Prepare Prelims 2017-Day-11-Medieval India History

THE NORTH INDIAN KINGDOMS – THE RAJPUTS

Medieval period

  Lies between the 8th and the 18th century A.D

  The Early Medieval period (8th-12th century A.O.)
  Later Medieval period (12th-18th century)
  Rajputs who belonged to the early medieval period
  The Rajput Period (647A.D- 1200 A.D.)

  The Ancient Indian history came to an end with the rule of Harsha and Pulakesin II

  From the death of Harsha to the 12th century, the destiny of India was mostly in the hands of
      various Rajput dynasties.

The popular theories are

  They are the descendants of Lord Rama (Surya vamsa) or Lord Krishna (Chandra vamsa) or
      the Hero who sprang from the sacrificial fire (Agni Kula theory),

  They belong to the ancient Kshatriya families,   They are foreigners.

There were nearly 36 Rajput’ clans. The major clans were

  The Pratiharas of Avanti.

  The Palas of Bengal.

  The Chauhans of Delhi and Ajmer   The Rathors of Kanauj

  The Guhilas or Sisodiyas of Mewar
  The Chandellas of Bundelkhand
  The Paramaras of Malwa
  The Senas of Bengal
  The Solankis of Gujarat.

The Rajputs lacked unity and struggled with one another

They also neglected the frontiers of India and gave way for the Muslims to invade India at a later period.

The Pratiharas 8th-11th Century A.D

  The Pratiharas were also known as Gurjara

  They ruled over northern and western India from the 8th to the 11th century A.D.

  Nagabhatta I (725-740.A.D.) was the founder of the Pratihara dynasty with Kanauj as his capital.   Vatsaraja and Nagabhatta II played a vital role in consolidating the empire.
  Mihirabhoja was the most powerful Pratihara king.

  During his period, the empire extended from Kashmir to Narmada and from Kathiawar to Bihar.   Mahendrapala (885-908 A.D.) son of Mihirabhoja, was also a powerful ruler.
  He extended his control over Magadha and North Bengal

Pratiharas-A bulwark

  • The Pratiharas stood as a bulwark of India’s defence against the aggression of the Muslims
    from the days of Junaid of Sind (725.A.D.) to that of Mahmud of Ghazni

Decline of the Pratiharas

  Rajyapala was the last Pratihara king.
  Vast empire was reduced to Kanauj.

  The Pratihara power began to decline after Mahmud of Ghazni attacked the kingdom in 1018
      A.D.

  After the decline of the Prathiharas their feudatories Palas, Tomars, Chauhans, Rathors,
      Chandellas, Guhilas and Paramaras became independent rulers.

  There was complete anarchy in Bengal between 750-760 A.D.

Gopala (765-769.A.D.)

  Restored order and founded the Pala dynasty.

  Extended his power over Magadha and the Pala dynasty   Ruled over northern and eastern India.

Dharmapala (769-815 A.D.)

  The son of Gopala, succeeded him.

  He brought Kanauj, Bengal and Bihar under his control

  Became the master of Northern India after defeating the Pratiharas.

  He was a staunch Buddhist and founded several monasteries and the famous Vikramasila University.

  He also renovated the Nalanda University

Dharmapala’s son Devapala (815-855 A.D.)

  Succeeded him kept the Pala territories intact

  Captured Assam and Orissa. His successors were weak.

  During the reign of (998-1038. A.D.) The Palas became powerful again   The Pala dynasty started declining after the death of Mahipala.
  The last Pala king was Govinda Pala

Tripartite Struggle for Kanauj

  The Pratiharas of Central India, the Palas of Bengal and the Rashtrakutas of Deccan

wanted to establish their supremacy over Kanauj and the fertile Gangetic Valley.

  Their Tripartite struggle lasted nearly 200 years and weakened all of them and enabled the
      Turks to overthrow them.

The Tomars of Delhi

  The Tomars were the feudatories of the Pratiharas.

  They rose to power and founded the city of Delhi in 736 A.D.

  In 1043 A.D., Mahipala Tomar captured Thaneshwar, Hansi and Nagarkot.

