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Samantasimha or Samant 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 ...
during the second half of the 12th century. He succeeded his father Kshemasimha. After the death of the powerful Chaulakya king Kumarapal, Samantsingh successfully invaded Gujarat. He was later deposed from Mewar. He sought refuge in Vagad and established himself there but was soon expelled from there as well. Historian G.H. Ojha theorizes that he eventually died fighting in the
Second Battle of Tarain The Second Battle of Tarain was fought in 1192 between the Ghurid forces of Muhammad Ghuri and the Rajput Confederacy of Prithviraj Chauhan. It took place near Tarain (modern Taraori), which is , north of Delhi. The battle ended in a deci ...
.


Background

By the mid-12th century, the Guhilas had been subjugated by the Chaulukyas of Gujarat.


Expedition of Gujarat

After the death of its very powerful ruler Kumarapala in 1172 and ascension of his son Ajayapala, Samantsingh found it opportune to invade the territory of Gujarat. This invasion coincided with an ensued confusion over the kingdom of Chaulukyas after the death of Kumarapala. Ajayapala had to initially face defeat at hands of Samantsingh. Later, one of the feudatories of the Chalukyas, Dharavarsha of Chandravati, sent his younger brother, ''Prahalad'' who defeated and repelled Samantsingh. After this expedition, he was able to extend his influence beyond the western boundaries of Mewar.


Invasion by Kirtipal

After the
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 ...
, Chaulukya King
Mularaja Mularaja () was the king of Gujarat and the founder of the Chaulukya dynasty. Also known as the Chaulukyas of Gujarat or Solanki, this dynasty ruled parts of present-day Gujarat. Mularaja supplanted the last Chavda dynasty, Chavda king, and foun ...
passed away soon and was succeeded by
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 ...
, who was a minor at the time. Many feudatories of Gujarat at this time struggled to increase their power and the kingdom remained very unstable. This gave an opportunity to the Chahamana ruler of Jalore,
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 ...
to invade Mewar in 1179 and depose Samantsingh. Samantsingh had to take shelter in
Vagad Vagad (also known as Vagar) is a region in southeastern Rajasthan state of western India. Its boundaries are roughly defined by those of the districts of Dungarpur and Banswara. Major cities of the region are Dungarpur and Banswara. Geogra ...
where he ousted its Guhila rulers. He couldn't stay in Vagad long either from where he was soon ousted by Bhim II.


Later life

After being expelled from Vagad, Samantsingh sought shelter under
Prithviraja III Prithviraja III (IAST: Pṛthvī-rāja; 22 May 1166 – February 1192), popularly known as Prithviraj Chauhan or Rai Pithora, was a king from the Chahamanas of Shakambhari, Chauhan (Chahamana) dynasty who ruled the territory of Sapadalaksha, w ...
of
Ajmer Ajmer () is a city in the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Ajmer district and Ajmer division. It lies at the centre of Rajasthan, earning it the ...
with whom he participated in the
Second battle of Tarain The Second Battle of Tarain was fought in 1192 between the Ghurid forces of Muhammad Ghuri and the Rajput Confederacy of Prithviraj Chauhan. It took place near Tarain (modern Taraori), which is , north of Delhi. The battle ended in a deci ...
. He was killed in this battle.


References


Bibliography

* * {{refend 12th-century Indian monarchs Year of birth missing 12th-century maharajadhirajas Monarchs killed in action