Kirttivarman
| Kirttivarman | |
|---|---|
| Parama-bhattaraka Maharajadhiraja Parameshvara, Kalanjaradhipati | |
| Chandela king | |
| Reign | c. 1060–1100 CE |
| Predecessor | Devavarman |
| Successor | Sallakshanavarman |
| Dynasty | Chandela |
| Father | Vijayapala |
| Mother | Bhuvanadevi |
Kirttivarman (reigned c. 1060–1100 CE), also known as Kīrtivarman, was a king of the Chandela dynasty of India. He ruled the Jejakabhukti region (Bundelkhand in present-day Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh). He revived the Chandela power by defeating the Kalachuri king Lakshmi-Karna.
Kirttivarman was the son of the Chandela ruler Vijayapala. He was preceded by his elder brother Devavarman, who probably died without any heir. The extant inscriptions of Kirttivarman include the 1090 CE Kalinjar inscription and the 1098 CE Deogadh rock inscription.
The Chandelas had been subjugated by the Kalachuri king Lakshmi-Karna during the reign of Devavarman. Kirttivarman revived the Chandela power by defeating Lakshmi-Karna. The Ajaygadh rock inscription of his descendant Viravarman states that he created a new kingdom by defeating Karna. A Mahoba inscription compares him to Purushottama (Vishnu), and states that crushed the haughty Lakshmi-Karna with his strong arms.Prabodha-Chandrodayam, a play written by Kirttivarman's contemporary Shri Krishna Mishra, states that a man named Shri Gopala defeated Lakshmi-Karna and caused the rise of Kirttivarman. Because this play was staged in Kirttivarman's court, it appears that Shri Gopala was held in high esteem by the king. Historians variously believe Gopala to be a feudatory, a general or a cousin of Kirttivarman. S. K. Mitra dates the battle to c. 1070 CE.
Chandela inscriptions also credit Kirttivarman with other victories, stating that he vanquished several enemies and that his commands "reached the borders of the sea".
The Muslim chronicle Diwan-i-Salman states that the Ghaznavid ruler Ibrahim (r. c. 1059-1099 CE) attacked the Chandela stronghold Kalanjara (modern Kalinjar). This suggests that Kirttivarman must have faced an invasion from Ibrahim. There is no evidence that Chandelas lost control of Kalanjara during his reign, so this invasion was probably a mere raid.
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