HEAD OF HOUSE:

STATES AND ESTATES: Prominent Princely States or estates, included Athgarh, Khandpara, Kothi, Nayagarh, Rewah, Sohawal, Baikunthpur, Bhadarwa, Churhat, Deodar, Gangad, Kalapipal, Kasota, Mehsana, Rampur Baghelan, Rampur Naikin, Pethapur, Pindarda, Poshina, Sanand, Sohagpur, Thara, Tharad, Tirwa, Utelia and Velka.

BRANCHES:

Pawar

SHORT HISTORY: The dynasty's name "Vyaghrapalliya" and its shortened form "Vaghela" come from the name of a village called Vyaghrapalli (literally "tiger's lair"). The Vaghelas or Baghel or Waghela established a rather short-lived but powerful dynasty in Gujarat and were based in the town of Dholka. They were a branch and feudatory of the Solanki dynasty, who ruled Gujarat from the 10th to the 13th centuries. The Solanki went into decline in the early thirteenth century, and by 1243 the Vaghelas were firmly in control of Gujarat. They restored stability to Gujarat for the latter half of the 13th century, and the Vaghela kings and officials were dedicated patrons of the arts and temple-building. The likely origin of the dynastic name is that the first ruler of the dynasty, was saved from some dire fate because of the blessings of Maa Durga and she was also called the Vyaghradevi and so the name of her Bagh was attached with the name of the first Maharaja and he was called Maharaja Vyaghradev Singh Ju Deo Baghel and in this way he gave his name to the Dynasty ^(#2). Raja Mulraja I, a Prince of the Western Chalukya, was the founder and ancestor of the rulers of Gujarat from Anhilwara, and gave rise to the Solanki Dynasty. His brother, was the ancestor of Rao Vyaghra Dev ^(#1), who moved to Bagelkhand in the middle of the 14th century, and obtained the fortress of Marpha, 47 kilometres northeast of Kalinjar, and was the founder of the Vaghela or Baghela Dynasty. Predecessors were....

• Maharajadhiraj Raji Solanki, he most likely ruled in Gurjaratra region around Jodhpur; he was a suba of King Mahipal Parihar of Kanyakubja and married his daughter; married 1stly (amongst others), a sister (or daughter) of Raja Samantsinh Chavda, Raja of Patan, married 2ndly, a sister of Jam Lakhaji Jadeja (Lakho Fulani), married 3rdly, a daughter of Raja Mahipal Parihar of Kanyakubja, and had issue. He lived around 942.

  • Raja Mulraja I, Raja of Patan, married and had issue.

    • Raja Chamundaraja, Raja of Gujarat 997/1009, he was unable to extend his kingdom and to throw of his allegiance to the Malav Raja, Sindhuraj, he was deposed by his sister and his son was placed on the throne, married and had issue. He is said to have ended his life by immersing himself in the Narmada river near Shuklatirth in 1009.

      • Rao Nagraj, married Rani Chauhaniji Laxmidevi, a Princess of Naddul, and had issue.

        • Raja Bhimdev I, Raja of Gujarat 1024/1064 or 1021/1063, early on in his reign he was a mandlik of the Malava king, Raja Bhoja; when Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni invaded Anhilpur Patan in December 1025, he had to flee and take shelter in Kanthkot fort in Kutch and afterwards in January 1026, Sultan Mahmud razed the temple of Somnath to the ground; a combined Gujarat and Malava army forced Sultan Mahmud to flee and they both helped to rebuild the temple of Shiva at Somnath, he became independent of the Malava kingdom after the death of Raja Bhoja in 1055; married 1stly, (morgantically), Rani Bauladevi, married 2ndly, Rani Udaymati [Uday De], a princess of Saurasthra, daughter of Ra Narvahan Khengar Chudasama, and had issue. He died 1063.

          • Rao Mulraj (by Rani Bauladevi), married and had issue.

            • Rao Devprasad, married and had issue.

