The ancient and historical city Bayana (Sripatha ) : The symbol of chivalary of Jadon clan of Rajputs ---
The ancient and Historical city Bayana(Sripatha) : The symbol of chivalary of Jadon Clan of Rajputs-----
Bayana was also known earlier by various ancient names such as Santipura, Sripatha, and Vijaymandirgarh. The common Hindu name of the town is locally pronounced as Baiana or Bayana ;and the Muhammadan form of the name is Bianah .The ancient name of Baiana was Banasur .It is said that Baiana was founded by Banasur , who was son of Raja Bal or Bali of Lunar race.
The Bayana’s location,at a distance of 45 km south-by south-west of Bharatpur, 70 km south-west of Agra and 1 60 km south of Delhi (laces it in Delhi–Agra–Fathpur Sikri tiangle, now the hub of modern development in northern India. The historic town Bayana is situated on an eminence in a small plain , between two ranges of hills running more or less parallel to each other and in the direction from the north-west , close to the left bank of the Gambhir river , formerly a tributary of Banganga , while the fort stands 6 km to the west of the town , on the summit of the hill at a height of between 250 and 350 m. In the last
decaed of the fifteenth century and during the reign of Sikandar Lode a new town,
known as Sikandra, was planned in the fields between the fort and the old town
Bayana held a strategic position on the ancient route from Delhi to Gwalior and the Deccan, which combined with an almost impregnable fort and natural and agricultural resources made it a prized possession of its mediaeval Hindu rulers, and attracted the attention of
the Muslim conquerors of India, who took over the region in the last decade of the twelfth century and created some of the finest Ghurid monuments in
their new centre of power.
Santipur , Vijaymandargarh , or Bijagarh--
The famous fort known as Bijaygarh (Vijayagarh ) situated near the town , has been the scene of many strategic and historical events.The fort appears either to have been renewed , or at least occupied , shortly after the commencement of the Christian era , by a Raja named Vishnu Varddhana ,a tributary of Samudragupta ,whose name was found in an ancient inscription on a red sandstone Lat , or monolith pillar , still standing in the fort . In 372 A.D. vishnu Vardhana erected the sacrificial pillar in memory of a pundarika sacrifice for prosperity .In 955 A.D., Chitralekha , the queen of Mangalaraja built the temple of Vishnu and gave two villages named Gograpura and Nagapalli as well as certain fields in Hadhapalli to the deity . Again , about the 11th century , the fort appears to have been in the possession of a Jadon rajput Raja named Bijay Pal , who is said to have rebuilt and added to the fort.Vijaypal was of the Yadu line of the Lunar race and he was son of Jayendra pala ( Jaitrapala ) raja of Mathura.
The ancient fortress of Santipur of the time of Vishnu Varddhana , and which was renewed or repaired by Vijay Pal ,who gave to it the new name of Vijaymandar Garh .This fort must have been the most extensive fortification in India , with the exception of Chitor .
1-Jaitrapala ,2-Vijayapala ,3-Tihunapala ,4-Dharmapala , 5-Kunwarpala I ,6-Maharajadhiraja Ajayapala (1151A.D.) ,7-Haripala (A.D.1170) :he is called Hirapala in Vrttavilasa , 8-Sahanpala (A.D.1191 ), 9-Kunwarpala II (1196 A.D.) he is not mentioned in the Vrttavilasa .
The Vrttavilas begins it's account with Vijayapala in the family of Krishna .He was succeeded by Tihunapala ,the founder of Tribhuvanagiri ,a fort identified withTahangarh about 23 Kns north of Bayana .He is mentioned as having performed many sacrifices and given large some of money in charity .The next two rulers were Dharmapala and Kunwar pala .Of these the latter is known to have come in to contect with Jinadatta Suri (1112-54 A.D.) of the Kharataragaccha sect.Kunwarpala's son ,Ajay pala , who is given the title of Maharajadhiraj in the Mahaban prasasti of V1208 (A.D.1151 ) might have been the ambitious Bhadanaka ruler described as deprived of his bha or "lustre"by the Chahamana ruler Vigraharaja IV of Ajmer .But this defeat was not very serious . Bhadankas fighting once again against the Chahmans . Ajayapala 's interest in Jainism can be inferred from the name Ajayarajavihara given to a monastery of Tribhuvanagiri where Jain scholars like Vinayacandra stayed and composed their works .
Haripala too is known by an inscription from Mahaban .It is dated V 1227 (A.D.1170 ) .His successor Sahanpala , who was on the throne in 1192 A.D.is know from an image inscription of that year found at Aghapur in old Bharatpur state .Perhaps he is the Bhadanaka ruler who came into conflict with the Chahmans rulerbPrthviraja III shortly before V 1230 (A.D.1182 ). The next Seuna ruler was probably Kunwar pala II.When Muhammad Ghori captured Bayana , he took refuge in the fort of Tahangarh .But the invader captured this too and handed it over to one of his commander Bahauddin Turghril .This is corroborated by the Jindattacarita of Lakshmana who had to leave the fort and roam about till he reached Bilrampur .The Vrttavilasa does not mentioned him .Instead , it gives the name of Anagapala who might have been the younger brother of Kunwarpala II .However ,since genealogists very often leave out the name of the rulers not in the direct line of succession , it is easy to explain the absence of Kunwarpala's name from the bardic genealogy referred to above Karauli , the capital of the erstwhile state of this name in Rajasthan ,was founded in V 1405 (A.D.1348 )by Arjun pala who , according to the Vrttavilasa ,was a descendant of Anagapala . Anangapala may be taken to have ascend the throne after Kunwar pal II . Anagapala was followed in succession by Prthvipala ,Rajpala and Trilokpala ,the last of whole may be placed at the end of the thirteenth century A.D.
