Samantaraja ( IAST: Sāmantarāja, r. c. 7th century CE ) was an Indian king belonging to the Chahamana dynasty of Shakambhari (modern Sambhar). He ruled parts of present-day

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern s ...

in north-western India. The exact period of Samanta is not certain. According to

Dasharatha Sharma Dasharatha Sharma (1903–1976) was an Indologist with particular interest in the history of the Rajasthan region of India. Born in the Rajasthani city of Churu, he studied in the city of Bikaner and at the University of Delhi. He had degrees ...

, his reign ended around 725 VS (c. 668 CE). On the other hand, Historian R. B. Singh assigned Samanta's reign to the period c. 684-709 CE and identifies Manik Rai as Samantaraja, the 7th century Chahamana ruler of Shakambhari. The 1170 CE

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 aver ...

rock inscription of his descendant Someshvara states that Samanta was born at Ahichchhatrapura in the

gotra In Hindu culture, the term gotra (Sanskrit: गोत्र) is considered to be equivalent to lineage. It broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor or patriline. Generally, the gotra ...

of sage Vatsa. Ahichchhatrapura is identified with modern

Nagaur Nagaur is a city and municipal council in Nagaur district of the state of Rajasthan in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Nagaur District. The Nagaur city lies about midway between Jodhpur and Bikaner. Nagaur is famous for spice ...

Vasudeva According to Hindu scriptures, Vasudeva (Sanskrit: वसुदेव, IAST: ''Vasudeva''), also called Anakadundubhi, (''anakas'' and ''dundubhis'' both refer to ''drums'', after the musicians who played these instruments at the time of his ...

, an ancestor of Samanta, is known from the historical records, but the relationship between the two is not certain. Historian R. B. Singh theorizes that after Vasudeva, the Chahamanas were overshadowed by the Vardhanas, and Samanta restored the Chahamana rule at Shakambhari. The medieval bardic legends state that Manik Rai restored the fortunes of the Chauhan (Chahamana) family by the grace of the goddess Shakambhari. Singh identifies Manik Rai as Samanta. Samanta was succeeded by Naradeva.

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Bibliography

* * {{Chahamanas of Shakambhari Chahamanas of Shakambhari 7th-century Indian monarchs