EARLYNORTH
MEDIEVAL
INDIA
TIMES
PERIOD FROM 750-1000CE
NORTHERN INDIA
• THE PRATIHARA DYNASTY
• THE PALAS OF BENGAL
• THE RASHTRUKUTAS
THE PRATIHARA DYNASTY
• HARICHANDRA- FOUNDER
• NAGABHATTA I (730-760 CE)
DEFEATED THE ARAB ARMY UNDER JUNAID AND
TAMIM OF UMMAYAD CALIPHATE.
DEFEATED BY THE RASHTRAKUTA KING DHRUVA
• VATSRAJA (780-800CE)
MADE KANNAUJ AS CAPITAL
TRIPARTITE STRUGGLE STARTED DURING HIS
PERIOD:
DHARAMPALA- VATSRAJA- DHRUVA
THIS STRUGGLE CONTINUED FOR 350 YEARS.
• NAGABHATTA II (800-833CE)
DHARAMPALA- NAGABHATTA II- GOVIND
III
NAGABHATTA WAS SUCCEDED BY HIS
SON RAMABHADRA, WHO WAS AGAIN
SUCCEDED BY HIS SON MIHIR BHOJA.
• MIHIR BHOJA/BHOJA I (836-885CE)
GRANDSON OF NAGABHATTA II AND MOST
SUCCESSFUL RULER.
ARAB MERCHANT SULAIMAN CALLED HIM
KING JUZR IN HIS TRAVEL ACCOUNT AND
PRAISED HIS MILITARY POWER AND
KEEPING HIS EMPIRE SAFE FROM ROBBERS.
HE WAS CALLED KING BHAURA BY ANOTHER ARAB
TRAVELLER, AL-MASUDI.
DEVOTEE OF LORD VISHNU AND ADOPTED THE TITLE
OF ADIVARAHA
CAPITAL AT KANNAUJ WAS ALSO KNOWN AS
MAHODAYA
HE ALSO ASSUMED THE TITLE MIHIR AND
PRABHASA
• MAHENDRAPALA (885-910CE)
EXTENDED THE EMPIRE TO ITS PEAK.
EMPIRE WAS EXTENDED WEST TO THE BORDER OF SINDH,
EAST TO BENGAL, NORTH TO HIMALAYAS AND SOUTH TO THE
BANK OF NARMADA.
FOUGHT A BATTLE WITH THE KING OF KASHMIR,
SANKARVARMAN (UTPALA DYNASTY)
AND HAD TO YIELD HIM SOME OF THE TERRITORIES IN THE
PUNJAB.
COURT POET- RAJASHEKHAR WHO WAS A EMINENT SANSKRIT
POET AND DRAMATIST.
HE TOOK THE TITLE OF MAHARAJAADHIRAJA OF ARYAVRATA
o MAHIPALA I(913-944CE)
DEFEATED BY THE RASHTRAKUTA KING INDRA III
GUJARAT PASSED INTO THE HANDS OF RASHTRAKUTAS IN THIS
PERIOD – MENTIONED BY AL-MASUDI IN HIS ACCOUNT THAT
PRATIHARA LOST ACCESS TO SEA.
• RAJYAPALA (960-1018)
RASHTRAKUTA KING KRISHNA III INVADED
NORTH INDIA IN 963CE AND DEFEATED HIM.
MAHMUD GHAZNI RAIDED ON KANNAUJ;
RAJYAPALA FLED FROM THE BATTLE FIELD.
HE WAS MURDERED BY VIDHYADHAR
CHANDELA
• YASHPALA(1024-1036CE)
LAST RULER.
LATER GHADVALAS CONQUERED KANNNAJ.
THE PALAS OF BENGAL
• GOPALA – FOUNDER
CAPITAL- MUDAGIRI/MUNGER
ELECTED AS A KING BY THE NOTABLE MEN IN 750CE AS
RECORDED IN KHALIMPUR COPPER PLATE INSCRIPTION OF
DHARAMPALA.
ARDENT BUDDHIST FOLLOWER, BUILT ODANTAPURI
MONASTRY.
• DHARAMPALA (770-810)
THOUGH DEFEATED EARLIER BY VATSRAJA YET HE CONQUERED LARGE PART OF NORTH
INDIA AND RAISED THE EMPIRE TO ITS PEAK.
DEFEATED AGAIN BY NAGABHATTA II.
REVIVED NALANDA UNIVERSITY AND FOUNDED VIKRAMSHILA UNIVERSITY AND
SOMAPURI UNIVERSITY.
GREAT BUDDHIST SCHOLAR SANTRAKHSHITA AND DIPANKAR BELONG TO HIS REIGN.
A FAMOUS BUDDHIST WRITER HARIBHADRA HELD AN IMPORTANT PLACE IN HIS COURT.
WAS GIVEN TITLE OF UTTARAPATH SWAMI BY 11TH CENTURY GUJARATI POET SODDAL
• DEVAPALA (810-850CE)
EXTENDED HIS EMPIRE TILL KAMARUPA, PARTS OF
UTKAL AND MODERN NEPAL.
GRANTED THE REQUEST OF SAILENDRA DYNASTY
KING BALAPUTRADEVA, TO GRANT 5 VILLAGES TO
THE MONASTRY OF NALANDA UNIVERITY.
COURT POET- VAJRADATTA, A BUDDHIST SCHOLAR
WHO WROTE LOKESWARASATAKA
• PALA EMPIRE WAS CALLED AS RUHIMI OR RUHMA
DHARMA BY THE ARAB MERCHANT SULAIMAN.
