Mt. Abu to Kannauj
The name Varaha is derived from the third avatar of Lord Vishnu (Varaha meaning “boar” in Sanskrit) which he took in the Satya Yug. In this avatar Lord Vishnu incarnated as a Boar to protect the earth (Prithvi).
The Parmar, Turk Shahi & Hindu Shahi dynasties have played a significant role in defending India from repeated invasions by the Arabs, Turks and other tribes from North and West frontiers. The Varaha rajputs share the common thread in the three dynasties but due to poor primary documentation and analysis, they haven’t been bestowed the due honor and recognition. It was when the King of Hindu Shahi dynasty was defeated by deceit that India suffered from plunder and destruction from the army from Ghazani followed by others aggressors.
Varaha rajputs have ruled the plains of Punjab in the early medieval century (Devra, 2003). According to Muhnot Nainsi, the famous Khyat writer of seventeenth century Rajasthan, Varhas were the lords of the forts, like Uchchha (near Multan) and Derawar (Baltistan) at that time.The Khyats of Jaisalmer also include Vitheda or Bhatinda under their possession (Devra, 2003). The fort of Bhatinda which is the oldest fort in India was built between the 4-6th century A.D. by Raja Dhab, who was a Varaha Rajput (Ibbeston, D., 1883).
B.N. Puri on the basis of the authority of Jain writer Harivansha, who completed his work in 783-84 AD, writes that people living in the region of Sauryas (Sauira: territory lying between Multan and Sind) are known as Varhas or Jayavaraha (Puri, 1986). The presence of Varhas in the region of Baluchistan has also been mentioned in the work of James Tod (Tod, 1920). Muhnot Nainsi, too, informs that the territory lying between Hakra and Derawar along with the forts of Uchchha (near Multan) and Derawar (in the upper Sind) were parts of their possession (Nainsi, 1967).
The Varaha’s draw lineage from the Parmar dynasty which is amongst the 36 Rajput clans. At a later stage a number of them converted to Sikhs, Muslims and settled in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.
Varah’s have mostly inhabited the hills of Himachal Pradesh and other regions of Punjab. Denzil Ibbetson in “Punjab Castes” has mentioned that the tribe is practically confined to Patiala and Nabha (Ibbetson, 1883). The Chaudharies of Ambota(2020) in Himachal Pradesh are one of the prominent Varaha Rajputs.
Vikramaditya & Bhoja, the Parmar kings
The Varah’s are also known as Varya/Warya/Barah/Baryah. They are the descendants of the famous King Vikramaditya. Vikramaditya embodied in himself an ideal of kingship.
Generally, the origin of the legend of Vikramaditya is ascribed to the history of Malwa region from the period of first century B.C. According to the legend, Vikramaditya belonged to the family of Gardabhillas of Ujjain or Malwa, a branch of the Malwas. Kailash Chand Jain in “Malwa through the ages” has concluded after examining artifacts and other evidence that Vikramaditya lived in the 1st century B.C., belonged to the Gardabhilla branch and was the President of Malwa republic, the capital of which was Ujjain (Derva,2004) (Jain, 1972). In Rajasthani records, Vikramaditya has been referred as a Panwar (Parmar) of Ujjain and the period suggested for him is roughly sometime before the first century of the Christian Era. The Bhati records of Rajasthan address Vikramaditya as Panwar and the lord of Ujjain (Bhatti, 1999).
The Bhavisya Purana traces back the origin of the Paramaras as early as the times of emperor Asoka. It mentions that it was during his reign that some Kanyakubja Brahmana performed a sacrifice on the Abu Mountain to propitiate Brahma and due to the effects of the Veda Mantras four Kshatriyas were born out of that sacrifice and in whom the follower of the Samaveda was the Pramara or Paramara, who was the ruler of Avanti.
In the middle of the 10th century, the part of the country known as Gujarat was known as Lata. It came under the domination of the people called Gurjara’s. The Gurjara’s ruled what is called as Rajputana and attempted to expand their territory towards south and east but were challenged by the Rashtrakutas in the south and Prabhakaras in the east. They then occupied Kannauj which was the seat of power and had intermittent wars with the Rashtrakutas. Their prominent kings were Bhoja-1 and Mahipal-1. The chief of Parmar clan Krishnaraja, who had held Kannauj as a fief profited from the disturbance and declared independence.
