Mewar as Focus of Guhila State (Part-XXIV)

Mewar was as also engaged militarily with Rajput powers that were its immediate neighbours, such as the Hädäs of Bundi, the Räthaurs of Mandor and the Devda Cäham?nas of Sirohi in order to better control the fortresses strategic to its eastern, northern and north-western frontiers respectively. — Prof. Nandini Kapur Sinha

The Baghelas too claimed victory over Mewar in the mid-thirteenth century. A Baghela land grant dating back to AD 1260 refers to the Baghela Rãòâ Visaladeva of Dholka as one ‘who resembled a hatchet on account of his cutting the roots of the creeper like turbulent government of The Medapâta country. It is equally significant that the Baghelas acknowledged Guhila Jaitrasimha as Medapâtaprth vilalâtam mandalam Jayatalam. The rise of Ahmad Shah-I (contemporary of Räòâ Mokal) in Gujarat was accompanied by repeated incursions into Mewar by him and was followed by Guhila counter-claims of victory over Firuz Shah of Nagaur and Patsaha Ahmad, Rana Kumbha responded with a programme of territorial expansion in the north-western frontiers of Mewar to control the fortresses of Nagaur and Narena, among others and tried to ally with the fugitive Ghurid princes from Malwa (necessitating a Mewar-Gujarat military alliance against Malwa). This provoked a counter alliance by Malwa with Gujarat against Mewar, and necessitated close Guhila-Baghelä and Guhila-Yadava political cooperation which led to matrimonial alliances with the Bägheläs and with the Yadavas. Mokal’s Úrngir’i inscription eulogizes his Bagheli Queen Gaurambikâ at great length. 

Gujarat’s repeated attempts at controlling the fortresses of the Abu- Sirohi belt and its protectorate, the Sultanate of Nagaur, shifted Mewar’s to attention its north-western frontiers. A number of inscriptional records issued by Kharataragaccha Vasahi of Abu in AD 1458, an image inscription from Caturmukha Vihar of AD 1461 and the Gaumukh Inscription from Acalgarh referring to the reign of Ränä Kumbha, speak of the Mewar-Gujarat rivalry over Abu. Significantly Persian sources speak of repeated attempts by Gujarat to seize Kumbhalgarh and Chittaurgarh. Hence, pursuing social alliances with local Rajput families of Gujarat became an important strategy against the Sultanate of Gujarat.

If Mokal had a Bagheli queen, a Guhila Princess Ramâvati (Kumbha’s daughter) was married to Raya Mandalika, the Yädava ruler of Junagarh. The way the Visnu Temple Inscription of Ramâvati from Zawar (AD 1497) eulogizes the Yadavas, speaks of their political importance for fifteenth-century Guhilas. Even seventeenth-century sources refer to Rânâ Kumbha’s control over Junagarh (Saurashtra), The Guhilas continued to strengthen their social linkages with the local Rajput powers of Gujarat at least up to the end of the fifteenth century: local bardic traditions speak of Räòâ Räimalla’s (son and successor of Kumbha) chief queen, a princess from Idar (Banaskantha region of north-eastern Gujarat), and how Räimalla captured Chittaurgarh from Kumbha’s assassin Udayasimha (I) with the help of his father-in-law, the Rajput ruler of Idar. 

Malwa’s repeated incursions into Mewar, attempted invasions of Chittaurgarh, Kumbhalgarh, Mandalgarh, Hâdâvati and Gagraun throughout the fifteenth century, and Kumbha’s claim of defeating a joint army of Malwa and Gujarat all led to a matrimonial alliance of the Guhilas with the Khicis of Gagraun. Annals record the marriage of Lälbäi (Mokal’s daughter) with Acaldas Khici. Since Gagraun commanded a strategic point on the route between Malwa and Mewar, the politico-military significance of the social linkages with the Khicis of Gagraun cannot be underestimated for the Guhilas of the fifteenth century. Undoubtedly, the social alliances with the neighbouring Rajput powers beyond Mewar facilitated Guhila hold, however difficult and tenuous, over some of the fortresses claimed by the contemporary records. 

