The Chahamana dynasty of Ranastambhapura was established by
Govinda-raja, a member of the
Shakambhari Chahamana family (also known as the Chauhans of
Ajmer). Govinda was the son of
Prithviraja III, who was defeated and killed in a battle with the
Ghurids, in 1192 CE. The
Ghurid ruler
Muhammad of Ghor appointed Govinda as his vassal at Ajmer. However, Prithviraja's brother Hari-raja de-throned him, and himself became the ruler of Ajmer. Govinda then established a new kingdom with its capital at Ranastambhapura (modern Ranthambor). After the Muslim conquest of Ajmer, he granted asylum to Hari. Balhana, the son of Govindaraja, is recorded as a vassal of the Delhi Sultan
Iltumish in 1215 CE, but declared independence in the later years. Balhana's elder son Prahlada succeeded him, and died in a lion-hunt. Prahlada's son Viranarayana was invited to Delhi by Iltumish, but was poisoned to death there. Iltumish captured the fort in 1226 CE. Balhana's younger son Vagabhata then ascended the throne. He recaptured Ranthambore during the reign of the Delhi ruler
Razia (r. 1236-1240). He successfully defended the fort against the Delhi Sultanate's invasions in 1248 and 1253 CE.
Hammira-Deva, the last ruler of the dynasty, was also its most powerful ruler. He ascended the throne sometime between 1283 and 1289 CE.
Hammira Mahakavya, his biography by Nayachandra, is one of the few non-Muslim sources for the region's history from that period, and enables the historians to verify the accounts of the Muslim chronicles. The Balvan inscription of 1288 CE mentions that Hammira captured the elephant force of
Arjuna II, the Paramara king of Malwa. The
Hammira-Mahakavya suggests that he also defeated Arjuna's successor
Bhoja II, marched to
Chitrakuta, conquered
Medapata, and forced the submission of the
Paramara king of Abu. Afterwards, he sacked
Vardhamanapura, conquered
Pushkara,
Shakambari, and various other locations before returning to his capital. Hammira's wars with other Hindu chiefdoms made him unable to form an alliance against the Muslim
Delhi Sultanate. He successfully resisted invasions by
Jalal-ud-din and
Ala-ud-din's general
Ulugh Khan, but was finally killed in a
1301 invasion led by Ala-ud-din Khalji. == List of rulers ==