• EMPIRE WEAKEND AT THE END OF THE 9TH CENTURY
DUE TO CONSTANT ATTACKS FROM
CONTEMPORARIES AS ALSO SUBORDINATE RULERS
OF KAMARUPA AND UTKAL ASSUMED
INDEPENDENCE.
.
• MAHIPALA (977-1027CE)
DEFEATED BY RAJENDRA CHOLA I
o RAMAPALA (1027-1126)
LAST STRONG RULER
REVIVED THE EMPIRE BY CONQUERING KAMRUPA AND UTKAL.
• MADANAPALA (1130-1150CE)
LAST RULER WHO WAS DETHRONED BY VIJAYSENA,
WHO ESTABLISHED HINDU SENA DYNASTY.
THE RASHTRAKUTAS
• DANTIDURGA (753-756CE)
FOUNDER
FEUDATORY OF CHALUKYA KING, KIRTIVARMAN II .
ESTABLISHED RASHTRAKUTA DYNASTY BY DEFEATING
KIRTIVARMAN II IN 753CE.
• KRISHNA I (756-774CE)
UNCLE OF DANTIDURGA.
EXTENDED HIS EMPIRE TO PRESENT DAY
KARNATAKA AND KONKAN.
KAILASANATH TEMPLE AT ELLORA CAVES,
DEDICATED TO LORD SHIVA BUILT BDURING HIS
REIGN.
• DHRUVA (780-793CE)
DEFEATED NAGABHATTA II AND DHARAMPALA.
ALSO BROUGHT EASTERN CHALUKYA UNDER HIS
CONTROL.
o GOVIND III (793-814CE)
SON OF DHRUVA
DEFEATED NAGABHATTA II AND DHARAMPALA AGAIN.
HIS MILITARY CONQUEST WERE COMPARED TO ALEXANDER THE
GREAT AND ARJUNA OF MAHABHARATA.
o AMOGHAVARSHA (814-878CE)
BUILT THE CAPITAL CITY- MANYAKHET/MALKHED
MOST FAMOUS RULER.
FOLLOWER OF JAINISM
DEFEATED EASTERN CHALUKYAS AND ASSUMED THE TITLE
VIRANARAYANA
HE WAS A PATRON OF LITERATURE AND WAS
ACCOMPLISHED SCHOLAR IN KANNADA ANS SANSKRIT.
HE WROTE KAVIARAJAMARGA- THE EARLIEST
KANNADA WORK ON POETICS AND PRASHNOTARA
RATNAMALIKA IN SANSKRIT WHICH IS CONSIDERED
AS THE WRITING OF HIGH MERIT.
ALSO CALLED AS ASHOKA OF THE SOUTH AND
EQUATED WITH VIKRAMADITYA CHANDRAGUPTA II
SULEIMAN, THE ARAB MERCHANT CALLED HIM THE GREATEST KING OF THE
WORLD.
o KRISHNA III (939-967CE)
LAST GREAT KING.
DEFEATED CHOLA KING PARANTAKA I AND ANNEXED THE NORTHERN PART OF THE
CHOLA EMPIRE.
HE PATRONISED THREE GEM OF KANNADA LITERATURE RANNA, PONNA AND
PAMPA
AFTER HIS DEATH, ALL HIS OPPONENTS UNITED AGAINST HIS SUCCESSOR AND IN
972CE SACKED THE CAPITAL MANYAKHET AND BURNT TO ASHES. THIS MARKED THE
END OF RASHTRAKUTAS.
GENERAL OVERVIEW
• ADMINISTRATION ON SAME LINES LIKES OF GUPTAS AND HARSHA’S.
• KING – HEAD OF ADMINISTRATION AND COMMANDER IN CHIEF.
• KING- ADVISED BY COUNCIL OF MINISTER
• LADIES OF ROYAL FAMILIES USED TO ATTEND DURBAR AND DIDN’T VEIL THEIR FACES.
• KINGSHIP- HEREDITARY, BUT NOT NECESSARILY PRESENCE OF PRIMOGENITURE
• NOT ONLY PRINCES BUT ALSO IN RARE CASES PRINCESSES WERE APPOINTED TO IMPORTANT GOVERNMENTAL POSTS.
• EG- PRINCESS ,CHANDROBALABBE, DAUGHTER OF AMOGHAVARSHA ADMINISTERED THE RAICHUR DOAB FOR
SOMETIME.
• ALL THE THREE KINGDOMS HAD WELL
ORGANIZED AND LARGE NUMBER OF INFANTRY,
CAVALRY AND WAR ELEPHANTS.
• PRATIHARAS – FINEST CAVALRY
• RASHTRAKUTAS- LARGE NUMBER OF FORTS
• PALAS –LARGEST NUMBER OF ELEPHANTS
• VASSAL SYSTEM WAS PRESENT KNOWN AS
SAMANTAS
• DIRECT ADMINISTERED TERRITORY WAS
DIVIDED INTO:-
RASHTRA ------ RASHTRAPATI OR
GOVERNOR
BHUKTI (PROVINCES)---- -
UPARIKA
MANDALAS OR VISAYA(DISTRICTS)----
VISAYAPATI
PATTALA (GROUP OF VILLAGES)-----
• DUE TO INCREASED TRADE BETWEEN PALAS AND MIDDLE EAT , ISLAM
APPEARED FIRST IN BENGAL UNDER PALAS.
• GREAT APABHRAMSA POET SWAYAMBU LIVED IN RASHTRAKUTA COURT.
• KOTWALS WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR LAW AND ORDER OF TOWNS.
• NAD GAVUNDAS OR DESA GRAMUKTAS – HEREDITARY REVENUE OFFICERS.
• LATER THEY WERE CALLED AS DESHAMUKHAS AND DESHPANDES.
