Rawal Jaitrasimha also known as Rawal Jaitra Singh was the ruler of the

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

from 1213 to 1252. During his rule, the Guhila Kingdom attained a high political status. ''Ekalinga Mahatmya'' mentions his title as ''Rajakula'' (''Rawal''), his own inscriptions call him a ''

Maharajadhiraja Maharaja (also spelled Maharajah or Maharaj; ; feminine: Maharani) is a royal title in Indian subcontinent of Sanskrit origin. In modern India and medieval northern India, the title was equivalent to a prince. However, in late ancient India ...

'' ("king of great kings"). During his rule, literary works like ''Hamir Mada Mardan'' are found which state that Jaitrasimha was confident in his sword. According to Ram Vallabh Somani, Many other indicators suggest that the Guhila Kingdom at this stage was an independent entity.

Struggles with the Ghurids and Iltutmish

The Achaleshvara inscription suggests that Jaitrasimha destroyed

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 ...

and defeated the Turushkas (Turkic people). According to historian R. B. Singh, this suggests that the Turkic

Ghurid The Ghurid dynasty (also spelled Ghorids; ; self-designation: , ''Šansabānī'') was a Persianate dynasty of eastern Iranian peoples, Iranian Tajik people, Tajik origin, which ruled from the 8th-century in the region of Ghor, and became an Emp ...

invaders had captured Naddula from the

Chauhans Chauhan may refer to: * Chauhan (surname), an Indian surname * Chaguanas, a town in Trinidad and Tobago called Chauhan by the early Indian indentured immigrant Clans * Chauhan Dynasty, a medieval Indian dynasty * Chauhan (caste), Chauhan of Lonia ...

(Chahamanas), and Jaitrasimha defeated their local governor. Later, the Jalor Chauhan king

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 Chaulukya ...

(a relative of Jayatasimha), gained control of Naddula. However, D. C. Ganguly believes that Jaitrasimha may have plundered Naddula ''after'' Udayasimha's conquest of Jalore. Early in his reign, the

Delhi Sultanate The Delhi Sultanate or the Sultanate of Delhi was a Medieval India, late medieval empire primarily based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for more than three centuries.

ruler

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 ...

invaded Mewar, and destroyed Nagada(the then capital of Mewar). Jaitrasimha Guhila (alias Jayatala) suffered heavy losses and retreated , but the Sultanate army retreated when the Vaghela chief Viradhavala (a feudatory of Solankis of Gujarat) marched northwards to check their advance and counter them. Jaitrasimha seems to have invaded 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 ...

territory. During an attempt to capture Kottadaka (modern Kotada), the general of the Mewar army Bala was killed by Tribhuvana-Ranaka (identified with the Solanki king Tribhuvanapala). According to one record, Ksehma's son Madana fought with the Panchalagudika Jaitramalla at Utthunaka (modern

Arthuna Arthuna is a town in Banswara district, Rajasthan, India. History The old name of the place was Utthunaka. It was the capital of Paramara rulers of Vagad during eleventh-twelfth centuries A.D. They patronized both Jainism and Saivism simult ...

), on behalf of Jesala. Based on identification of Jesala with Jaitrasimha, historian D. C. Ganguly believes that Jaitrasimha's general Madana fought with Jaitramalla, who was probably a chief of the Vagada branch of the Guhilas. The Guhila records also credit Jaitrasimha with military success against the king of

Shakambhari Shakambhari (Sanskrit: शाकम्भरी, IAST: Śākambharī), also referred to as Shatakshi, is a goddess of nourishment. She is regarded to be an incarnation of Mahadevi, and identified with Durga in Hinduism. After the malevolent a ...

. The Chauhan dynasty of Shakambhari had already ended by this time, therefore, this may be a reference to his victory over their descendants, the Chauhans of Ranthambore. Jaitrasimha is also said to have defeated the Sindhuka army, whose identity is uncertain.

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{refend 13th-century Indian monarchs Monarchs of Mewar Guhila dynasty