Anangpal II: Tomar Dynasty

A seminar highlighted the legacy of the long-forgotten Tomar king – Anangpal II.

Key Points

About Anangpal II:

• Anangpal II, popularly known as Anangpal Tomar, belonged to the Tomar dynasty
• He was the founder of Dhillika Puri, which eventually became delhi
  • Evidence about the early history of Delhi is inscribed on the iron pillar of Masjid Quwaatul Islam, adjacent to Qutub Minar.
• Multiple inscriptions and coins suggest Anangpal Tomar was the ruler of present-day Delhi and Haryana in between the 8th-12th century 
  • He had built the city from ruins and under his supervision, Anang Tal Baoli and Lal Kot were constructed.

•  Anangpal Tomar II was succeeded by his grandson Prithviraj chauhan.
  • Delhi Sultanate was established in 1192 after Prithviraj Chauhan’s defeat in the Battle of Tarain (present-day Haryana) by the Ghurid forces.

About Tomar Dynasty:

• Tomara dynasty is one of the minor early medieval ruling houses of northern India. 
• Puranic evidence (writings of the Puranas) gives its early location in the Himalayan region. According to bardic tradition, the dynasty was one of the 36 Rajput tribe. 
• The history of the family spans the period between the reign of Anangpal, who founded the city of Delhi in the 11th century CE, and the incorporation of Delhi within the Chauhan (Chahamana) kingdom in 1164. 
• Although Delhi subsequently became decisively a part of the Chauhan kingdom, numismatic and comparatively late literary evidence indicates that Tomara kings such as Anangapala and Madanapala continued to rule as feudatories, presumably until the final conquest of Delhi by the Muslims in 1192–93.