The earliest charter of the Parmars are the grants of Vakpati of 974 A.D. and 979 A.D. name three predecessors. Mihir Bhoj Parmar (Bhoj-II) of Malwa styled himself as the second Vikramaditya, pressed his claim on the ground of brilliant military successes that he had achieved by defeating the formidable powers of the Pratihara king Mahipala, who was one of the most famous kings of the Pratihara line. The best-known prince of the dynasty is Bhoja, the celebrated patron of learning, whose long reign, from about loio to 1055 A.D., forms the most brilliant epoch in this period of Indian history (Hoernle, 1903).
The Haddala Inscription gives for him a date in Saka Sarnvat 836, that is A. D. 914, and points to his supremacy over eastern Kathiavad, while the Asni record of V. S. 974, that is, A.D. 917., implies control over Fatehpur in the United Provinces. Rajasekhara, who refers to this prince as the sovereign of Aryavarta, ascribes to him in the Prachanda- pandava extensive conquests in the Deccan as well as in North Western India.
Mahipala who succeeded his brother Bhoja-II is also known under a variety of other names, Vinayakpala, Ksitipala and Herambapala (EI i;124: iii,265). (Hoernele, 1904)
The ascription of these names to Mahipala rests primarily on the theory, first adumbrated by Kielhorn that Hayapati Devapala, the son of Herambapala mentioned in a Chandella Inscription, was identical with Devapala of Mahodaya or Kanauj, the successor of Kshitipaladeva mentioned in the Siyadoni Inscription of v. s. 1005, i. e ., a. d. 948-49, and partly on the equations Mahi—Kshiti and Vinayaka—Heramba.
Varaha of Chittorgarh
Tradition connects the early history of Chitor with the Mauryas. The Varahas or the Mayuras of Bonai Mandala were originally from Chitrakuta (Chittorgarh) the legendary home of the tribals and their family names Varaha (boar) and Mayura (peacock) suggest of the tribal origin (Panda.S,1997).
From Dhod (Mewar) the inscription of Dhavalappadeva, the overlord of Guhilaputra Dhanika. Dr. D. R. Bhandarkar identifies Dhavalappa with the Maurya ruler Dhavala mentioned in the Kanasw (Kotah) inscription of V. 795, i.e. 738 a.d.(Sharma,D.,1960) .The names of the members of the clan ended in Varãha, actually ruled at Chitor can be inferred from the Bonai (Orissa) Plates of Maharaja Rāņaka Udayavarâha of a Maurya family which had migrated from Chitor. His predecessors on the throne were Tejavarāha and Uditavarāha.
Jambesvara Cave Inscription dated around 2 B.C.
This inscription has been engraved over the entrances to the inner chamber of the cave.
Mahamadasa Bariyaya Nakiyasa lena[m]
Translation:The cave of Mahamada (Mahapatra) Nakiyaand Bariya (Varya).
The latter seems to be the wife of former (Bhandarkar).
Utpalaraja also known as Munj had taken not only Ahad but also the fort of Chittore and the adjoining districts. Maharaja Bhoj of celebrated fame, who succeeded Munj (son of Sindhuraj, Munja’s brother) was living in the fort of Chittore, and had also built there the temple of Tribhuvan Narayan now called Mokalji Siddheshwarji’s Mandir after his own name.
