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CHAPTER 10 (The Rise of Small Kingdoms in North India)

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Harshvardhan was the last great ruler of ancient India. After his death, the whole empire disintegrated into many small kingdoms due to the miserable economic condition and lack of proper administration by his weak successors. This was a period of political instability in north India. Three powerful kingdoms arose between 750 CE and 1000 CE out of the ruins of Harsha’s empire, and hence, this period is also known as the Age of Three Empires. The Rashtrakutas took over the control in northern part of Deccan, the Palas in eastern India (Bengal and Bihar region) and the Pratiharas in Avanti (southern Rajasthan and Gujarat). The three main kingdoms, though continuously engaged in wars, were successful in providing stable administration, which helped in the progress of art and literature. Let us study them one by one.

RASHTRAKUTAS

The Rashtrakutas established the most powerful empire in northern Deccan in 753 CE. They became the masters of a large area of the present Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Karnataka. Their empire acted as a bridge between north and south India. Dantidurga is considered to be the real founder of the Rashtrakuta empire. Govinda III and Amoghavarsha (814 – 880 CE) were the well-known Rashtrakuta kings. The Rashtrakutas were great warriors, art lovers and scholars.

They took up titles like Chakravarti, Maharajadhiraj and Param Bhattarak. They maintained huge armies and encouraged trade for the prosperity of the people. Rashtrakutas followed Jainism but also patronised Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims. Rashtrakuta rulers were great patrons of art and learning. Their rule saw the flourishing of regional literature. Rock-cut temples of Ellora, belonging to Hindu, Buddhist and Jain sects are a proof of the religious tolerance of Rashtrakutas. King Amoghvarsha himself was a great lover of Sanskrit. He wrote Kaviragamarga, one of the earliest works in Kannada poetry. By the end of tenth century, the Chalukyas crushed the power of Rashtrakutas and took over the control of their kingdom.

PALAS

Very limited information is available about the history of Bengal for the period between the death of Harsha and the ascending of Palas. But, it is well-known that during this time, Bengal faced a lot of infighting among the small kingdoms. The people of Bengal elected Gopala as their king to maintain peace and order. He set up an empire, which ruled over for about 400 years. His successors used ‘Pala’ after their name and hence, their empire came to be known as Pala Dynasty.Dharamapala was the greatest ruler of Pala dynasty. He set up a centre for Buddhist education which was known as Vikramsheel Vihar. His son Devapala extended the Pala empire and also defeated the Huns. The end of his period ushered in the decline of Palas.The Pala rulers were the followers of Buddhism. Many scholars were sent to distant countries to spread Buddhism. They also gave generous grants to Brahmins to build temples. Palas were the great patrons of art, education and literature.

PRATIHARAS

They are also called Gurjara-Pratiharas, probably because they originated from Gujarat. They ruled over Gujarat and south-western Rajasthan. The founder of the Pratihara empire was Nagabhatta-I. The greatest ruler of this dynasty was Mihir Bhoj. He conquered Kanauj around 836 CE. The continuous battles weakened the Pratihara empire and it broke into a number of smaller kingdoms.The Pratiharas were great warriors. They fought many battles with the Palas and the Rashtrakutas. The Pratihara kings were also great patrons of art and literature. King Mihir Bhoj himself was a well-known scholar. Regional languages developed at a fast rate under Pratiharas rule. During this time, early forms of Marathi and Gujarati were spoken in western India. Bengali, Assamese and Oriya became popular in eastern India. The beautiful temples of Khajuraho, Kanchipuram, Thanjavur, Bhubaneswar, Puri and Konark were built during the rule of the Pratiharas. The art of miniature painting also started during this period.Tripartite Struggle Kanauj was considered a symbol of power in north India. Hence, the three kingdoms �the Rashtrakuta, the Pala and the Pratihara, were continuously engaged in a struggle to possess Kanauj. Their struggle for supremacy was known as the Tripartite Struggle. Each of them succeeded in occupying Kanauj, in turns, as they were almost at par in military strength. But, the continuous battles weakened them and finally led to the decline of all the three great powers. Their empires disintegrated into many small kingdoms within a period of hundred years.

