Chandravati
Encyclopedia
Chandravati is a village situated near Abu Road
on the bank of the West Banas River
in the India
n state of Rajasthan
. In ancient times it was an extensive town, and present villages such as Dattani, Kiverli, Kharadi and Santpura were its suburbs. The old ruins, such as temples, torans and images scattered over the large area, bear testimony to its past glory.
s of Abu. The first Paramar ruler of the area was Sindhuraja in the early tenth century. The Ugrasena
Panwar founded the Panwar rule at Abu
. Raja Bhoja
(1010-1050 AD) was an illustrious rulers of this dynasty.
In 1024 AD, Chandravati was attacked and plundered by Mahmud Ghazni when he passed through Rajasthan to attack Anahilavada. After defeating Prithviraja III in 1192 AD the Muslim army also attacked Chandravati. In 1197 AD Qutubuddin general Khusrav defeated then ruler of Chandravati Dharavarsha near the foot of Mount Abu.
In about 1315 AD Chandravati passed into the hands of Deora
Chauhans.
Sahasamala Devada shifted his capital to Sirohi
around 1450 AD, and from then on Chandravati lost its glory. It is now a small village.
Many European scholars who visited this area in the nineteenth century have written about surviving artistic specimens. James Tod
has given pictures of some of these temples in his Travels in Western India. In 1824 Charles Colville
and his party visited Chandravati and found twenty marble edifices of different sizes. One temple to Brahma was adorned with rich and finely executed sculptured figures and ornaments in high relief. Another scholar, Ferguson, found the pillars so highly ornamented in details and varieties that no two pillars are exactly alike.
At present not a single temple is in order. The pieces of old temples were removed and used in temples in distant cities. The many monuments were destroyed by contractors of Rajputana Malwa Railway before independence. The remaining were stolen or were destroyed when Abu Road industrial area was extended.
Rulers of Chandravati patronized literature too. Jain saints wrote some literary works here.
Abu Road
Abu Road is a city in Sirohi district of Rajasthan state in western India. It lies southeast of Mount Abu and its train station is a stop on the main Indian Railways line between Delhi and Ahmedabad. Mount Abu is 27 km up the hill from Abu Road.-History:...
on the bank of the West Banas River
West Banas River
The West Banas is a river of western India. It originates the southern Aravalli Range, in Sirohi District of the state of Rajasthan. It flows south, draining the valley between Mount Abu on the west and the easterly ridge of the Aravallis on the east...
in the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state of Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
. In ancient times it was an extensive town, and present villages such as Dattani, Kiverli, Kharadi and Santpura were its suburbs. The old ruins, such as temples, torans and images scattered over the large area, bear testimony to its past glory.
History
Chandravati was ruled by the ParamaraParamara
Paramara is a Maratha, Gurjar,& Rajput clan of India.The Paramara clan belongs to the Agnivansha of Rajputs ancient Kshatriyas...
s of Abu. The first Paramar ruler of the area was Sindhuraja in the early tenth century. The Ugrasena
Ugrasena
Ugrasena was the King of Mathura, a kingdom that was established after the various Yadava clans, which include the Vrishnis and Bhojas decided that the dividing states would unite as one and that the Kingship would not be subject to heredity and if decided not to be so, the succeeding leader...
Panwar founded the Panwar rule at Abu
Abu
-Places:* Abu , a volcano on the island of Honshū in Japan* Mount Abu is the highest mountain in the Indian state of Rajasthan* Abu, Yamaguchi is a town in Japan-Names:* Ab , a common part of Arabic-derived names, meaning "father of" in Arabic...
. Raja Bhoja
Bhoja
Bhoja was a philosopher king and polymath of medieval India, who ruled the kingdom of Malwa in central India from about 1000 to 1050 CE. Also known as Raja Bhoja Of Dhar, he belonged to the Paramara dynasty...
(1010-1050 AD) was an illustrious rulers of this dynasty.
In 1024 AD, Chandravati was attacked and plundered by Mahmud Ghazni when he passed through Rajasthan to attack Anahilavada. After defeating Prithviraja III in 1192 AD the Muslim army also attacked Chandravati. In 1197 AD Qutubuddin general Khusrav defeated then ruler of Chandravati Dharavarsha near the foot of Mount Abu.
In about 1315 AD Chandravati passed into the hands of Deora
Deora
Deora is the name of a branch of the Sonegara Chauhan clan of rajputs in India. Sonegara Chauhans ruled Jalore and surrounding areas...
Chauhans.
Sahasamala Devada shifted his capital to Sirohi
Sirohi
Sirohi is a city in southern Rajasthan state in western India. It is the administrative headquarters of Sirohi District, and was formerly the capital of the princely state of the same name. Nearest railway station to Sirohi is Sirohi Road station.-Geography:...
around 1450 AD, and from then on Chandravati lost its glory. It is now a small village.
Arts and literature
There were a large number of temples in Chandravati. They were mainly Shiva temples and Jain temples.Many European scholars who visited this area in the nineteenth century have written about surviving artistic specimens. James Tod
James Tod
Lieutenant-Colonel James Tod was an English officer of the British East India Company and an Oriental scholar.Tod was born in London and educated in Scotland, later joining the East India Company as a military officer. He travelled to India in 1799 as a cadet in the Bengal Army where he rose...
has given pictures of some of these temples in his Travels in Western India. In 1824 Charles Colville
Charles Colville
Sir Charles Colville was a British military leader who fought in the Peninsular War and in action near the Battle of Waterloo, and rose to the rank of Lieutenant General. He was the son of John Colville, 8th Lord Colville of CulrossAmong other battles, Colville led the 2nd Brigade in Picton's 3rd...
and his party visited Chandravati and found twenty marble edifices of different sizes. One temple to Brahma was adorned with rich and finely executed sculptured figures and ornaments in high relief. Another scholar, Ferguson, found the pillars so highly ornamented in details and varieties that no two pillars are exactly alike.
At present not a single temple is in order. The pieces of old temples were removed and used in temples in distant cities. The many monuments were destroyed by contractors of Rajputana Malwa Railway before independence. The remaining were stolen or were destroyed when Abu Road industrial area was extended.
Rulers of Chandravati patronized literature too. Jain saints wrote some literary works here.