Introduction

Post Harshavardhan era

• • Harshavardhan observed the same system of administration as the Guptas and so when he conquered new kings he would allow them to rule over their kingdoms after they accepted his suzerainty. This led the empire to become decentralized and depend on the allies. The law and order slackened during this period as noted by foreign traveler Huen Tsang. Officials were not paid salaries in cash and were given land grants instead. However, no death penalty was allowed during his reign. After Harsha’s death, his empire split into smaller kingdoms.

• • After the collapse of the Harsha Vardhan empire, there were region-specific stable empires in different parts of the country. Kashmir was under the functioning of a local state. In Bengal, the Pala dynasty started and endured for many centuries. Dharmapal the greatest king had a long reign and was able to cement the position of Bengal as the leading state in North India. The city of kanauj which was an important city in north India was captured by Dharmapal and a nominee was set on the throne. The Pala kingdom also captured the Gangetic doab. However during the Tripartite struggle with the Pratiharas and the Rashtrakutas they were expelled from both kanuaj and the doab. Successors of Dharmapala were weak and had short reigns.

• • However, even though western India couldn’t be captured by them. They reigned over east India. The Palas were ardent Buddhists and their patronage was given to Nalanda university which became an important center of learning. It even attracted foreign students. Vikramshila was another university established by them. This became the origin of a new form of Buddhism known as Vajrayana. The Palas sent emissaries of Vajrayana Buddhism to Tibet and Southeast Asia and it was due to them that Vajrayana Buddhism emerged in Tibet.

• • Rajput clans like the gurjars, Pratiharas, Chahamanas, and Guhilas emerged and ruled over Western India. It was during their reign that Pratiharas became important and controlled a kingdom. They also successfully managed to defeat the Arab invaders that had occupied Sind. Pratiharas established the capital at Kanauj and ruled over it for two centuries. However, the constant wars in all directions strained their resources and the last Pratihara king was defeated by Rashtrakutas.

Polity in Northern India

• • In the period between 750 – 100<, Rashtrakutas emerged as a powerful dynasty. They were engaged in a tripartite struggle with the Pratiharas and Palas over kanauj. They also wanted to dominate North India, however, even though they successfully occupied kanauj in turn the wars had weakened them and they were captured by lesser kingdoms. Rashtrakutas were replaced by the Later Chalukyas, Pratiharas broke into smaller kingdoms and the Palas were defeated by the Sena dynasty./p>

• • It was at this time that the Rajputs emerged on the scene. However, their constant battles and wars led to their weakening and they couldn’t defeat the enemies that had come to conquer India from the Northwest. First among these enemies was Mahmud Ghazni.

Origin of the Rajputs

• • This is a historically disputed fact, but some historians beloved that the Rajputs were central Asian tribes that settled in India after the Huns invaded it. There were many clans of Rajputs and it was assumed that they are all Kshatriyas. The clans were either descendants of the sun (Suryawanshi) or the moon (Chandrawanshi). However, four clans claimed that they were descendants of fire (Agniwanshi). These four clans were the most important in history.

• • These were the pariharas, solankis, pawars and the chauhans. These clans established power over central India, Western India, and Rajasthan.

• • An important kingdom to the northeast of the Chauhan was Tomars. They built Delhi in 736 AD. Their kingdom was annexed by the Chauhans.

• • However, these kingdoms were not united even against a foreign enemy. The Arabs led by Mahmud Ghazni invaded India through the Northeast. The kings were defeated and Ghazni captured a lot of wealth belonging to temples like the Somnath temple. The next Arab invader was Mahmud Ghuri, he also invaded and annexed sind. The Rajputs led by Prithviraj Chauhan defeated Ghuri at the first battle of Terrain but he lost the second battle and fell to Ghuri. The Chauhan kingdom of Delhi was annexed. Turks also succeeded in capturing the Ganga Yamuna doab and territories up to Bengal and Bihar.

The death of Harsha saw a period of political turmoil for about five centuries. The smaller kingdoms in north India kept fighting each other. Finally, the Muslim rulers under Muhammad of Ghuri invaded and the Delhi sultanate began.

Rajput’s Dynasty:

Rajputs were dominant from the 7^th century to the 12^th century till Muslim rule came to India. Then also the Rajputs survived in smaller kingdoms. They were the main defenders of the Hindu religion under Muslim aggression.

Gurjar Pratihara’s were dominant Rajputs. The presence of Pratihara’s stopped the Muslim invaders under the caliph in the 8^th century from coming into India.

However, the Pratihara’s were involved in a triangular conflict with Pala’s of Bengal and Rashtrakuta’s of Deccan. This weakened them.

Palas were rulers of Bengal. Dharma pal was the founder of Vikramshila University.

The Tomar’s were also valiant Rajput’s who captured Delhi. But the Rajput’s didn’t have political foresight and failed to unite against the Muslim invaders. Due to this, they were defeated. India had to bear the shame of being under foreign rule.

Arab invasions:

The Islam religion was started by Prophet Muhammad in 622 AD. After his death, his followers started the caliphate in Mecca. The caliph had a commander Muhammad bin Qasim who invaded and captured Sind. The subjects of Sind became protected subjects. The commander was withdrawn by the caliph. The capture of Sind led to the diffusion of Indian culture abroad, and Indian medicine, astronomy, and numerals went off to Arab and Europe through them. Sind became a part of the Arab Empire.

The caliphate weakened and the Turkish governors became independent. One such governor Mahmud of Ghazni became a conqueror of North India. He defeated many Hindu kings and sacked and plundered many temples. His military conquests were due to his ability and leadership and also restless activity. His kingdom included Punjab and Afghanistan. The raids of Ghazni drained India of its manpower and wealth. It also opened the gates for future invasions from turkey and Afghanistan. The Hindushahi kingdom which guarded the Indian subcontinent was destroyed. The inclusion of Punjab and Afghanistan into the Ghazni Empire made the next Arab invasions possible.

The next Arab invader was Mahmud Ghuri. He captured Sind and Punjab. This brought him into direct confrontation with Prithviraj Chauhan. In the first battle of terrain, he was defeated by Chauhan but Ghuri defeated him in the second battle and killed Prithviraj Chauhan. The defeat of Chauhan dented their prestige. It also led to the establishment of Turkish rule in India.

The general of Ghuri was Qutubuddin Aibak, he captured Delhi. Another general Muhammad Bin Bhaktiyar Khilji destroyed Nalanda and Vikramshila University.

Failure of the Hindu kingdoms: 

1. The Hindu kings were disunited. They exhausted their resources in mutual rivalries.
2. The Arabs were motivated by religious zeal and the vast wealth of India.
3. The Hindu kings would be on the defensive. Also, the caste-ridden society meant that battles were the duty of Kshatriyas only.
4. The Arabs possessed fast-moving cavalry and their techniques of warfare were superior compared to the Hindu kings.

Please leave this field empty

Sign up to Receive Awesome Content in your Inbox, Frequently.

Enter Your Email Address *

We don’t Spam!
Thank You for your Valuable Time

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.