Chauhan

Chauhan Dynasty and Kingdom
Vansh	Agnivanshi
Descended from:	Dhundhar[citation needed]
Common Ancestry	Cheema, Chahal, Chohan Chahar, Chatha, Chhillar
Branches:	Sanchora, Sonigara, Lonia Hadas, Deoras, Bhadurias, Chavan.
Ruled in	Nadol, Jalor, Dhundhar, Ajmer, Delhi, Haryana, Neemrana, Hadoti, Godwar
Princely states:	Ajmer (7th c.-1365) Ranthambore (1236–1302), Tulsipur (7th c.-1857 AD), Mainpuri, Devgadh Baria, Bundi, Sirohi, Kotah

Prithvi Raj Chauhan

Chauhan, Chouhan or Chohan is a clan who ruled parts of northern India in the medieval period. Prithviraj Chauhan, the last Hindu king of Delhi, was a member of this community.

Origins

Rajput bardic accounts describe the Chauhans as one of the four Agnikula Rajput clans who claim to have their origin from a sacrificial fire-pit (agnikunda) at Mount Abu to fight against the Asuras or demons whereas in context Agnikula is considered as another branch of Suryavanshi Rajput descent.

Descendants of these Chauhan Rajput ruled princely states in Western and Northen India till the pre-independence era.

Manik Rai (AD 685), progenitor of Chauhan dynasty was lord of Ajmer and Sambhar in Western Rajwara.

History

Harsraj

Harsraj Chauhan reigned about 812 - 827 VS (756 AD), his authority stretched from Aravalli to Abu to Chambal. He fell against the Muslim Invaders from Sind. A Chauhan king ruled from Lahore and he sought the help of his sovereign - the king of Ajmer, who sent forward a force of 5000 of the finest Chauhan Horsemen to aid the Chauhan King of Lahore. Lahore King's brother led the forces and fought as many as 70 battles with the forces of Ghor, Gajni and Kabul.

Harsraj was followed by his son Doojgundeo Chauhan. His outpost was Bhatnair and from there he once defeated Nusruddin also called Subaktegin, son of Aleptegin and who was the father of Md. Gajni who raided India later. From this ruler, Doojungdeo collected 1200 horses.

Ajay Raj (Anuraj)

Chauhans later asserted their independence from the Gurjara Pratiharas, and in the early eleventh century, the Sakhambari king Ajaya-Raja founded the city of Ajayameru (Ajmer) in the southern part of their kingdom.

Bisaldeo

His son was the famous Chauhan King Bisaldeo who was famous for repulsing Chaluka attacks and that of western powers and one time led an army of Indian Rajput Kings, his contemprories were: Jeypal Tuar of Delhi, Durlabh and Bhim Solanki of Patun-Gujarat, Parmara Raja Bhoj and Udaydit of Dhar and Padamsi and Tejsi of Mewar.

Bisaldev Chauhan fights Chaluk of Patan

In 936 V.S. (993 A.D.) he reduced Abu, Jalor on way to destroy the Solanki (Chaluk) of Patan - Bhim Singh 'Baluk' , with a force that was 70,000 strong with all the allies. Further he took land of Girnar, Wagar and Sorath and total 56 cities and molested common people, a sin for warrior in those days. The Chaluka King Baluka (Bhim) Rai had 17000 strong army at Patan and 30000 Horsemen from Lar, he came to Abu for fight.

Someshwar defeats Kamdhuj of Kannauj

Raja Vijaychand Kamdhuj attacked the Anangpal Tuar of Delhi and at that time, Raja Someshwar of Ajmer forged an alliance with Anangpal Tuar of Delhi. At Kalindi River (Kalinadi-Black River) Vijaychand formed army in Sarpa (vyuha). Chauhan was the victor of the ensuing battle.

Samantas

Mukut Bandh and Mandaleshwar are traditionally the two type of samanta (a title for noble vassals) accorded by Chauhans. The Mukut Bandh owned land but accepted the suzerainty of the Chauhans, while Mandaleshwar were granted jagirs by Chauhan rulers.

The Chauhan dynasty flourished from the 8th to 12th centuries AD.^{[citation needed]} It was one of the four main Rajput dynasties of that era, the others being Gurjara-Pratiharas, Paramaras and Chalukyas.^{[citation needed]} Chauhan dynasties established themselves in several places in North India and in the state of Gujarat& Maharashtra in Western India. They were also prominent at Sirohi in the southwest of Rajputana, and at Bundi and Kota in the east. Inscriptions also associate them with Sambhar, the salt lake area in the Amber (later Jaipur) district (the Sakhambari branch remained near lake Sambhar and married into the ruling Pratihara, who then ruled an empire in Northern India). Chauhans adopted a political policy that saw them indulge largely in campaigns against the Chalukyas and the invading Muslim hordes. In the 11th century they founded the city of Ajayameru (Ajmer) in the southern part of their kingdom, and in the 12th century captured Dhilika (the ancient name of Delhi) from the Tanwar and annexed some of their territory along the Yamuna River.^{[citation needed]}

Prithviraj Chauhan

Prithviraj III has become famous in folk tales and historical literature as the "Chauhan king of Delhi" who resisted the Muslim attack under Mohammed of Ghor in the First Battle of Tarain (1191). Armies from other Rajput kingdoms, including Mewar assisted him. However, Prithviraj was captured in the Second Battle of Tarain the following year. According to one of the view Prithviraj killed Ghori by Shabdbhedi when there was archery contest organised by Ghori in his court in Ghazni. There is one more theory which suggests Ghori killed Prithviraj after deafeating him in the second battle of Tarain.

