Mahendrapala I

This article is about the emperor from the Gurjara Pratihara dynasty. For the Pala dynasty emperor, see Mahendrapala.

Mahendrapala I (IAST: Mahendrapāla; r. 885 – 910) was the Emperor of Aryavarta (ancient name for India, lit. 'Land of the (Indo-)Aryans') and King of Kannauj from 885 until his death in 910 and member of the Pratihara dynasty. He reigned over a vast empire in northern India. He is also mentioned on various inscriptions found in present-day Kathiawar, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh by the names Mahindrapala, Mahendrayudha, Mahisapaladeva, and also Nirbhayaraja, Nirbhayanarendra and Raghukula-tilaka in the plays of his guru Rajasekhara.^[1][2][3]

Mahendrapala I
Parameshvara Parama-bhattaraka Maharajadhiraja King of Kanyakubja Raghukula-Chudamani
King of Kings of Āryāvarta King of Kannauj
Reign	c. 885 – c. 910
Predecessor	Mihira Bhoja
Successor	Bhoja II
Consorts	Dehanaga-Devi Mahidevi
Issue	Bhoja II
Father	Mihira Bhoja
Mother	Candra-Bhattarika-Devi

Reign

Rajasekhara called Mahendrapala as "Maharajadhiraja of Aryavarta" (lit. 'King Emperor of Northern India') indicating his imperial status in northern India.^[4]

Bhoja is thought to have died around A.D. 885, and his son Mahendrapala I succeeded him. The earliest record of Mahendrapala dates to A.D. 893. There is an unclear verse in a work called Rdjatarangvn, that hints he may have lost some land in the Punjab—a territory his father had gained—to a Kashmiri king named Sahkaravarman. Other than that uncertain detail, Mahendrapala kept the large empire he inherited and even pushed its borders further east.^[5]

At least seven of his inscriptions have been found in South Bihar and North Bengal with dates from years 2' to 19, showing that soon after coming to power he conquered Magadha and part of Northern Bengal, which was traditionally the home of his long-time rivals, the Palas. His records also appear in the Kathiawar Peninsula, Eastern Punjab, the Jhansi District, and Awadh (Oudh). This spread suggests that his empire stretched from the Himalayan region in the north to the Vindhya range in the south, and from the eastern coast to the western sea.^[5]

Mahendrapala’s name appears in several forms, including Mahindrapala and Mahendrayudha, and he was also known by titles such as Nirbhaya-narendra or Nirbhayaraja. His spiritual teacher, Rajaiekhara, was a well-known figure in Indian literature. Although Rajaiekhara's writings do not provide many details about Mahendrapala’s life or character, they clearly celebrate the magnificence of the imperial city of Kanauj.^{[5][6]: 21 [7]}

Preceded by Mihira Bhoja (835–890)

Pratihara Emperor 890–910

Succeeded by Bhoja II (910–913)