Karna (Vaghela dynasty)

Karna
King of Gujarat
Reign c. 1296 – c. 1304
Predecessor Sarangadeva
Successor Alauddin Khalji
Spouse Kamala Devi
Issue Devala Devi
Dynasty Vaghela
Father Rama
  1. ^ Asoke Kumar Majumdar 1956, p. 504.
  2. ^ H. G. Shastri 1989, p. 122-123.

Karna (IAST: Karṇa, r. c. 1296 – c. 1304) was the last Vaghela king of Gujarat region in India. Little is known about his life except his defeat against Alauddin Khalji of the Delhi Sultanate. Alauddin's forces ransacked his kingdom in 1299, forcing him to flee Gujarat. Karna seems to have gained control of at least some part of his territory in the subsequent years. However, a second invasion in 1304 resulted in the end of the Vaghela dynasty.

Early life

Karna was a son of the Vaghela king Rama.[1] Variations of his name include Karnadeva (in Vaghela inscriptions), Rai Karan (in Muslim chronicles), and Karan Dev (in vernacular literature). He is also known as Karna II to distinguish him from the Chaulukya king Karna. The 15th century epic poem Kanhadade Prabandha calls him "Rao Karnade".[2] The 16th century Portuguese historian João de Barros calls him "Galacarna".[3]

Karna succeeded his uncle Saragadeva (the brother of Rama) on the throne. Sarangadeva's kingdom included the present-day Gujarat, and also extended up to Abu in present-day Rajasthan. Karna appears to have inherited this entire territory.[1] Aside from his defeat against Alauddin Khalji, very little is known about his reign.[4]

Defeat against Alauddin Khalji

In 1299, Alauddin Khalji of the Delhi Sultanate invaded Gujarat, which was one of the wealthiest regions of India.[5] According to medieval chronicles (such as Merutunga's Vichara-shreni and Padmanābha's Kanhadade Prabandha), Karna had abducted the wife of his minister Madhava and killed Madhava's brother. In revenge, Madhava instigated Alauddin to invade Gujarat.[6][2]

The invasion appears to have been a surprise for Karna, as Alauddin's army captured Gujarat easily in a very short time. This suggests that either Karna was unpopular among his subjects, or he had an ineffective military and administrative setup.[7] The Jain chronicler Jinaprabha Suri states that Ulugh Khan's forces defeated Karna's army at Ashapalli (present-day Ahmedabad).[8] According to the 14th century historian Isami, Karna took shelter in a fort, which was besieged by the Delhi army.[8] His ministers told him that there was no alternative to fleeing Gujarat, and advised him to come back after the departure of the invaders.[7] Ultimately, Karna fled to Devagiri, the capital of the neighbouring Yadava kingdom. A section of the Delhi army pursued him.[9] The 14th century chronicler Isami states that he was refused asylum by the Yadavas, and had to seek shelter from the Kakatiya ruler Rudradeva.[10] Meanwhile, the Delhi army plundered the wealthy cities of Gujarat, including the capital Anahilavada (modern Patan), Khambhat, Surat and Somnath.[11]

Subsequently, Karna seems to have recaptured at least some part of Gujarat. An inscription found at the Sampla village in Gujarat attests that he was ruling at Patan on 4 August 1304.[12] The Jain author Merutunga also states that he ruled up to 1304 CE.[13] The 14th century Muslim chronicler Isami also suggests that Karna managed to regain his power. According to Isami, Alauddin had handed over the administration of the newly-captured Chittor Fort to Malik Shahin in 1303. But sometime later, Malik Shahin fled the fort because he was afraid of Karna, who ruled the neighbouring territory.[14]

Karna lost his throne permanently after a second invasion from Delhi in 1304. According to Amir Khusrau's poem Ashiqa, the invasion resulted from a request by Karna's former wife Kamala Devi, who had been captured by Alauddin's forces during the first invasion. Eight years after being inducted into Alauddin's harem, Kamala Devi requested Alauddin to get her daughter Devala Devi from Gujarat. Although Karna agreed to the demand, Alauddin ordered his army to invade Gujarat for a second time. Ashiqa is not historically reliable, but some of the later medieval writers present its narrative as history. Other medieval chroniclers give different accounts of this incident, some of them omitting the bit about Kamala Devi's request.[15] According to the 16th century chronicler Firishta, Karna escaped to the Yadava kingdom, where Ramachandra of Devagiri gave him the principality of Baglana. Karna was defeated during Alauddin Khalji's conquest of Devagiri, and his daughter Devala was captured and taken to Delhi.[16] According to one account, he fled towards Devagiri, but was denied asylum there, and ultimately sought shelter from the Kakatiyas in Warangal.[17]

