Upendra alias Krishna was the founder of the Paramara dynasty who began his rule over Malava sometimes between 800-840 A.D. Bhoja, son of Sindhuraja was the ninth ruler in the list of the Paramara kings who ascended the throne in 1008 A.D.
Bhoja’s policy of matrimonial alliances with different ruling dynasties of his time may have contributed to strengthen his position. While Liladevi or Lilavati was his chief queen, Padmavati, the daughter of the Lord of Kuntala, Chandramukhi, the Anga princess and Kamala were his other queens.
Soon after his accession Bhoja had to face an invasion of the Chalukyas of Gujarat led by its ruler Vallabharaja. The reason for this attack it seems was Vallabharaja’s father, Chamundaraja who was on his way to Kashi was humiliated by Bhoja by depriving the umbrella and chowries and other insignia of royalty of Chamundaraja.
Vallabharaja, commanding a large army, marched against Malava but fell victim to a serious type of small-pox and died and his army withdrew to Anahilavada. The next ruler Drulabharaja did not renew the military operations and remained friendly with Bhoja.
His military campaigns
Bhoja started his military career by an invasion of the kingdom of Lata which extended upto Surat. The ruler of Lata at that time was Kirtiraja who was easily defeated by Bhoja and his kingdom annexed. Kirtiraja ruled as a feudatory of Bhoja, but the Paramara-Chalukaya conflict soon offered an opportunity for Kirtiraja to declare his independence.
Bhoja next turned his attention to Konkan and defeated its ruler Keshideva Arikesari who was a feudatory of the Kalyani Chalukyas.
On the north-east of the kingdom of Malava was situated the kingdom of Chandellas also called Jejakabhukti (Bundelkhand). In order to expand his territory, Bhoja launched an offensive against that kingdom but failed miserably as its ruler, Vidyadhara, famous for his valour scored a victory over Bhoja. The only consolation for Bhoja was that Abhimanyu, the ruler of Kachchhapaghata whose territory lay north of Malava kingdom became an ally of Bhoja. (Abhimanyu’s father Arjuna had been a feudatory of Vidhyadhara)
War with the Kalyani Chalukyas
The Chalukyas of Kalyani had been the traditional enemy of the Paramaras and one of the predecessor of Bhoja, Munja had been imprisoned and killed by Tailapa II, the first ruler of the Kalyani Chalukyan dynasty. Before leading an expedition against the Kalyani Chalukyas, Bhoja formed an alliance with the Chola ruler, Rajendra Chola I (the Cholas were also the hereditary enemy of the Chalukyas of Kalyani) and the Kalachuri ruler Gangeya. The combined armies of the three kingdoms attacked the Chalukyan kingdom but had to suffer a defeat at the hands of Jayasimha II, the then ruler of the Kalyani Chalukyan dynasty. As we do not find any inscription after A.D. 1028 of the reign of Jayasimha II, scholars opine that during this period of lull, Bhoja prepared himself for a final assault against the Chalukyans which came shortly before 1043 and Jayasimha II was vanquished and probably lost his life in the battle-field.
Bhoja vanquished and Dhara plundered
Jayasimha II’s son Someshvara I launched an expedition over Malava sometime after 1047 A.D. Almost all the important cities of the kingdom of Malava namely Dhara, Ujjayini and Mandapa (Mandu) were captured, plundered and finally put to flames by the enemies. The battle of Dhara went against Bhoja who had to flee. The entire Paramara administrative machinery was paralysed and brought to a standstill. The defeat also affected Bhoja’s reputation as a military leader and gave an opportunity to the neighbouring ambitious powers to take advantage of the situation. But as soon as Someshvara I left Malava, Bhoja reoccupied it and reestablished his authority.
Hostility with the Chalukyas of Gujarat
As mentioned earlier, the ruler of Gujarat, Durlabharaja maintained friendly relations with Bhoja and after him, the next ruler, Bhima I also maintained cordial relationship with Bhoja. But due to Bhoja’s policy of self-aggrandizement, conflict broke out between Malava and Gujarat. When Bhima I was busy in the conquest of Sindh, Bhoja sent an expedition to Gujarat and his army sacked its capital. This attack inaugurated a period of hostilities between the two kingdoms and finally proved to be disastrous for the fortunes of the Paramaras as Bhima I joined hands with the Kalachuri king, Karna and jointly attacked Dhara after the demise of Bhoja which probably took place in 1053 A.D.
