Arjunavarman

Arjunavarman (reigned c. 1210-1215 CE) was an Indian king from the Paramara dynasty, who ruled in the Malwa region of central India.

Arjuna succeeded his father Subhatavarman. He invaded the kingdom of the Chaulukyas (Solankis). The 14th century writer Merutunga calls him the "destroyer of Gujarat". Arjuna defeated Jayanta-simha (or Jaya-simha), who had usurped the Solanki throne for a brief period. The 1211 CE Piplianagar grant of Arjuna refers to his victory over Jayanta, so Arjuna's Gujarat invasion must have happened before this time. An inscription from Bhopal indicates that he had reached Bharuch by 1213 CE. The Dhar prashasti inscription states that he defeated Jayasimha in the Parva mountain valley (possibly Pavagadh). It also states that Arjuna captured Jayanta's daughter Jayashri, and fell in love with her. According to Asoke Majumdar, this suggests that Jayanta made peace with the Paramaras through a marriage alliance.

When the Yadava ruler Simhana invaded Lata (southern Gujarat), Arjuna's Chahamana general Salakhanasimha defeated him. Later, the Yadava king sent another force led by his general Kholeshvara to Lata. This second invasion resulted in a Paramara defeat, and Arjuna was probably killed in this campaign.

Arjuna assumed the title Tri-vidhi-vira-chudamani. In his inscriptions, Arjunavarman claimed to be an reincarnation of his illustrious ancestor king Bhoja. He was a patron of scholars, and himself an accomplished poet. He is best known from a eulogistic inscription of his reign which takes the form of play called the Vijayaśrīnāṭikā, composed by Madana, the king's preceptor. In this work, which is not known from manuscript sources, Madana makes Arjunavarman the chief protagonist.

Arjunavarman's 1211 CE inscription, found at Piplianagar near Shajapur, records the donation of a village. A 1213 inscription, discovered at Sehore (and possibly originally found at Piplianagar) also records a village grant. Another inscription from Sehore, dated 1215 CE, records a land grant to a Brahmin.