The Jain writer Kakka Suri, in his Nabhi-nandana-jinoddhara-prabandha (1336), describes the end of Karna as follows: "On account of his [Alauddin's] prowess, Karṇa, the ruler of Gurjaratrā, fled away in all haste and having wandered about in many kingdoms died the death of a pauper."[18]

Descendants

The ultimate fate of Karna is unknown, and no concrete information is available about his descendants. A 1498 CE inscription shows that a family of the Vaghela clan was ruling at a place called Dandahi, as subordinates of the Muslim ruler Mahmud Begada. The rulers of the Rewa State also claimed descent from the Vaghelas through one Bhimadeva.[19]

Karna is mentioned in several medieval Muslim chronicles that describe Alauddin's conquest of Gujarat. The event is also described in several Hindu and Jain chronicles, including Merutunga's Prabandha-Chintamani (1305), Dharmaranya (c. 1300-1450), Jinaprabha Suri's Tirthakalpataru (14th century), and Padmanābha's Kanhadade Prabandha (1455).[20]

Karna (as "Karan") is the central character in the 1866 novel Karan Ghelo. Written by Nandshankar Mehta, the book was the first original modern Gujarati novel. In Karan Ghelo, Karan abducts Roopsundari, the wife of his prime minister Madhav. Madhav's brother dies trying to protect Roopsundari. Madhav then decides to take revenge, and persuades Alauddin Khalji to invade Gujarat. In the following war, Karan loses his kingdom and his wife Kaularani to Alauddin. Some years later, he also loses his daughter Devaldevi, thus gaining the epithet ghelo ("foolish").[20] The story was also adapted as the silent film, Karan Ghelo (1924) by S. N. Patankar.[21]

References

  1. 1 2 Asoke Kumar Majumdar 1956, p. 186.
  2. 1 2 Aditya Behl 2012, p. 190.
  3. ↑ Kuzhippalli Skaria Mathew 1986, p. 98.
  4. ↑ Asoke Kumar Majumdar 1956, p. 187.
  5. ↑ Kishori Saran Lal 1950, p. 82.
  6. ↑ Asoke Kumar Majumdar 1956, pp. 192-193.
  7. 1 2 Banarsi Prasad Saksena 1992, p. 335.
  8. 1 2 Asoke Kumar Majumdar 1956, p. 188.
  9. ↑ Kishori Saran Lal 1950, p. 84.
  10. ↑ Asoke Kumar Majumdar 1956, p. 190.
  11. ↑ Kishori Saran Lal 1950, pp. 84-86.
  12. ↑ H. G. Shastri 1989, p. 122-123.
  13. ↑ Asoke Kumar Majumdar 1956, p. 189.
  14. ↑ Banarsi Prasad Saksena 1992, p. 371.
  15. ↑ Asoke Kumar Majumdar 1956, pp. 190-194.
  16. ↑ Asoke Kumar Majumdar 1956, p. 191.
  17. ↑ Banarsi Prasad Saksena 1992, p. 400.
  18. ↑ Dasharatha Sharma 1956, p. 96.
  19. ↑ Asoke Kumar Majumdar 1956, p. 197.
  20. 1 2 Nandshankar Mehta & Tulsi Vatsal 2016, p. 6.
  21. ↑ Nair, Roshni (21 June 2015). "Book Review: 'Karan Ghelo'– Gujarat's 'Game of Thrones'". dna. Retrieved 11 March 2016.

Bibliography

  • Aditya Behl (2012). Love's Subtle Magic: An Indian Islamic Literary Tradition, 1379–1545. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-514670-7.
  • Asoke Kumar Majumdar (1956). Chaulukyas of Gujarat. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. OCLC 4413150.
  • Banarsi Prasad Saksena (1992). "The Khaljis: Alauddin Khalji". In Mohammad Habib and Khaliq Ahmad Nizami. A Comprehensive History of India: The Delhi Sultanat (A.D. 1206-1526). 5 (Second ed.). The Indian History Congress / People's Publishing House. OCLC 31870180.
  • Dasharatha Sharma (1956). "New Light on Alauddin Khalji's Achievements". The Indian Historical Quarterly. Ramanand Vidya Bhawan. 32 (1).
  • H. G. Shastri (1989). A historical and cultural study of the inscriptions of Gujarat: from earliest times to the end of the Caulukya period (circa 1300 A.D.). B.J. Institute of Learning & Research. OCLC 916953474.
  • Kishori Saran Lal (1950). History of the Khaljis (1290-1320). Allahabad: The Indian Press. OCLC 685167335.
  • Kuzhippalli Skaria Mathew (1986). Portuguese and the Sultanate of Gujarat, 1500-1573. Mittal. p. 98. OCLC 14717740.
  • Nandshankar Mehta; Tulsi Vatsal (2016). Karan Ghelo: Gujarat’s Last Rajput King. Penguin Books. ISBN 978-93-5214-011-4.
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