Vallabhi (or Valabhi or Valabhipur) is an ancient city located in the

Saurashtra Saurashtra, Sourashtra, or variants may refer to: ** Kathiawar, also called Saurashtra Peninsula, a peninsula in western India ** Saurashtra (state), alias United State of Kathiawar, a former Indian state, merged into Bombay State and since its d ...

peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...

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 ...

, near

Bhavnagar Bhavnagar is a city and the headquarters of Bhavnagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It was founded in 1723 by Bhavsinhji Gohil. It was the capital of Bhavnagar State, which was a princely state before it was merged into the Dominion ...

in western

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. It is also known as Vallabhipura and was the capital of the

Kingdom of Valabhi The Kingdom of Valabhi was an early medieval India, early medieval kingdom in Western India from 475 to 776. It was founded by #Bhaṭārka, Bhatarka, a Senapati, general in the Gupta Empire, and ruled by the Maitraka dynasty. Following the decli ...

, an early medieval state ruled by the Suryavanshi

Maitraka Dynasty The Maitraka dynasty ruled the Kingdom of Valabhi in western India from approximately 475 to 776 from their capital at Vallabhi. With the sole exception of Dharapaṭṭa (the fifth king in the dynasty), who is associated with sun-worship, the ...

History

Vallabhi was occupied as early as the Harappan period, and was later part of the

Maurya Empire The Maurya Empire was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in South Asia with its power base in Magadha. Founded by Chandragupta Maurya around c. 320 BCE, it existed in loose-knit fashion until 185 BCE. The primary source ...

from about 322 BCE until 185 BCE. Vallabhi Council - Sculptural Depiction

The

Satavahana dynasty The Satavahanas (; ''Sādavāhana'' or ''Sātavāhana'', IAST: ), also referred to as the Andhras (also ''Andhra-bhṛtyas'' or ''Andhra-jatiyas'') in the Puranas, were an ancient Indian dynasty. Most modern scholars believe that the Satavaha ...

ruled the area, off and on, from the late second century BCE until the early third century CE. The

Gupta Empire The Gupta Empire was an Indian empire during the classical period of the Indian subcontinent which existed from the mid 3rd century to mid 6th century CE. At its zenith, the dynasty ruled over an empire that spanned much of the northern Indian ...

held the area from approximately 319 CE to 467 CE. The Great Council of Vallabhi, was held under

Devardhigani Kshamashraman Devardhi or Vachanacharya Devardhigani Kshamashramana or Devavachaka was a Jain ascetic of the Śvetāmbara sect and an author of several Prakrit texts. He was a prominent figure in Jainism in the ''5th century AD''. Mainly known for his contr ...

's guidance to preserve the remaining canonical texts of

Jainism Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion whose three main pillars are nonviolence (), asceticism (), and a rejection of all simplistic and one-sided views of truth and reality (). Jainism traces its s ...

. there in 454 CE, during the decline of the Gupta Empire. In the fifth century (CE), the first two

Maitraka The Maitraka dynasty ruled the Kingdom of Valabhi in western India from approximately 475 to 776 from their capital at Vallabhi. With the sole exception of Dharapaṭṭa (the fifth king in the dynasty), who is associated with sun-worship, the ...

rulers, Bhatarka and Dharasena I, only used the title of ''Senapati'' (general). The third ruler, Dronasimha (Dronasena ), declared himself ''Maharaja'' (literally "Great King").Roychaudhuri, H.C. (1972). ''Political History of Ancient India'', University of Calcutta, Calcutta, pp.553-4 King Guhasena came after him. Unlike his predecessors, the king stopped using the term ''Paramabhattaraka Padanudhyata'' alongside his name, a term that denotes nominal allegiance to the Gupta overlords. He was succeeded by his son Dharasena II, who used the title ''Mahadhiraja''. The next ruler was his son, Siladitya-I Dharmaditya, who was described by the Chinese scholar and traveller

Xuanzang Xuanzang (; ; 6 April 6025 February 664), born Chen Hui or Chen Yi (), also known by his Sanskrit Dharma name Mokṣadeva, was a 7th-century Chinese Bhikkhu, Buddhist monk, scholar, traveller, and translator. He is known for the epoch-making ...

as a "monarch of great administrative ability and of rare kindness and compassion". Siladitya I was succeeded by his younger brother Kharagraha I.Mahajan V.D. (1960, reprint 2007). ''Ancient India'', S.Chand & Company, New Delhi, , pp.594-6 During the time of Kharagraha I, a copperplate grant was found from 616 CE that shows that his territories included

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 ...

. During the reign of the next ruler, his son Dharasena III, north Gujarat was assimilated into the kingdom. Dharasena II was succeeded by another son of Kharagraha I, Dhruvasena II, Baladitya. He married the daughter of

Harshavardhana Harshavardhana (Sanskrit: हर्षवर्धन; 4 June 590 – 647) was an emperor of Kannauj from April 606 until his death in 647. He was the king of Thanesar who had defeated the Alchon Huns, and the younger brother of Rajya ...

and their son Dharasena IV assumed the imperial titles of ''Paramabhattaraka Mahrajadhiraja Parameshvara Chakravartin'' and Sanskrit poet

Bhatti Bhatti is a Punjabis, Punjabi and Sindhis, Sindhi caste of Rajputs. They are linked to the Bhatia caste, Bhatias and Bhutto (clan), Bhuttos, all of whom claim to originate from the Hindus, Hindu Bhati Rajputs. They claim descent from the Lun ...

was his court poet. The next powerful ruler of this dynasty was Siladitya III. After him, Siladitya V ruled, and it is suspected that during his reign, there was an Arab Invasion. The last known ruler of the dynasty was Siladitya VII. The rule of the Maitrakas is believed to have ended during the second or third quarter of the eighth century when the Arabs invaded.

List of Rulers

#Senāpati Bhaṭārka (c. 470-c. 492) #Senāpati Dharasena I (c. 493-c. 499) #Drona Sen (title: Maharaja) (c. 500-c. 520) #Dhruva Sen I (520-550 AD) #Dhanapatta Sen (550-556 AD) #Graha Sen (556-570 AD) #Dhara Sen II (570-595 AD) #Siladitya Sen I (Dharmaditya) (595-615 AD) #Kharagraha I (615-626 AD) #Dhara Sen III (AD 626-640) #Dhruva Sen II (Baladitya) (640-644 AD) #Chakravarti Raja Ghana Sen IV (Titles: Parambhattarak, Maharajadhiraja, Parameshwar) (644-651 AD) #Dhruva Sen III (651-655 AD) #Khagraha Sen II (655-658 AD) #Siladitya Sen II (658-685 AD) #Siladitya Sen III (690-710 AD) #Siladitya Sen IV (710-740 AD) #Siladitya Sen V (740-762 AD) #Siladitya Sen VI (Dhruvatta) (762-776 AD)

Valabhi inscriptions

Religious inscriptions are known from Valhabi, which were dedicated to the Brahmans as well as the Buddhist and Jains. The Indologist

Sylvain Lévi Sylvain Lévi (; March 28, 1863 – October 30, 1935) was an influential French intellectual and author whose specialities were oriental studies and India. He taught Sanskrit and Indian religions at the École pratique des hautes études in ...

wrote an article entitled ''"Les donations religieuses des rois de Valhabi"''. The numerals used in the Valhabi inscriptions and on their coins, dated to , are often mentioned as an intermediary step in the evolution of Hindu-Arabic numerals.

References

{{Bhavnagar district Cities and towns in Bhavnagar district

History

List of Rulers

Valabhi inscriptions

See also

References