Naravarman (reigned 1094–1133 CE), also known as Naravarma-deva, was an Indian king from the
Paramara dynasty
The Paramara Dynasty (IAST: Paramāra) was an Indian dynasty that ruled Malwa and surrounding areas in west-central India between 9th and 14th centuries. They belonged to the Parmar (clan), Paramara clan of the Rajputs.
The dynasty was establi ...
, who ruled in the
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 ...
region of central India. The Paramara power greatly declined during his reign, as a result of multiple military defeats.
Early life
Naravarman was a son of the
Paramara king
Udayaditya
Udayāditya (reigned c. 1070–1093) was a Paramara ruler of Malwa region of central India, who succeeded Jayasimha I. He is known for driving out the Kalachuri King Lakshmikarna.
He was succeeded by his son, either Lakshmadeva or Naravarm ...
. Paramara inscriptions describe military exploits and grants of Naravarman and his brother
Lakshmadeva
Lakshmadeva (IAST: Lakṣma-deva) was a member of the Paramara dynasty of Malwa region in central India. According to one theory, he ascended the Paramara throne after his father Udayaditya, and reigned during the 1080s CE. According to another ...
, but it is likely that Lakshmadeva never ascended the throne. The
Dewas grant inscription suggests that Naravarman succeeded
Udayaditya
Udayāditya (reigned c. 1070–1093) was a Paramara ruler of Malwa region of central India, who succeeded Jayasimha I. He is known for driving out the Kalachuri King Lakshmikarna.
He was succeeded by his son, either Lakshmadeva or Naravarm ...
on the throne. Lakshmadeva seems to have died sometime before 1082, as the 1082 CE Kamed inscription records a land grant made by Naravarman in his brother's memory.
Military career
Some of the later Paramara inscriptions portray Naravarman as a great military leader who undertook a ''
digvijaya'' ("conquest in all directions") campaign. For example, an undated fragmentary inscription from the
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 ...
claims that Nirvana-Narayana (a title of Naravarman) conquered territories as far as
Himalayas
The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...
in the north,
Malayachala in the south and
Dvarika in the west. Such descriptions are conventional poetic boasts: in reality, Naravarman was defeated by several other kings and also appears to have faced rebellions by his own subordinates. The Paramara-controlled territory decreased substantially during his reign.
Naravarman appears to have suffered at defeat against the
Chandela
The Chandelas of Jejakabhukti was an Indian dynasty in Central India. The Chandelas ruled much of the Bundelkhand region (then called ''Jejakabhukti'') between the 9th and the 13th centuries. They belonged to the Chandel clan of the Rajputs.
T ...
s, who ruled the territory to the north-east of the Paramara territory of
Malava. The contemporary Chandela king
Sallakshanavarman claims to have "snatched the royal fortune of the Malavas".
He also suffered a defeat against 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 ...
. The Chahamana king
Ajayaraja II
Ajayaraja II (r. c. 1110–1135 CE) was an Indian king belonging to the Shakambhari Chahamana dynasty. He ruled the Sapadalaksha country, which included parts of present-day Rajasthan in north-western India. He defeated the Paramaras of Malwa, ...
captured his general Sollana. Ajayaraja also killed three noted warriors named Chachiga, Sindhula and Yashoraja, who appear to have been Naravarman's subordinates. The
Bijolia
Bijoliya is a census town in Bhilwara district in the state of Rajasthan, India and is surrounded by nature and waterfalls and is famous for Tapodaya Teerth Kshetra and Mandakini Temple.
Geography
Bijoliya Kalan is located at . It has an avera ...
rock inscription boasts that Ajayaraja's son
Arnoraja
Arnoraja (IAST: Arṇorāja, r. c. 1135–1150 CE) was an Indian king belonging to the Shakambhari Chahamana dynasty. He ruled the Sapadalaksha country, which included parts of present-day Rajasthan in north-western India. Arnoraja defeated the ...
humiliated Nirvvana-Naryana (that is, Naravarman). This may be a reference to Arnoraja's participation in his father's campaign against Naravarman, as a prince.
The Talwada inscription of the
Chaulukyas, who ruled the neighbouring region 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 ...
in the west, state that their king
Jayasimha "humbled the pride of Naravarman". In this campaign, Jayasimha appears to have been aided by his
Naddula Chahamana feudatory
Asharaja
Asharaja ( IAST: Āśārāja, r. c. 1110–1119 CE) was an Indian king belonging to the Naddula Chahamana dynasty. He ruled the area around Naddula (present-day Nadol in Rajasthan), before being dethroned by his nephew Ratnapala. He then accep ...
