Kharparas mentioned in the Nabhinandana-Jinoddhara-Prabandhas

Summary

Responding to critiques of his earlier work, the author defends his identification of the Kharparas—a people mentioned in the Jain Nabhinandana‑Jinoddhara‑Prabandhas and in several inscriptions—with the Mongols. Critics had argued that the Kharparas were a warlike tribe from Madhya Pradesh and not connected to the Mongols. The author counters by citing evidence from the Pillar Inscription of Samudragupta and three Batihagarh inscriptions, all of which mention the Kharparas in contexts involving foreign invasions. He argues that the term “Kharpara” in Sanskrit and vernacular literature consistently refers to Mongols and notes that Muslim chronicles of Alauddin Khalji’s reign describe Mongol raids that threatened Delhi. Literary sources such as the Hammiramadamardana contain characters named Kharpara Khana, whose intervention forced invaders to withdraw, aligning with accounts of Mongol attacks. The author also references passages where a governor named Malik Julachi fought against the Kharparas or Mongols in 1328–30 and was rewarded for his service. These examples, he contends, demonstrate that contemporaries equated Kharparas with Mongols. He criticises his opponents for overlooking such sources and notes that additional evidence will be presented elsewhere. Until critics can produce firm proof of a distinct Madhya Pradesh tribe named Kharpara, he maintains that the Mongol identification remains the most plausible interpretation of the term.