Shilahara

The Shilahara Dynasty (IAST: Śilāhāra; also Sinhara, Shailahara, Shrilara, or Silara) was a royal clan that established itself in northern and southern Konkan, present-day Mumbai and southern Maharashtra (Kolhapur) during the Rashtrakuta period.

They were split into three branches; one branch ruled North Konkan, the second South Konkan (between 765 and 1029), while the third ruled what is now known as the modern districts of Kolhapur, Satara and Belgaum between 940 and 1215 after which they were overwhelmed by the Yadavas.

Origins

The dynasty originally began as vassals of the Rashtrakuta dynasty which ruled the Deccanplateau between the 8th and 10th centuries. Govinda II, a Rashtrakuta king, conferred the kingdom of North Konkan (the modern districts of Thane, Mumbai and Raigad) on Kapardin (Sanskrit: Wearing the kaparda, a peculiar braid or knot of hair – also a term for god Shiva/ Rishabhanatha) I, founder of the Northern Silhara family, around 800. Since then North Konkan came to be known as Kapardi-dvipa or Kavadidvipa. The capital of this branch was Puri, now known as Rajapur in the Raigad District.

The dynasty bore the title of Tagara-puradhishvara, which indicates that they originally hailed from Tagara (modern Ter in the Osmanabad District).

Around 1343 the island of Salsette, and eventually the whole archipelago, passed to the Muzaffarid dynasty.

Shilaharas of Southern Maharashtra at Kolhapur was the latest of the three and was founded about the time of downfall of the Rashtrakuta Empire.

All the branches of this family traced their descent from the legendary Vidyadhara prince Jimutavahana, who sacrificed himself to rescue a Naga prince from the clutches of Garuda. The family-name Shilahara (meaning “mountain-peak food” in Sanskrit) is supposed to have been derived from this incident. Even single inscriptions have more than one form of the name; one has the three forms Silara, Shilara and Shrillara.

Lassen suggests that the Shilaharas were of Afghan origin as Silar Kafirs are still found in Afghanistan, but the “Ayya” used in the names of almost all their ministers and the non-Sanskrit names of some of the chiefs support the view that they were of Kannadaorigin. The Shilaharas of South Konkan were the vassals of Rashtrakutas and ruled from 765 to 1020.

North Konkan (Thane branch)

After Rashtrakutapower became weak, the last known ruler of this family, Rattaraja, declared his independence. But ChalukyaJayasimha, the younger brother of Vikramaditya, overthrew him and appropriated his possessions. North Konkanwas conquered by the Rashtrakutaking Dantidurga sometime in the second quarter of the eighth century.

As per R Narasimhacharya, names like Vappuvanna, Lasthiyavva, etc. betrayed the Kannada origin of Silaharas of Thana.

Rulers

1. Kapardin I (800 – 825)
2. Pullashakti (825 – 850)
3. Kapardin II (850 – 880)
4. Vappuvanna (880 – 910)
5. Jhanjha (910 – 930)
6. Goggiraja (930 – 945)
7. Vajjada I (945 – 965)
8. Chhadvaideva (965 – 975)
9. Aparajita (975 – 1010)
10. Vajjada II (1010 – 1015)
11. Arikesarin (1015 – 1022)
12. Chhittaraja (1022 – 1035)
13. Nagarjuna (1035 – 1045)
14. Mummuniraja (1045 – 1070)
15. Ananta Deva I (1070 – 1127)
16. Aparaditya I (1127 – 1148)
17. Haripaladeva (1148 – 1155)
18. Mallikarjuna (1155 – 1170)
19. Aparaditya II ( 1170 – 1197)
20. Ananta Deva II (1198 – 1200)
21. Keshideva II (1200 – 1245)
22. Ananta Deva III (1245 – 1255)
23. Someshvara (1255 – 1265)

South Konkan

This house’s history is known through one record, the Kharepatan plates of Rattaraja issued in 1008. Rattaraja was the last ruler of this dynasty. The document is extremely important as it not only gives the genealogy of the ten ancestors of Rattaraja but also mentions their exploits. The founder, Sanaphulla, was vassal of the Rastrakutaemperor Krisna I who had established his power over Konkan by 765 and probably handed it to Sanaphulla. The Kharepatan plates declare that Sanaphulla obtained lordship over the territory between Sahya mountain and the sea through the favour of Krisnaraja.

Sana-phulla’s son Dhammayira is known to have built a fort at Vallipattana on the Western Coast. Aiyaparaja secured victory at Chandrapuri (Chandor) in Goa. The reign of Avasara I proved to be uneventful. His son Adityavarman, who is described as brilliant as the Sun in valour, offered help to the kings of Chandrapuri and Chemulya (modern Chaul), 30 miles to the south of Bombay, so the influence of the Shilaharas had spread over the whole of Konkan. At this time Laghu Kapardi, the ruler of the Thane branch, was just a boy and the help given to the ruler of Chaul must have been at his expense. Avasara II continued the policy of his father. Indraraja’s son Bhima is styled as ‘Rahuvadgrasta Chandramandala’ because he overthrew the petty ruler of Chandor. At this time the Kadamba ruler Sasthadeva and his son Chaturbhuja were trying to overthrow the Rastrakuta rule. This explains Bhima’s opposition to Chandrapuri or Chandor. Avasara III, no doubt, ruled in troubled times, but had no contribution of his to make. Finally, Rattaraja, loyal to the Rastrakutas, was compelled to transfer his allegiance to Taila II.

