
Vala.
History
The
Guhilas of Medapata belonged to this clan. The Atpur Inscription of 977 AD lists 20 kings starting with Guhadatta and ending with Saktikumara. Major cities included
Nagahrada and Aghata.
Chittor was captured by
Bappa Rawal in the 8th century. The Guhilas fought the
Paramaras in the 11th century and 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 in the 12th century. During the reign of
Jaitrasimha
Rawal Jaitrasimha also known as Rawal Jaitra Singh was the ruler of the Guhila dynasty from 1213 to 1252. During his rule, the Guhila Kingdom attained a high political status. ''Ekalinga Mahatmya'' mentions his title as ''Rajakula'' (''Rawal'') ...
(1213–1252 AD), Nagahrada was sacked by
Iltutmish
Shams ud-Din Iltutmish (1192 – 30 April 1236) was the third of the Mamluk kings who ruled the former Ghurid territories in northern India. He was the first Muslim sovereign to rule from Delhi, and is thus considered the effective founder of ...
. Then Samarasimha (1273–1301 AD) submitted to Ulugh Khan before Ratnasimha was defeated by
Alauddin Khalji
Alauddin Khalji (; ), born Ali Gurshasp, was a ruler from the Khalji dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate in the Indian subcontinent. Alauddin instituted a number of significant administrative changes in the Delhi Sultanate, related to revenue ...
in 1303 when
Chittor Fort
Chittorgarh (literally Chittor Fort), also known as Chittod Fort, is one of the largest forts in India. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The fort was the capital of Mewar and is located in the present-day city of Chittorgarh. It sprawls ove ...
was captured.
According to 1274 CE Chittor inscription and 1285 CE
Achaleshwar (
Abu) inscription of Vedasharma, Bappa Rawal "changed his priestly splendour for regal lustre". Based on this, scholars such as
D. R. Bhandarkar theorized that the Guhilas were originally
Brahmin
Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...
s.
G. H. Ojha, however, believed that the statement in Vedasharma's inscription is a misinterpretation of the earlier Atpur inscription. The Atpur inscription describes Guhadatta as a "Mahideva", which according to historian R. V. Somani, can be translated as either "king" or "Brahmin"
In present-day
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 ...
, the Gahlot Rajputs ruled the princely states of
Banswara
Banswara is a city in the Banswara district in southern Rajasthan, India. The name, Banswara, came from king ‘Bansiya Bhil’.
Banswara is also known as "City of a Hundred Islands", "The Green City", which is often referred to as " Cherrap ...
,
Dungarpur
Dungarpur is a city in the southernmost part of Rajasthan, India.
History
Dungarpur is the seat of the elder branch of the Guhilot of Mewar family. The seat of the younger branch is that of the Maharana of Udaipur. The city was founded in ...
,
Mewar
Mewar, also spelled as 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 Rajasth ...
,
Pratapgarh and
Shahpura.
In
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 ...
, they are generally referred to as
Gohil Gohil may refer to:
* Gohil dynasty, 12th-century rulers of Saurashtra in modern Gujarat
* Guhila, alt ''Gohil'' a clan of Rajput caste
People
* Dinita Gohil, British actress
* Gigabhai Gohil (died 2020), Indian politician
* Manav Gohil (born ...
and ruled the princely states of
Bhavnagar
Bhavnagar is a city and the headquarters of Bhavnagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It was founded in 1723 by Bhavsinhji Gohil. It was the capital of Bhavnagar State, which was a princely state before it was merged into the Dominion ...
,
Palitana
Palitana is a city in the Bhavnagar district of the Indian state of Gujarat. It is one of the most significant pilgrimage destinations for followers of Jainism, renowned for the Shatrunjaya hill temples, a sprawling complex of over 900 marble t ...
,
Lathi and
Vala and
Rajpipla.
See also
*
Rajput clans
References
{{reflist
Kingdom of Mewar
Rajput clans
Rajput clans of Rajasthan