Bhima I

Bhima I (r. 1022–1064) was a Chaulukya king who ruled parts of present-day Gujarat, India. The early years of his reign saw an invasion from the Ghaznavid ruler Mahmud, who sacked the Somnath temple. Bhima left his capital and took shelter in Kanthkot during this invasion, but after Mahmud's departure, he recovered his power and retained his ancestral territories. He crushed a rebellion by his vassals at Arbuda, and unsuccessfully tried to invade the Naddula Chahamana kingdom. Towards the end of his reign, he formed an alliance with the Kalachuri king Lakshmi-Karna, and played an important role in the downfall of the Paramara king Bhoja.

The earliest of the Dilwara Temples and the Modhera Sun Temple were built during Bhima's reign. The construction of Rani ki vav is attributed to his queen Udayamati.

Bhima's father Nagaraja was a son of the Chaulukya king Chamunda-raja. Chamunda was succeeded by Nagaraja's brothers, Vallabha-raja and Durlabha-raja, in that order. Both Vallabha and Durlabha died childless. According to the 12th century author Hemachandra, Durlabha was very fond of his nephew Bhima, and appointed Bhima as his successor before his death. Durlabha and Nagaraja died soon after Bhima's ascension to throne.

Early during his reign, Bhīma faced an invasion by Mahmūd of Ghazni, whose plunder of the Somnāth temple has been described in detail by the medieval Muslim historians. According to Ali ibn al-Athīr, Mahmūd started out from Ghazni on 18 October 1025. At Multan, he planned his march in detail and gathered supplies. He left Multan on 26 November, with a large army well-equipped to cross the Thar Desert, and reached the Chaulukya capital in December 1025.

According to the Muslim accounts, Bhīma fled his capital Aṇahilapāṭaka (called Nahrwāla by the medieval Muslim historians). He took shelter in Kanthakot, allowing Mahmud to enter the Chaulukya capital unopposed. Mahmūd's sudden invasion, coupled with the lack of any fortifications in Nahrwāla, may have forced Bhima to abandon his capital. Other residents of the city also appear to have evacuated it, as the Muslim historians do not mention any massacre or looting in the Chaulukya capital.

Mahmūd rested at Nahrwāla for a few days, replenished his supplies, and then left for Somnāth. A relatively small force of 20,000 soldiers unsuccessfully tried to check Mahmūd's advance at Modhera. Historian A. K. Majumdar theorizes that the Modhera Sun Temple, might have been built to commemorate this defence. The upside down inscription in the cella of the temple proper evidences the destruction and reconstruction probably shortly after 1026.

Mahmūd then advanced to Delavada. Although the town surrendered without offering any resistance, Mahmūd massacred all its residents. Finally, Mahmūd's army reached Somnāth on 6 January 1026. The Muslim historians suggest that the town was well-defended, probably by a fort guarding the temple. According to Abu Sa'id Gardizi, the commander of the defending force fled to a nearby island. Other defenders put up a resistance, but Mahmūd managed to capture the fort by 8 January. Mahmūd then desecrated the temple, and looted a huge amount of wealth including jewels and silver idols.

During his return journey, Mahmūd came to know that a powerful Hindu king named Param Dev had gathered a large army to fight him. Gardezi, in his Kitab Zainu'l-Akhbar (c. 1048), states that Mahmūd chose to avoid any confrontation with this king. The invader was carrying back a large amount of looted wealth, which may have motivated him to avoid a battle. Mahmūd decided to return via Mansura in Sindh, although the route connecting Gujarat and Sindh was more dangerous than the desert route to Multan. Later Muslim historians also mention this incident. The 16th century historian Firishta identified Param Dev with Bhīma I, calling him the king of Nahrwāla. Historian A. K. Majumdar agrees with this identification, arguing that "Param" might be a Muslim mistranscription of "Bhīma". Scholars who are critical of this theory identify Param dev with the Paramara king Bhoja, who ruled the neighbouring territory of Mālwa. K. N. Seth and Mahesh Singh point out that Bhīma had ascended the throne recently, and was not a powerful ruler at the time of Mahmud's raid. In fact, as attested by the Muslim historians, he had fled his capital and hid in Kanthkot. The Muslim historians before Firishta, such as Gardizi and Nizamuddin Ahmad, mention the king of Nahrwāla and Param Dev as two distinct kings. Unlike Bhīma, Bhoja was a powerful and famous ruler at that time. Bhoja was also a Shaivite, and according to the Udaipur Prashasti, had constructed a temple dedicated to Somanātha (an aspect of Śiva). Thus Mahmīd's desecration of the Somnāth temple in Gujarat would have motivated Bhoja to lead an army against him. Based on these evidences, several scholars identify Param Dev with Bhoja. "Param Dev" is probably a corruption of "Paramara-Deva" or of Bhoja's titles Paramabhattakara-Parameshvara.