Tomar(also calledTomara) is a clan name, some members of which ruled parts of North India at different times. They areRajputsand claimChandravanshidescent.
Most of their population is primarily concentrated inDelhi,Haryana-TorawatiandWestern UP.There exists 84 villages of Tomars inWestern UPalone. Besides,few areas in Northern Madhya Pradesh likeMorena,BhindandGwalioris referred to as "Tomargarh" meaning "Fort of Tomars" due to quite large population of Tomar Rajputs outside Delhi and its surrounding areas.[1]
History
The Tomar clan claim descent fromChandravanshidynasty, naming theMahabharatawarriorArjunaamong their forebears.[2]
The earliest extant historical reference to the Tomaras (theSanskritform of "Tomar" ) occurs in thePehowainscription of theGurjara-PratiharakingMahendrapala I(r. c. 885-910 CE).[3]This undated inscription suggests that the Tomara chief Gogga was a vassal of Mahendrapala I.[4]
Tomaras of Delhi
During 9th-12th century, theTomaras of Delhiruled parts of the present-dayDelhi,Haryana,Western Uttar Pradesh,Gwaliorand parts ofRajasthan.[5][need quotation to verify]Much of the information about this dynasty comes from bardic legends of little historical value, and therefore, the reconstruction of their history is difficult.[6]According to the bardic tradition, the dynasty's founder Anangapal Tomar (that is Anangapala I Tomara) founded Delhi in 736 CE.[3]The bardic legends also state that the last Tomara King (also named Anangapal) passed on the throne of Delhi to his son-in-lawPrithviraj Chauhan.This claim is subject to interpretation: historical evidence shows that Prithviraj inherited Delhi from his fatherSomeshvara.[6]According to theBijoliainscription of Someshvara, his brotherVigraharaja IVhad captured Dhillika (Delhi) and Ashika (Hansi); he probably defeated a Tomara ruler.[7]
Tomaras of Gwalior
TheTomaras of Gwaliorruled an area north of Gwalior known as the Tonwargarh tract. The most notable of these rulers wasMan Singh Tomar(1486-1517).[8]
References
- ^"Guns rule 'badlands' of Bhind-Morena".Zeenews.Retrieved9 August2014.
- ^Singh, David Emmanuel (2012).Islamization in Modern South Asia: Deobandi Reform and the Gujjar Response.Walter de Gruyter. p. 55.ISBN9781614511854.
- ^abSailendra Nath Sen 1999,p. 339.
- ^Dilip Kumar Ganguly 1984,pp. 116–117.
- ^Upinder Singh 2008,p. 571.
- ^abD. C. Ganguly 1981,p. 704.
- ^Dilip Kumar Ganguly 1984,p. 117.
- ^Kolff, Dirk H. A.(2002) [First published 1990].Naukar, Rajput, and Sepoy: The Ethnohistory of the Military Labour Market of Hindustan, 1450-1850.Cambridge University Press. p. 89.ISBN978-0-52152-305-9.
Bibliography
- D. C. Ganguly (1981). R. S. Sharma (ed.).A Comprehensive History of India (A. D. 300-985).Vol. 3, Part 1. Indian History Congress / Orient Longmans.
- Dilip Kumar Ganguly (1984).History and Historians in Ancient India.Abhinav.ISBN978-0-391-03250-7.
- Sailendra Nath Sen (1999).Ancient Indian History and Civilization.New Age.ISBN9788122411980.
- Upinder Singh (2008).A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century.Pearson Education India.ISBN978-81-317-1120-0.