After the fall of the Gupta dynasty in the mid-6th century CE, India broke into many small kingdoms, which were always at war with each other. On the other hand, the Arabs and the Tibetans had set their eyes on India and were planning for an invasion. This was the time when a legendary and ambitious ruler was born, of whom history holds chapters written in golden ink, and yet not many know him today! Had it not been for him, India would have fallen into foreign hands way before the Mughals! This article talks about Lalitaditya Muktapida, an extraordinary king of Kashmir who not only defended India from foreign invaders but also moved ahead with his mighty ambition of conquering the entire world!
Lalitaditya Muktapida was born in the Karkota dynasty. Although his date of birth is not known, he ascended the throne around 724 CE and ruled for more than 36 years. He is described as a supreme leader who spent most of his life on military expeditions expanding his empire across most of Asia and bringing peace and cultural harmony everywhere he went. Though he wanted to rule vast areas of land, he made sure that there was minimal bloodshed wherever possible. While most kingdoms surrendered to his rule, there were some who initiated wars but later couldn’t sustain them and ended up signing peace treaties.
In his early years as the ruler of Kashmir, he made sure that the Arabs and Tibetans didn’t advance into Kashmir. He fought multiple battles on both the Northern and Western fronts until he finally killed the head of the Arabs and pushed back the Tibetans into their own country. He was a fearless leader who led from the front and led the armies through treacherous mountains and thick forests, carrying out surprise attacks on the enemy. Following his dream and ambition, he ventured far into the Middle East, making sure the Arabs never dared to attack Kashmir during his rule.
Lalitaditya was fond of building cities and towns. After the successful repulsion of the Arabs and the Tibetans, he built Parihasapura (Parihaspur) between 724-731 CE. He loved this city, even proclaiming it to be of unparalleled beauty. He also shifted his capital from Srinagar to Parihaspur.
There’s even a story associated with the city. One of his ministers requested him to visit Pravarapura, another magnificent city built by the king’s ancestors. There, while being served one of the best wines of that time, the minister claimed that no other city is as good as Pravarapura, which made Lalitaditya angry. In his drunken state, he ordered the city to be burnt since he did not want another city, like Parihasapura, to exist. The next day, when the king came back to his senses, he saw smoke outside his chambers, which made him regret his decision. He even scolded his ministers for listening to him when he was drunk, only to realise that they had indeed not burnt the city because of it. Lalitaditya was pleased by this and instructed them to ignore his orders whenever he was drunk.
Now came the time for one of the biggest and greatest wars Lalitaditya fought during his reign. He had now turned his eyes on the different parts of India, which were separated due to different rulers. He wanted to unite all of them under his rule. Hence, he marched to Kannauj, where he met the most powerful king in Northern India, Yashovarman. Yashovarman had a strong army of men who fought with vigour. In fact, Lalitaditya and his ministers admired the way the enemy soldiers fought. As mentioned before, he did not want such excellent men to lose their lives. Hence, he signed a treaty with Yashovarman. Yashovarman could have signed the treaty and maintained his kingdom. However, he decided to play a small trick. When his messenger arrived in the Kashmiri camp, he read, “This treaty of peace between King Yashvarman and King Lalitaditya.” Lalitaditya’s minister, Mitra Sharma, objected to this, stating that Lalitaditya was the more powerful of the two and he had sent for the treaty first. Hence, his name should be first. However, the messenger hesitantly said that since Lalitaditya was the one to send for the treaty, he couldn’t be considered powerful. This angered the Kashmiri camp, with Lalitaditya deciding to continue with the war, eventually capturing Yashovarman, mocking him for his craftiness, which led to his defeat. With his victory, Lalitaditya assumed control over the entire Northern India.
Lalitaditya later annexed Bengal and Assam in the East, Gujarat in the West and the Deccan in the Central part of India either by winning minor wars or by the peaceful surrender of the rulers. After this, he marched to the South, where he conquered Karnataka, whose queen, Ratta, like many others, accepted his rule without a fight. Some sources say she may have instead made an alliance with him to defeat a threat to her kingdom.
While in Karnataka, Lalitaditya asked his ministers to make a temple as a symbol of victory in the South. A temple with the idol of Lord Narasimha slaying Hiranyakashipu was built. The idol was made to balance in mid-air with two powerful magnets above and below it. It was a marvel in those days!
On his way back to Kashmir, Lalitaditya conquered the Konkan areas and Dwarka before reaching the Thar desert. This was during the later years of his reign, and historians haven’t quite figured out what happened after he reached the desert. There ruled a ‘desert king’ who knew he couldn’t defeat Lalitaditya. Therefore, he sent one of his men as a refugee to the Kashmiri camp to mislead Lalitaditya. Making a tactical blunder, Lalitaditya indeed fell into the trap and ventured far in the desert with the man. While some historians believe he and his men may have eventually died of thirst, local legends say that he found a water source just when the army was beginning to collapse. If we follow the legend, Lalitaditya went on to brutally defeat the ‘desert king’ for his deceit and take the Thar desert under control. After that, he went on a final campaign in Punjab, winning which, he returned to Kashmir.
Besides being a courageous warrior, he was also a generous king. Once, while famine struck Kashmir, he got Persian wheels made by Arab architects whom he had hired after defeating the Arabs. The Persian wheels brought water from the low-lying rivers to the valleys and hills in Kashmir. He also went on to build many temples and shrines all over India.
Although his death remains unknown, Lalitaditya Muktapida’s legacy echoes through the pages of Indian history like many other tales of unknown people. His conquests brought together fractured kingdoms, leading to peace and harmony. On one hand, he defeated foreign invaders and on the other, he made sure that their knowledge, like the Persian wheel, was adapted for the well-being of his subjects. In a time when India stood on the edge of chaos, Lalitaditya took control, not just as a conqueror, but as a builder of unity, a guardian of cultural heritage, and a sovereign whose story deserves to be remembered not in whispers, but in thunder. No doubt, he was as great as Alexander and rightfully deserves the title, ‘Lalitaditya The Great!’