Katyuri kings

The Katyuri kings were a medieval ruling clan of present-day Uttarakhand, India. They ruled over the region now known as
Kumaon from 800 to 1100 AD. They called their state Kumaonchal, the land of Kurma, the second avatar of Vishnu, from which
the present name is derived. Their capital was Kartripura.

Contents
History
Origin
Kingdom
Later offshoots
Rulers
Builders of temples
References

History

Origin
There have been numerous different claims of origin back to the Kunindas, having found coins from the Kuninda period
(Kuninda Kingdom). Rahul Sankrityayan traces their ancestry to Sakas, who were in India before the first century BCE; he
further identifies these Shakas with the Khashas.[1]

Kingdom
The Katyuri dynasty was founded by Vashudev Katyuri, ancient Basdeo temple at Joshimath is attributed to Vasu Dev.[2] Vasu
Dev was of Buddhist origin, but later followed Brahminical practices and the brahminical practices of Katyuri kings in general is
sometimes attributed to a vigorous campaign of Adi Shankara (788-820 CE).[3] Originally from Joshimath, during their reign
they dominated lands of varying extent from the "Katyur" (modern day Baijnath) valley in Kumaon, between 7th and 11th
centuries C.E., and established their capital at Baijnath in Bageshwar district; which was then known as Kartikeyapura and lies in
the centre of "Katyur" valley. Brahmadev mandi (a trading / business center in a flat area of the then Katyuri kingdom) in the
Kanchanpur District of Nepal was established by Katyuris king Brahma Deo (Brahma Dev). Brahmadeo Mandi still exists by this
name.

At its peak, the Katyuri kingdom extended from Nepal in the east to Kabul, Afghanistan in the west, before fragmenting into
numerous principalities by the 12th century.[4] They were displaced by the Chand Kings in the 11th century AD. Oppressive rule
by Bira Dev was one of the reasons for the end of Katyuri dynasty.[5] He used to collect heavy taxes and forced his people to
work as his slaves, which led to unpopularity and revolt after his death.[5]

Later offshoots
The Rajwar dynasty of Askot in Pithoragarh, was set up in the 1279 AD, by a branch of the Katyuri Kings, headed by Abhay Pal
Deo, who was the grandson of Katyuri king, Brahm Deo. The dynasty ruled the region until it became part of the British Raj
through the treaty of Sighauli in 1816.

Rulers
The period of certain Katyuri rulers, is generally determined as below, although there is some ambiguity in respect to exact
number of years ruled by each King.

1. Vasu Dev (700- 849 CE)

2. Basantana Dev (850-870 CE)
3. Kharpar Dev (870-880 CE)
4. Abhiraj Dev (880-890 CE)
5. Tribhuvanraj Dev (890-900 CE)
6. Nimbarta Dev (900-915 CE)
7. Istanga (915-930 CE)
8. Lalitasura Dev (930-955 CE)
9. Bhu Dev (955-970 CE)
10. Salonaditya (970-985 CE)
11. Ichchhata Dev (985 -1000 CE)
12. Deshat Dev (1000 -1015 CE)
13. Padmata Dev (1015-1045 CE)
14. Subhiksharaja Dev (1045-1060 CE)
15. Dham Dev
16. Bir Dev (Very short period)[6]

Builders of temples
The Katyuri Kings were known for constructing several temples in present-day Uttaranchal and they followed Brahminical
practices.[5] Vasu Dev temple at Joshimath, several shelters and small shrines along the route to Badrinath, Lakulesha,
Mahishasuramardhini, Navadurga and Nataraja temples at Jageshwar were constructed by Katyuri Kings.[5] Bhuv Dev (955-970)
was follower of Brahminical practices and built several temples at Baijnath and Bageshwar, but the structures are lost and
tradition continues.[5] Most of the ancient temples in the present-day Uttarakhand are the result of architectural contribution by
Katyuri dynasty.[7] A relatively rare Surya temple, is located at Katarmal, now a remote village near Kosi, which was built by
Katarmalla, a lesser known Katyuri ruler and the temple has 44 carved temples around the main temple, but is in a state of neglect
after the theft of an important idol.[8] The Katyuri Kings also build a temple known as Manila Devi near Sainamanur.

References
Notes

Citations

1. O.C.Handa. pp.22-26
2. O.C.Handa. p 25.
3. O.C.Handa p.26
4. 9th-11th century (http://uttarakhand.prayaga.org/history.html)
 5. Handa, O.C(Omacanda) (2002). History of Uttaranchal (https://books.google.com/books?id=7_Ct9gzvkDQC&pg=
PA37&dq=Katyuri+kings&hl=en&sa=X&ei=faTNUd2VLIOlrQeYpYCADA&ved=0CD4Q6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=K
atyuri%20kings&f=false). New Delhi: Indus Publishing. pp. 34–45. ISBN 9788173871344. Retrieved 28 June
2013.
6. O.C.Handa. p.30-31
7. "Historical Background" (http://uou.ac.in/book/uttg/historical-background). Uttarakhand Open University.
Retrieved 29 June 2013.
8. Sajwan, Venita (17 August 2002). "A lesser-known sun temple at Katarmal" (http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20
020817/windows/site.htm). The Tribune. Retrieved 8 July 2013.

Bibliography

Malushahi: The Ballad of Kumaon by Mohan Upreti. New Delhi, Sangeet Natak Akademi, 1980.
Handa, O.C(Omacanda) (2002). History of Uttaranchal (https://books.google.com/books?id=7_Ct9gzvkDQC&pg=
PA37). New Delhi: Indus Publishing. ISBN 9788173871344.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Katyuri_kings&oldid=897870607"

This page was last edited on 19 May 2019, at 21:59 (UTC).

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using
this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia
Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.