Siyaka, known as Harsha, was the king of Malwa, who ruled in west-central India.
19 Facts About Siyaka
1.
2.
Siyaka appears to have been the first independent ruler of the Paramara dynasty.
3.
Siyaka is the earliest Paramara ruler known from his own inscriptions, which have been discovered in present-day Gujarat, and suggest that he was once a feudatory of the Rashtrakutas of Manyakheta.
4.
Siyaka's 949 CE Harsola inscriptions suggests that he was a feudatory of the Rashtrakuta ruler Krishna III.
5.
Seth theorizes that Siyaka was originally a Pratihara vassal, but shifted his allegiance to the Rashtrakutas as the Pratihara power declined.
6.
The inscriptions of Siyaka are the earliest known Paramara inscriptions: they have been discovered in present-day Gujarat, and therefore, it appears that the Paramaras were connected with Gujarat in their early years.
7.
Siyaka issued the grants at the request of the ruler of Khetaka-mandala, who might have been a Rashtrakuta feudatory as well.
8.
Nava-sahasanka-charita, an epic poem by the Paramara court poet Padmagupta, states that Siyaka defeated Huna princes, and turned their harems into a residence of widows.
9.
The fragmentary Modi inscription corroborates this victory of Siyaka, stating that he ruled the land "sprinkled over by the blood of the Hunas".
10.
Siyaka might have defeated a successor of the Huna chief Jajjapa, who had been killed by the Chalukya feudatory Balavarman in 9th century.
11.
Altekar theorize that Siyaka had rebelled against the Rashtrakutas, resulting in a military campaign against him.
12.
Seth believes that Ujjain was under Gurjara-Pratihara rule at this time, and Krishna III's campaign was directed against them: there is no evidence to show that Siyaka rebelled against Krishna III or faced a battle against his forces.
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Siyaka was victorious, although he lost his Vagada feudatory Kanka in the battle.
14.
The Udaipur prashasti states that Siyaka was as fierce as garuda when he took the wealth of Khottiga in battle.
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Siyaka's victory led to the decline of the Rashtrakutas, and the establishment of the Paramaras as a sovereign power in Malwa.
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At its zenith, Siyaka's kingdom extended from Banswara in north to the Narmada River in south, and from Khetaka-mandala in the west to Vidisha area in the east.
17.
Tilaka-Manjari, a work composed by Dhanapala, suggests that Siyaka was a devotee of the goddess Lakshmi.
18.
Siyaka sacked Manyakheta in c 972 CE, and his successor Munja's earliest inscription is dated 974 CE, so Siyaka must have retired or died somewhere between 972 and 974 CE.
19.
Siyaka presented it to Muni Jinavijaya of Ahmedabad's Gujarat Puratatva Mandir in 1920.