|
The Indian Analyst
|
|
South Indian Inscriptions |
KALACHURIS OF SOUTH KOSALA
As stated before, the inscriptions give no historical information about the reign of Vahara’s predecessors. Vahara’s reign, however, was marked by Skirmishes with the Pathans. The Kosgain inscriptions show that he had shifted his capital from Ratanapur to the stronghold of Kosanga (modern Kosgain) probably owing to the forays of the Pathan adventurers.1 From there he used to raid Pathan outposts. The Kosgain inscription states that when he attacked the Pathans, they, leaving their stations, used to flee to the Sona. Madhava, Vahara’s brave minister, is credited with a victory over the Pathans, whom he despoiled of gold and other metals, elephants, horses, cows and buffaloes. The Muslim chroniclers do not mention any incursions of the Afghans, who are evidently meant by the Pathans, into Chhattisgarh, which, being land-locked must have been comparatively secure from their depredations. From the Tarikh-i-Daudi of Abdulla, we learn that Sikandar Lodi invaded the territory of the Raja of Bhata,2 devastated the country and stormed the fort of Bandhu (Bandhogarh in the Rewah State), 'the strongest castle of the district’, which he, however, failed to reduce. Bandhogarh is about 125 miles north by west of Kosgain. Sikandar’s invasion seems to have occurred about 1496 A.C., two years after the date of the Ratanpur incription of Vahara’s reign. During this expedition or some time later, some Afghan adventurers from Jaunpur may have attempted to raid the Kalachuri territory, but they were turned back by Vahara.
We have no inscriptions of the successors of Vahara. Local tradition mentions
twelve successors3 of Bahar Sahai (evidently identical with Vaharendra of the inscriptions)
who ruled at Ratanpur until the country was conquered by Bhaskar Pant, the Brahmana
General of the Bhonslas of Nagpur in 1740 A.C. The reigns of these princes were unevent-
ful and inglorious. One of them Kalyan Sahai the successor of Bahar Sahai, is said to
1Verse 13 of No. 105 states that Vahara had stored various kinds of food-grains
wealth, fuel and fodder in the fortress evidently to make its sufficiently strong to stand a siege by the
enemy.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