  The Tomars became the feudatories of the Chauhans when Delhi was captured by them in
      middle of the 1 2th century

The Chauhans of Delhi and Ajmer

  The Chauhans who were the feudatories of the Pratiharas declared their independence in the
      1101 century at Ajmer.

  In the early part of the 12th century they captured Ujjain from the Paramaras of Malwa and
      Delhi from the Tomars.

  They shifted their capital to Delhi.

  The most important ruler of this dynasty was Prithvtraj Chauhan Rathors of Kanauj (1090-1194 A.D.)

  The Rathors established themselves on the throne of Kanauj from 1090 to 1194 A.D.   Jaichand was the last great ruler of this dynasty.

  He was killed in the battle of Chandwar in 1194A.D. by Muhammad of Ghori.

The Chandellas of Bundelkhand

  Established themselves in the 9th century.

  The Chandella Chief Yasovarman had his capital at Mahoba.   Kalinjar was their important fort.

  The Chandellas built a number of beautiful temples at Khajuraho, the most famous being
      the Kandariya Mahadeva Temple (1050 A.D.)

  Qutb-ud-din Aibak defeated, Paramal the last Chandella ruler in 1203A.D.

The Guhllas or Slsodlyas of Mewar

  The Rajput ruler Bapa Rawat was the founder of the Guhila or the Sisodiya dynasty with its
      capital at Chittor

  During the period of Rana Ratan Singh of Mewar,

  Ala-ud-din khilji invaded his territory and defeated him in 1307 A.D.

  The Sisodiya rulers – Rana Sangha and: Maharana Pratap gave a tough fight to the Mughal
      rulers of India

The Paramaras of Malwa

  The Paramaras were also the feudatories of Pratiharas. They asserted their independence in the
      10th century and their capital was at Dhara.

  Raja Bhoja (1018-1069) was the most famous ruler of this period.

  He constructed a beautiful lake (More than 250 sq. miles) near Bhopal. He set up a college at
      Dhara for the study of Sanskrit Literature.

  The reign of the Paramaras came to an end with the invasion of Ala-ud-din Khilji

Nature of the Rajputs

  The Rajputs were great warriors and chivalrous by nature.
  They believed in protecting the women and the weak.

Religion

  The Rajputs were staunch followers of Hinduism
  They also patronized Buddhism and Jainism.
  During their period that the Bhakti Cult started.

Government

  The Rajput government was feudal in character.

  Each kingdom was divided into a large number of Jagirs held by the Jagirdars.

Some of the literary works of this period are

  Kalhana’s Rajatarangin

  Jayadeva’s Gita Govindam

  Somadeva’s Kathasaritasagar

  Chand Bardai, the court poet of Prithviraj Chauhan, wrote Prithviraj Raso in which he refers
      to the military exploits of Prithviraj Chauhan.

  Bhaskara Charya wrote Siddhanta Shinomani, a book on astronomy

Rajasekhara

  The court poet of Mahendrapala and Mahipala   His best known works were

  Karpu ramanjari , Bala and Ramayana

Art and Architecture

  Mural paintings and Miniature paintings became popular during this period.   Khajuraho group of temples,

  Lingaraja Temple at Bhubaneshwar
  The Sun Temple at Konark
  The Dilwara Temple at Mount Abu

End of the Rajput Power

  During the Rajput period there were no strong military power

  To keep the warring princes in check and to co-ordinate their activities against foreign invasions.

Some popular terms

  Jauhar: Amass suicide of women in order to escape defilement at the hands of foreign victors.   Gita Govindam: ‘Song of the cowherd

  Rajatarangini -‘River of Kings’,

  Kathasaritasagara -Ocean of tales’

THE KINGDOMS OF THE DECCAN

  The southern part of India is called the Deccan or the Dakshinapatha

  The Deccan was separated from Northern India by the Vindhya and Satpura mountains, the
      Narmada and Tapti and the dense forests

  The Deccan was separated from Northern India by the Vindhya and Satpura mountains, the
      Narmada and Tapti and the dense forests

  The medieval period witnessed the rise of the Chalukyas and the Rashtrakutas in the Deccan   This period also saw the extension of the Delhi Sultanate namely the Khiljis and the
      Tughluqs into South India.

The Chalukyas (6th -12th century A.D.)

