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Ancient India · Topic 13 of 17

Early Medieval North India

Tripartite Struggle, Rajput states and the onset of Turkish invasions

Pala Dynasty of Bengal

The Basics

After the death of king Shashanka around 637 CE, Bengal fell into over a century of political confusion. Yashovarman of Kannauj, Lalitaditya of Kashmir and even a Chinese army invaded the region. Bhaskaravarman of Assam and Harsha also took control of parts of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. This chaos was remembered as matsya-nyaya, the law of the fish, where the strong devour the weak. It created the opening for a new power to emerge.

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Rashtrakuta Dynasty

The Basics

By the mid-8th century, the Chalukyas of Badami controlled much of the Deccan. One of their feudatories was growing restless. This family, the Rashtrakutas, had migrated around 625 CE from the Latur area to Ellichpur, near the source of the Tapi river. They served the Chalukyas there for generations as subordinate rulers. Their name likely came from an older term for a provincial official. This suggests modest administrative origins rather than royal descent. Later inscriptions, however, claimed a mythical lineage from Yadu.

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Vikramashila and Buddhist Learning under the Palas

The Basics

The Palas ruled Bengal and Bihar from the 8th century. Unlike most contemporary dynasties, they were devout patrons of Buddhism rather than Shaivism or Vaishnavism. This made their kingdom the last great stronghold of Buddhist learning in India, as Buddhism faded elsewhere.

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Rajput Clans: Origins and Polity

The Basics

By the 10th century the Pratihara empire was crumbling. Its former feudatories and local chiefs across Rajasthan, Malwa, Bundelkhand and Gujarat began asserting independent power. This was the setting for the term Rajaputra (Rajput). It was used for lineage-based warrior clans and became prominent by the 12th century.

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Chahamanas (Chauhans) of Ajmer-Delhi

The Basics

The Chahamanas had several branches. One ruled in Lata, another at Naddula in south Marwar. A third branch was founded by Vasudeva in the early 7th century at Shakambhari (modern Sambhar, near Jaipur). This Shakambhari branch began as subordinates of the Gurjara-Pratiharas. The two families were also linked by marriage. The Chahamanas broke free of Pratihara control under king Simharaja.

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Paramaras of Malwa

The Basics

The Paramaras were originally based around Mount Abu in Rajasthan. Tradition says a hero named Paramara, meaning slayer of the enemy, sprang from a sacrificial fire lit by the sage Vashishtha to recover his stolen wish-granting cow. This hero's lineage produced the earliest known king, Upendra, who ruled in the first quarter of the 9th century. Early inscriptions, however, describe the Paramaras as born in the Rashtrakuta family. Govinda III, the Rashtrakuta king, likely made Upendra ruler of Malwa after his campaign there. The Paramaras ruled as Rashtrakuta vassals from their capital at Dhara, modern Dhar in Madhya Pradesh. They were briefly eclipsed when the Pratiharas took Malwa from them.

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Mahmud of Ghazni's Invasions

The Basics

By the late 9th century, Afghanistan was ruled by the Samanids, an Iranian dynasty. A Turkish slave named Alptagin rose to become governor of Balkh. He then founded an independent Turkish principality at Ghazni. His slave and son-in-law Subuktagin took over Ghazni in 977 CE. Subuktagin clashed with the Hindu Shahi kingdom of Jayapala. This kingdom held Punjab and parts of Afghanistan. Jayapala was the first Indian ruler to sense the Ghaznavid danger. He attacked Ghazni but was defeated, and was forced into a humiliating treaty.

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