kingdom · South Asia

Paramara dynasty

800 CE – 1305 CE (approx.) · capital Dhar

The Malwa dynasty of the scholar-king Bhoja, whose capital Dhar became a byword for learning and the patronage of poets.

Origins

The Paramaras emerged in Malwa in the 9th century, probably as feudatories of the Rashtrakuta dynasty or the Gurjara-Pratihara. Later legend said their ancestor sprang from a sacrificial fire on Mount Abu. Siyaka, also called Harsha, made the dynasty independent and sacked the Rashtrakuta capital Manyakheta in 972.

Rule and society

Vakpati Munja was a poet and patron who fought the Western Chalukya Empire and was captured and executed by Tailapa II. Bhoja, ruling from about 1010 to 1055, was celebrated as a polymath credited with works on poetics, architecture and medicine; he made Dhar a centre of learning, built the Bhojpur Shiva temple and was remembered in countless legends. The Paramaras also built the Udayeshvara temple at Udaipur in Malwa.

Decline and legacy

After Bhoja's defeat by the Chaulukya dynasty and the Kalachuris of Tripuri, the kingdom weakened. The Delhi Sultanate attacked repeatedly, and in 1305 an army of Alauddin Khalji conquered Malwa, ending Paramara rule.

Connections (2)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Paramara dynasty. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/paramara-dynasty
MLA
“Paramara dynasty.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/paramara-dynasty. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Paramara dynasty.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/paramara-dynasty.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Paramara dynasty’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/paramara-dynasty (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