It is not definitely known how long Chittore remained with the Parmars after Bhoj. But it is conjectured that when Siddaraj Jayasingh of Gujarat, after a long-fought battle of twelve years with Narvarma and his son Yasho-varma, must not have left Chittore unconquered. Soipe inscriptions of his successor Kumarpal, have been found at Chittore. After Kumarpal Chittore once more fell into the hands of Parmars (Sukhsampattirai, 2009)
The History of Varya clanThe date of Barhatigin who, according to Albiruni [al-Biruni], was the founder of the Turk Shahi dynasty, must therefore fall about A.D. 666. (History of Civilization-Central Asia)
Hindu Shahi dynasty 879-1003 ADMalwa Ithaas states that Jayapala was the last ruler of the Gill Clan related to Gillpal of Batthinda. It certainly makes sense that the Gill Tribe from the Gillan province of Iran, below the Caspian Sea was part of this Turki Shahi dynasty and that Jayapala belonged to this ancient Gill Clan.(Deeper Roots of the Gill, Bhatti, Sidhu, Brar, Tur, and Related Jat and Rajput Clans by Gurcharan Singh Gill)The Jain author Jinasena, of the Digambara sect, confirms towards the end of his monumental work Harivamsha Purana that, ̳in Shaka S. 705 (783 C.E.), king Indrayudha reigned in the north; Krishna‘s son Shrivallabha in the south; Vatsaraja of ̳Avanti‘ in the east; and Varaha in the west‘.Varaha migration to Orissa
The Varahas or the Mayuras of Bonai Mandala were originally from Chitrakuta (Chittorgarh) the legendary home of the tribals and their family names Varaha (boar) and Mayura (peacock) suggest of the tribal origin.(SITUATING TRIBALS IN EARLY HISTORY OF ORISSA Author(s): Shishir Kumar PandaSource: Proceedings of the Indian History Congress, 1997, Vol. 58 (1997), pp. 132-138Published by: Indian History CongressStable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/44143896)
Similarly, many such instances can be cited to show the tribal origin of the ruling dynasties of early medieval.Tradition connects the early history of Chitor with the Mauryas. From Dhod (Mewar) we have an inscription of Dhavalappadeva, the overlord of Guhilaputra Dhanika.14 Dr. D. R. Bhandarkar identifies Dhavalappa with the Maurya ruler Dhavala mentioned in the Kanaswä (Kotah) inscription of V. 795, i.e. 738 a.d.
Another early medieval family of the Mauryas of Rājasthān consisted of Maurya Krishņarāja, his son Âryarãja, and his son Diņdīrāja alias Karka who burnt the city of Kannauj.Dharaņīvarāha of Chitor could have belonged to this family; and that a Maurya family, the names of the members of which ended in Varãha, actually ruled at Chitor can be inferred from the Bonai (Orissa) Plates of Maharaja Rāņaka Udayavarâha of a Maurya family which had migrated from Chitor.
His predecessors on the throne were Tejavarāha and Uditavarāha. Udayavarâha was a Bud- dhist. Perhaps not long after the reign of Dharaņīvarāha, whom we shall tentatively regard as a Maurya and put in 831 a.D., his family might have been dispossessed of Chitor and forced to migrate eastwards. Who the dispossessors of the Mauryas were is also a problem that needs tackling; and though elsewhere we have tentatively ascribed the feat to the Imperial Pratihāras,we await further evidence for the confirmation or rejection of this hypothesis.
Inscriptions
MINOR BRAHMI INSCRIPTIONS, UDAYA GIRI AND KHANDAGIRI
Jambesvara Cave Inscription
This inscription has been engraved over the entrances to the inner chamber of the cave Mahamadasa Bariyaya Nakiyasa lena[m]Translation:The cave of Mahamada(Mahapatra) Nakiyaand Bariya(Varya).The latter seems to be the wife of former.Note:In the sphere of internal administration the high functionary under Kharavela was the Mahamada,who was the same as most probably the Mahamatra of Kautilya,the minister in charge of general affairs of the kingdom.
Orissa gazetteer
Epigraphic evidence points to the existence of a royal family (Varahas) ruling in the Bonai Mandala about the 10th century A.D. The Bonai Mandal, known to us from the Bonai Copper Plate grant of Udaya Varaha comprised, according to Dr. N. K. Sahu, the eastern portion of modern Sundargarh District and a part of modern Deogarh District. He also indentifies Rokela Visaya mentioned in the grant with modern Rourkela. The Bonai copper plate grant reveals the existence of a group of three kings who belonged to the Mayura family, viz. Udita Varaha, his son Tejo Varaha, and the latter‟s son Udaya Varaha who issued the above mentioned grant.
The record describes Udaya Varaha as a Parama Saugata (devout worshipper of Buddha) and as Maharaja Ranaka who ruled over the Bonai Mandala. It is known from the grant that the family hailed from Chitrakuta, which may be identified with Chitor or Chitorgarh in Rajasthan.
There is some truth in this tradition; for we known of the Mauryas or Moris as ruling over Chitor in the early medieval period. The Arabs, starting from their base at Sindh overran Chitor between 723 A.D. and 738 A.D. It was probably after this misfortune or at a somewhat later date, a scion of the Mauryas came to Odisha and established authority over the Bonai Mandala.
