Anangpal Tomar

Anangpal II, popularly known as Anangpal Tomara, was an Indian ruler from the Tomara Rajput dynasty. He is known to have established and populated Delhi in the 11th century. He is often confused with Anangpal I, the founder of Tomara Dynasty of Delhi, who had reigned during the 8th century. He traced the lineage to Chandravanshi Kshatriya kings, namely Arjuna from the epic Mahabharata.

Ancestry According to legend Tomar were descendant of Kuru king Parikshit.

Territory

The territory ruled by the Tomaras was called Hariyana (literally 'Abode of God'). This Hariyana was many folds in size compared to the current state of Haryana. The Tomar Empire during the reign of Anangpal II extended over various parts of Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

The capital of Tomars changed a few times during the course of 457 years they ruled in the northern India. The first capital of the Tomar empire was Anangpur while the last one was Dhillikapuri (Delhi, Lal Kot).

Founding of Delhi

The Iron Pillar of Delhi states that Delhi by Anangpal Tomar.

Anangpal Tomar founded Delhi in 1052. A VS 1383 inscription in Delhi Museum states the founding of Delhi by the Tomars:

Translation: In a country called Haryana, which is equivalent to heaven on earth, Tomars built a city called Dhillika.

An inscription on the iron pillar also names the founder of Delhi as Anangpal Tomar. Alexander Cunningham read the inscription as follows:

Translation: In Samvat 1109 [1052 CE], [Anang] Pāl peopled Dilli.

Constructions by Anangpal II

Lal Kot The Lal Kot (as the Qila Rai Pithora was originally called) is believed to be constructed in the reign of Tomar king Anangpal II. He brought the iron pillar from Saunkh in Mathura district and got it fixed in Delhi in the year 1052 as evident from the inscriptions on it. After the fixing of Iron Pillar (Killi) in delhi, coins in the name of "Shree Killi Dev Pal" were also minted by him. By assuming the iron pillar as center, numerous palaces and temples were built and finally the fort Lal Kot was built around them. The construction of the Lal Kot finished in the year 1060. The circumference of the fort was more than 2 miles and the walls of the fort were 60 feet long and 30 feet thick. Lal Kot was Delhi’s original ‘red fort’. What we call Red Fort or Lal Qila today was originally called Qila-e-Mubarak.

Asigarh

It is believed that Hansi was founded by Anangpal for his guru "Hansakar". Later, his son Drupad established a sword manufacturing factory in this fort, hence it is also called "Asigarh". Swords from this fort were exported as far away as to Arab countries. As per Talif-e-Tajkara-e-Hansi by Qazi Sharif Husain in 1915, around 80 forts across the area were controlled from this centre "Asigarh".

Other Forts

He constructed the Tahangarh fort (Tribhuvangiri) in Karauli district of Rajasthan and was also referred to as "Tribhuvan Pal Naresh". He is also credited to have established the Patan fort as the capital of his Tanwarawati kingdom in Rajasthan. Apart from these, he also built the forts of Ballabhgarh, Badalgarh & Mahendragarh (Narnaul).

Anangtal Baoli The Anangtal Baoli in Mehrauli which is the oldest existing primitive form of Baoli in Delhi was built by him.

Legacy According to farishta, in Northern India, there existed a group of almost 150 kingdoms whose rulers considered the Tomar emperors of Delhi their Chief. This group of kings is believed to have existed during the reign of Anangpal II as well. The rulers of these kingdoms only later on participated in the 1st and 2nd Battle of Tarain under the leadership of Tomar emperor Chahadpal Tomar (better known as Govind Rai) who was the cousin and commander in chief of Prithviraj Chauhan.

To quote an 18th-century oriental scholar, Anangpal Tomar was "justly entitled to be termed the paramount sovereign of Hindustan". An inscription in his praises is as follows -

Translation: The ruler Anangpal is famous everywhere and break skulls of his enemies. He even caused the great Sheshnaag (on which earth is stable) to shake.

The Indian government has recently formed the ‘Maharaja Anangpal II Memorial Committee’ to popularise the legacy of 11th-century Tomar Emperor Anangpal II. Its proposals include building a statue of Anangpal II at the Delhi airport and building a museum dedicated to his legacy in Delhi. An exhibition — comprising coins, inscriptions and literature — held on the sidelines of the seminar will be taken abroad through the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) so that the narrative takes roots outside India as well. There is also a proposal to make Lal Kot an ASI-protected monument so that vertical excavation could be carried out to establish more links between Tomars and Delhi. “Anangpal II was instrumental in populating Indraprastha and giving it its present name, Delhi. The region was in ruins when he ascended the throne in the 11th century, it was he who built Lal Kot fort and Anangtal Baoli. The Tomar rule over the region is attested by multiple inscriptions and coins, and their ancestry can be traced to the Pandavas (of the Mahabharata)" said BR Mani, former joint director-general of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).