Chaulukya dynasty

The Chaulukya dynasty, also called the Solankis, ruled Gujarat and parts of Rajasthan from about 940 to 1244. Its founder, Mularaja, supplanted the last Chavda ruler and made Anahilavada, modern Patan, his capital. The dynasty's history was shaped by rivalry with the Paramaras of Malwa, the Chahamanas of Rajasthan and the Chalukyas of Kalyani, and by the wealth of Gujarat's ports and temple towns. In 1024-25 Mahmud of Ghazni raided the Somnath temple, a blow from which the kingdom recovered under Bhima I and his successors. The 12th century was the high point: Jayasimha Siddharaja and Kumarapala extended Chaulukya authority over Saurashtra and parts of Malwa, patronized Jain scholars and built temples, stepwells and reservoirs, including the Rani ki Vav at Patan. The court was a major centre of Sanskrit, Prakrit and Jain learning, and the dynasty's coinage circulated widely. After Kumarapala's death in 1172, feudatory rebellions and invasions weakened the state, and in the 1240s the Vaghela generals took power, ending Chaulukya rule. The Solanki name remained prestigious among later Rajput lineages.