After Prithviraj III

A branch of the Chauhans, led by Govinda, the grandson of Pritviraj III, established themselves as rulers of Ranthambore from the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries, until Ranthambore was captured by Rana Kumbha of Mewar. The Hadas, great dynasty of the Chauhans, moved into the Hadoti region in the twelfth century, capturing Bundi in 1241 and ruled there until the twentieth century. One sept of these Hada Rajputs won KotaThe Dhanetiyas of Shahabad, which by a singular fatality has at length come into the possession of the Hadas of Kota and ruled their till the merger of state in independent India.

Chauhans of the Deora branch established the state of Sirohi in southern Rajasthan, and ruled there from the fifteenth century until Indian Independence. In western India, Chauhans are found at Devgadh Baria, founded by Dungarsinhji, a member of the Khichi Chauhan clan about 700 years ago. Rajkumar (Bhadaiyan State of Awadh), Bachgoti (Diyara State of Awadh)and Rajwar are three other branches of Chauhans in Uttar Pradesh. Chauhan's are also found in Khurja Dasheri and Arnia.^{[citation needed]}

Madho Prasad Singh (of Adharganj), Rai. Born in October 1847. The title is hereditary, the Rai being the representative of the great Bachgoti sept of Rajputs, sprung from the ancient and illustrious family of the Chauhan Rajputs of Mainpuri (q.v.) The sept having incurred the excessive wrath of the Emperor Ala -ud- din of Delhi, who vowed its extermination, the survivors emigrated, and for safety's sake adopted the name of Vasishtagoti (contracted into Batasgoti, and ultimately Bachgoti), from the saint who called forth their ancestor (the Agnikula) from the fire to defend the Munis of Mount Abu against the demons. The Chief, Bariar Singh, descendant of Chahir Deo, Prithvi Raj's brother, left Sambhalgarh, and wandering eastward, settled about 1248 AD in Sultanpur, Oudh. He married the daughter of Raja Ram Deo, Bhilkaria, Chief of Patti, became chief military officer under the Raja, and ultimately dispossessed his brother-in-law, and seized the territory. His descendant, Bodh Singh, received the title of Rai. The Santak of the Chauhan Rajputs, called Cfiakra, used in the seal and for signature. (A circle with four Trisulas or Tridents as radii at the cardinal points.)

Culture

Religion

In India, Chauhans are predominantly Hindu.^{[citation needed]}

Some Chauhan Rajputs of the Doab region of Punjab also adopted Sikhism and are called Sikh Rajputs (Jatt Sikh), not to be confused with Jat Chohans of the Punjab (who happen to write the transliteration of their name in English differently).

There are some villages in Haryana (Distt. Ambala, Yamuna Nagar) which contain heavy population of chauhans. They have a mix population of Hindu and Sikh Rajputs.

Chohan/Chauhans belong to a select group of clans that are Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims.

Famous Chauhan rulers of Ajmer, Rajasthan

• Ajay Pal - founded the city Ajaymeru which came to be called as Ajmer in the modern times.
• Prithviraja I
• Jagdeva
• Vigraharaja IV
• Apara Gangeya
• Prithviraja II
• Someshwara

Notable Chauhans

• Manik Rai, Founder of Chauhan Dynasty
• Prithvi Raj Chauhan, Ruler of Ajmer
• Hammir Dev Chauhan, Ruler of Ranathambore
• Kanhad Dev Sonigara, Ruler of Jalor
• Pradeep Chauhan, Vice Admiral Indian Navy
• Ashish Chauhan, Deputy CEO Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and founder of National Stock Exchange (NSE)
• Prakash Chauhan, Chairman & MD Parle Group.
• Subhadra Kumari Chauhan, poetess of "Jhansi ki Rani
• Chauhan Drig Narayan Singh, Ruler of Tulsipur 1857 AD Mutiny
• Yashwantrao Chavan, Former Deputy Prime Minister of India
• Shankarrao Chavan, Former CM of Maharashtra & former Home Minister of India
• Jagjit Singh Chauhan, original founder of the Khalistan movement
• Vijay Singh Chauhan
• Chetan Chauhan, Test Cricketer
• Bahadur Singh Chouhan
• Dalel Singh Chauhan, Arjuna Award winner, Indian Volleyball team Captain in 1980s, Village Amin