Prithviraja I
{{use dmy dates|date=November 2016}}
{{use Indian English|date=November 2016}}
{{Infobox royalty
| title = Parama-bhattaraka Maharajadhiraja Parameshvara
| succession = King of Sapadalaksha
| reign = c. 1090–1110 CE
| dynasty = Chahamanas of Shakambhari
| predecessor = Vigraharaja III
| successor = Ajayaraja II
| father = Vigraharaja III
}}
Prithvirāja I (r. c. 1090–1110 CE) was an Indian king belonging to the Shakambhari Chahamana dynasty. He ruled the Sapadalaksha country, which included parts of present-day Rajasthan in north-western India.
Early life
Prithviraja succeeded his father Vigraharaja III on the Chahamana throne.{{sfn|Dasharatha Sharma|1959|p=37}} The 1105 CE Jinamata inscription gives his title as Parama-bhattaraka Maharajadhiraja Parameshvara, which indicates that he was a powerful king.{{sfn|Dasharatha Sharma|1959|pp=37-38}}
Military successes
The Prithviraja Vijaya claims that a band of 700 Chaulukyas came to Pushkara Tirtha to rob the Brahmins during the reign of Prithviraja I. The Chahamana king defeated and killed them. This legend may be a reference to Prithviraja's conflict with either Karna or Jayasimha Siddharaja, the Chaulukya kings of Gujarat.{{sfn|R. B. Singh|1964|p=128}} However, because the text does not provide any additional information, this cannot be said with certainty.{{sfn|Dasharatha Sharma|1959|p=38}}
The Prabandha Kosha states that Prithviraja "pulled away the arms" of one Baguli Shah.{{sfn|R. B. Singh|1964|p=128}} This probably refers to his repulsion of a Ghaznavid invasion. Minhaj-i-Siraj, in his Tabaqat-i Nasiri, mentions that during the reign of Mas'ud III, the Ghaznavid general Hajib Taghatigin raided India, going beyond the Ganga river. It is possible that Baguli Shah was a subordinate of Hajib Taghatigin.{{sfn|R. B. Singh|1964|p=129}}
Religious activities
Prithviraja appears to have been a Shaivite.{{sfn|Dasharatha Sharma|1959|p=38}} According to the Prithviraja Vijaya, he built a food distribution centre (anna-satra) on the road to Somnath temple for pilgrims.{{sfn|R. B. Singh|1964|p=128}}
He also patronized Jainism. Vijayasimha Suri's Upadeśāmālavritti (1134 CE) and Chandra Suri's Munisuvrata-Charita (1136 CE) state that he donated golden kalashas (cupolas) for the Jain temples at Ranthambore.{{sfn|Dasharatha Sharma|1959|p=38}}
References
{{reflist|30em}}
= Bibliography =
- {{cite book |author=Dasharatha Sharma |title=Early Chauhān Dynasties |publisher=S. Chand / Motilal Banarsidass |year=1959 |isbn=9780842606189 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n4gcAAAAMAAJ }}
- {{cite book |author=R. B. Singh |title=History of the Chāhamānas |publisher=N. Kishore |year=1964 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TKs9AAAAIAAJ |oclc=11038728 }}
{{Chahamanas of Shakambhari}}
Category:Chahamana kings of Shakambhari