HISTORY
SA-1 NOTES
Ch – 2 | New Kingdoms | SA-1 Notes
The Rajputs and Their Origin
Rajput literally means son of a king.
The most of Rajputs belongs to the kshatriya caste.
They claimed to have descended from the Sun Dynasty (Suryavanshi)
or the Moon Dynasty (Chandravanshi).
In the early year of the common era, the Rajputs were descendants of
different groups of Central Asia such as the Sakas, the Huns, and the
Kushans who had settled in India.
Around 750 CE to 1000 CE, northern India was dominated by
Pratiharas, a Rajput clan, along with 2 other kingdoms. However, these
kingdoms always fought amongst themselves.
Rivalry Between Regional Powers
In the early Medieval Period, most kingdoms were fighting for control
over strategic regions.
Between the 8th and the 10th centuries CE, a number of powerful
empires arose like the Pratiharas of Western India, the Palas of Bengal
and the Rashtrakutas of the Deccan.
These 3 regional powers were engaged in war with one-another to
establish control over northern India and the important city of Kanauj –
located on the banks of river Ganga.
Kanauj’s conquest meant control of the rich resources of the upper
Ganga valley, trade and agriculture. This tripartite struggle finally
weakened all the 3 kingdoms.
The Gurjara – Pratiharas
The Pratihara dynasty reached its peak under the rule of Mihir Bhoja
(836 – 90 CE) – also known as Bhoja the great.
He expanded the kingdom to the east and made conquests in Punjab,
Awadh, Malwa, and Gujarat.
He established his capital at Kanauj.
The kingdom had a strong army and a fine cavalry.
Continuous wars and invasions by Mahmud of Ghazni finally led to the
decline of the Pratiharas by the 10th century CE.
The Palas
The Palas ruled over the states of present-day Bengal, Bihar, parts of
Odisha and Nepal.
Ramapala (1082 – 1124 CE) was the last great ruler of this dynasty.
According to Buddhist scholar Taranatha, Gopala, the founder of the
Pala dynasty, was elected as a king in 750 CE by various chieftains of
Devapala and Mahipala 𝐈 were some of the prominent rulers of the
the state.
dynasty.
The empire got disintegrated in the 12th Century CE under the impact
of Khilji invasions.
Palas were patrons of Buddhism and Dharmapala had founded
Vikramshila, a famous centre of learning in Bihar.
Palas had trade links with South-east Asia.
The Rashtrakutas
In Sanskrit, the word ‘rashtra’ means territory and ‘kuta’ means
chieftain.
Dantidurga (752 – 56 CE), was the founder of the dynasty.
Their armies overran the territories from Cape Comorin to Kanauj and
from Benares to Bharuch.
They fought the Palas and the Pratiharas.
They built several capitals as their empire grew. However, their royal
capital was located at Malkhed or Manyakheta in Gulbarga district in
Karnataka.
At the end of 10th century CE, the power of Rashtrakutas declined.
Kailasa Temple in Ellora and the temples in the Elephanta Caves near
Mumbai were made by the Rashtrakutas.
The Chamanas
The Chauhans attained glory under the rule of Prithviraj Chauhan
(1169 – 92 CE).
He was the last Rajput king.
His kingdom included much of present-day Rajasthan, Haryana, part of
Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.
In 1191 CE Sultan Muhammad of Ghor (a present-day district in
Afghanistan) was defeated by Prithviraj Chauhan. This was known as
the First Battle of Tarain.
At the Second Battle of Tarain, Prithviraj Chauhan was cooked. He
was a prisoner – then murdered later.
Administration During This Period
1] The King
The king was the supreme authority of the kingdom and was titled as
Parambattarak and Maharajadhiraja to convey his power and
might.
The most important minister was known as Mahamantri.
They have the sandhi vigrahika (foreign minister), bhandagarika
(officer of forts), akshapatalika (revenue minister), mahapratihara
(guard of the royal palace), mahasenapati (commander of the army)
and the rajpurohita (royal priest).
The kingdom was divided into units called bhuktis which were further
divided into vishyas.
The governor looked after the administration of the bhuktis while the
vishyapatis was responsible for the vishyas.
The smallest unit was the village under the village headman or the
gramapati.
As the power of the king weakened, he began to give away his land to
feudal lords called bhogapatis.
The land was given to them for a short time in place of salaries.
The king collected land revenue from this area.
The defeated kings were also allowed to rule under the overlordship of
the victorious king and were called samantas. In turn, they paid this
king tribute and helped him with troops for the army.
2] The Army
The Rajputs maintained a strong army.
The king had his own army but, he also demanded upon his
feudatories to supply him with troops and armaments at the time of
the war.
The infantry, cavalry, elephants, and chariots were important parts of
army.
Social Life
The caste system was the basis of the social life of the Rajputs.
They, along with the brahmanas (priests), enjoyed the highest status in
society.
The vaishyas (merchants and traders) also played an important role in
the city administration.
The caste system had become quite rigid by this time, as mentioned
by Al Beruni in Tahqiq-i-Hind.
There is also a reference to the growth of a new group called the
kayasthas, who seemed to have performed clerical work.
The position of women declined during this period.
Sati and child marriage were practised.
Polygamy was also common.
Princesses could choose their husbands through a swayamvar
ceremony.
Economy
Agriculture was the main occupation of the people. Trade with South-
east Asia, China, the Mediterranean and the Western world flourished
during this period. The main exports were textiles, spices and precious
stones. Horses, precious metals and stones