RAJPUTS

Around ninth century CE, the whole of north India had become a patchwork of small kingdoms as the power of the Rashtrakutas, the Palas and the Pratiharas ended almost simultaneously. During the tenth century CE, three important developments took place in medieval India. Firstly, north India came in close contact with western and central Asia. Secondly, most of the kingdoms came under the rule of Rajputs, who were constantly at war with one another. Finally, the continuous wars created political instability, which was the major cause of the beginning of Turkish invasions in north India. The Rajputs played an important role in medieval India. They were famous for their bravery. There is no clarity about the origin of the Rajputs. The word ‘rajput’ means ‘son of a raja (king)’. But all the Rajputs do not belong to royal families. Many Rajput families trace their origin to sun or moon and thus, are known as Suryavanshi and Chandarvanshi, respectively. Some historians believe that the Rajputs are the descendants of foreign tribes who had settled in India. It is also believed that the main four clans of Rajputs were born from fire altars. Hence, they are also known as Agnikulas. They are Paramaras (Malwa), Pratiharas (Rajasthan-Gujarat), Chauhans (Ajmer) and Chalukyas (Gujarat).

There were about 36 clans of Rajputs.

Chauhan dynasty enjoys a special place of prestige among all the Rajput clans. The Chauhan

kings ruled over Gujarat and parts of Rajasthan. Prithviraj Chauhan was the most powerful king

among Chauhans. He came to the throne in 1177 CE. He made many conquests. He also checked

the advances made by Muhammad Ghori of Ghor (Afghanistan) by defeating him at the battlefield

of Tarain near Bhatinda. Even today, Prithiviraj Chauhan remains a hero of many folk tales of India.

Chand Bardai composed an epic poem, Prithviraj Raso, which narrates his bravery and heroism.

The struggle for supremacy and constant infighting created disunity and enmity among the

Rajputs. This attracted the muslim invasions in India. The Rajputs failed to join hands with each

other to defend India from Arab invasions.

GOVERNANCE IN NORTH INDIA

Administration

The king was all-powerful in north India. He was assisted by different officials. The empire was

divided into provinces. The king was the head of the military as well as the judiciary. The king spent

huge amounts of money on building up strong armies.

Economy

There was a great economic disparity among different social classes. The royal family, high

officials and the traders were prosperous. The people living in villages were poor. The temples were

the centres of riches and hence, attracted a lot of invaders.

Feudal system was prevalent in north India. The kings granted land as rewards to officers who

came to be known as Thakurs or Rais. They provided military assistance to the king at times of war.

The feudal system led to the decline of many empires as the feudal lords gave only a small part of

the land revenue to the king. This weakened the power of the kings. Moreover, many feudal lords,

like Chauhans and Paramaras, became powerful and established independent empires.

Society

The rigid caste system led to the division of Indian society. The king, the feudal lords and the

brahmins in high positions, enjoyed a life of luxury. Land was cultivated mainly by shudras who were burdened by taxes and social

discrimination. The condition of women

was quite miserable. They were deprived

of education. The evil practices of sati,

child-marriage and polygamy contributed

to the decline in the status of women.

Religion

The Rajputs mainly worshipped Gods Vishnu and Shiva. They also worshipped Goddesses Kali,

Lakshmi and Durga. Rajput kings gave gifts of land to the Brahmins � Bramadeya or Agrahara.

Hinduism became more popular than Buddhism. Many Buddhists took shelter in south-east Asia

when the Turks attacked monasteries at Nalanda. During this period, the Bhakti saints preached

devotion to God and opposed social discriminations, superstitions and narrow-mindedness.

Education

Superstitions and narrow-mindedness were a great hurdle to education. The elementary

education was limited to temples and monastries. The universities of Nalanda and Vikramshila

became important centres of higher education. The study of philosophy and religion was encouraged

but subjects, like mathematics and science, were

ignored. The regional languages, like Marathi,

Gujarati and Bengali, developed as they were the

languages in which the Bhakti saints preached

and composed songs. But, Sanskrit enjoyed a

place of prominence. Pali and Prakrit languages

were used for writing books on Buddhism and

Jainism.