Bhoja had titles like Dhareshvara, Paramabhattaraka, Malavachakravartin, Sarvabhauma, etc.
Philosophic bent of mind
Bhoja had the outlook of a philosopher. To him virtuous deeds were the only justification for life. As he got up everyday he asked himself- “ what good can I do today”. One of his quotes indicates the spirit of a karmayogin. “As men are always between the teeth of death, what they give and what they enjoy may alone be said to be their own. About the rest there is doubt. The sun will set in the western sky and take away with him part of life”. In another quote he says- “If men but saw the hand of death impending over their heads; even food would give no joy, much less the deeds that are not a right.” Filled with these thoughts, Bhoja would go daily to the pavilion for distribution and bestow gold on petitioners waiting at his gate and summoned one after another by his attendants. Bhoja was accessible to the poorest of his subjects and he used to wander in disguise for the purpose of acquainting himself with the condition of his subjects and about their opinion on his administration.
Saraswathi Putra
Bhoja was a great votary of the goddess of learning and in reality the very pivot of the literary movement of the day. He himself was a polymath and as many as 38 works are attributed to his pen. Merutunga tells us that Bhoja composed 104 poems. He took great interest in literary activities, patronized men of letters and had a galaxy of erudite scholars in his court. Bhoja is glorified with the title of ‘Kaviraja’ (king of poets). His mastery over Sanskrit and Prakrit was unchallenged. He wrote on different subjects like architecture, astronomy, polity, dharmasastra, grammar, medicine, music, philosophy, poetry, etc. While scholars like K.M.Munshi and D.C.Ganguly opine that some of the works attributed to Bhoja might have been written by a group of literary men under his guidance, Prof. P.T.Srinivasa Iyengar surmises that Bhoja himself had written all these works.
Among the literary men attached to Bhoja’s court was Dhanapala who wrote Paiyalachhi, a Sanskrit Kosha and Tilakamanjari. Other scholars were Shobhana, Damodara, Dhanika and Seetha (poetess).
A builder of temples
Bhoja was a great devotee of Lord Shiva, and according to D.C.Ganguly he founded the city named Bhojapura and built a large number of temples in honour of Shiva like Kedareshvara, Rameshvara, Somanatha and Kalanala Rudra. The most famous of Bhoja’s temples was the one built at Dhara dedicated to Goddess Saraswathi and named Saraswathi Sadana or Bharati Bhavana. The temple is believed to be 200 feet long and 117 feet broad. Later on when the Muslim invaders occupied Malava, they converted it into the Kamalmoli mosque in 1457 A.D. The invaders also destroyed all the temples of Dhara and used the material for building mosques.
Dhara, a centre of intellectual and cultural activities
Bhoja transfered his capital from Ujjain to Dhara. He made Dhara a metropolitan town of beautiful palaces and pleasure gardens which were set in natural surroundings on hills around it. According to V.A.Smith the Bhojapur lake to the south-east of Bhopal formed by massive embankments, closing the outlet in a circle of hills was the most noblest monument and continued to testify to the skills of Bhoja’s engineers. In 15th century A.D. under the orders of a Muslim king, Shah Hussain, the water from this lake was drained off.
Dhara during Bhoja’s time was the centre of political, intellectual and cultural activities. It was known for its skillful musicians and learned scholars. Poets and scholars from different parts of India used to come to attend the court of Dhara with a hope to receive reward for their works.
Synonym of learning and generosity
Even while he lived, Bhoja’s name passed into history as an ideal king. Of all the great kings who flourished in India, it is only his name that remains from one end to the other as a synonym of learning and generosity.
Reference
K.N.Seth – The Growth of the Paramara Power in Malwa, Progress Publishers, Bhopal, 1978
P.T.Srinivasa Ayyangar – Bhoja Raja, Methodist Publishing House, Madras, 1931
Mahesh Singh – Bhoja Paramara and his times, Bharatiya Vidya Prakashan, Delhi, 1984
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