              • Raja Kumarpal, Raja of Gujarat 1143/1172 (deposed), the nobles of Patan nominated him as the next in line, but Raja Sidhraja Jaisinh I, was against the idea and he was forced to flee to avoid being killed by the Raja, after the Rajas death he was appointed to the throne, though he faced much resistance and with his loyal nobles, he eventually crushed his enemies, he adopted the Jain religion in 1160, becoming vegetarian and banning animal slaughter, in his declining years he left the administration of the state to his nobles, causing internal conflict once again, he was a patron of scholars and he also rebuilt the Somnath temple; he died (possibly by poisoning) in early 1174.

              • Rao Mahipal, married and had issue.

                • Raja Bhimdev II, Solanki Raja of Gujarat 1178/1241, married and had issue.

                • >> Raja Tribhuvanpal, last Solanki Raja of Gujarat 1241/1244, he was succeeded by Raja Vishaladeva, his distant kinsman as the first Vaghela Raja of Gujarat (qv)

  • Rao Rakhayat, married Rani Raymati, she committed sati, and had issue.

    • Rao Veerdhaval, married and had issue.

      • Rao Vyaghra Dev, Raja of Marpha, he moved to Bagelkhand in the middle of the 14th century, and obtained the fortress of Marpha, 47 kilometres northeast of Kalinjar, married a daughter of the Kashi Raja, and had issue, five sons, ancestors of the Vaghela dynasty.

        • Rao Karan Dev, married a Kalachuri (Haihaya) princess of Mandla, and received in dowry the fort of Bandhogarh which, until its destruction in 1597 by Akbar was the Baghel Capital, he was the ancestor of the Vaghela rulers of Rewah State.

          • generations

            • Rao Shaktivan, founder of the Princely State of Rewah [1499]

        • Rao Kandhar Dev, founder of Kasota.

        • Rao Keerti Dev [aka Kiratdeo], founder of Pethapur.

        • Rao Shyamdeo (East)

        • Rao Surat Deo, he went to Gujarat and took possession of Dholka Gadi (named Vairatnagar of the Pandavas), married and had issue.

          • Maharana Dhavaldeo Vaghela, he became the Raja of Vairatnagar, and renamed it Dholka, married a sister of the mother of the Chalukya King, Raja Kumarapala, and had issue.

            • Maharana Aranorajdeo Vaghela, Raja of Dholka, he was the first member of the Vaghela family to attain a degree of importance; he seems to have participated in a military campaign in Saurashtra while serving Chalukya Raja Kumarapala, who granted him the Bhimapalli (possibly the same as the Vyaghrapalli village from which the dynasty's name is derived) village for his services; he probably served as a sub-commander in this campaign; he became more prominent during the reign of Raja Bhima II, when the provincial governors revolted against him, whilst the Raja was still a minor, he remained loyal to the Raja, and appears to have defeated the rebels, including the vassal rulers of Medapata and Chandravati and was given full credit for suppressing the revolt; married Maharani Salakhana Devi, and had issue.

              • General Mahamandleshwar Rao Lavanrajdeo Vaghela [Lavanyaprasada / Lawan Prasad], Raja of Dholka, he was said to have been born when his father was a samanta (feudal lord) in Raja Kumarapala's service; later he served as a General in the army of Raja Bhimadeva II; around 1205, the Chalukya kingdom was attacked by Yadavas from the South, enabling three Chalukya feudatories to rebel against Chalukya rule, the result wasn't decisive, though he was forced to conclude a treaty with the rebels; he held the ranks of Mahamandaleshvara and Ranaka; he gained control over an area known as Dhavalakakka or Dhavalgadh, around present day Dholka and later rebelled against the Raja in the late 1230's due to internal differences, and took complete control over the areas of Dhavalgadh and Dhandhuka, and also some areas in the south of Gujarat; by 1231 he had assumed the title of Maharajadhiraja, married Rani Madanarajni, she separated from her husband and lived with her late sister's husband, Devaraja, and had issue.

                • Maharaja Virdhavaldeo Vaghela, Raja of Dholka -/1239 or 1196/1241, he was brought up by his mother initially, but returned to his father when he grew up; he had already started to annex territories belonging to the Solanki rulers of Gujarat, and had greatly increased his dominions as well as his military powers; by 1231 he had assumed the title of Maharaja; married 1stly, a daughter of Maharajadhiraja Udayasimha, 3rd Rao of Jalore, and had issue, two sons. He died V. 1295 (1238/1239 )

                • >> Raja Vishaldeo (see below)

                • >> Rao Pratapamalla, married and had issue.