  The Early Western Chalukyas -6th-8th century A.D.   The Later Western Chalukyas 10th-12th century A.D.   The Eastern Chalukyas-7th-12th century.A.D

Early Western Chalukyas (6th-8thcentury A.D.)

  The Chalukyas rose to power in Karnataka in the 6th century A.D

  Their capital was Vatapi, (modern Badami) in the Bijapur district

  Had a humble beginning under Jayasimha and Ramaraya. Pulakesin-I (543-566.A.D)

Real founder

  Pulakesin II (610-642 A.D.)
  Greatest ruler of this dynasty

  He defeated Gangas, Malavas and Gurjaras.

  He successfully opposed Harsha’s attack in the north and defeated him in 637 A.D.

  In the south he was constantly struggling with the Pallavas.

  Pulakesin II defeated the Pallava King Mahendravarma I after which he crossed the Cauvery   Made friendly alliances with the Cholas, Cheras and Pandyas

  Made friendly alliances with the Cholas, Cheras and Pandyas   Pulakesin II lost his life during the war.

  1. Vikramaditya-I, Vijayaditya and Vikramaditya-ll were the other important rulers of this dynasty
  2. The last of the Chalukya Kings of Badami.

Later Western Chalukyas of Kalyani (10th  -12th century A.D)

  • The founder of this dynasty brought the Rashtrakuta rule to an end.

The important rulers

  1. Someshwara-ll
  2. Vikramaditya-VI
  3. Vikramaditya-VI
  4. Someswara IV was the last ruler

Eastern Chalukyas of Vengi (7th -12th century A.D)

  1. Vishnu Vardhana, a brother of Pulakesin-ll, was the founder of the Eastern Chalukya Empire of
    Vengi.
  2. One of their descendants namely Kulothunga Chola (1071-1122 A.D.)
  3. He was enthroned as a Chola ruler.

Contributions of the Chalukyas

  The Chalukya kings were the followers of Hinduism.

  Ravikirti, the court poet of Pulakesin-ll who composed the Aihole Inscription was a Jain   Great patrons of architecture

  Built around 70 Vishnu temples in Aihole.

  Hence Aihole has been called the ‘Cradle of Indian Temple architecture   Virupaksha temple at Pattadakal

  Telugu literature developed during this period.

The Virupaksha temple:

  • This temple was built by Lokamahadevi.the queen of Vikramaditya 11.In front of the Hall
    of the Priests or Antarala there is a pillared Mandapam or a meeting placefor the people.
  • The Virupaksha temple is built on the model of the Kailasanatha temple at Kancheepuram. The Rashtrakutas (8th -10th century A.D.)

  The period of the Rashtrakuta ascendancy (753-975A.D.) constitutes perhaps the most
      brilliant chapter in the history of the Deccan.

  The Rashtrakutas were the descendants of the Rathors of the North.   Kannada was the mother tongue of the Rashtrakutas

Rashtrakutas (background)

  1. Means designated officers-incharge of territorial divisions called Rashtras
  2. The members of the family were district officers under the early Chalukyas of Badami.

Dantidurga

  He occupied Ellora in 742 AD and became a feudatory of Kirtivarman of Badami

  He captured Maharastra, Gujarat and most of the districts of central and northern Madhya
      Pradesh.

  Rashtrakuta territory extended around Nasik in the Northern Deccan with Malkhed as its capital   Dantidurga died in 756 A.D. and was succeeded by his uncle Krishna-I (756-775 A.D.).

Govinda-ll

  • Govinda-ll (775- 780 A.D.), the son of Krishna I invaded the kingdom of Vengi and
    entered into alliances with the rulers of Gangavadi, Kanchi, Vengi and Malwa

Dhurva

  • Dhurva (780-792 A.D.) who succeeded Govinda-ll, was an able ruler

Govinda-lll

  • Govinda-lll (792 -81 4 A.D.) was succeeded by his fourteen year old son Amoghavarsha-I
    (814-880 A.D).

Krishna lll

  1. Krishna lll (936-968 A.D.) was the next famous ruler. He defeated the Cholas at

Takkolam and captured Tanjore.

