Kelhana-deva (

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 ...

: Kelhaṇadeva, r. c. 1163–1193 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 ...

), as a

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 ...

vassal. He participated in the 1178 CE

Battle of Kasahrada The Battle of Kasahrada, also known as Battle of Kayadara or Battle of Gadararaghatta was fought in 1178 at modern Kasahrada in Sirohi district near Mount Abu in present-day Rajasthan. It was fought between the Rajput Confederacy led by Mular ...

, in which the Chaulukya forces defeated the

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 ...

ruler Muhammad of Ghor.

Reign

Kelhanadeva was a son of the Chahamana ruler

Alhanadeva Alhana-deva (IAST: Alhaṇadeva, r. c. 1148–1163 CE) was an Indian king belonging to the Chahamanas of Naddula, Naddula Chahamana dynasty. He ruled the area around Naddula (present-day Nadol in Rajasthan), as a vassal of the Chaulukya king Kuma ...

and queen Analladevi. As a prince, he assisted his father in the administration. Around 1163 CE, he succeeded his father as a

vassal on the throne of Naddula. Kelhanadeva seems to have made an attempt to assert his sovereignty, as indicated by his titles ''

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 ...

Parameshvara'' ("King of Great Kings, Supreme Lord"). However, the Chaulukya monarch Kumarapala forced him to acknowledge the Chaulukya suzerainty. After Kumarapala's death, he again attempted to assert independence. According to the Sundha Hill inscription, Kelhanadeva and his brother

Kirtipala Kirti-pala ( IAST: Kīrtipāla, r. c. 1160-1182 CE), also known as Kitu in vernacular legends, was an Indian king belonging to the Chahamana dynasty of Javalipura (modern Jalore). A member of the Naddula Chahamana family, he carved out a prin ...

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 (Turkic people, that is, the

s). The legendary chronicle ''

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 ...

'' states that the Ghurid king Muhammad of Ghor took possession of Naddula during his invasion of India. He was challenged by a Chaulukya force during the reign of

Bhima II Bhima II (r. 1178–1240), also known as Bhola Bhima, was an Indian king who ruled the Kingdom of Gujarat. He was a member of the Chaulukya (also called Chalukya or Solanki) dynasty. During his reign, the dynasty's power declined greatly as a ...

. This force included the troops of the three Chaulukya feudatories: the Naddula Chahamana ruler Kelhanadeva, the Javalipura Chahamana ruler Kirtipala, and the Abu Paramara ruler Dharavarsha. The joint force defeated the Ghurid army at the

in 1178 CE. As a result, Kelhana managed to regain control of Naddula. To celebrate this victory, he is said to have commissioned a golden

torana A ''torana'' (; '' awr-uh-nuh') is a free-standing ornamental or arched gateway for ceremonial purposes in Hindu architecture, Hindu, Buddhist and Jain architecture of the Indian subcontinent. Toranas can also be widely seen in Southeast Asi ...

(gateway) at a shrine dedicated to the deity Somesha. During Kelhanadeva's reign, the southern

Yadava The Yadava (), not to be confused with Yadav, were an ancient Indian people who believed to have descended from Yadu (legendary king), Yadu, a legendary king of Chandravamsha lineage. The community was formed of various clans, being the #T ...

ruler

Bhillama V Bhillama V (r. c. 1175–1191 CE) was the first sovereign ruler of the Seuna (Yadava) dynasty of Deccan region in India. A grandson of the Yadava king Mullagi, he carved out a principality in present-day Maharashtra by capturing forts in and ar ...

raided

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 ...

and

Malwa Malwa () is a historical region, historical list of regions in India, region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic plateau, volcanic upland north of the ...

regions, which were located to the south of Naddula. Kelhanadeva checked Bhillama's advance, and forced him to retreat. He probably fought this battle as a

feudatory.

Family

Kelhanadeva had at least two queens: Mahibala-devi (known from Lalrai inscription) and Jalhana-devi (known from Sanderao inscription). Kelhanadeva died around 1193 CE. He had at least two sons: Jayatasimha and Sodhaladeva. Jayatasimha assisted him in administration, and succeeded him on the throne of Naddula. Sodhaladeva was made governor of Mandavyapura province in 1184 CE. Chamundaraja, who governed Mandavyapura before him and held the title ''Maharajaputra'' ("Prince"), may also have been a son of Kelhanadeva. The king had at least two daughters: Shringara-devi and Lalhana-devi. Shringara married Dharavarsha, the ruler of the Paramara branch of

Abu Abu or ABU may refer to: Aviation * Airman Battle Uniform, a utility uniform of the United States Air Force * IATA airport code for A. A. Bere Tallo Airport in Atambua, Province of East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia People * Abu (Arabic term), a kun ...

. Lalhana married Vigraha, a Pratihara chief of

Gwalior Gwalior (Hindi: , ) is a major city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh; It is known as the Music City of India having oldest Gwalior gharana, musical gharana in existence. It is a major sports, cultural, industrial, and political c ...

References

Bibliography

* * * {{Chahamanas of Naddula Chahamana kings of Naddula 12th-century Indian monarchs