Side‑Lights on the History of Medieval Mewar

Summary

This paper uses epigraphic evidence to illuminate the social and religious history of medieval Mewar, a Rajput state in western India. The author notes that modern research has focused mainly on dynastic politics and that our knowledge of other aspects of Mewar’s history is scantfile:///home/oai/share/563021_compressed-273-356.pdf#:~:text=Side,953. Fortunately, several Sanskrit and Prakrit inscriptions published by the Bhavanagar Archaeological Department provide information about administration, economy and religion. An inscription of Allata dated V.S. 1010 (A.D. 953) from the temple of Sarnesvar (perhaps moved there from another temple) describes the ruler Allata with the grand title ‘Medinipati’—lord of the world—though he governed a small statefile:///home/oai/share/563021_compressed-273-356.pdf#:~:text=cribes%20Allata%20as%20%E2%80%98Medinipati%E2%80%99%20,dignitaries%20are%20mentioned%20%3A%20Sandhivigrahika. It lists officials such as the Sandhivigrahika (minister of peace and war), Amatya (minister), Aksapatala (judge), Vandipati (gaol superintendent), Gogtika (guardian) and Bhisagadhiraja (court physician)file:///home/oai/share/563021_compressed-273-356.pdf#:~:text=are%20mentioned%20%3A%20Sandhivigrahika%20,As%20regards%20weight%20and%20measures. The inscription records weight and measure terms like tula (a weight of about 145 troy ounces) and adhaka (a measure of grain around seven pounds)file:///home/oai/share/563021_compressed-273-356.pdf#:~:text=Physician%3F%29%2C%20Kayastha%20%28Scribe%29,makes%20provision%20for%20the%20mainten. It originally dedicated a temple to Murari (Vishnu) but the temple is now sacred to Śiva, indicating that Vaiṣṇavism existed alongside Śaivism in tenth‑century Mewarfile:///home/oai/share/563021_compressed-273-356.pdf#:~:text=found%2018%20dedicated%20to%20Siva%29,It%20is%20interesting%20to. Temple maintenance was funded by contributions from various social groups: owners of elephants, horses and horned animals, sellers of old clothes and ornaments, confectioners, gamblers, oil‑pressers and flower sellersfile:///home/oai/share/563021_compressed-273-356.pdf#:~:text=note%20that%20the%20temple%20was,stringed%20garland%20every%20%E0%AA%B5%E0%AA%82%E0%AA%98. Another inscription of Naravahana dated V.S. 1028 (A.D. 971) from Natha temple invokes Ekaliṅga (Śiva) and praises the composer’s teacher as a destroyer of Jain and Buddhist doctrines; it shows sectarian rivalry and describes the ruler Bappa as ‘Kṣitipati’, lord of the earthfile:///home/oai/share/563021_compressed-273-356.pdf#:~:text=of%20religious%20history,Lord%20%E0%AA%AC%20the%20world. A later inscription found at Hastamata compares a king to Śiva; other records from Chittor (A.D. 1274) and Mt Abu (A.D. 1285) combine devotion to Śiva and Gaṇeśa with references to Viṣṇu and Hanuman, suggesting syncretic worshipfile:///home/oai/share/563021_compressed-273-356.pdf#:~:text=A%20veiled%20reference%20to%20Saivism,the%20submerged. The article concludes that Śaivism was the original religion of Mewar but that Vaiṣṇavism and Jainism were also present. Although Tod’s Annals speak of Mewar as a refuge for Jains and note that Jain laity dominated banking and revenue administration, the inscriptions studied here reveal occasional hostility towards Jain and Buddhist ideasfile:///home/oai/share/563021_compressed-273-356.pdf#:~:text=%E0%AA%B9%E0%AA%A4%E0%AB%8B%20to%20the%20Boar%20incarnation,Jain%20laity%2C%20as%20%E0%A4%9A%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%9F%20the. They also document how temples were financed and how rulers adopted exalted titles to enhance prestige.