Yadava dynasty
Also called: Seunas, Yadavas of Devagiri · Topic: Southern Dynasties: Chalukyas, Pallavas, Cholas · NCERT: Class 8, Ch 3 "The Marathas"
Meaning
The Yadava dynasty, also called the Seunas or the Yadavas of Devagiri, ruled much of Maharashtra and parts of the Deccan in the 12th and 13th centuries. Their capital was Devagiri, which was later renamed Daulatabad. They gained power as the Western Chalukyas faded. Their neighbours and rivals were the Kakatiyas and the Hoysalas. They matter because Marathi literature grew under their rule. Their fall also opened the Deccan to rule from Delhi.
Example
In 1296, Alauddin Khalji raided Devagiri, which was then ruled by the Yadava king Ramachandra. The kingdom was finally taken over by the Khaljis in the early 14th century. Earlier, in 1290, during Ramachandra's reign, the saint Dnyaneshwar wrote the Dnyaneshwari. This is a famous Marathi explanation of the Bhagavad Gita.
Don't confuse with
- Daulatabad under Muhammad bin Tughlaq: Devagiri was the Yadava capital. Its new name, Daulatabad, and its use as a Delhi Sultanate capital in the 14th century came after the Yadavas had fallen.
- Hoysalas: they also claimed to come from the Yadava family line. But they ruled southern Karnataka from Belur and Halebidu, not Maharashtra from Devagiri.
Related concepts
- Kakatiyas
- Rudramadevi
- Kakatiya Kala Thoranam
- Thousand Pillar temple
- Ramappa temple
- Hoysalas
- Vishnuvardhana
- Chennakeshava temple
- Hoysaleshwara temple, Halebidu
- Keshava temple, Somanathapura