  1. He went as far as Rameshwaram

Karka-ll

  • Karka-ll (972-973.A.D.), the last ruler of the Rashtrakutas was defeated by Tailapa-ll, the
    Chalukya ruler of Kalyani.

Contributions

Ellora

  1. The Ellora caves were excavated during the reign of the Chalukyas and later by
    the Rashtrakuta Kings.
  2. Hindu .Buddhist and Jain deities are found in these cave temples.

The Kailasanatha

  1. World‘s largest temple hewn out of a single blocks of rock and is the most imposing

Krishna-I

  1. Kailasanatha temple at Ellora.
  2. The Elephanta caves near Mumbai were completed by the Rashtrakutas

Amoghavarsha

  1. Great patron of literature.
  2. He wrote Marga in the Kannada language

Jinasena (teacher of Amoghavarsha)

1.  Wrote Parsavaudaya, a biography of Parsava

The Hoysalas of Dwarasamudra (11th -14th Century A.D.) Vinayaditya

  Vinayaditya (1006 -1022 A.D.) carved out a petty principality of Mysore and ruled over it with
      Sosavir as his capital.

  Vishnuvardhana was the first distinguished ruler of Vinayaditya’s family. He shifted his
      capital to Dwarasamudra.

  He captured Gangavadi from Kulothunga Chola.

  Gangavadi served as a buffer state between the Chalukyas and the Chola Empire.

Vira Ballala – ll

  1. Vira Ballala – ll (1173-1220 A.D.)the next important ruler, he defeated Billama V of Yadava
    Dynasty.
  2. He arrested the independence of the Hoysalas.

Narasimhan-ll

  Narasimhan-ll (1220-1235 A.D.) lost the territory between Krishna and Tungabhadra to
      Singhana, a Yadava ruler.

  He defeated Maravarman Sundara Pandya and restored Rajaraja-lll to the Chola throne
      and he erected the pillar of victory at Rameshwaram.

Ballala III

  Ballala III (1291-1342 A.D) was the last great ruler of this dynasty. In 1310A.D. he was
      defeated by Malik Kafur.

  He fell a victim to the Sultans of Madurai in 1342 A.D.

Ballala IV

  1. His son Ballala IV continued his struggle with the Muslims. With his death the Hoysala
    Kingdom came to end.

Contributions

  Hoysalas paved the way for the rise of Mysore into a big Kingdom.   Great patrons of art, architecture and literature.

  Hoysalas encouraged Kannada literature.

The Kakatiyas of Warangal (12th -14th Century A.D.)

  Prola-ll (1110 -1158 A.D.) the Kakatiya ruler captured the territory between the Krishna
      and the Godavari from the Chalukyas and ruled over it with Hanumakonda as his capital.   His son Prataparudra-I (1158-1196.A.D.) shifted the capital to Warangal.
  The next remarkable ruler was Ganapathi (1199-1261. A.D.).
  He captured territories up to Kanchi from the Cholas.
  He invaded Kalinga and Western Andhra.

Daughter of Ganapati (Rudrambha) (1261 -1291 .A.D.)

  She abdicated the throne in favour of her grandson Prataparudhra-ll (1291-1326 A.D.).   During his rule Malik Kafur invaded Warangal in 1309 A.D.

  Prataprudra – ll yielded and paid him an immense booty.

Ulugh Khan

  Ulugh Khan, the son of Ghiasud-din Tughluq captured Warangal in 1323 A.D. and sent
      Prataparudra II to Delhi

  His successors continued their struggle with the rulers of the Tughluq dynasty

  Vinayakadeva the last nominal ruler of this dynasty was put to death by Muhammad Shah I

KOHINOOR (the famous diamond belonged to Kakatiyas)

  • Which was unearthed in Kollur on the banks of the Krishna River belonged to the Kakatiyas.

Contributions

  The Kakatiyas encouraged literature, art and architecture.

  The thousand Pillar temple at Hanumakonda stands as an everlasting contribution

THE YADAVAS OF DEVAGIRI (12ÿ -14* Century A.D.)

  The Yadavas of Devagiri claimed their descent from the epic hero Lord Krishna.

  They were known as Sevunas because they ruled over Sevuna, the region from Nasik to
      Devagiri (Daulatabad).

BhjUama-V (1 1 75-11 90 A.D.)