Guhila attempts at magnifying their own status vis-à-vis the neigh- bouring sultans (Qutabuddin Mahmud Beghara in Gujarat and Mahmud Khalji and Ghiyasuddin Khalji in Malwa) in their fifteenth-century charters also point to Mewar’s military pre-occupation with Gujarat, Malwa and Nagaur. The Guhila claim began with the liberation of Gaya from the Yavanas, indicating a local tirtha possibly in central Rajasthan (Nagaur), Kumbha later credited the same predecessor, Laksasimha with the liberation of the tristhali; the three tirthas of Kashi, Prayag, and Gaya in the Gangetic plains magnifying Guhila power in the eyes of the local Rajput chiefs.

Mewar was as also engaged militarily with Rajput powers that were its immediate neighbours, such as the Hädäs of Bundi, the Räthaurs of Mandor and the Devda Cähamânas of Sirohi in order to better control the fortresses strategic to its eastern, northern and north-western frontiers respectively. Conquests of Vrndâvati (Bundi) are mentioned twice in Kumbhalgarh Praúasti while a separate reference occurs to the conquest of Hadâvati (eastern Mewar extending into Bundi) The first Guhila reference to possession of Vendâvati appears only in the context of Kumbha’s conquests. In view of continuing Hâdâ resistance from Bundi, it is significant that Badvâdevidân does not mention a single Hädä queen for Kumbha. With the emergence of the Räthaurs in Marwar in the latter half of the fifteenth century, Mewar found it difficult to control the fortresses of Mandor and Sojat. Although the Ranakpur Praœasti claims Kumbha’s victory over Meru Mandor, the situation had changed significantly for the Guhilas as Kumbha is later stated to have captured Mandor by killing the enemy family. In contrast, Kumbha’s control over the Abu-Sirohi belt does not figure in the Guhila records in such terms as that of Mandovarpur or Vendâvati. Kumbha’s land grant charters appeared in Ajahari and Sirohi as early as AD 1437 while his inscriptions at Abu continued to appear till late fifteenth century. Although local bardic traditions of Sirohi record the name of Devda Cahamana Dodia Narasimha, son of Rao Salji, as conqueror of the fortresses of Abu, Vasantgarh and Bhula, etc., a local popular song celebrates the conquest of Abu, a Devda possession, and ascribes building of palaces and lakes there to Kumbha. Dode Rão Sirohi dujâdâ dalasajda par hamsa dia Âbu girvar Sikhar uparan Kumbhe sarovar mahal kid (although Sirohi belonged to Rão Dode, it is Kumbha who gifted the swan-like mount of the Abu with the palaces and lakes) Such popular traditions reflect Guhila control of the Abu-Sirohi belt for a considerable time in the fifteenth century. Interestingly, Badvâdevidän lists a Devda queen each for the early kings of the Ränòâ branch like Khetä and Läkhä as well as two Devda queens for Ränä Räimalla, Raj Kunwar. Devda Rão Gopâ’s daughter and Campå Kunwar, Devda Rão Lakha’s daughter. The social relationship with the Devda Cähamânas of Sirohi became politically significant in view of the Mewar-Gujarat clash over Abu. Hence, Guhilas seem to have a better control over the Abu-Sirohi belt than the Marwar of the Rathaurs or Bundi of the Hädas.

Last, but not the least, occasional victory over Rajput forts beyond Mewar undoubtedly brought additional resources, seized during the campaigns. Also, commercial wealth accruing from the trade routes that some of these fortresses commanded, was obviously diverted to the Guhila state of Mewar. A part of this wealth is likely to have contributed resources to the making of massive forts in Kumbha’s reign.

[to be continued...]
 

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