Bijaypal's descendent lost it to Masud Salar , a nephew of Mahmud of Ghazni .Thereafter , it was recovered by the Jadon Rajputs again but was stormed successfully by Abu Bakr Kandhari whose tomb is still pointed out in the vicinity .It was held by Muhammad Ghori (1196A.D.) from Kunwarpala a jadon ruler of Bayana . Kunwar pala was defeated by Ghori and both forts of Vijayamandiragarh and Tahangarh were then occupied by the invaders garrisoned with Turkish troops and placed under the command of Bhauddin Tughril . Tughril established a military station at Sultankot in order to use it as the base of operation in the plains. In the course of time, fort of Bayana remained under the occupation of various sultans of Delhi. As per the references provided in contemporary and other sources,the fort was first occupied in 1227-1228 A.D ., by Iltutmish during 1253-51 A.D., it was attacked and captured by Qutlug Khan . In1259 A.D ., Sultan
Nasirudin Mahud Shah was found incharge of it. Later on it
remaine under the possession of Balban in 1271 A.D.During the
period o Alauddin Khaliji the fort was held by his noble Ulugh Khan
in 1301 A.D, then it was controlled by Malik Kafur Sultani in 1320
AD. In the time of Tughlaq dynasty i.e. in the reign of Muhammad
Bin Tughluq . Ibn Batuta visited Bayana Fort in 1342 A.D. After
the invasion of Timur, at Bayana, an important dynasty known as
Ohdi dynasty as established and rulers of this dynasty such as
Shams Khan Ohdi made the Ohdi of Bayana his ruling seat and
embellished the fort with a large number of monuments. In 1490-91A.D fort of Bayana, was attacked and captured by Sikander Lodi and it became e stronghold of the Lodi Empire.
During the rule of the Mughals Babur took the fort in his
possession in 1527 A.D, but with the ousted ,of Humayun by Ser
Shah the fort (1535A.D) became a part of Sur Empire in 1541 A.D. Emperor Akbar who captured it in 1556 A.D, the fort served as a royal prison in the first four year of his reign. It was during the 17th century the fort of Bayana was assigned to Mirza Raja Jai Singh of Amber.
Mughal Emperor Babur , writing in 1526 , described it as one of the most famous forts in India .During the reign of Sher Shah a division of the army was stationed at Bayana with a garrison of 500 matchlock men in the fort.Ain-i-Akburi mentions that in former times Bayana was the capital of a province of which Agra was but a dependent village.
Bayana is a curious medley of Hindu and Mohammadan relics, the most important being a red sandstone pillar called Bhim Lat.This monolith pillar , which bears many inscriptions , can be seen from a distance .There are many tombs scattered about in the neighbourhood of the town.Of Bayana , Abul Fazl says --"This town is the burial place of many illustrious men " .It seems that several battles were faught here.
An inscription of Akbar from.Bayana is a new record of the monarch's journey through Bayana in A.H.10.0 or 1601-02 A.D.after his conquest of Khandesh.It was engraved by the celebrated noble and litterateur of Mughal court, Mir Mohammad Masum.When the Mughal empire began to disintegrate , it fell into the hands of the Bharatpur Sinsinwar Jats family .
There is a old Usha temple , which was built during the reign of Raja Laxman Sen , in 956 A.D.or Samvat 1012 by his wife .
References---
1-Trives and Castes of the North;Western Provinces and Qudh by W.Crooke .C.A.Vol.III.,pp.38-39.
2-Imperial Gazetteer of India ,V.15 ,p.26 .
3-Jaisalmer Khyat ;Archaeological Survey of India ,Vol .20 ,38
4-Archacological Survey of India Vol.20 ,p.3.
5-Gazetteer of the Karauli State by Captain Percy Powlett.1874 ,part I ,p.3.
6-ibid .,Vol.V(1957 ),p.120.
7-Cunningham , Report of A tour in eastern Rajputana in 1882-83.pp.6-7.
8-Rajasthan district gazetteers-Sawaimadhopur by (Miss) Savitrigupta Govt of Raj.p.35.
9-Archaeological Survey of India , calcutta ,Govt.Press.(1885) ,Vol.20 .p.9.
10-Sharma ,Dasharath ,Early Chauhan Dynasties ,Delhi (1959 ), p.105 ,fn .22.
11-Elliot&Dowson ,Vol.V, p.98;Jagdish Singh Gahlot ,History of Rajputana ,1937 ,pp.601-2.
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28-Tahangarh Fort: A Study in Historical Archaeology .By Dr Vinod Kumar Singh and Dr Manvendra Singh.
29-A Concept of Historical archaeology .By Dr Rajeev Bargoti .
30-History of Jainism ,Medieval Jainism .By K.C.Jaina.
31-Fleet John.F.1885 &1886 I.A.,Vol XI V;8-12.,and I.A., Vol XV.
32-Architexture in Medieval India by Monica -Juneja .
33-Bayana fort:An archaeological survey .By Dr Vinod Kumar Singh ,Raj.History Congress /99.proceddings Vol .XXVIII, 2014 ., pp.58-63 .
Author-Dr Dhirendra Singh Jadaun
Village-Larhota near Sasni
District-Hatharas ,U.P.
Associate Prof in Agric.
Sahid Captain Ripudaman Singh Govt.College , Sawaimadhopur ,Raj.
322001.
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