MIHIR BHOJ

MIHIR BHOJ

WHY IN NEWS ?

• Recently 35 local BJP leaders in Haryana’s Kaithal offered to resign in protest after the 9th century king Mihir Bhoj was referred to as ‘Gurjar Pratihar Samrat Mihir Bhoj’ while his statue was being unveiled by district party leaders.

WHO WAS MIHIR BHOJ ?

• Mihir Bhoj (c. 836-885 CE) was a successful and ambitious ruler of ninth century India.
• At that time, the Gurjara-Pratiharas were ruling over a vast empire, from Kashmir to Gujarat. Mihir Bhoj successfully conquered areas of Deccan and Malwa too.
• During the ninth century, the major political struggle was for control over Kannauj as it was considered that whoever conquered Kannauj would be emperor of the country.
• Hence, the country witnessed a tripartite struggle among three big powers of the times —the Gurjara-Pratihara, the Rashtrakutas of Deccan and the Palas of Bengal. In that struggle, Mihir Bhoj was, by and large, the most successful.
• He conquered areas of Gujarat and Malwa from the Gujarat-Rashtrakutas.
• Similarly, the king launched a campaign towards Bengal and conquered territories of Gorakhpur from the Palas of Bengal too.

CONTROVERSY OVER MIHIR BHOJ:

• The Gurjar community in Haryana’s Kaithal had planned to unveil a statue of Mihir Bhoj, calling him a Gurjar Pratihar Samrat (king). The Rajput community members objected to this.
• In Bihar in 2022, a “research and advocacy group” called the Kshatriya Parishad had started a campaign to “reclaim” ‘Gurjara-Pratihara’ king Mihir Bhoj into the Rajput fold.
• In 2021, the Gurjars had held a mahapanchayat in Uttar Pradesh’s Dadri to protest the removal of the word ‘Gurjar’ from the plaque of a statue of the king unveiled by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at Mihir Bhoj Inter College.

WHAT DO HISTORIANS SAY ABOUT HIS LINEAGE ?

• Gurjar Pratiharas, the group to which Mihir Bhoj belonged, are often considered both Rajputs and Gurjars. So there is really no conflict between the two identities.
• Gurjars were a nomadic tribe in ancient India, initially spreading in Rajasthan and Gujarat regions.
• And it is believed that Mihir Bhoj belonged to this tribe.
• However, it is also believed that he claimed Kshatriya status for himself.
• The Pratihara branch of the dynasty was linked to Rajputs.
• It was considered that only a Kshatriya (warrior) could become a king. In ancient India, all kings claimed Kshatriya status.

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