kingdom · South Asia
Chandela dynasty
Origins
Nannuka founded the Chandela line around 831 as a feudatory of the Gurjara-Pratihara in Jejakabhukti, modern Bundelkhand. Yashovarman made the dynasty a regional power in the mid-10th century, capturing the fortress of Kalinjar, and his son Dhanga became fully independent.
Rule and society
The Chandelas built some 85 temples at Khajuraho between about 950 and 1050, of which about 25 survive, among them the Lakshmana temple of Yashovarman and the Kandariya Mahadeva. They were Hindu but also supported Jain temples. Their kingdom was held by great hill forts at Kalinjar, Ajaygarh and Mahoba and watered by large artificial lakes. Vidyadhara resisted Mahmud of Ghazni in the early 11th century.
Decline and legacy
Prithviraja III of the Chahamanas of Shakambhari defeated Paramardi in 1182, and in 1203 Qutb al-Din Aibak took Kalinjar. The Chandelas survived as a local power until about 1315.
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (3)
- Chandela dynasty was a vassal of Gurjara-Pratihara831 CE – 950 CE
- Kachchhapaghata dynasty was a vassal of Chandela dynasty950 CE – 1000 CE
- Chandela dynasty was conquered by Delhi Sultanate1203 CE – 1315 CE
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Chandela dynasty. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/chandela-dynasty
- MLA
- “Chandela dynasty.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/chandela-dynasty. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Chandela dynasty.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/chandela-dynasty.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Chandela dynasty’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/chandela-dynasty (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