The peacock emblem of the Varahas further lends support to the theory that the Varahas were an off-shoot of the Mauryas. The Maurya family of Bonai mandala probably had some family connection with the Tungas. They had close connections with the Adibhanja royal family of Khijjinga Mandals, and Pandita Binayak Misra suggests that Mayurabhanj owed its origin to the names of Mayura and Bhanja families. The peacock emblem was also adopted by the later kings of Bonai in their seals, and the name Bonai, mentioned in the cooper plate of Udaya Varaha also continues till today.
(ODISHA DISTRICT GAZETTEERS SUNDARGARHGOPABANDHU ACADEMY OF ADMINISTRATION[GAZETTEERS UNIT]GENERAL ADMINISTRATION DEPARTMENTGOVERNMENT OF ODISHA DR. TARADATT, IASCHIEF EDITOR, GAZETTEERS & DIRECTOR GENERAL, TRAINING COORDINATION)
At the end of the Haramekhalã, a Prakrit work known to Chakra- pāņi (c. 1040-1050)1 and dealing with various méans of safeguarding human beings, included among which are not only wonderfully effective medical recipes but also witchcraft and sorcery, we have a verse which states that the book was written at Chitor, in the reign of Dharaņīvarāha, by Māhuka, a son of Mādhava and a grandson of the poet, Maņda
During the medieval period, a large number of people chiefly from the tribes of Bhatis, Varhas, Chauhans, Khokkhars, Jats, Afghans and Lobanas for political and economic reasons inhabited the area of jungle and cleared its vast vegetation. In fact, they prepared the ground for the long march of both Thar and Cholistan deserts. After the eighteenth century, the name of the Lakhi jungle remained only in the folk tales or historical texts of frontier regions. Its vast expanse and rich vegetation underwent shrinkage and degradation.
Surajbansi (N., 0.). As many as 44,000 in the census gave only this generic designation. [I must add also, but cannot specifically classify, a limited clan of ' Baria' Rajputs found in Jalandhar (P.), who have a curiously definite tradition that they are derived from Kama, whom they call ' king of Ariga/ born (miraculously) of Kunti or PrthI, by the Sun-god (owing to the sage Durvasa's charm). Hence he was not recognized as a Pandav, and was killed by the brothers. They call themselves ' Solar/ though having no connection with the regular Surajbansi clans. (Origin of the 'Lunar' and 'Solar' Aryan Tribes, and on the 'Rājput' Clans(Continued from Page 328) Author(s): B. H. Baden-Powell)
In the Malwa region of south Punjab, these Varhas constantly remained in struggle with the Bhatis of Bhatner, and Marot. Bhati records suggest that modern Bhatinda or actually Vitheda was the seat of Varhas. The rivalry between Varhas and Bhatis proved disastrous for both. Further, the Bhati records provide the information that these Varhas along with the Panwars or Parmars of western Rajasthan during the period of tenth century expelled them from their forts of Bhatner and Tanot and forcedmany of their families to move into other castes or societies.Similarly, after some time when these Bhatis succeeded in taking the revenge of their defeat they also killed the Varhas as possible as it could become and for rest of them laid the condition to opt for the profession of other castes; so that in future these Varhas could not reassemble and attack upon them. Somehow, these Varhas as political entity survived until the period of the establishment of the Turkish Sultanate at Delhi. Perhaps after the defeat of Prithviraj Chauhan and his allies from the hands of Sultan of Ghμur these Varhas also ceased to remain in power in the central and lower parts of Punjab.They might have continued to remain in authority at the village or local level but their position remained dependent upon the mercy of the Iqta or Pargana authorities. And majority of them might have turned towards agriculture and other works. Abul Fazl in his Ain has shown the presence of Varhas in the Mahals of Sarhind, Sumana, Karyat Rae Samu and Machhiwara of Sarkar Sarhind of Subah Delhi and Mahals of Bajwara, Dardak, Rahimabad and Sankarbanot of Sarkar Bet Jalandhar Doab of Subah Lahore.(Abul Fazl , Ain - i - Akbari, Vol. II ( Tr. By H. Blochmann ) , Delhi, 1989 (Reprint), pp. 301, 320-21.)
