SAMRAT MIHIR BHOJ (Syllabus: GS Paper 1 - Art & Culture)

Context: Several villages in Haryana dominated by the Rajput community have imposed a ban on the entry of BJP leaders over the unveiling of a statue of Samrat Mihir Bhoj, a 9th-century ruler, with the word ‘Gurjar’ inscribed on the plaque in Kaithal district.

• Tension prevailed between the Gujjar and Rajput communities in Haryana’s Kaithal over the statue unveiling of Mihir Bhoj, a ninth-century ruler who helmed northern India.

Samrat Mihir Bhoj

• The 9th century Indian emperor Mihir Bhoj, also called Bhoja I, belongs to the Gurjara-Pratihara Dynasty. 
• He is known as a warrior, conqueror and empire builder.
• His capital was at Panchala (present day Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh).
• At his peak, the emperor’s rule stretched from the Narmada River to the Sutlej River, from Bengal to Kashmir, as per different historical documents. 
• A tenth century Persian text noted that Mihir Bhoj, the powerful ‘Rai of Qinnauj’ had established his supremacy over most Indian rules. 
• One Arab chronicle mentions Mihir Bhoj as a “bitter enemy of the Arab invaders.”
• Texts mention Mihir Bhoj as being devoted to God Vishnu and used the title ?divar?ha.