Mahipala I
Encyclopedia
Mahipala I was ascended to the throne of Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty after his step brother Bhoj II
. He was born of queen Mahidevi. Mahipala I was also designated by names - Ksitipala, Vinayakapala, Herambapala and Uttarapatha Swami.
's campaign did not influenced Kannauj
much and Mahipala I soon revived Kannauj
as court poet Rajasekhara
calls him Maharajadhiraja of Aryavarta
. According to Kavyamimansa of Rajasekhara
, Mahipala's reign extended from the upper course of the river Bias
in the northwest to Kalinga
or Orissa
in the south-east, and from the Himalayas to the Kerala
or Chera
country in the far south.
Mahipala occupied territories up to Narbada is evident from Partabgarh inscription, which inform about his son Mahendrapala II ruling at Ujjain
in 946 AD. R. S. Tripathi asserts that as Mahendrapala II is not credited with any achievement so it must have been Mahipala I who recovered Ujjain
.
Closing days of Mahipala was again disturbed by attacks of Rashtrakutas
on northern India
as the Deoli and Karhad plates of Krisna III, while praising his achievement in the style of inflated panegyric, informs that by hearing conquest of southern regions, the hope about Kalanjara and Citrakuta vanished from the heart of the Gurjara.
Arab
chronicler Al-Masudi
describes about Mahipala I as follows:
Mahipala I, whom Kanarese poet Pampa
expressly calls "Gurjararaja", carried forward the work of his ancestors. He also built the Sas-Bhau temples in Gwalior which was devoted to God Vishnu
(Sahastrabahu) but over the years known as Sas-Bahu temple.
These are twin temples adjoining each other both dedicated to God Vishnu
(Sahastrabahu) but over the years got known as Sas-Bahu Temple. It was built by Raja Mahipal and got completed in 1093 A.D as per the Sanskrit
inscription written. The doorway depicts trinity, i.e. Lord Bramha, Vishnu
and Shiva
. The temples are architectural marvels. Large slabs of sandstone are balanced over each other in slanting positions.
Bhoj II
Bhoja II , according to the Asiatic Society's Plate of Vinakapala, acceded to the throne of the Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty after his father Mahendrapala I. His mother was queen Dehanaga-Devi. He reigned for a short time and overthrown by his step brother Mahipala I....
. He was born of queen Mahidevi. Mahipala I was also designated by names - Ksitipala, Vinayakapala, Herambapala and Uttarapatha Swami.
Reign
It seems that Indra IIIIndra III
Indra III was the grandson of Rashtrakuta Krishna II and son of Chedi princess Lakshmi. He became the ruler of the empire due to the early demise of his father Jagattunga. He had many titles such as Nithyavarsha, Rattakandarapa, Rajamarathanda and Kirthinarayana. He patronised Kannada poet and...
's campaign did not influenced Kannauj
Kannauj
Kannauj , also spelt Kanauj, is a city, administrative headquarters and a municipal board or Nagar Palika Parishad in Kannauj district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city's name is traditionally derived from the term Kanyakubja . Kannauj is an ancient city, in earlier times the capital...
much and Mahipala I soon revived Kannauj
Kannauj
Kannauj , also spelt Kanauj, is a city, administrative headquarters and a municipal board or Nagar Palika Parishad in Kannauj district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city's name is traditionally derived from the term Kanyakubja . Kannauj is an ancient city, in earlier times the capital...
as court poet Rajasekhara
Rajasekhara
Rajashekhara was an eminent Sanskrit poet, dramatist and critic. He was court poet of the Gurjara Pratiharas.He wrote Kavyamimamsa between 880 and 920 CE. The work is essentially a practical guide for poets that explains the elements and composition of a good poem. The fame of Rajashekhara...
calls him Maharajadhiraja of Aryavarta
Aryavarta
Āryāvarta is a name for Northern India in classical Sanskrit literature. The Manu Smriti gives the name to "the tract between the Himalaya and the Vindhya ranges, from the eastern to the Western Sea"....
