Subhatavarman

Who he is

Name

Subhatavarman (Sohada, Sribhata)

Title

Maharajadhiraja Paramesvara Paramabhattaraka

Since

about 1194 (reconstruction)

Born

not known

Family

Son of Vindhyavarman (r. about 1175 to 1194). Son and successor Arjunavarman I (reigns about 1210 to 1215). Wife and daughters not known.

Confidence

medium

Reign put at about 1194 to 1209 by Wikipedia; stones of Arjunavarman and the Gujarat prasastis (Vastupala-prashasti of Narendraprabha, the Dabhoi prashasti of Someshvara, the Devapattana prashasti) name him.

What it holds

• Dhara (Dhar) and the Dhar plateau; Mandapa-durga (Mandu) as refuge
• Ujjain, Mahidpur, Badnagar and the Shipra country
• Bhilsa (Vidisha), Sironj, Gyaraspur, Udayapur (Udayeshvara) and Raisen on the eastern gate
• Sarangpur, Mandsaur and Jhalrapatan on the north
• The Nimar and Narmada ferries: Maheshwar, Mandhata (Omkareshvara), Barwani

How it was acquired

Inherited about 1194.

Allies and rivals

Enemy: Chaulukyas (old), Yadavas and Hoysalas (raiders), Chandelas at Bhilsa. Kin: the Mahakumara branch near Bhopal; Abu Paramaras serve the Chaulukyas.

How things stand that morning

Reigning, independent, with the capital restored. The Ghurid raid (Fakhr-i Mudabbir) of 1199 to 1200 is either behind him or on its way.

Wealth

See realm record.

Military

See realm record.

Threats

• Ghurid raid from Narwar
• Yadava raid
• Chaulukya revenge

What the year holds

What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.

1. about 1204Invades Gujarat, holds Dabhoi for a time; turned back by Lavanaprasada.Depends on: Chaulukya weakness. Stopped by: Lavanaprasada, Shridhara.

Places of note

• Dhara: seat
• Ujjain: city
• Mandapa-durga: plateau fortress
• Bhilsa: eastern gate

Where the sources disagree

• Board: "most probably Subhatavarman, reconstructed as roughly 1194 to 1209". Agreed.

Evidence: Reign span and invasions come from Gujarat sources and later stones; Malwa itself is thin for the 1190s.

On the map: Five blocks of near country; the rest of Malwa is held through officers and vassals not named in our sources.

Primary sources for Paramaras of Malwa

Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.

• The Nasirid Generations: a General History of the Muslim Dynasties, Minhaj-i Siraj Juzjani (1259 to 1260, at Delhi). The Ghurid court's own history, by a man born in 1193 whose family served the sultans of Ghur and Ghazna. Read online
• Epigraphia Indica: inscriptions of the Chandelas, Paramaras, Gahadavalas, Chaulukyas, Senas and Eastern Gangas, Various (edited for the Archaeological Survey of India by J. Burgess, E. Hultzsch, F. Kielhorn, Sten Konow, F. W. Thomas and successors) (inscriptions of the 1180s to 1210s; the series ran from 1892). The main record series for the Hindu kingdoms of northern India around 1200. Read online
• Historical Inscriptions of Gujarat, Various (the Chaulukya and Vaghela chanceries), edited by G. V. Acharya (inscriptions of the 10th to 14th centuries; edited 1933 to 1942). The standard corpus of Gujarat's inscriptions. Read online
• Inscriptions of the Kalachuri-Chedi Era, Various, edited by V. V. Mirashi (inscriptions of the 7th to 13th centuries; edited 1955). Collects every known record of the Kalachuris of Tripuri (Dahala) and of Ratnapura (south Kosala), with text, translation and a long historical introduction. Read online
• Inscriptions of the Paramaras, Chandellas, Kachchhapaghatas and two minor dynasties, Various, edited by H. V. Trivedi (inscriptions of the 9th to 14th centuries; edited 1978 to 1991). The collected records of the Paramaras of Malwa (parts 1 and 2) and of the Chandelas of Jejakabhukti (part 3), re-edited from Epigraphia Indica and earlier journals with new finds.
• Sanskrit and Old Canarese Inscriptions relating to the Yadava Kings of Devagiri, Various (Yadava chancery), edited by J. F. Fleet (inscriptions of the 12th and 13th centuries; edited 1876). The first collected edition of the Yadava (Seuna) records, with texts and translations, from the Indian Antiquary. Read online
• The Wishing-Stone of Narratives, Merutunga (a Jain monk of the Nagendra gaccha) (1305 (Vikrama 1361) at Vadhvan in Gujarat). A Jain collection of historical anecdotes about the kings of Gujarat and Malwa, a century after 1200. Read online