                • >> >> Raja Arjundeva (qv) (cf.below)

                • Raja Viramadeva (by 1st wife), Raja of Dholka 1239/1243 and Raja of Viramagrama, he vied with his nephew for control of Dholka, but joined Raja Bhima II against Raja Udayasimha, when he challenged the Solanki authority, and Viramdeva was probably killed in this battle. He was killed in V. 1299 (1242/1243)

• Raja VISHALADEVA, Vaghela Raja of Patan 1244/1262 or 1241/1266, he was appointed Mahamandaleshvara Ranaka by 1239 and during the reign of Bhima II, the Vaghelas became the de-facto rulers of the Chalukya kingdom by 1241, though they still acknowledged the Rajas as their suzerains; he made the final attack on Anhilwar during the reign of Raja Tribhuvanpal Solanki in 1244, finishing what his grandfather and father had started; he won military campaigns against Raja Jaitugedeva of Malwa and the Rana of Mewar, possibly Rana Jaitra Singh; he initially repulsed the Yadavas of Devagiri, but subsequently suffered setbacks against successive Yadava kings, forcing him into a marriage alliance with the Hoysalas who were southern neighbours of the Yadavas; ultimately he was able to largely bring under control the various rebelling factions of the previous reign; he was a dedicated patron of the arts and learning as well as temple-building, and restored stability to Gujarat for the latter half of the 13th century; married and had issue.

  • Raja Arjundeva (qv)

• Raja ARJUNDEVA, Raja of Patan 1262/1274, the second king of Vaghela line of the Solanki dynasty of Anhilvad, little is known about his reign, but the Kingdom seems to have enjoyed a reasonably peaceful and properous reign, except that he suffered a defeat against the Yadavas; married and had issue.

  • Raja Ramadeva (qv)

  • Raja Sarangadeva (qv)

• Raja RAMADEVA, Raja of Patan in 1274 (for a few months), married and had issue.

  • Raja Karnadeva II [Karna II / Karan 'Ghelo'] (qv)

• Raja SARANGADEVA, Raja of Patan 1274/1297, he defeated the Paramaras and the Yadavas and repulsed an invasion by the Turushkas (Turkic people); he also sent an expedition against the Jethva chief Rana Bhanuji.

• Raja KARNADEVA II, Raja of Patan 1297/1304, in 1299 he was engaged by the troops of Ala-Ud-Din Khilji, the Muslim ruler of Delhi, though he resisted bravely his forces had to retreat and Anhilwar fell into the hands of the Muslim victors, once again; the city was plundered and ravaged, and the Muslim General, Alaf Khan, moved west and destroyed once again, the grand temple of Someshwar (Somnath) at Prabhas Pattan in June 1299, Karandev then moved to Devgadh in Deccan, and started to gather a force to engage the Muslims again at Anhilwar, and again lost this war; his third Rani died about this time, and the first Rani and his two sons were sent to Kutch for their protection; married 1stly, a daughter of Rao Deshalji Jadeja, Jam Saheb of Kutch, married 2ndly, a daughter of the Raja of Bhiladigarh in Rajasthan, married 3rdly, Rani Kamala Devi [aka Kawala or Kaula Di], and was forced to marry him, she died about 1301, and had issue.

  • Raja Veersinghji (by 1st marriage), he went to Sardhar near Kutch and he became the Raja of Sardhar, with 650 villages, married and had issue, the Sardhariya Vaghela of Sanand.

    • Raja Dhavaldeo, Raja of Sardhar, married and had issue.

      • Raja Vishaldeo, Raja of Sardhar, married and had issue.

        • Raja Nodhandeoji, Raja of Sardhar, married and had issue.

  • Raja Sarandeo (by 2nd marriage), he went to Bhiladigarh in Palanpur district near Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, and his line is known as Bhiladiya Vaghela.

  • Rani Devala Devi (by 3rd wife)

  • Rani (name unknown) Devi (by 3rd wife)