The Yadavas or Seuna dynasty ruled a kingdom spanning from the Tungabhadra to the Narmada rivers, comprising present-day Maharashtra, north Karnataka, and parts of Madhya Pradesh. They were initially feudatories of the Western Chalukyas but later on, they declared independence and founded a sovereign kingdom. The Yadava kingdom flourished until the early 14th century, when it was annexed by the Delhi Sultanate. Yadavas reached their peak under the rule of Simhana II. They made significant contributions to cultural activities and during their reign Marathi became the main language of the region. In this article, we will discuss the Important The Yadavas (12th to 13th Century) Dynasty which will be helpful for UPSC exam preparation.

Yadavas - Background

• The earliest historical ruler of the Seuna/Yadava dynasty can be traced back to the mid-9th century but little is known about their early history, their 12th century court poet Hemadri records the names of the family's early rulers.
• The territory of the early Yadava rulers was in present-day Maharashtra, and several scholars have claimed that the dynasty had a "Maratha" origin.
• During this time, the Marathi language emerged as the dominant language in the dynasty's inscriptions. Prior to this, the primary languages of their inscriptions were Kannada and Sanskrit.
• Hemadri's traditional genealogy of the Yadavas traces their descent from Visnu, the Creator and Yadu were his later descendants.
• The dynasty's first historically attested ruler is Dridhaprahara (860-880 AD), who is credited with founding the city of Chandradityapura (modern Chandor). He was a feudatory of Chalukyas.
• Bhillama ( 1175-1191 CE) was the first sovereign ruler of the Yadava dynasty in the Deccan region.
• Bhillama forced Ballala to retreat around 1187, conquered the former Chalukya capital Kalyani, and declared himself a sovereign ruler.
• He then founded the city of Devagiri, which became the new Yadava capital.

Rulers of Yadavas

Bhillama (1173 - 1191 AD)

• Bhillama ( 1175-1191 CE) was the first sovereign ruler of India's Yadava (Seuna) dynasty in the Deccan region.
• Initially he ruled as a nominal vassal of the Chalukyas of Kalyani. After the Chalukya power fell, he declared sovereignty around 1187 CE and fought with the Hoysala king Ballala II for control of the former Chalukya territory in present-day Karnataka.
• He defeated Ballala in a battle at Soratur around 1189 CE, but Ballala defeated him two years later.
• In 1190, he took over the Chalukya capital of Kalyani and established Devagiri (now Daulatabad) as the Yadava dynasty's capital.
• Bhillama was referred to as "Chakravartin Yadava" in the Mutugi inscription from 1189-90 CE (1111 Shaka) records.

Singhana II (1200-1246 AD)

• Singhana II (1200-1246 AD) was the most powerful ruler of the Yadavas.
• During his reign, the Yadava empire reached its pinnacle. Neither the Hoysalas, nor the Kakatiyas, nor the Paramaras and Calukyas dared to challenge his Deccan dominance.
• Sarangadeva, the author of Sangita Ratnakar, worked as an accountant in Singhana II's court.
• Two famous astrologers, Cangadeva (established an astrological college) and Anantadeva (wrote commentaries on Brahmagupta's Brahmasphutasiddhanta and Varahamihira's Brhajjataka), flourished in Sinhana’s court.

Raja Ramchandrahbl (1291-1309 AD)

• Ramachandra was the Yadava ruler Krishna's son.
• After conducting a coup in the capital Devagiri, he usurped the throne from his cousin Ammana and became the next monarch around 1270 CE.
• He enlarged his empire by fighting the Paramaras, Hoysalas, Vaghelas and Kakatiyas, all of whom were Hindus.
• He faced a Muslim invasion from the Delhi Sultanate in 1296 AD, and made peace by promising to pay an annual tribute to Alauddin Khalji.
• In 1308 AD, Alauddin Khalji dispatched a force to Ramachandra, led by his general Malik Kafur. Kafur's army overpowered Ramchandra’s army and imprisoned him in Delhi.

Administration of Yadavas

• The form of government was a hereditary monarchy.
• Yadavas had a strong bureaucracy in place to support the administration.
• King used to consult his ministers prior to issuing any land charter.
• Although the monarch is the most important member of the political body, ancient political thinkers saw the Ministry or a council of advisers as a significant organ of the state.
• The Yadavas appear to have a smaller ministry, with 5 or 7 members at times.
• In ministry, Mahapradhana was a powerful minister who was usually in charge of a province or even a district.
• Rajaguru was most likely the royal preceptor, counselling the monarch on religious matters.
• Lakshmipati was the minister in charge of the treasury.
• Mudraprabhu, the officer in charge of seals, Kusumarachanadhyaksha, the superintendent of floral arrangements, the commander of hill forts, and the royal hunter, are among the other royal officers of the court.

Architecture of Yadavas

• The Gondeshwar temple is a Hindu temple in Sinnar, Maharashtra, India, that dates from the 11th to 12th centuries.
• With the main temple dedicated to Shiva and four auxiliary shrines dedicated to Surya, Vishnu, Parvati, and Ganesha, it has a Panchayatana plan.
• The Gondeshwar temple was constructed during the reign of the Yadava dynasty, though no exact dates have been found, and is thought to be from the 11th or 12th centuries.
• Devagiri Fort was built during the reign of the Yadavas. It is considered as one of the strongest forts in India.

Literature during Yadavas reign

• The Yadavas were the first significant dynasty in India to make Marathi their official language.
• Hemadri, a Yadava court minister, strove to formalise Marathi with Sanskrit terminology in order to improve its reputation as a court language.
• Saint-poet Dnyaneshwar wrote Dnyaneshwari, a Marathi-language commentary on the Bhagavad Gita.
• Apart from Marathi, Kannada was also the Yadavas' court language until the late Seuna period, as evidenced by a number of Kannada inscriptions
• During Simhana's reign, Shrangadeva wrote the Sangita Ratnakara, an influential Sanskrit book on Indian music. It is considered to be the first book on music.
• The encyclopaedic Sanskrit work Chaturvarga Chintamani was compiled by Hemadri. He is also supposed to have built many temples in the Hemadapanti style, which is named after him.
• He published numerous publications on Vaidhyakshastra (medical science) and promoted bajra cultivation.

Decline of Yadavas

• The last prominent ruler was Ramachandra.
• After the attacks by Alauddin Khalji, Ramchandra became weak and finally in 1308 AD, Alauddin Khalji launched a force to Ramachandra, led by his general Malik Kafur.
• Malik Kafur's army beat the Yadava prince's army and carried Ramachandra to Delhi.
• Alauddin regarded Ramachandra with respect in Delhi, and he was reinstalled as a vassal in Devagiri.
• Simhana III (Shankaradeva) was his son, who was defeated and killed after an unsuccessful rebellion against Alauddin Khalji.
• This way the Yadava dynasty ended.

Conclusion

Yadavs were feudatories of the Western Chalukyas and rose to prominence in the last quarter of the twelfth century, following the decline of the Chalukyas of Kalyani. Singhana II was the greatest ruler of the Yadava dynasty. They had a monarchical administrative structure. The king or monarch commanded all power. They set the foundation for Marathi culture, and throughout their reign, Maharashtra's social life flourished in unique ways. Number of literature was developed during Yadavas reign along with other art forms. But the successive attacks of Alauddin Khalji led to the downfall of this kingdom.