Chach dynasty

Chach dynasty
c. 632–712
Territory of the Chachas and neighbouring polities circa 600–650 CE.
CapitalAror
Common languagesSanskrit
Religion
Hinduism
GovernmentMonarchy
Maharaja 
• 632–671
Chach of Aror
• 671–679
Chandar of Sindh
• 695–712
Raja Dahir
History 
• Chach founds the dynasty
c. 632
• Annexed by the Umayyad Caliphate
712
Preceded by		Succeeded by
Rai Kingdom
Caliphal province of Sind
Today part ofPakistan
India

The Chach or Chacha dynasty (c. 632–712), also called the Silaij dynasty, was a Hindu dynasty that ruled the regions of Sindh, Makran and Multan after overthrowing the Buddhist Rai dynasty. Most of the information about its existence comes from the Chachnama, a historical account of the dynasty.

Members of the dynasty, such as Hullishāh and Shishah, continued to administer parts of Sindh under the Umayyad Caliphate's province of Sind after it fell in 712.

History

Muhammad ibn Qasim's Campaigns in Sindh.
  Desert areas (Thar Desert)
  Kingdom of Sindh (c. 632– 712 CE)
  Kingdom of Valabhi (c.475–c.776 CE)

The dynasty was founded by a Brahmin named Chach, son of Silaij, after he married the widow of Rai Sahasi II and usurped the Buddhist Rai dynasty. His claim was further secured by the killing of Rai Sahasi II's brother.

The casus belli for the Umayyad invasion were pirates from Sindh, known as Bawarij, seizing tribute sent from the king of Serendib to the Umayyad caliph. For the campaign, caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan granted a large army to the governor al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, but no attempt was made to annex Sindh due to the caliph's death. Under his son and successor al-Walid I, the general Muhammad ibn al-Qasim led the invasion of Sindh in 712.

During the invasion, local Buddhist clans who maintained loyalty to the previous Rai dynasty, such as the Zuṭṭ, allied themselves with the Umayyads against Raja Dahir. The last Hindu king of Sindh, Dahir was killed during the battle of Aror and Sindh was annexed into the Umayyad Caliphate. However, significant medieval Muslim chronicles such as the Chachnama, Zainul-Akhbar and Tarikh-i Bayhaqi refute this, as those have recorded battles between Jats and forces of Muhammad ibn al-Qasim. During the battle of Aror (Rohri) Muhammad ibn al-Qasim was met by Dahir's forces and the eastern Jats in battle.

Rulers

The known rulers of the Brahmin dynasty are:

Under the Umayyad Caliphate:

See also

References

  1. Schwartzberg, Joseph E. (1978). A Historical Atlas of South Asia. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 146, map XIV.2 (b). ISBN 0226742210.
  2. ↑ Schwartzberg, Joseph E. (1978). A Historical Atlas of South Asia. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 146, map XIV.2 (b). ISBN 0226742210.
  3. ↑ Rao, B. S. L. Hanumantha; Rao, K. Basaveswara (1958). Indian History and Culture. Commercial Literature Company. p. 337.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Wink, André (1991). Al- Hind: The Slave Kings and the Islamic Conquest. Brill. pp. 152–153. ISBN 9004095098.
  5. ↑ MacLean, Derryl N. (19 July 2021). Fleet, Kate; Krämer, Gudrun; Matringe, Denis; Nawas, John; Stewart, Devin J. (eds.). "Arūr". Encyclopaedia of Islam Three Online. Brill academic. doi:10.1163/1573-3912_ei3_com_23005. ISSN 1573-3912.
  6. ↑ Keay, John (1999). India: A History. London: HarperCollins. pp. 182–183. ISBN 978-0-00-255717-7.
  7. ↑ MacLean, Derryl N. (1989). Religion and Society in Arab Sind. Brill. ISBN 9004085513.
  8. ↑ Burton, Richard (1851). Sindh and the Races that Inhabit the Valley of the Indus. Asian Educational Services. pp. 14–15. ISBN 9788120607583. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
  9. ↑ Chapter by S Jabir Raza Passages in the Chachnama, Zainul-Akhbar And Tarikh-i-Baihaqi, Text and Translation, from the book The Jats, Their Role and contribution to the socio-Economic Life and Polity of North and North-West India, Volume 2, pp. 43–52
  10. ↑ Wink, André (2002) [first published 1990], Al-Hind: The Making of the Indo-Islamic World, Vol 1: Early Medieval India and the Expansion of Islam, Brill, ISBN 9780391041738, pp=201–205.
  11. ↑ Sailendra Nath Sen, 1999, Ancient Indian History and Civilization, New Age International Publishers, pp-347-348.