Nagabhata I
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| Nagabhata I | |
|---|---|
| Founder of Pratihara dynasty | |
| Reign | c. 730 – c. 760 |
| Successor | Kakustha |
| Dynasty | Pratihara dynasty |
Nagabhata I (r. c. 730 – 760 CE) was the founder of the imperial Pratihara dynasty in northern India. He ruled the Avanti (or Malava) region in present-day Madhya Pradesh, from his capital at Ujjain. He may have extended his control over Gurjaradesa, which includes parts of present-day Gujarat and Rajasthan. He repulsed an Arab invasion from Sindh, probably led by Junayd ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Murri or Al Hakam ibn Awana.
Nagabhata has been named as the founder of the imperial Pratihara dynasty in the Gwalior inscription of his descendant Mihira Bhoja.[1] The exact date of Nagabhata's accession is not known.[2] His grand-nephew Vatsaraja is known to have been ruling in Avanti in 783–784 CE. Assuming a period of 25 years for each generation, Nagabhata can be presumed to have ascended the throne around 730 CE.[1]
The Gwalior inscription traces the dynasty's origin to the legendary hero Lakshmana.[3] He ruled from Ujjain in the Avanti region. The Jain text Harivamsa (783–784 CE) states that his grand-nephew Vatsaraja was the king and a "son of Avanti soil" (Avanti-bhūbriti). It also describes the other neighbouring kingdoms leaving one in no doubt about its location.[4] The 871 CE Sanjan copper-plate inscription of the Rashtrakuta ruler Amoghavarsha also suggests the association of the Gurjara-Pratiharas with Ujjain.[5] Based on this, a number of historians, including R. C. Majumdar and Baij Nath Puri, hold the view that Ujjain, the capital of Avanti, was the original home of Nagabhata's dynasty.[6][5]
Dasharatha Sharma, on the other hand, theorized that Nagabhata originated from present-day Rajasthan. His theory is based on the identification of Nagabhata with Nāhada, who is mentioned in a medieval Jain prabandha (legendary chronicle) as a "soldier of fortune" and the first ruler of his family. The text states that Nāhada made Jābālipura (identified with Jalor) his capital and came into conflict with a Muslim ruler, whom he defeated.[7] Sharma put forward the view that Jalor was the original home of the Gurjara-Pratiharas, from whence they might have emigrated.[6]