Chandravati
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Chandravati, popularly known as Chandroti,[1] is a village situated near Abu Road on the bank of the West Banas River in the Indian 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.
History
Archeological excavations suggested that there was a large settlement at the place before the establishment of Chandravati by Paramaras.[2] Chandravati was ruled by the Paramaras of Abu.[1] The first Paramara ruler of the area was Sindhuraja in the early tenth century.[3]
Chandravati was the major city in past said to once been eighteen miles in circuit. Its prosperity seems to have lasted from the seventh to the beginning of the fifteenth century. Tradition gives it an earlier origin than
In 1024 AD, Chandravati was attacked and plundered by
In 1197, its rulers Prahladan and Dharavarsh, as feudatories to Bhimdev II (1178 - 1243) of Anhilwad, encamping near Abu, attempted to hold the entrance into Gujarat against
Then (1304) came
Sahasamala Devada shifted his capital to Sirohi around 1450 AD, and from then on Chandravati lost its glory.
In 1824 Sir
The remains of Chandravati was destroyed further during the construction of the railway track between Malwa and Abu road before independence.[1] 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 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 and Palanpur-Abu Road Highway was constructed. It divided the ancient site into two parts.[2]
Rulers of Chandravati also patronized literature. Jain monks wrote some[
Archeology
At least three fortified enclosures were discovered during excavations. The largest fortification is spread over four hectares and is located in the valley of Banas river. Three residential complexes; six room complex in south eastern corner, six room complex in north eastern corner and the large hall with few rooms in south central part of the fort; were discovered. Several minor objects were also discovered from the complexes like terracotta beads, copper and iron objects, animal figures.[2]
The other two fortifications, a large settlement, about thirty six temples, around twelve bawaris are located in the valley of Sevarni river which is a tributary of Banas.[2]
References
Notes
- ^ a b c d e "Excavation to unfold Chandravati mystery". The Times of India. 3 January 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
- ^ a b c d "1000-year-old settlement unearthed at Chandravati". The Times of India. 7 February 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
- ^ Mathur, Vijayendra Kumar: Aitihasik Sthanavali (Hindi), Vaigyanik tatha Takaniki Shabdawali Ayog, Government of India, 1990, p.319
- ^ Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Cutch, Palanpur, and Mahi Kantha 2015, p. 339.
- ^ a b Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Cutch, Palanpur, and Mahi Kantha 2015, p. 339-340.
- ^ Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Cutch, Palanpur, and Mahi Kantha 2015, p. 340-341.
Bibliography
- Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Cutch, Palanpur, and Mahi Kantha. Government Central Press. 1880. p. 338.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Cutch, Palanpur, and Mahi Kantha. Government Central Press. 1880. p. 338.