Soon after the issue of the plates in 1008, the rule of Konkan passed over to the later Chalukyas. (Dept. Gazetteer: Kolaba,1964, Dept. Gazetteer: 2002)

Rulers

1. Sanaphulla (765 to 795)
2. Dhammayira (795 to 820)
3. Aiyaparaja (820 to 845)
4. Avasara I (845 to 870)
5. Adityavarma (870 to 895)
6. Avasara II (895 to 920)
7. Indraraja (920 to 945)
8. Bhima (945 to 970)
9. Avasara III (970 to 995)
10. Rattaraja (995 to 1020)

Kolhapur branch

The Shilahara family at Kolhapurwas the latest of the three and was founded about the time of the downfall of the RashtrakutaEmpire. They ruled over southern Maharashtra, the modern districts of Satara, Kolhapur and Belgaon. Their family deity was the goddess Mahalakshmi, whose blessing they claimed to have secured in their copperplate grants (Mahalakshmi-labdha-vara-prasada). Like their relatives of the northern branch of Konkan, the Shilaharas of Kolhapur claimed to be of the lineage of the Vidyadhara Jimutavahana. They carried the banner of golden Garuda. One of the many titles used by the Shilaharas was Tagarapuravaradhisvara, or supreme sovereign ruler of Tagara.

The first capital of the Shilaharas was probably at Karad during the reign of Jatiga-II as known from their copper plate grant of Miraj and ‘Vikramankadevacharita’ of Bilhana.Hence sometimes they are referred as ‘Shilaharas of Karad’. Later on although the capital was shifted to Kolhapur, some of their grants mention Valavada, and the hill fort of Pranalaka or Padmanala (Panhala) as the places of royal residence. Even though the capital was shifted to Kolhapur, Karhad retained its significance during the Shilahara period. This branch rose to power during the latter part of the Rashtrakutarule and so, unlike the kings of the other two branches, those of this branch do not mention the genealogy of the Rashtrakutas even in their early grants. Later on they acknowledged the suzerainty of the later Chalukya for some time. They had used Kannada as the official language as can be seen from their inscriptions. This branch continued to hold the Southern Maharashtra from circa 940 to 1220.

It seems that Bhoja II, the last ruler of this family, was overthrown and dispossessed by Singhana in or soon after 1219-20 (Saka 1131) as is borne out by one of Singhana’s inscriptions dated Saka 1160.

Rulers

1. Jatiga I (940 – 960)
2. Naivarman (960 – 980)
3. Chandra (980 – 1000)
4. Jatiga II (1000 – 1020)
5. Gonka (1020 – 1050)
6. Guhala I
7. Kirtiraja
8. Chandraditya
9. Marsimha (1050 – 1075)
10. Guhala II (1075 – 1085)
11. Bhoja I (1085 – 1100)
12. Ballala (1100 – 1108)
13. Gonka II
14. Gandaraditya I (1108 – 1138)
15. Vijayaditya I (1138 – 1175)
16. Bhoja II (1175 – 1212)

Monuments

A number of ancient monuments in Mumbai and Kolhapur district pay tribute to this dynasty’s prowess:

• The Walkeshwar Temple and the Banganga Tank were built during the reign of Chittaraja, a king of this dynasty.
• The Shiv Mandir, Ambarnath, also near Mumbai, was also built by Chittaraja in 1030
• Kopineshwar Mandir, a Shiva temple in Thane.
• Parshwanath Jain temple of Kolhapur Shilahars at Ibrahimpur and Bhogoli in Chandgad taluka.
• Parshwanath Jain temple of Kolhapur Shilahars at Ainapur in Gadhinglaj taluka.
• Parshwanath Jain temple of Kolhapur Shilahars at Baamni and Sangaon in Kagaltaluka.
• Idol of Parshwanath Jain tirthankar found in excavation of Hupari in Hatkanangaletaluka has kannada inscriptions of Kolhapur Shilahars.
• 11th century A.D. 1st tirthankar Rishabhnath Jain temple at Pattankodoli in Hatkanangale taluka of Kolhapur Shilahars has Kannada inscription stating king Gandaraditya.
• Chandraprabhu 8th Jain tirthankar temple at Herle near Kolhapur with Kannada inscriptions of Shilahars.
• 22nd Jain tirthnakar Neminath temple at Khidrapur of king Gandaraditya era of Kolhapur shilahars.