Amidst meagre, jejune, and unsatisfactory details, the annalist of Rajputana must be content to wade on, in order to obtain some solid foundation for the history of the tribes; but such facts as these stimulate his exertions and reward his toil: without them, his task would be hopeless. To each of the twenty tribes enumerated, formed under the standard of the Chauhan, we append a separate notice, for the satisfaction of the few who can appreciate their importance, while some general remarks may suffice as a connexion with the immediate object of research, the Haras, descended from Bisaldeo.
In the first place, it is of no small moment to be enabled to adjust the date of Bisaldeo, the most important name in the annals of the Chauhans from Manik Rae to Prithiraj, and a slip from the genealogical tree will elucidate our remarks [451].[[56]]
The Delhi Pillar.
CHAUHĀN GENEALOGY
[From Anhal to Bilandeo, these are but a few of the leading names. From Bilandeo the chain is continuous to the last Chauhan king, Prithiraj.]
| ┌ | Or Agnipala, ‘offspring of fire,’ | ||||||
| │ | the first Chauhan; probable period 650 | ||||||
| │ | before Vikrama, when an invasion | ||||||
| Anhal | ┤ | of the Turushkas took place; | |||||
| │ | established Mahishmati-nagari | ||||||
| │ | (Garha-mandala); conquered the | ||||||
| └ | Konkan, Asir, Golkonda. | ||||||
| Savacha | |||||||
| Malan | ┌ | In all probability this is the patriarch | |||||
| └ | of the Mallani tribe, see p. [1272]. | ||||||
| Ganal Sur | |||||||
| ┌ | Or universal potentate; founder of | ||||||
| │ | Ajmer. Same authorities say, in | ||||||
| S. 202 | Ajaipala Chakravartin | ┤ | 202 of the Vikrama; others of the | ||||
| │ | Virat-Samvat: the latter is the | ||||||
| └ | most probable. | ||||||
| ┌ | Slain, and lost Ajmer, on the first | ||||||
| Dhola Rae | ┤ | irruption of the Muhammadans, S. | |||||
| └ | 741, A.D. 685. | ||||||
| ┌ | Founded Sambhar: hence the title | ||||||
| S. 741 | Manika Rae | ┤ | of Sambhari-Rao borne by the | ||||
| └ | Chauhan princes, his issue. | ||||||
| S. 827 | Harsraj | ┌ | Defeated Nasiru-d-din (qu. Sabuktigin?), ' | ||||
| └ | thence styled 'Sultan-graha. | ||||||
| Bir Bilandeo | ┌ | Or Dharmagaj; slain defending | |||||
| └ | Ajmer against Mahmud of Ghazni. | ||||||
| S. 1065 to | ┌ | (Classically, Visaladeva); his period, | |||||
| 1130 | Bisaldeo | ┤ | from various inscriptions, S. 1066 | ||||
| └ | to S. 1130. | ||||||
| Sarangdeo | Died in nonage. | ||||||
| Ana | ┌ | Constructed the Ana-Sagar at | |||||
| └ | Ajmer; still bears his name. | ||||||
| Jaipal. | Harspal. | ||||||
| Ajaideo, | Bijaideo. | Udaideo. | |||||
| or | |||||||
| Ananddeo. | |||||||
| Someswar: | Kan Rae. | Jeth, Goelwal. | |||||
| married Ruka Bai, | |||||||
| daughter of Anangpal | |||||||
| Tuar king of Delhi. | |||||||
| Isardas; | |||||||
| turned Muhammadan. | |||||||
| Prithiraj; | Chahirdeo. | ||||||
| obtained Delhi; slain by | |||||||
| Shihabu-d-din, S. 1249, | |||||||
| A.D. 1193. | |||||||
| Vijaya Raj. | ┌ | Adopted successor to Prithiraj; his | |||||
| └ | name is on the pillar at Delhi. | ||||||
| ┌ | Had twenty-one sons; seven of whom were legitimate, | ||||||
| Rainsi; | │ | the others illegitimate, and founders of mixed tribes. | |||||
| slain in the sack | Lakhansi | ┤ | From Lakhansi there are twenty-six generations to | ||||
| of Delhi. | │ | Noniddh Singh, the present chieftain of Nimrana, the | |||||
| └ | nearest lineal descendant of Ajaipal and Prithiraj. | ||||||
[452]
The inscription commences and ends with the same date, namely, 15th of the month Baisakh, S. 1220. If correctly copied, it can have no reference to Bisaldeo, excepting as the ancestor of Prativa Chahumana tilaka Sakambhari bhupati; or ‘Prithiraja Chauhan, the anointed of Sambhar, Lord of the earth,’ who ruled at Delhi in S. 1220, and was slain in S. 1249, retaining the ancient epithet of ‘Lord of Sambhar,’ one of the early seats of their power.[[58]] The second stanza, however, tells us we must distrust the first of the two dates, and read 1120 (instead of 1220), when Visaladeva “exterminated the barbarians” from Aryavarta. The numerals 1 and 2 in Sanskrit are easily mistaken. If, however, it is decidedly 1220, then the whole inscription belongs to Prativa Chahumana, between whom and Visala no less than six princes intervene,[[59]] and the opening is merely to introduce Prithiraja’s lineage, in which the sculptor has foisted in the date.
I feel inclined to assign the first stanza to Visaladeva (Bisaldeo), and what follows to his descendant Prithiraj, who by a conceit may have availed himself of the anniversary of the victory of his ancestor, to record his own exploits. These exploits were precisely of the same nature—successful war against the Islamite, in which each drove him from Aryavarta; for even the Muslim writers acknowledge that Shihabu-d-din was often ignominiously defeated before he finally succeeded in making a conquest of northern India [453].