Ancient India · Topic 12 of 17
Regional kingdoms that filled the vacuum after Gupta decline, including Harsha
The Basics
The Gupta empire, already battered by Huna attacks, lost its grip over north India by the late fifth century. Its governors, feudatories, and local chiefs had earlier obeyed a strong centre. With that centre weakened, they began to act on their own.
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After the Guptas declined in the mid-sixth century, north India had split among several ruling families. The Pushyabhutis were one such family, based at Sthanishvara, modern Thanesar in Haryana, originally feudatories of the Guptas. Little is known of their first three kings, but the fourth, Prabhakaravardhana, was a celebrated general who fought the Hunas and other neighbours. He strengthened his family's standing further by marrying his daughter Rajyashri to Grahavarman, the Maukhari ruler of Kanyakubja (Kanauj), forging an alliance with this powerful eastern neighbour.
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Xuanzang was a Chinese Buddhist monk from a scholarly family. He left China in 629 CE to study Buddhism in India. He travelled across India from about 630 to 644 CE. He stayed long at Nalanda in Bihar to study Buddhist texts.
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Harsha's administration followed Gupta patterns but was more feudal and decentralised.
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The Maukharis were originally subordinate rulers who ruled around Kannauj.
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Shashanka ruled Gauda, an early independent state in Bengal.
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Kamarupa, also called Pragjyotisha, was the ancient name of Assam.
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Maitrakas were former Gupta tributary chiefs who founded an independent kingdom in Saurashtra, Gujarat.
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After the Satavahanas declined, the Ikshvaku dynasty rose in the Krishna-Guntur region. Their capital was Nagarjunakonda, known for its citadel, stupas and monasteries. The Ikshvakus were supplanted by the Pallavas. The Pallava name means creeper, from the Tamil word tondai. Their land was called Tondainadu or Tondaimandalam, between the north Penner and Vellar rivers, covering southern Andhra Pradesh and northern Tamil Nadu. Their origin is debated. One theory links them to the Pahlavas or Parthians. Another traces their name to a legend of a prince and a Naga princess, whose child was marked by a twig. The Pallavas set up their capital at Kanchi, modern Kanchipuram, which grew into a centre of Vedic learning, temples and trade.
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