  The Yadava ruler took advantage of the declining power of the Later Western Chalukyas of
      Kalyani,

  Defeated Someswara-IV and declared his independence.

  Came into conflict with Vira Balalla-ll (1173-1220A.D.), a Hoysala ruler. In the battle of
      Lakkundi, Bhillama V lost his life.

Jaitrapala

  Bhillama V was succeeded by his son Jaitrapala (1191-1210 A.D.)   He defeated Kalachuris, Gurjaras and Kakatiyas.

  Jaitrapala was succeeded by his son Singhana (1210-1247A.D.)

Singhana

  He defeated Mahadeva, a Kakatiya ruler.

  Singhana was the most distinguished ruler of this dynasty.

  He defeated Vira Ballala-ll the Hoysala ruler and extended his dominion beyond the River
      Krishna.

  He invaded Gujarat many times and annexed Kolhapur which belonged to Silhara dynasty.

  Singhana was succeeded by his grandson Krishna (1247-1260 A. D). He was succeeded by his
      brother Mahadeva (1260-1271 A.D) who annexed north Konkan and put an end to the Silhara
      dynasty.

  Ramachandra Deva (1271-1 309 A.D.) was the last great ruler of this dynasty.
  Ala-ud-din-Khilji defeated him and made him as a vassal of the Delhi Sultanate.

Sankara Deva (1309 – 1312 A.D.) the son and successor of Ramachandra Deva

  Malik Kafur defeated and killed him in 1312 A.D.

  Harapala, brother-in-law of Sankara Deva raised the flag against the Khiljis.

  Mubarak, son of Ala-ud-din Khilji defeated and killed Harapala. Thus the Yadava dynasty

came to an end.

The Elephanta Caves

  The Elephanta Caves were hewn out of rocks by the Rashtrakuta Kings. They are located on a
      small island near Mumbai

  The Portuguese named it so as they discovered a huge elephant sculpture here. The temple is
      dedicated to Lord Shiva and contains many sculptures of gods and goddesses

Contribution of the Yadavas

Devagiri fort

  1. Built during the reign of the Yadavas.
  2. It was one of the strongest forts in India
  3. The Delhi Sultans later added a Juma Masjid and Chand Minar inside it.

End of the Deccan Kingdoms

  1. Further the attacks on them by the Sultans of Delhi ever since the rule of Ala-uddin Khilji led
    to their decline

ARAB AND TURKISH  INVASIONS

  Prophet Muhammad was the founder of Islam(570-632 A.D)   Islam grew up in the deserts of Arabia.

  Its first converts were the Arabs.

  Arab conquest of Sind and Multan 712 A.D.

  Commercial contacts prevailed between India and Arabia for a long time.   The Arabs were attracted by the rich ports of Sind

  They wanted to extend their political and religious control over it.

  They were angry with the ruler of Sind who failed to check the pirates who plundered them

Muhammad-bin-Qasim

  Sent by Al-Hajjajj the Governor of Iraq

  With the permission of Caliph Walid to conquer Sind
  He marched against Dahir the ruler of Sind
  Defeated him in the Battle of Rewar and captured Sind

  He also captured Multan.

  He got so much of wealth from Multan that he called Multan – ‗The City of Gold‘.

Administrative System

  Muhammad-bin-Qasim divided Sind and Multan into number of Iqtas or districts   Arab military officers were appointed as heads of the Iqtas.

  Local Hindu officers were allowed to administer the sub¬ divisions of the districts.   The Arabs imposed Jizya on non- Muslims.

  Muhammad-bin-Qasim had an army of 25,000 troops including 6000 Syrian horses, 6000
      Camels, 3000 Bactrian Camels

  An artillery force of 2000 men with five catapults and advanced guards.

End of Muhammad-bin-Qasim

  1. Caliph Sulaiman, succeeded Caliph Walid after his death.
  2. He was an arch enemy of Al-Hajjaj, the Governor of Iraq.
  3. He dismissed Muharrimad-bin Qasim as he was the son-in-law of Al-Hajjaj.
  4. He sent him as a prisoner to Mesopotamia and tortured him to death.
  5. Sind and Multan remained as part of the Caliph’s empire for more than 150 years.

