Product Code Database
Mahendrapala I (IAST: Mahendrapāla; r. 885 – 910) was the Aryavarta (ancient name for India, ) and King of Kannauj from 885 until his death in 910 and member of the Pratihara dynasty. He reigned over a vast empire in northern India. He is also mentioned on various inscriptions found in present-day Kathiawar, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh by the names Mahindrapala, Mahendrayudha, Mahisapaladeva, and also Nirbhayaraja, Nirbhayanarendra and Suryavamsa-tilaka in the plays of his guru Rajasekhara.Radhey Shyam Chaurasia (2025). 9788126900275, Atlantic Publishers & Distributors. . ISBN 9788126900275
Bhoja is thought to have died around A.D. 885, and his son Mahendrapala I succeeded him. The earliest record of Mahendrapala dates to A.D. 893. There is an unclear verse in a work called Rdjatarangvn, that hints he may have lost some land in the Punjab—a territory his father had gained—to a Kashmiri king named Sahkaravarman. Other than that uncertain detail, Mahendrapala kept the large empire he inherited and even pushed its borders further east.
At least seven of his inscriptions have been found in South Bihar and North Bengal with dates from years 2' to 19, showing that soon after coming to power he conquered Magadha and part of Northern Bengal, which was traditionally the home of his long-time rivals, the Palas. His records also appear in the Kathiawar Peninsula, Eastern Punjab, the Jhansi District, and Awadh (Oudh). This spread suggests that his empire stretched from the Himalayan region in the north to the Vindhya in the south, and from the eastern coast to the western sea.
Mahendrapala’s name appears in several forms, including Mahindrapala and Mahendrayudha, and he was also known by titles such as Nirbhaya-narendra or Nirbhayaraja. His spiritual teacher, Rajaiekhara, was a well-known figure in Indian literature. Although Rajaiekhara's writings do not provide many details about Mahendrapala’s life or character, they clearly celebrate the magnificence of the imperial city of Kanauj.Sen, S.N., 2013, A Textbook of Medieval Indian History, Delhi: Primus Books,
|
|
