Samantasimha


Samantasimha was an Indian king belonging to the Chahamana dynasty, who ruled the area around Javalipura. During the later half of his reign, he and his son Kanhadadeva jointly ran the administration. The Delhi Sultanate raided the kingdom twice during his reign, but could not capture it.

Reign

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Samantasimha succeeded Chachigadeva on the throne of Javalipura. He was probably Chachigadeva's son, although this cannot be said with certainty. He is also known as Samvantasimha and Samyantasimha. The inscriptions issued during his reign give his title as Maharajakula.
According to the 17th century chronicler Munhot Nainsi, Samantasimha had at least two sons: Kanhadadeva and Maladeva. As the heir apparent, Kanhadadeva assisted his father in administration from at least 1296 CE onwards. The 1299 CE Chohtan inscription refers to their joint reign.

Khalji invasion

According to the Gujarat chronicler Jinaprabha Suri, in 1291-92 CE, the Delhi Sultan Jalaluddin Khalji invaded the Jalore kingdom. Samantasimha's neighbour Sarangadeva, the Vaghela king of Gujarat, came to his rescue. Khalji's army advanced up to Sanchore, but was forced to retreat by the Vaghelas, who were perhaps concerned that the Delhi Sultan would invade Gujarat next.
In 1299, Jalaluddin Khalji's successor Alauddin Khalji sent an army to Gujarat, under the command of Ulugh Khan and Nusrat Khan. While returning from Gujarat, the Delhi army marched through the kingdom of Jalore. There, a section of the Delhi army rebelled against their commanders over distribution of the plunder from Gujarat. According to Munhot Nainsi, Samantasimha's envoys met the neo-Muslim rebel leader Mammushah. Three days after this meeting, the Khalji army was attacked by the rebels from one side and by the Jalore army from the other side. The mutiny was ultimately crushed. Ziauddin Barani's Tarikh-i-Firuz Shahi also describes the mutiny, but does not mention the Chahamana participation in the conflict. The veracity of Nainsi's account is doubtful, as he inaccurately states that Alauddin personally led the Gujarat campaign.

Inscriptions

The following inscriptions dated to Samantasimha's reign have been found:
DatePlacePurposeSource
1283 CE BhinmalGrants by Guhila Sahajapala and his wife
1284 CE BudtaraConstruction of a well or tank by Rupadevi
1286 CE BhinmalGrant to the Mahalakshmi temple by Rathoda Alhanasimha
1288 CE BhinmalGrant of a golden kalasha and 200 gold coins to the Jagasvamin temple
1288 CE SanchoreReligious endowment
1295 CE Juna BarmerReligious grants at the Adinatha temple
1296 CE JaloreGrants to the Parshvanatha temple by family of Narpati and Gunadhara
1299 CE Chohtan