Bhati's & Varhas
The Bhatis before their coming to the desert parts of Rajasthan were natives of the Punjab and frontier regions of India.6 During the period of ninth and tenth centuries the Varhas and Bhatis continuously clashed against each other for the establishment of their hegemony over the territories of lower Punjab and upper Sind.
There were times, too, when both of them could not remain independent and paid tribute to the Kings of these Bhatis first came into contact with the Varhas is difficult to know. But, in the accounts of the Bhatis the first reference of the Varhas came during the time of their ruler Khemkaran. He ruled at Bhatner sometime during the middle of the sixth century and it is said that the town of Khemkaran, located in the south of Punjab has been named after him. He was married to the daughter of the chief of Varhas. Here, she is addressed as queen Makwaniji (from Vitheda).(Jaisalmer Khyat , 32;)
In the Khyats and Tawarikhs of Jaisalmer the Varhas are often addressed as either Jhalas or Makwanas. Perhaps at that time they were not known with these titles but the chroniclers of the Bhatis preferred to write about them with the names which had become popular during their own times.
Rawal Karan SIngh I, 6th Rawal of Jaisalmer (1242-1270) married Rani Jhailiji, daughter of Bhagwati Prasad Varah(Jhala) of Nagour.
Similarly at that time Bhatinda was also not a place of significance but later on the identity of this place with the Varhas became so well known that writers always thought it better to use this name. It is said that whenever a political crisis came before these Bhatis and Varhas they were always forced to move towards the south of Bias and Sutluj or even the interior parts of the Lakhi Jungle. During this period Punjab was already reeling under the threat of Huns.(G.S.L. Devra, Desertification and problem of delimitation of Rajputana during the medieval period in M.K. Bhasin and Veena Bhasin, 'Rajasthan Culture and Society, Delhi , 1999 , p. 97, hereafter . Desertification ); Atreyi The Political History of Huns in India, Delhi)
The second and most important reference about the Varhas comes when the Bhatis were passing through the most critical time in their history and as a result of that they left the main land of Punjab permanently with bag and baggage.(Jaisalmer Khyat , p. p. 33-35; Tawarikh)
This event took place possibly after their defeat at the hands of the early Arab invaders sometime between 655 and 670 AD.(G.S.L. Devra, "Political Zone Vs Historical Zone", Presidential Address, History Congress, Patiala,March 2001)
Perhaps, at that time they lost Bhatner too to some other power. Therefore, they tried to settle down in the areas of Panjnand and modern Bhawalpur (Pakistan).( Jaisalmer Khyat,p 34-35)
The Arabs returned but the other powers of Punjab like Varhas, Taks (or Takis, Takkas ), Pandiras (?) and Parihars (Gurjar- Partihars) left no chance to take advantage of their plight and marched ahead to occupy the major parts of the province.( Ibid, pp.33) One of the queens of Prince Gajju Bhati, who lost her life perhaps in Zabul, was from the family of Varha-Jhalas.( Jaisalmer Khyat p. 33; G.S.L.Devra, ' Political Zone)
Author(s): G.S.L. DevraSource: Proceedings of the Indian History Congress , 2003, Vol. 64 (2003), pp. 216-232Published by: Indian History CongressThese matrimonial relations between these ruling houses continued to remain in force even after the loss of their authority. This does not mean that Varhas were on the support of these Bhatis. There are enough instances to prove that relations between them deteriorated from time to time. It appears that after the establishment of Hindu Shahi kingdom the Varhas too could not survive in Punjab.
They also ultimately settled in the areas of Panjnand and south of Sutluj.B.N. Puri on the basis of the authority of Jain writer Harivansha, who completed his work in 783-84 AD, writes that people living in the region of Sauryas (Sauira: territory lying between Mulatan and Sind) are known as Varhas or Jayvrha.
The Bhati records provide the information that these Varhas along with the Panwars or Parmars of western Rajasthan during the period of tenth century expelled them from their forts of Bhatner and Tanot and forced many of their families to move into other castes or societies.Similarly, after some time when these Bhatis succeeded in taking the revenge of their defeat they also killed the Varhas as possible as it could become and for rest of them laid the condition to opt for the profession of other castes; so that in future these Varhas could not reassemble and attack upon them. Somehow, these Varhas as political entity survived until the period of the establishment of the Turkish Sultanate at Delhi.