Art and Architecture

The examples of the paintings of north India

can be found in the form of murals in palaces,

caves and temples. The Jain monks and painters

of Bengal developed the art of miniature paintings

(small pictures drawn to illustrate books). The

Lingaraj and Mukteshwara temples at Bhubneswar and the Sun Temple at Konark are the fine

examples of the architecture of the period from eighth to twelth century.

Trade

India developed trade relations with the

countries of the east, south-east, west and

central Asia, and the European countries. This

brought Indians into close contact with the

developments in other countries. The common

features in the political, social and cultural life

in different parts brought the people of India closer. Later on, this proved to be a great boon for

Afghan, Turkish and Mughal rulers to establish their rule in India.

Sun Temple of Konark

and the Sun Temple at Konark are the fine

examples of the architecture of the period from

eigth to twelveth century.

The world famous Khajuraho temple

complex was built by Chandelas,

rulers of Bundelkhand (who were

earlier the feudatories of Pratiharas).

These temples are decorated with

beautiful sculptures.

DO YOU KNOW-

•West Bengal was known as Gauda

and East Bengal as Vanga.

• The famous Nalanda University was

revived during the Pala empire.

DO YOU KNOW-

Five kingdoms, which emerged from the

Pratihara empire were �the Chauhans of

Rajasthan, Gahrwals of Kanauj, Solankis

of Gujarat, Paramaras of Malwa and the

the Chandels of Bundelkhand.

DO YOU KNOW-

The brave Pratiharas stopped the Arab invasions for nearly 300 years

DO YOU KNOW-

Jaichand, the King of Kanauj, held a swaymvar for his daughter Samyukta. He did not invite

Prithviraj. He placed a statue of Prithviraj in the position of a doorkeeper in his court to insult him.

The princess of Kanauj rejected all the princes assembled and instead placed the garland around

the statue’s neck. Before the courtiers realised what had happened, Prithviraj, who had been hiding

closeby, sprung up and rode away with the princess.

Q ANS-

A. Tick ( ) the correct option.

1. Who was the author of Kaviragamarga?

(a) Dantidurga (b) Govind III

2. Vikramsheel Vihar, a centre for Buddhist education was established by �

(a) Gopala (b) Dharampala

3. The Sun temple, known for its fine architecture, is situated at �

(a) Puri (b) Bhubneswar

4. Who among the following kings was elected by the people?

(a) Dantidurga (b) Mihir Bhoj

5. Which one of the following temples was NOT constructed by the Paratiharas?

(a) Thanjavur (b) Khajuraho

B. Fill in the blanks.

1. Regional languages developed very fast under the rule of ___________________ , a Pratihara king.

2. ___________________ was the real founder of Rashtrakuta empire.

3. The gift of land to the Brahmins was known as ___________________ or ___________________ .

4. The Bhakti saints opposed ___________________ and ___________________ .

5. The examples of the paintings of north India can be found in the form of ___________________ .

C. Write True or False for the following statements.

1. The kingdoms of Pratiharas and Palas rose in north India. ___________________

2. Govinda III was a Rashtrakuta ruler. ___________________

3. The Tripartite struggle involved the Rashtrakuta, the Pratihara and the Pala. ___________________

4. The four main clans of Rajputs are known as Agnikulas. ___________________

5. Mohammad Ghori came from Iran. ___________________

D. Answer the following questions in brief.

1. Name the four main clans of the Rajputs.

2. Mention the titles taken by Rashtrakuta rulers.

3. Who was Chand Bardai?

4. List the temples built by Pratihara rulers.

5. Give reasons for the decline of feudal system in north India.

E. Answer the following questions.

1. Why is the period after Harshavardhan’s death called a period of political instability?

2. Mention any five important features of the Rashtrakuta empire.

3. What is the contribution of the Pala dynasty in various fields?

4. Mention any four famous features of the Pratiharas rule.

5. Describe the economic and social condition of north India during the medieval period.

ANSWERS ARE COMING SOON...

LATER ON, I WILL ADD PHOTOS TOO BUT NOW PLS STUCK AT HERE.