. According to Kavyamimansa of Rajasekhara
Rajasekhara
Rajashekhara was an eminent Sanskrit poet, dramatist and critic. He was court poet of the Gurjara Pratiharas.He wrote Kavyamimamsa between 880 and 920 CE. The work is essentially a practical guide for poets that explains the elements and composition of a good poem. The fame of Rajashekhara...
, Mahipala's reign extended from the upper course of the river Bias
Beas River
The Beas River is a river in the northern part of India. The river rises in the Himalayas in central Himachal Pradesh, India, and flows for some 470 km to the Sutlej River in the Indian state of Punjab....
in the northwest to Kalinga
Kalinga (India)
Kalinga was an early state in central-eastern India, which comprised most of the modern state of Orissa/Utkal , as well as the Andhra region of the bordering state of Andhra Pradesh. It was a rich and fertile land that extended from the river Damodar/Ganges to Godavari and from Bay of Bengal to...
or Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
in the south-east, and from the Himalayas to the Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
or Chera
Chera dynasty
Chera Dynasty in South India is one of the most ancient ruling dynasties in India. Together with the Cholas and the Pandyas, they formed the three principle warring Iron Age Tamil kingdoms in southern India...
country in the far south.
Mahipala occupied territories up to Narbada is evident from Partabgarh inscription, which inform about his son Mahendrapala II ruling at Ujjain
Ujjain
Ujjain , is an ancient city of Malwa region in central India, on the eastern bank of the Kshipra River , today part of the state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the administrative centre of Ujjain District and Ujjain Division.In ancient times the city was called Ujjayini...
in 946 AD. R. S. Tripathi asserts that as Mahendrapala II is not credited with any achievement so it must have been Mahipala I who recovered Ujjain
Ujjain
Ujjain , is an ancient city of Malwa region in central India, on the eastern bank of the Kshipra River , today part of the state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the administrative centre of Ujjain District and Ujjain Division.In ancient times the city was called Ujjayini...
.
Closing days of Mahipala was again disturbed by attacks of Rashtrakutas
Rashtrakuta Dynasty
The Rashtrakuta Empire was a royal dynasty ruling large parts of the Indian Subcontinent between the sixth and the 10th centuries. During this period they ruled as several closely related, but individual clans. Rastrakutas in inscriptions represented as descendants of Satyaki, a Yadava well known...
on northern India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
as the Deoli and Karhad plates of Krisna III, while praising his achievement in the style of inflated panegyric, informs that by hearing conquest of southern regions, the hope about Kalanjara and Citrakuta vanished from the heart of the Gurjara.
Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
chronicler Al-Masudi
Al-Masudi
Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn al-Husayn ibn Ali al-Mas'udi , was an Arab historian and geographer, known as the "Herodotus of the Arabs." Al-Masudi was one of the first to combine history and scientific geography in a large-scale work, Muruj adh-dhahab...
describes about Mahipala I as follows:
Mahipala I, whom Kanarese poet Pampa
Adikavi Pampa
Pampa , called by the honorific Ādikavi is one of the greatest Kannada poets of all time.He is very famous even today for his philosophical beliefs...
expressly calls "Gurjararaja", carried forward the work of his ancestors. He also built the Sas-Bhau temples in Gwalior which was devoted to God Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
(Sahastrabahu) but over the years known as Sas-Bahu temple.
Sas Bhau ka Mandir
Sas-Bahu temple| Sas-Bahu temple | Small Sas Bahu temple |
These are twin temples adjoining each other both dedicated to God Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
(Sahastrabahu) but over the years got known as Sas-Bahu Temple. It was built by Raja Mahipal and got completed in 1093 A.D as per the Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
inscription written. The doorway depicts trinity, i.e. Lord Bramha, Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
and Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
. The temples are architectural marvels. Large slabs of sandstone are balanced over each other in slanting positions.