[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Studies](https://indike.org/pramana/ins) › [General history and culture](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general) › [History of Kanauj to the Moslem Conquest](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.tripathi-1937) › c19.s2.11 # History of Kanauj to the Moslem Conquest c19.s2.11 History of Kanauj to the Moslem Conquest c19.s2.11 - **Language:** English ### [c19.s2.11](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.tripathi-1937.c19.s2.11) The \*Puruṣaparīkṣā\* of Vidyāpati and the \*Rambhā-mañjarī\* lend support to this claim, for in the former “Yavaneśvara Sahāvadīn” (Sihābuddin) is said to have fled several times after sustaining defeat,⁵ and the latter calls Jayacandra “Nikhila-yavana-kṣayakaraḥ” i.e., “the destroyer of all the Yavanas.”⁶ The Cauhan chronicles also testify to his greatness, affirming that Jayacandra “overcame the king of the North, making eight tributary kings prisoners; twice defeated Siddharāja, king of Anhilwāḍ, and extended his dominions south of the Nerbudda.”¹ Whatever little grains of truth these statements may contain, it is certain that Jayacandra was the last great monarch of Kanauj, whose power and extensive jurisdiction struck even the Moslem historians. Referring to him Ibn Asir says in the \*Kāmil ut-Tawārīkh\* that “the king of Benares was the greatest king in India, and possessed the largest territory, extending lengthwise from the borders of China to the province of Malwa, and in breadth from the sea to within ten days’ journey to Lahore.”² We have unfortunately no means of ascertaining the exact bounds of his kingdom, but that it must have been comparatively limited in extent is evident from the contemporaneous existence of several strong principalities. In the first place, there were the Cauhans, who, starting from their territories in Ajmer, had annexed Delhi and were at this time bidding for supremacy in the north under the vigorous rule of Prithvīrāja III or Rai Pithaura of the Moslem historians. Towards the south, there were the Candellas, whose power was at its height during the reign of Madanavarman (\*circa\* 1125-1165 A. D.). He defeated Siddhārāja Jayasiṁha of Gujarat,³ and in the Mau inscription he even claims to have forced “the king of Kasi,” who is probably identical with Vijayacandra, to pass his time “in friendly behaviour.”⁴ The \*Rambhāmañjarī\*, on the other hand, affirms that Jayacandra’s “arms were like pillars to tie down the elephant-like goddess of Madanavarman’s royal fortune,”⁵ which proves that he must have defeated the Candella king sometime as a prince. Such conflicting claims—by no means rare in ancient Indian History—show how necessary it is to exercise the utmost caution and critical judgment before accepting any statement. Whichever version may be true, this much is certain from the Madanapur inscription that during the time of Madanavarman’s successor Paramardi or Parmāl (1165-1203), Prithvīrāja, and not Jayacandra, occupied Mahoba and other fortresses in Bundelkhand.¹ As to the north, the phrase “borders of China” may be presumed to denote that the kingdom extended upto the foot of the Himalayas; while in the east it must have comprised the Gaya region, where an inscription presumably belonging to Jayacandra’s reign records that a hermit named Śrīmitra served as spiritual guide to the king of Benares (Kāśīśa), who was attended by a hundred chieftains (nripa-śata-krita-sevaḥ).² It is also definitely known from inscriptions that Allahabad, Benares, and the surrounding tracts were included within Jayacandra’s kingdom. The Gāhaḍavāla connection with Benares was more intimate, and perhaps because of the habitual residence of the kings there, or owing to its religious importance and advantageous situation “in the centre of the country of Hind,”³ it became a sort of second capital almost from the beginning of their rule. Indeed, the Moslem historians significantly style Jayacandra “Rai - [Previous: c19.s2.10](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.tripathi-1937.c19.s2.10) - [Next: c19.s2.12](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.tripathi-1937.c19.s2.12) - [Up: c19.s2](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.tripathi-1937.c19.s2) ## Linked texts (2) - [Puruṣaparīkṣā](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.short_stories.purusapariksa) — Vidyāpati Ṭhākura, Sanskrit - [Rambhāmañjarī](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.plays.sattaka.rambhamanjari) — Nayacandrasūri, Sanskrit --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.tripathi-1937.c19.s2.11](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.tripathi-1937.c19.s2.11) · Pramāṇa