Capital Ratnapura Established 11th century Today part of India | Government monarchy Disestablished 12th century | |
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The Kalachuris of Ratnapura were a central Indian dynasty during 11th and 12th centuries. They ruled parts of present-day Chhattisgarh from their capital at Ratnapura (modern Ratanpur in Bilaspur district). They were an offshoot of the Kalachuris of Tripuri, and ruled as vassals of the parent dynasty for many years.
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History
Several inscriptions and coins of the Ratnapura branch have been found, but these do not provide enough information to reconstruct the political history of the region with complete certainty.
According to the 1114 CE Ratanpur inscription of Jajjaladeva I, the Tripuri Kalachuri king Kokalla had 18 sons, the eldest of whom succeeded him on the throne of Tripuri. The younger ones became rulers of mandalas (feudatory governors). The Ratnapuri Kalachuris descended from one of these younger sons. The new branch was established by Kalingaraja around 1000 CE.
Kalingaraja conquered Dakshina Kosala region, and made Tummana his capital. His grandson Ratnaraja established Ratnapura (modern Ratanpur). The inscriptions of Kalingaraja's great-grandson Prithvideva I indicate that he Ratnapuri Kalachuris continued to rule as feudatories of the Tripuri Kalachuris.
Prithvideva's son Ratnadeva II repulsed an invasion by Anantavarman Chodaganga, the king of the Eastern Ganga dynasty. The last known ruler of the dynasty was Pratapa-malla. The fate of his successors is not known.
List of rulers
The following is a list of the Ratnapura Kalachuri rulers, with estimated period of their reigns:
Coinage
The Kalachuri rulers of Ratnapura issued gold, silver and copper coins, which bear the issuer's name in Nagari script. The coins feature four types of design:
Hoards of their coins have been found at following places:
3 silver coins of Prithvideva were discovered from the Mahanadi riverbed near Balpur. Thousands of copper coins issued by them have also been discovered, including a hoard of 3900 copper coins at Dhanpur in Bilaspur district.
Inscriptions
The inscriptions of the Ratnapura Kalachuri rulers have been discovered at several places in present-day Chhattisgarh: