, Hindu goddess
Medieval era The
Shilahara family founded a dynasty at Kolhapur who were familial decendents of
Rashtrakuta Empire, that ruled over southern
Maharashtra including the modern districts of
Satara, Kolhapur and
Belagavi (Karnataka). Their family deity was the goddess
Padmāvatī and Ambabai, whose blessing they claimed to have secured in their copperplate grants (
Mahalakshmi-labdha-vara-prasada). Like their relatives of the northern branch of
Konkan, the Shilaharas claimed to be of the lineage of
Vidyadhara Jimutavahana, a
Jain scholar. Their banner featured a golden
Garuda. One of the many titles used by the Shilaharas was
Tagarapuravaradhisvara, supreme sovereign ruler of Tagara. The first capital of the Shilaharas was probably at
Karad during the reign of
Jatiga II, as known from their copper plate grant of
Miraj and 'Vikramankadevacharita' of
Bilhana. Hence, they are referred to sometimes as the 'Shilaharas of Karad'. Later, although the capital was shifted to Kolhapur, some of their grants mention Valavada and the hill fort of Pranalaka or Padmanala (
Panhala) as the places of royal residence. Karhad retained its significance during the Shilahara period. This branch rose to power in the latter part of the
Rashtrakuta rule and unlike the kings of the other two branches, this branch does not allude to the genealogy of the Rashtrakutas even in their early grants. They acknowledged the suzerainty of the later
Chalukya dynasty for some time. They had used
Kannada as an official language as can be seen from their inscriptions. The branch held southern Maharashtra from circa 940 to 1220. From 940 to 1212 CE, Kolhapur was the centre of power of the
Shilahara dynasty. An inscription at
Terdal states that the king
Gonka (1020 – 1050 CE) was bitten by a snake then healed by a
Jain monk. Gonka then built a temple to Lord
Neminath, the twenty-second Jain
tirthankara (enlightened being). From this era, Jain temples in and around Kolhapur are called
Gonka-Jinalaya. Around 1055 CE, during the reign of
Bhoja I (Shilahara dynasty), a dynamic
Acharya (spiritual guide) named Maghanandi (Kolapuriya) founded a religious institute at the Rupanarayana
Jain temple (
basadi). Maghanandi is also known as
Siddhanta-Chakravarti, meaning
the great master of the scriptures. Kings and nobles of the Shilahara dynasty such as
Gandaraditya I, who succeeded
Bhoja I, were disciples of Maghanandi. Kolhapur was the site of intense confrontation between the
Western Chalukya Empire and
Rajadhiraja Chola and his younger brother
Rajendra Chola II of the
Chola empire. In 1052 CE, following the
Battle of Koppam, the victor, Rajendra Chola II, marched on to Kolhapur and erected a
jayastambha (victory pillar). Between 1109 and 1178 CE, the
Kopeshwar temple to Lord
Shiva was built by
Shilahara kings,
Gandaraditya I,
Vijayaditya, and
Bhoja II in Khidrapur, Kolhapur.
Kolhapur State The
state of Kolhapur was established by
Tarabai in 1707 in the midst of a succession dispute over the Maratha crown. The Maratha throne was then occupied by descendants of Tarabai. One of the prominent Kings was
Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj. In his reign, he promoted free education to people of all castes, religions and fought against untouchability. The state was annexed by the British in the 19th century. After India's independence in 1947, the Maharaja of Kolhapur acceded to the Dominion of India on 14 August 1947 and merged with
Bombay State on 1 March 1949. Kolhapur is sometimes found spelled as
Colapore. Often, Kolhapur is also referred as
Dakshin Kashi or the
Kashi of the South, due to its rich religious history.
Scriptural references Kolhapur is mentioned in the
Devi Gita, the final chapter of the
Devi-Bhagavata Purana, a text of
Shaktism. Kolhapur is noted as a place of
Kollamma worship. In the text,
Devi says, :"O King of Mountains! Still I am now telling something out of My affection to My
Bhaktas. Hear. There is a great place of pilgrimage named
Kollapura in the southern country. Here the
Devi Ambabai always dwells." ==Geography==