Growth of Muslim Population in Medieval India, A.D. 1000–1800 c9.11

c9.11

In the central and western parts of the country, a similar situation prevailed. To the house of the Chandelas of Bundelkhand belonged Ganda (A.D. 999-1025) who had defied Mahmud Ghaznavi for long but ultimately had to acknowledge the invader’s overlordship. After Ganda’s death the Chandelas and the Kalachuris of Chedi came into conflict, for both aspired to the overlordship of northern India. Gangeya Deva Kalachuri (1015-1040) pushed his conquests as far as Tirhut ; his son Karan Deva (1040-1070) waged wars against the rulers of Malwa and Magadh. Karan also gave a crushing defeat to the Chandela king Kirtivarman Deva (1049-1100). But the defeat was soon retrieved. Henceforward the history of the Chandelas is a history of conflicts with their neighbours. Wars against Gujarat were successful, but when the Chandela rulers plunged into a prolonged and bitter struggle with the Chauhans of Delhi, they were completely crushed by Prithvi Raj in 1182-83. They ceased to be a political power when Qutbuddin Aibak advanced against Kalinjar in 1202. The Kalachuris of Chedi became subject to the same process of decadence. The Parmar ruler Bhoj of Malwa who came to the throne in A.D. 1010 waged successful wars against Gujarat, Chedi and Karnatik. But the latter avenged their defeat about the time of his death in 1053-54. Kumarapala, the Solanki king of Gujarat (1142-73), similarly fought against the Chauhan Raja of Ajmer and the king of Malwa who had come to the latter’s aid. He also established his suzerainty in Konkan.