Kavat (king)

Kavat (Gujarati: કંવાટ) was a 10th century Chudasama king of Saurashtra region of western India mentioned in the bardic literature.[1][2] According to bardic tales, he was captured and imprisoned by the chief of Shiyal Island. He was liberated by his maternal uncle Uga Vala, chief of Talaja, but had hurt his pride unknowingly. Kavat later marched against him and killed him near Chitrasar.

In bardic literature

Abu chief

He is said to have fought with Ano, the chief of Abu,[upper-alpha 1] and to have captured him ten times and ten times released him. This feat is commemorated in the Gujarati Duha[upper-alpha 2] (couplet) in which Kavat is described as the son of Graharipu.[2][1]

Shiyal Island chief and Uga Vala

Viramdeva Parmar,[upper-alpha 3] the chief who held Shiyal Island off the coast of Saurashtra, near Jafrabad. He had captured several chiefs of villages on his island. He met Kavat on a ship near Prabhas Patan and captured him and confined him on the island. Kavat's maternal uncle named Uga Vala, chief of Talaja, came to knew about it so he invaded Shiyal Island and killed Viramdeva. When releasing Kavat, he accidentally hit him with his foot. So Kawat became angry and vowed vengeance on his uncle. He later marched against Uga Vala with an army, he defeated him, and killed him near Chitrasar.[2][1]

Dates and succession

It is difficult to decide the correct dates of the king as the information about him is derived only from bardic tales and folklore. According to the Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency, he was a son and the successor of Graharipu and reigned from Vamanasthali (now Vanthali) from 982 CE to 1003 CE. He was succeeded by his son, Dyas.[2][1]

Notes

  1. ↑ In some version, the chief of Abu is mentioned as Krishnaraja Parmar while in some he is referred as Ano.
  2. ↑ The Duha in Gujarati: આબુ સુત આનો, ગ્રહીયો ગ્રહારીઉતે, જેને દશ વેળા દેવાનું, મુક્યો અવળીમાં.
  3. ↑ In some versions of the legend, the chief is referred as Meghanand Chavada.[1] In some version he is referred as Anant Chavda.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Harold Wilberforce-Bell (1916). The History of Kathiawad from the Earliest Times. London: William Heinemann. pp. 54–83. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Watson, James W., ed. (1884). Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency : Kathiawar. VIII. Bombay: Government Central Press. pp. 380–381, 489–502. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ↑ Parmar, Jayamalla. "સ્વધર્મ અને સ્વત્વરક્ષા માટે જે મરી શકતા નથી એ તો અમસ્તાએ જીવતે મૂઆ જેવા જાણવા!" (in Gujarati). Bombay Samachar. Retrieved 2017-10-25.
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