Category Kindoms of India

Why was the Chalukya dynasty prominent?

          The Chalukyas ruled the Deccan as three separate, yet related dynasties, the earliest of them being the Badami Chalukyas. Also known as early Chalukyas, the Badami Chalukyas ruled from Vatapi (modern Badami) from the mid-6th century. They were followed by Chalukyas of Vengi or Eastern Chalukyas and were later succeeded by Chalukyas of Kalyani or Western Chalukyas. The Chalukyas rose to power supplanting Vakatakas and their rule lasted till the 12th century.

          Pulakeshin I founded the empire of the Chalukyas of Vatapi; he built a fort at Vatapi, on a hill not far from the Mahaprabha river and ruled over the area between the Vindhya Mountains and river Krishna. The king later adopted the title Vallabheshvara.

          History credits him with the ashvamedha yaga that he conducted. Kirtivarman, who succeeded him, extended the kingdom further by defeating the Mauryas of North-Konkana, the Nalas of Nalavadi (Bellari) and the Kadambas of Vanavasi.

          However, Kirtivarman II, the last Chalukyan ruler was defeated by one of their feudatories, Dantidurga. Dantidurga founded the Rashtrakuta dynasty and thus, ended the Chalukya rule.

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Which were the Kingdoms that existed to the northwest and east of India ?

          Afghanistan and Gandhara were ruled by the descendants of Kushanas. Later, Turkish Shahiya kings were replaced by the Hindu-Shahi dynasty. Jayapala became the ruler of the Shahi kingdom in the late 10th century AD; he ruled over west Punjab, the North-West Frontier Province, and east Afghanistan. But, this kingdom was brought to the ground by Mahmud of Ghazni in the 11th century AD.

          The Karkota dynasty established themselves in Kashmir in the 7th century AD. Lalitaditya Muktapida was the most famous among their line of kings, who conquered parts of Punjab and defeated Yashovarman of Kanauj. Kamarupa was an independent state in the north-east through which, important trade routes from eastern India to east Tibet and China, passed. In the 16th century, the Ahom kingdom came into prominence in Assam.

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Why did the rule of the Rajputs decline?

          The Rajputs were not a single dynasty; they were chivalric, land owning Kshatriyas from north India and Gujarat. The Rajputs had many branches like Gurjara-Pratiharas, Chahamanas, Solankis and Vaghelas.

           Several Rajput-ruled kingdoms played a significant role in many regions of central and north India. The kingdom of Mewar ruled by the Sisodias was the first major Rajput kingdom. Most of their subjects were farmers. Trade and commerce flourished in their times. Though the Rajputs were strong and brave, they failed to accomplish much.

         They were always fighting with each other and seldom united even against a common foe. The feudal system also proved disastrous for the Rajputs. They were great patriots of their clan; but they cared more for their chiefs and clans rather than the country as a whole.

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Who reigned in the north of India after the Vardhanas?

         The death of Harsha was followed by a struggle for power in north India by many dynasties; Kanauj was the centre of all these struggles. Many of these dynasties called themselves Rajputs. The name Rajput came from Raja-putra, sons of kings.

         The Pratiharas, the Gahadavalas, the Palas, the Senas, the Chahamanas or Chauhans, the Chandellas, the Kalachuris, the Guhilas, the Solankis and the Paramaras were some of the known kingdoms of this period. The Pratiharas ruled over the area around Jodhpur while the Gahadavalas ruled over most of Uttar Pradesh. The Palas remained in power till the 1150s.

         The Chauhans ruled in Shakambhari in the 7th century AD. Prithviraj Chauhan was the last Chauhan ruler. For a long time, the Chandellas controlled the land of the Pratiharas. They later became independent and ruled Bundelkhand. During their rule, the Chandellas built many important temples, the most famous among them being those at Khajuraho, in Madhya Pradesh.

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How was life and trade during Harsha’s reign?

          Though the administrative and military centres were well-fortified and prosperous, Harsha’s reign was not a good time for long distance trade. As a result, cities based on the production of different crafts either disappeared or declined and artisans moved to the villages.

          Harsha’s age was marked by rigid social life. There were a number of castes and sub-castes during this period and the divisions increased day by day. The untouchables lived outside the cities and villages.

          Due to the popularity of child marriage and prohibition of widow remarriage, the status of women underwent a sharp decline and social evils like sati became more popular. However, Harsha was a great believer of Buddhist philosophy. Influenced by Buddhist thoughts, he stopped the killing of animals in his kingdom. Nalanda, the famous Buddhist University also prospered around the same time.

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How does Harshavardhana stand out from other Vardhana kings?

          The Chinese traveller Hieun Tsang once visited the court of Harsha following which, he wrote an account. In it, he praised Harsha’s justice and generosity. The peace and prosperity that prevailed in Harsha’s empire made it a centre of cosmopolitanism, attracting scholars, artists and religious visitors from far and wide.

          Though Harshavardhana had many officials to help him with administration, he was a king who liked to personally supervise his kingdom. Harsha’s empire was divided into provinces and he travelled around all of them, spending nights in different places, listening to people’s troubles.

          King Harsha is said to have had a large army comprising 100,000 horses and 60,000 elephants. At the zenith of Harsha’s power, his empire covered much of north and north-western India and extended up to Kamarupa in the east, and river Narmada in the south. Harsha also tried to expand his empire into the southern peninsula of India, but was halted by the south Indian Emperor Pulakeshin II of the Chalukya dynasty.

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