Perhaps after the defeat of Prithviraj Chauhan and his allies from the hands of Sultan of Ghμur these Varhas also ceased to remain in power in the central and lower parts of Punjab. They might have continued to remain in authority at the village or local level but their position remained dependent upon the mercy of the Iqta or Pargana authorities. And majority of them might have turned towards agriculture and other works. Abul Fazl in his Ain has shown the presence of Varhas in the Mahals of Sarhind, Sumana, Karyat Rae Samu and Machhiwara of Sarkar Sarhind of Subah Delhi and Mahals of Bajwara, Dardak, Rahimabad and Sankarbanot of Sarkar Bet Jalandhar Doab of Subah Lahore.
(H.A. Rose, A Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North-West Frontier Provinces, Delhi, Vol. 1-3 (combined), 1999 (Reprint), pp.299-300; G.S.L. Devra, Political Wilderness And Social Dismemberment-Varhas: A Forgotten Clan of North- West India (Pre- Medieval Period), op. cit.)
The Struggle
The struggle between Bhatis and Varhas in Lakhi jungle became very violent. Varhas who are addressed as "Gopalas" tried their utmost to resist Bhati and Jat settlers, who wanted to bring the land under cultivation. In the struggle, a large number of Varhas were killed and even pregnant women were not spared. It is interesting that both Varhas and Bhatis sought the intervention of Sultan of Ghazna to settle their dispute who, otherwise, himself was also in favour of expansion of agriculture in his kingdom.
Contemporary ruling families of Orissa
The Mauryas: Rulers of Maurya dynasty with the title of Varahas were ruling over Panaimandala apparently as fudatories of Bhaumakras. The Mauryas are very likely a branch of the Maurya rules of Magadha.The Mauryas have been associated with the early history of Chitor. The Dhod inscription reveals that one Dhavalappadeva ruling over Mewar region was the overlord of Guhilaputra Dhanika and according to Bhandarkar this ruler was the same as Maurya Dhavala, mentioned in Kanaswa inscription dated in Samvat 795 i.e. AD 738.
Bharatiya Publishing House, 1976 - India - 282 pages
Page 169
The Mauryas of Rajasthan: Ending in "Varaha" are also known from the Bonai plates of the Maharaja Ranaka Udayavaraha of the Maurya family which migrated to Orissa from `Chittaur ,this Dharanivaraha.
H.A. Rose[5] writes that Baria (बरिया) or Varya (वरया) tribe, said in Jalandhar to be Solar Race descended from Raja Karan of the Mahabharat. Their ancestor Mal (!) came from Jal Kahra in Patiala about 500 vears ago. Those of Sialkot, where they are found in small numbers and rank as Jats say they are of Lunar Race descent. The tribe is practically confined to Patiala and Nabha. Another form of the name appears to be 'Warah.' The Warah are descendants of Warah, whose grandson
In Mahavansa
The Mahavamsa ("Great Chronicle", Pali Mahāvaṃsa) (5th century CE) is the meticulously kept historical chronicle of Sri Lanka written in the style of an epic poem written in the Pali language.
Damila, Bahiya, Bariya, Datika - Mahavansa/Chapter 33 tells....Of the seven Damilas one, fired with passion for the lovely Somadevi, made her his own and forthwith returned again to the further coast. Another took the almsbowl of the (Master) endowed with the ten miraculous powers, that was in Anuradhapura (Sri Lanka), and returned straightway, well contented, to the other coast.
Dathika - But the Damila Pulahattha reigned three years, making the Damila named Bahiya commander of his troops. Bariya slew Pulahattha and reigned two years; his commander-inchief was Panayamaraka. Panayamaraka slew Bariya and was king for seven years; his commander-in-chief was Pilayamaraka. Pilayamaraka slew Panayamaraka and was king for seven months; his commander-in-chief was Dathika. And the Damila Dathika slew Pilayamaraka and reigned two years in Anuradhapura. Thus the time of these five Damila-kings (103-88 BC) was fourteen years and seven months.
VenuPal/BeniPal of Bhatinda had 4 sons as per Ibbetson, Parga, Sundar,Khala & Mayur of whom the first settled in Nabha.
The Glossary of the Tribes and Castes Vol iii, Denzil Ibbetson 1914
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