Paramaras The
Bijolia rock inscription boasts that Arnoraja humiliated Nirvvana-Naryana, which was an epithet of the
Paramara ruler
Naravarman. Arnoraja's father
Ajayaraja II had defeated Naravarman, so this incident may have taken place when Arnoraja was a prince. The Ajmer
prashasti (eulogy) inscription also begins with a mention of Naravarman, but the verse is incomplete. Four lines later, it states that Arnoraja's warriors captured the elephants of the
Malwa king (
Malavesha). Historian
Dasharatha Sharma believes that this king of Malwa was Naravarman. According to R. B. Singh, this probably refers to Arnoraja's military success against Naravarman's successor
Yashovarman.
Tomaras The Ajmer
prashasti inscription also states that Arnoraja's soldiers marched to Haritanaka (modern
Haryana). Their invasion rendered the waters of the
Kalindi river muddy, and caused the women of that country to shed tears. This appears to be a reference to Arnoraja's invasion of the
Tomara kingdom. Arnoraja seems to have defeated the Tomaras, but this victory was not decisive, as his son
Vigraharaja IV also had to fight against the Tomaras.
Turushkas lake in Ajmer is named after Arnoraja alias Ana Arnoraja defeated the
Ghaznavid king
Bahram Shah in the Slaughter of Turushkas near Ajmer. According to the Ajmer
prashasti inscription Arnoraja adorned Ajmer with the blood of
Turushkas (Turkic people). The
Prithviraja Vijaya also states that Arnoraja repulsed a Muslim invasion. According to the text, these invaders came through the desert, and had to drink the blood of their horses in absence of water. After defeating these invaders, Arnoraja purified the place of their death by commissioning a lake, which is identified with the modern
Ana Sagar. The lake was filled with the water of the Chandra river, identified with the modern
Bandi River. Historian H. C. Ray theorized that the Muslim invaders defeated by Arnoraja were the
Yamini (
Ghaznavid) generals of
Lahore. However, R. B. Singh identifies the invader as the Ghaznavid king
Bahram Shah himself. The 13th century Muslim chronicle
Tabaqat-i Nasiri states that a chief named Muhammad Bahalim once revolted against Bahram Shah. Bahalim is said to have built the
Nagaur fort. Bahram Shah marched towards India to defeat Bahalim, who also set out from Nagaur with his army. The two armies met at
Multan, where Bahalim was defeated and killed. Bahram Shah then left for Ghazna to fight the
Ghurids. R. B. Singh speculates that after revolting against Bahram Shah, Bahalim sought asylum with the Chahamanas. Arnoraja granted him the fief of Nagaur. After defeating Bahalim, Bahram Shah may have attempted to subdue Arnoraja, but was defeated. The Muslim chronicles probably omitted this event to avoid recording Bahram Shah's defeat.
Chaulukyas of Gujarat Jayasimha Siddharaja Arnoraja's reign saw a revival of the Chahamana-
Chaulukya conflict, probably as a result of their attempts to control the weakening
Paramara kingdom of
Malwa. This conflict appears to have ended with an advantage to the Gujarat Chaulukya king
Jayasimha Siddharaja. According to the Gujarat scholar
Hemachandra's
Dvyashraya, Ānā of Sapadalaksha (that is, Arnoraja), bent his head before Jayasimha. A
Sambhar (Shakambhari) inscription provides a genealogy of the Chaulukya kings, from
Mularaja to Jayasimha. It mentions Sambhar, which indicates that Jayasimha may have even occupied the Chahamana capital for a brief period.
Kirti Kaumidi also states that Jayasimha defeated Arnoraja, but adds that Jayasimha gave his daughter Kanchana in marriage to Arnoraja.
Someshvara, the son of Arnoraja and Kanchana, was brought up at the Chaulukya court in Gujarat. The matrimonial alliance probably ended the conflict for a short period, but the Chaulukya-Chahamana conflict resumed after Jayasimha's death.
Kumarapala After Jayasimha's death, a war of succession took place between his nominee and adopted son Chahada (also Bahada or Charudatta), and his relative
Kumarapala. Chahada formed an alliance with Arnoraja and other princes, and instigated them to fight Kumarapala, as attested by several sources, including
Dvyashraya,
Kumarapala Charita, and
Prabandha-Chintamani. According to Merutunga, the author of
Prabandha Chintamani, Arnoraja attacked Gujarat because he thought of Kumarapala as a weaker ruler than Jayasimha. Historian A. K. Majumdar speculates that Arnoraja may have planned to replace Kumarapala with his son Someshvara. According to the
Kumarapala Charita, Arnoraja was defeated in this war, having suffered from an arrow shot in his face. The war appears to have ended with a matrimonial alliance: Arnoraja's daughter Jahlana married Kumarapala. According to later Jain legends, Kumarapala's sister Devalladevi also married Arnoraja. However, the existence of Devalladevi is doubtful. Despite the conflict, Kumarapala treated Arnoraja's son Someshvara (who lived with the Chaulukyas) well. Sometime around 1150 CE, there appears to have been a second war between Arnoraja and Kumarapala. According to the Jain chroniclers of Gujarat, such as Jayasimha Suri, Rajashekhara and Jina-Mandana, Arnoraja once insulted Jains while playing chess with his wife Devalladevi. Rajashekhara's
Prabandha Kosha states that while taking away a
pawn of his wife, Arnoraja remarked "Kill these Mundikas" in jest. This offended her, because Mundika (literally "bald") could refer to the
tonsured
Śvetāmbara Jain gurus. Devalladevi, a devout Jain and a sister of Kumarapala, asked her brother to avenge this insult. A. K. Majumdar pointed out that Kumarapala converted to Jainism at a later date, so the legend about his sister getting offended by Arnoraja appears to be historically inaccurate. According to
Dasharatha Sharma, Devalladevi is a fictional character created by either Rajashekhara or another Jain writer, as none of the chronicles written before 14th century mention her. According to Majumdar, Arnoraja probably invaded the Chaulukya kingdom taking advantage of Kumarapala's involvement in other conflicts. This second war also ended with Arnoraja's defeat. Kumarapala's victory over Arnoraja is corroborated by multiple Chaulukya inscriptions.
Other campaigns The Bijolia rock inscription states that Arnoraja retaliated against the Kusha-Varana (Kuśa-Varaṇa) kingdom. The identity of this kingdom is not certain. Historian A. K. Vyas theorized that Kusha and Varana were two separate kingdoms. He identified Kusha with
Kannauj, and Varana with
Bulandshahr. Historian R. B. Singh points out that Kannauj was ruled by the
Gahadavala king Govindachandra, and it would not have been an easy task for Arnoraja to attack such a powerful kingdom. According to
Dasharatha Sharma, in proper context, the term "kusha" means "sinful"; the inscription characterizes the Varanaa kingdom as a sinful one. Sharma theorizes that the Varana kingdom was ruled by Dod Rajputs, whose king was either Sahajaditya or Bhojadeva. The Ajmer
prashasti inscription states that Arnoraja reached the
Sindhu and the Sarasvati rivers. In absence of other information, the details of this expedition are not clear. == Death ==