The cave monastery of Ajanta was abandoned as a Buddhist house centuries before 1200 (from memory: its use ended between the fifth and seventh centuries; the Ellora article's monks of the ninth and tenth centuries are Ellora's).
In 1200 it is a gorge of overgrown caves known to local people; its rediscovery by the British is of 1819. The Fardapur (Ajanta) ghat above it is the pass from the Khandesh plain to the Devagiri plateau and is kept by the Nikumbhas (see their record).
Who holds it
- Title
- Lord or keeper of Ajanta
- Since
- not pinned
- Born
- not known
- Confidence
- low
The Nikumbha chiefs of Patna hold the road; no keeper of the caves is known.
Lord in 1200
The Nikumbha chiefs of Patna hold the road; no keeper of the caves is known.
Overlord
Yadava crown
How things stand that morning
Abandoned caves above a working pass.
Places of note
- The Ajanta ghat (Fardapur pass): Pass between the Khandesh plain and the plateau (board 'the-ajanta-ghat').
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: From memory and the OMNIA board's lead; no source read this session gives the position on 1 January 1200 for this place.
Primary sources for Yadava kingdom (Devagiri)
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.
- Corpus of Inscriptions in the Telingana Districts, Various (Kakatiya chancery and temple scribes), edited by P. Sreenivasachar (inscriptions of the 10th to 15th centuries; edited 1940 to 1942). The Kakatiyas of Orugallu (Warangal) are known for 1200 almost entirely from inscriptions, and this Hyderabad Archaeological Series corpus is the main printed collection. Read online
- Epigraphia Carnatica: inscriptions of the Mysore country, Various (Hoysala chancery and temple scribes), edited by B. Lewis Rice and R. Narasimhachar (inscriptions of the 4th to 19th centuries; the series ran from 1886 to 1905, revised from 1972). The Hoysala kingdom of Veera Ballala II (reigning 1173 to 1220) is documented almost wholly by the inscriptions in this series, arranged by district and taluk with full English translations. Read online
- Inscriptions of the Silaharas, Various (Silahara chanceries), edited by V. V. Mirashi (inscriptions of the 9th to 13th centuries; edited 1977). Collects the records of the three Silahara houses: North Konkan (Thana), South Konkan, and Kolhapur.
- 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
Sources and studies
- General knowledge of the medieval Deccan (Bhandarkar, Altekar, Sastri, B. R. Gopal, Suryanath Kamath): from memory, not re-read
- OMNIA board notes for this place (a lead only, checked against the sources above)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.