Jagdeva

Jagadeva, also known as Jagaddeva or Jagdev Parmar, was an 11th-12th century prince from the Paramara dynasty of central India. He is known from an inscription discovered at Jainad and some folk legends. His political status is uncertain, although according to one theory, he may have been a vassal of the Western Chalukyas.

Ancestry and political status The coins and inscriptions from Jagadeva's period have been found in the northern parts of Berar and Marathwada regions of Maharashtra, not the traditional Paramara territory of Malwa. These regions were dominated by the Chalukyas of Kalyani. An inscription discovered at Jainad names Jagaddeva as the son of the Paramara king Udayaditya (reigned c. 1060–1086). Four gold coins bearing the name "Shri-Jagadeva" have also been discovered. Several scholars, including P. C. Roy, identify the issuer of these coins as the Paramara prince. M. H. Krishna surmised that the Chalukya king Someshvara was known by the title "Jagaddeva" ("Lord of the world") in the northern part of his kingdom, and it was he who issued these coins. However, all the known Chalukya coins feature Kannada script, while coins of Jagaddeva feature the Nagari script used by the Paramaras. Therefore, Krishna's theory is purely conjectural.

V. P. Rode theorizes that Jagadeva accepted the suzerainty of Vikramaditya VI of Kalyani. Vikramaditya made him governor of Berar and a part of Deccan. P. C. Roy disagrees with this theory, arguing that a vassal could not have issued gold coins in his own name, and the coins do not mention the Chalukyas.

Jainad inscription

The undated Jainad inscription was found on the floor of a temple mandapa. It was composed by the poet Ashvatthama in Sanskrit language, and has been dated to the 11th century on a palaeographical basis. It records the construction of a temple dedicated to Surya (the sun deity) by one Padmavati. The inscription states that it was issued during Jagaddeva's rule.

The inscription begins with verses praising Surya and Shiva. It then mentions the Agnivansha myth, which states that the founder of the Paramara dynasty was created by Vashistha from a sacrificial fire pit. Jagaddeva was born in this dynasty: his father and paternal uncle are named as Udayaditya and Bhoja respectively. According to H. V. Trivedi, the Kalachuri king may be identified as either Karna or his son Yashah-Karna. Jaggadeva's brother Lakshmadeva is known to have invaded the Kalachuri capital Tripuri during Yashah-Karna's reign, and might have been aided by Jagaddeva in this campaign.

Legends

Legend of Virmati and Jagadeva One legend about Jagadeva is mentioned in the Ras-Mala, a collection of Gujarati legends. It names Jagdev Parmar (Jagadeva) as the son of king Udayadit of Dhar (Udayaditya) and his Solanki (Chaulukya) wife. The king's favourite son and the heir apparent was Rindhaval, his son by another wife from Vagheli family. The Chavda ruler of Tuktoda was impressed with Jagdev's merits, and married his daughter Virmati to the Paramara prince. Jagdev left his father's kingdom because of harassment from the Vagheli queen and reached Tuktoda. From there, he and Virmati marched to Anhilvara (Patan), the capital of the Solanki king Sidh Raj Jesangh (Jayasimha Siddharaja).

Navalram's play Veermati (1869) is based on this legend. Shree Nath Patankar made Sati Veermata, an Indian silent film based on the legend, in 1923.

Other legends According to another bardic tradition, some tribes in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent are descended from "Jagdev Parmar", that is, Jagadeva. During the reign of Jagadeva's nephew Yashovarman (r. c. 1133-1142 CE), the Delhi Sultanate invaded Malwa. The bardic works state that Jagadeva's descendant Rai Shankar and some other Paramaras migrated to Punjab via Rajputana as a result of this invasion. Rai Shankar had three sons: Gheo (the ancestor of Ghebas), Teo or Tenu (the ancestor of Tiwanas) and Seo (the ancestor of Sials). Teo's descendants established the Mataur village in present-day Haryana, from where the Tiwanas migrated to other places. Some of them converted from Hinduism to Sikhism and Islam in the later centuries.

The rulers of the Muli princely state in present-day Gujarat also claimed descent from Jagdev Parmar.

The Ambaraian rulers of the Akhnoor principality in present-day Jammu and Kashmir traced their ancestry to "Jagdev Singh" (Jagadeva), who had migrated from Dhar.