Tomara dynasty | ||||||||||
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Capital | Delhi | |||||||||
Government | Monarchy | |||||||||
History | ||||||||||
• | Established | 9th century | ||||||||
• | Disestablished | 12th century | ||||||||
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Today part of | India |
The Tomara were an Indian dynasty who ruled parts of present-day Delhi and Haryana during 9th-12th century. Much of the information about them comes from medieval bardic legends, which are not historically reliable. They were displaced by the Chahamanas (Chauhans) in 12th century.
The Tomara territory included parts of the present-day Delhi and Haryana. A 13th century inscription states that the Tomaras ruled the Hariyanaka (Haryana) country before the Chauhans and the Shakas (the Muslims). A 14th century inscription states that they built the Dhillika (Delhi) city in the Hariyana (Haryana) country, and that their rule was followed by that of the Chahamanas (Chauhans) and the mlechchha Sahavadina (Shihab ad-Din).
The Tomaras are known from some inscriptions and coins. However, much of the information about the dynasty comes from medieval bardic legends, which are not historically reliable. Because of this, the reconstruction of the Tomara history is difficult.
The earliest extant historical reference to the Tomaras occurs in the Pehowa inscription issued during the reign of the Pratihara king Mahendrapala I (r. c. 885-910 CE). This undated inscription states that Jaula of the Tomara family became prosperous by serving an unnamed king. His descendants included Vajrata, Jajjuka, and Gogga. The inscription suggests that Gogga was a vassal of Mahendrapala I. It records the construction of three Vishnu temples by Gogga and his step-brothers Purna-raja and Deva-raja. The temples were located at Prithudaka (IAST: Pṛthūdaka; Pehowa), on the banks of the river Sarasvati.
No information is available about the immediate successors of Gogga.
As the Pratihara power declined, the Tomaras established a sovereign principality around Delhi by the 10th century. The medieval bardic literature names the dynasty as "Tuar", and classifies them as one of the 36 Rajput clans. According to the bardic tradition, the dynasty's founder Anangapal Tuar (that is Anangapala I Tomara) founded Delhi in 736 CE. However, the authenticity of this claim is doubtful. A 1526 CE source names the successors of Anangapala as Tejapala, Madanapala, Kritapala, Lakhanapala and Prithvipala. The Dravya-Pariksha (1318 CE) of Thakkura Pheru mentions the coins of Madanapala, Prithvipala and another ruler, Chahadapala.