History: What was the caste of Samrat Mihir Bhoj?

1 year ago on 8th September 2021, the statue of Emperor Mihir Bhoj was installed at Sheetla Mata Road Chiravai Naka Chauraha of Gwalior. The statue of Emperor Mihir Bhoj was unveiled by the Municipal Corporation. In this, only Samrat Mahir Bhoj was written on the nameplate. Then the nameplate was changed and the 'Gurjar' word was added in front of the name.

The Rajput Kshatriya Samaj opposed this. The two communities Gurjars and Rajputs came face to face with each other. From here the dispute started regarding the caste of Emperor Mihir Bhoj.

Who was Samrat Mihir Bhoj?

• Emperor Mihir Bhoj used to rule in Kanauj of Uttar Pradesh during the year 836 to 885.
• He was the ruler of Pratihara dynasty, he ruled for 50 years.
• He used to rule from Multan to Bengal and from Kashmir to Karnataka.
• Present-day Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Orissa, Gujarat and Himachal were included in his princely state.
• King Mihir Bhoj was a devotee of Lord Vishnu.
• Some people believe that Delhi's Mehrauli is named after him.
• Delhi Chief Minister Saheb Singh Verma had named National Highway 24 after Mihir Bhoj.
• Emperor Mihir Bhoj is described in the Prabhas section of Skanda Purana.
• After ruling for 50 years, he handed over his throne to his son Mahendra Pal and himself went into the forest with his retirement.
• Arab traveler Suleiman, in his book Srilite Turikh, written in 851 AD, described Emperor Mihir Bhoj as the biggest enemy of Islam.

There is a dispute between the Gurjar society and the Rajputs regarding the caste of Emperor Mahir Bhoj. Both the communities are engaged in claiming Mihir Bhoj as their own.

Samrat Mihir Bhoj: Gurjar or Rajput?

The Gurjar community claims that Gurjar has always been written in front of the name of Mihir Bhoj. The Arab traveler Suleiman, who visited India in 851 AD, called him Gurjar king and his country as Gurjar country.

Samrat Mahipala, grandson of Emperor Mihir Bhoj, has been written by Kannada poet Pampa as Gurjara Raja.

Gurjars say that Kshatriya is not a caste. Kshatriya is a varna, which includes all castes like Jats, Gurjars, Rajput Ahirs (Yadavs), Marathas etc.

At the same time, the Kshatriya Mahasabha claims that the Rajput era has been in all the documents of India from 700 AD to 1200 AD. During this time there was also the rule of Emperor Mihir Bhoj Pratihara dynasty.

They also claim that Gurjar is not a caste, the entire state was known before the name 'Gurjar Pradesh'.

Foreign citizens who came to India, have kept the pages of history, in which in the Gurjara Pratihar dynasty, Gurjar means place, not caste.

Most people believe that this dispute is meaningless. However this matter is pending Madhya Pradesh High court.

Also Read: Raja Mihir Bhoj controversy: Section 144 imposed in Gwalior

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