Naikadevi

The Queen from Karnataka who Ruled Gujarat and Defeated Mohammad Ghori

The saga of Naikadevi’s regency (1175-1178 CE) during the rule of the Chalukya in Gujarat is one about her cool thinking, unfazed bravery and of not being taken in by the reputation of the enemy. The adversaries - Naikadevi and Mohammad Ghori of Ghor in Afghanistan - were equally determined to achieve their goals. Naikadevi was defending her kingdom, Ghori was bent on conquering it and had come all the way to Gujarat in the hopes of adding to his realm. However, the result of their encounter was a drubbing Ghori could not stomach.

Mohammad Ghori
Ghori made several incursions into India to expand territory.  He was not content with looting the fabled riches of India but also tried to conquer. He was defeated multiple times over the years by defending rulers but never let that hold back his ambitions. The factor in Ghori’s favour was the lack of unity amongst the rulers of various kingdoms in India who would not present a common front against him.



The Chalukya Dynasty
The Chalukya was an eminent dynasty of medieval India which ruled from the 6th to the 12th century CE.  They were established in Vatapi (modern Badami in present-day Karnataka), which became their capital, and were soon ruling vast swathes of land encompassing modern Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat.

The Badami Chalukyas, of whom Pulikesin II was the most important ruler, defeated Harshavardhana of Kanauj, the Kadambas and other dynasties as mentioned in the famous inscription at Aihole, written in Sanskrit with Kannada script. After Pulikesin’s death, the Chalukya empire split in three, with mutual friendly relations.

The Eastern Chalukya established their kingdom in the Eastern Deccan in Vengi near Eluru in Andhra Pradesh. They were subjugated by the Rashtrakuta until the 10th century CE.

At that time, the Western Chalukya with their capital at Basavakalyan (Kalyani) helped them revive their fortunes.

The third branch of the Chalukyas of Gujarat was also known as Solanki. Their capital was at Anhilwara, Gujarat.

Thus, at its height, this dynasty from Karnataka was overlord of land from the Narmada to the Kaveri.

Naikadevi, the regent
Naikadevi was the daughter of Shivachitta Permadi of the Kadamba dynasty of Goa. She was married to Ajayapala, the Chalukya king who ruled Gujarat from 1171 CE for four years.

When Ajayapala died early, Naikadevi became regent since her son, Mularaja II, was a minor. As a young princess she had been trained to fight, to think in order to outsmart the enemy. These were the exact skills she needed soon enough to defend her kingdom.


Ghori’s invasion
During Naikadevi’s regency Mohammad Ghori came to Sind, the neighbouring province, to annex territory and after winning it turned south into Gujarat. Anhilwara the Chalukya capital was built on the banks of the river Saraswati and was a prosperous town.

Naikadevi knew she had to prepare to fight Ghori and appealed to neighbouring rulers to form a confederacy to ensure a fitting defence. But none was interested, and she was left to her own devices.

Ghori came with the reputation of being very powerful and undefeatable. However Naikadevi was not about to give up without a fight.

Naikadevi’s response
Naikadevi was unfazed and set about making her plans. She strategized with her commanders and followed the plan to victory. She chose to meet Ghori’s army in 1178 CE at Kayadara at the foothills of the Aravalli range. In the annals of military history the ensuing fight came to be known as the Battle of Kayadara and saw Naikadevi deploy her well-equipped army and also a large contingent of war elephants. She was very familiar with the topography of the area around her capital Anhilwara and could use it to maximum advantage.

Ghori came into Sind from Afghanistan and then crossed the Thar desert into Gujarat. His troops were exhausted with the desert crossing and now had to tackle the new area and a determined foe.

The result of the war was exactly what Naikadevi and her counsellors had envisaged. Ghori was thoroughly defeated by Naikadevi’s army, and retreated. So completely was he trounced, in fact, that he did not return to Gujarat ever again but instead used the route via Punjab for his subsequent forays into India. The defeat saved Gujarat from invasions for the next hundred years and served to establish the Anhilwara administration on a sound footing. 

Although Ghori's court writers gloss over this disastrous defeat that their king endured, other sources such as the work of Merutunga, a Jaina acharya and writer, titled 'Prabandha Chintamani' clearly narrates the encounter between Naikadevi and Ghori. 

Merutunga writes, "The mother of young Mularaja, Queen Naikadevi, the daughter of Permadi of Goa, taking her son in her lap led the Chalukya army against the Turushkas and defeated them at Gadararaghatta near the foot of Mount Abu."

Firishta the writer who accompanied Mohammad of Ghori to India writes that "The young king of Gujarat advanced with an army to resist the Mohammedans and defeated them with great slaughter. They suffered many hardships before they reached Ghazni."

In Sanskrit inscriptions of Gujarat, Mularaja is invariably mentioned as 'the conqueror of Garjanakas (dwellers of Ghazni).' 

The aftermath of Naikadevi’s regency
Naikadevi was succeeded by her son Mularaja II and his descendants. Naikadevi’s rule and her clarity of purpose strengthened ties between present day Goa and Gujarat, as also along other points on the west coast of India. The impact of these amiable ties was felt in several areas down the ages, particularly in naval military co-operation as well as internal and foreign trade. Both Gujarat and Goa had access to both sea and land routes, and could make good use of them for pilgrimages and other reciprocal cultural activities.

Somnath who has a famous temple to Him in Gujarat, became a popular deity in Goa with an important temple dedicated to Him in the Kadamba port of Gopakapattana. The repercussions of the positive role played by a daughter of the Kadambas in the kingdom of the Chalukya in Gujarat was that long expeditions began from Goa to worship Somnath at His famous temple at Gujarat. Jainism which had many adherents in Gujarat also gained ground in Goa which was close to Jaina centres in Karnataka such as Sravanabelagola.

Today, historians find many linkages in the form of place names, folklore and art that reflect the age-old close ties between Gujarat and Goa that continue to linger.

Reference - 
historydiscussion.net
The Journey of Survivors: 70,000-Year History of Indian Sub-Continent By Subhrashis Adhikari
Essays in Goan History. Cultural Relations of Goa with Gujarat by Nandakumar Kamat.

Heroic Hindu Resistance to Muslim Invaders by Sita Ram Goel