. The Nanana inscription of Asharaja's descendant
Alhana boasts that when Asharaja arrived at the Paramara capital
Dhara, Naravarman hid himself in the fort. The
Sundha Hill inscription also states that Jayasimha was pleased with the Asharaja's assistance in the Paramara territory of Malava.
According to the Chaulukya chronicles written by Someshvara, Jinamandanagani and Jayasimha Suri, the Chaulukya king imprisoned Naravarman. However, other chroniclers such as
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 ...
, Arisimha, and Merutunga state that the Chalukya king imprisoned Naravarman's successor
Yashovarman
Yashovarman (IAST: Yaśovarman) was the ruler of the Kingdom of Kannauj and first king of the Varman dynasty.
Life
Yashovarman was the king of Kannauj in the early part of the eighth century. The city (then known as Kanyakubja) had previously ...
. The Chaulukya-Paramara war probably began during the reign of Naravarman, and ended during Yashovarman's reign.
The Ingnoda inscription of 1133-34 CE indicates that there was an independent kingdom north-east of
Ujjain
Ujjain (, , old name Avantika, ) or Ujjayinī is a city in Ujjain district of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the fifth-largest city in Madhya Pradesh by population and is the administrative as well as religious centre of Ujjain ...
, and its ruler Vijayapala bore the title ''
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 ...
-Paramesvara''. This indicates that the Paramaras had lost control of this area by the end of Naravarman's reign.
Cultural activities

Naravarman was a poet, and composed hymns to various deities and eulogies of his ancestors. The ''Nagpur Prashasti'' may have been composed by him. He restored the
Mahakala temple of
Ujjain
Ujjain (, , old name Avantika, ) or Ujjayinī is a city in Ujjain district of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the fifth-largest city in Madhya Pradesh by population and is the administrative as well as religious centre of Ujjain ...
, and composed a hymn in the deity's honour. He started the construction of a temple at
Vidisha
Vidisha (विदिशा, formerly known as Bhelsa and known as Besnagar and Bhaddilpur in ancient times) is a city in Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of Vidisha district. It is located 62.5 km north ...
, but was unable to finish it, probably because of military defeats and rebellions.
Gold (5.2 g), silver (2.9 g) and copper coins issued by Naravarman have been found in
Indore
Indore (; ISO 15919, ISO: , ) is the largest and most populous Cities in India, city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The commercial capital of the state, it has been declared as the List of cleanest cities in India, cleanest city of In ...
.
According to the ''
Rajatarangini
''Rājataraṅgiṇī'' (Sanskrit: Devanagari, राजतरङ्गिणी, IAST, romanized: ''rājataraṅgiṇī'', International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: Help:IPA/Sanskrit, �ɑː.d͡ʑɐ.t̪ɐˈɾɐŋ.ɡi.ɳiː ) is a metrical legend ...
'', Naravarman gave asylum to the Kashmiri prince Bhikshachara, who had escaped a revolt. He brought up Bhikshachara like his own son, and trained him in use of arms and sciences.
Inscriptions
Naravarman's inscriptions have been found at Amera near
Udaipur
Udaipur (Hindi: , ) (ISO 15919: ''Udayapura'') is a city in the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan, about south of the state capital Jaipur. It serves as the administrative headquarters of Udaipur district. It is the historic capital of t ...
(1093-1095 CE),
Dewas (1094 CE),
Bhojpur (1100-1101 CE),
Nagpur
Nagpur (; ISO 15919, ISO: ''Nāgapura'') is the second capital and third-largest city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is called the heart of India because of its central geographical location. It is the largest and most populated city i ...
(1104-05 CE), and
Vidisha
Vidisha (विदिशा, formerly known as Bhelsa and known as Besnagar and Bhaddilpur in ancient times) is a city in Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of Vidisha district. It is located 62.5 km north ...
(undated). One more inscription was issued at Kadambapadraka (1110 CE), and was found in the possession of a resident of
Bombay
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...
. H. V. Trivedi identifies Kadambapadraka with present-day Kamlikhedi (or Kamalyakhedi) village near
Ujjain
Ujjain (, , old name Avantika, ) or Ujjayinī is a city in Ujjain district of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the fifth-largest city in Madhya Pradesh by population and is the administrative as well as religious centre of Ujjain ...
.
References
Bibliography
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{{Paramara dynasty
Kings of Malwa
Paramara dynasty
11th-century Indian monarchs