Effects of Arab Conquest

  1. The conquest of Sind sowed the seeds for the coming of Islam into India.
  2. The Arabs learnt the art of administration, astronomy, music, painting, medicine and
    architecture from our land.
  3. Indian Philosophy, numerals and astronomy were taken to Europe by the Arabs.

Turkish Invasion

  The Expansion of Turks into India

  The Turks got the upper hand over the Caliphs of Baghdad in the 8th and 9th centuries

  They completed the work begun by the Arabs and extended their dominion beyond Sind and
      Multan into India.

Heroic Defence of Women

Rani Bai

The wife of Dahir and the other women of Sind put up a heroic defence within the Fort of Rewar.
When their attempt failed they performed Jauhar to save their chastity and escape from the hands of
the invaders.

Indian impact

Brahma Siddhanta

A Sanskrit work of Brahma Gupta was translated into Arabic. Arabic works mention the names of Indian scientists like Bhala, Manaka and Sindbad. Dhana was appointed as a chief Medical officer in a hospital at Baghdad

Manaka, a physician cured a serious disease of Caliph Harun-al-Rashid.

Mahmud of Ghazni

  He invaded India in 1000 A.D
  He was the first Turkish invader
  Mahmud defeated Jaipala,

  The ruler of the Hindu Shahi dynasty

  Fateh Daud of Multan and Anandpala of Nagarkot

  He also crushed the Chandelas. The rulers of Mathura, Kanauj and Gwalior.   Returned to Ghazrii with enormous wealth

  Mahmud’s important expedition in Hindustan was against the Somnath temple in 1025 A.D.   This was situated on the coast of Kathiawar

  As the ruler of Kathiawar, Raja Bhima Dev, and his followers fled from the place, Estimate of Mahmud of Ghazni

  Mahmud of Ghazni was one of the greatest Muslim rulers of Asia.

  He was a great patron of art and letters and he patronised scholars like Firdausi and Alberuni

End of Ghazni’s rule in India

  1. By 1186 A.D. the power of the House of Ghazni declined and that of Ghori rose up.

Muhammad of Ghori

  Muhammad was the third important Muslim invader of Hindustan.   He became the ruler of Ghori

His invasions

  1. As an ambitious and enterprising ruler
  2. Started his attacks on India in 1176 A.D

First Battle of Tarain (1191A.D.)

  In 1189 A.D. Muhammad of Ghori captured the fortress of Bhatinda and advanced into the
      kingdom of Prithviraj Chauhan

  Prithviraj marched against him with a large force and defeated Muhammad of Ghori in the
      Battle of Tarain in 1191 A.D

  Prithviraj also recovered Bhatinda, which was earlier occupied by Mahmud of Ghazni

Second Battle of Tarain (11 92 A.D.)

  He gave a crushing defeat to the combined forces of the Rajput rulers under Prithviraj at Tarain.   Prithviraj was imprisoned and later put to death

  The Second Battle of Tarain marked the beginning of the Turkish rule in the heart of Hindustan
      for the first time in Indian history

  Muhammad of Ghori appointed Qutb-ud-din Aibak as his commander. Rajput Uprisings

  Between 1193 and 1198 A.D. there were many Rajput uprisings

  Qutb-ud-din Aibak put them down and brought many of their territories under his control   Delhi was made the capital of Muhammad of Ghori’s territory in India.

Battle of Chandwar (1194 A.D.)

  1. Muhammad of Ghori marched against Jaichandra, the greatest Rajput ruler of Kanauj
  2. Jaichand was struck in the eye by an arrow and he was killed by Muhammad of Ghori

Conquest of Bengal and Bihar

  Muhammad-bin-Baktiyar Khilji, one of the commanders of Muhammad of Ghori   Destroyed Vikramasila and Nalanda Universities in 1202-1203A.D

Death of Muhammad of Ghori

  Muhammad of Ghori went back to Ghazrii in order to check his Central Asian enemies.

  While he was engaged in evening prayer, he was assassinated on 25th March 1206A.D. by some Shia rebels and Khokhars

  Muhammad of Ghori was considered to be the real founder of the Turkish Empire in India
            because of his various conquests and annexations of the Rajput territory in North India

Leave a Reply