Cauhān Mahārājas of Pāṭnā State (Mahākosala)

Summary

In this long historical essay the author reconstructs the genealogy of the Cauhān (Chauhan) Mahārājas of Patnā state in Mahākosala (now parts of Odisha and Chhattisgarh). Using official records, vernacular poems and Sanskrit works like the Kosalānanda Mahākāvya, he traces the line from Rumail Deo, the dynasty’s founder, through more than twenty rulers to the nineteenth century. A table summarises the reigns, noting that the early rulers governed for unusually long periods. The article compares lists of kings from the Central Provinces Gazetteer, the Prabodhacandrikā and local palm‑leaf manuscripts. It points out inconsistencies in these sources, such as the placement of Baijal Deo I and the omission of certain names, and suggests that some rulers were alternative names for the same person. The author discusses a stone inscription at Narsinghnāth temple which commemorates a gift by Baijal Deo II and examines Mr. Beglar’s attempt to date it to A.D. 1359–60. He recalculates the date based on astronomical references and concludes that the inscription more likely belongs to 1413 A.D. The essay also describes the political institutions of Patnā state, noting that the Cauhān family adopted an āṭh‑mallik system of governance whereby eight representatives advised the king. Through detailed comparison of sources, the author attempts to establish a plausible sequence of rulers and to identify the historical context in which they operated.