Prithvi-vallabha

This article is about the Sanskrit royal title. For other uses, see Prithvi Vallabh (disambiguation).

Shri Prithvi-vallabha (IAST: Pṛthvīvallabha), or Vallabha-rāja, was an imperial title used by several kings that ruled in present-day India, including the Chalukyas of Vatapi and the Rashtrakutas. It is a Kshatriya title that translates as "Lord of the Earth," or alternatively as "Husband of the Earth and Her Fortunes."

Chalukyas of Vatapi

All the sovereign rulers of the Vatapi Chalukya dynasty bore the title Shri-prithvi-vallabha, which means "the husband of the goddess of fortune and the Earth" (that is, Vishnu). Mangalesha bore the exact title of Prithvi-vallabha, as attested by the Mahakuta inscriptions. The Manor inscription of the Chalukya governor Jayashraya Mangalarasa, dated to 7 April 691 (year 613 of the Shaka era), also mentions Prithvi-vallabha as one of his titles. His son Avanijanashraya Pulakeshin also bore the title.

Rashtrakutas

Among the Rashtrakutas, the title was first adopted by Dantidurga, an 8th-century ruler of the Deccan and the founder of the Rashtrakuta dynasty. Prithvi means "the earth" and vallabha means either "head of household" or "lover", thus the title can be loosely translated as Lord of the Earth. Since Prithvi was also the name of an earth goddess controlled by Lord Vishnu, the title went so far as to equate Dantidurga and his heirs with the Hindu god Vishnu. The title was abbreviated to vallabha and was written by Muslim observers as Balhara.

Later dynasties

The title was also adopted by the Chalukyas of Kalyani, who succeeded the Rashtrakutas in Deccan. The title was also used by Munja alias Vakpati of Paramara dynasty, which succeeded the Rashtrakutas in Malwa.

See also

• Balhara (title), Arabic transliteration of Vallabha
• Hammira, Sanskrit transliteration of Arabic emir
• Suratrana, Sanskrit transliteration of Arabic sultan

References

Works cited

• Dikshit, Durga Prasad (1980). Political History of the Chālukyas of Badami. Abhinav. OCLC 8313041.
• Inden, Ronald B. (2000). Imagining India. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
• Keay, John (2000). India, a History. Harper Perennial.
• Yadava, Ganga Prasad (1982). Dhanapāla and His Times: A Socio-cultural Study Based Upon His Works. Concept.
• Yoffee, Norman, ed. (2007). Negotiating the Past in the Past: Identity, Memory, and Landscape in Archaeological Research. University of Arizona Press. ISBN 978-081652670-3.