Medieval India The Rajput’s

 Medieval India 

The Medieval Indian History period lies between the 7th and the 18th century A.D. 

Ancient Indian history came to an end with the rule of Harsha and Pulakesin II.

The medieval period can be divided into two stages:

• Early medieval period: 7th – 12th century A.D. – 650 – 1206 AD
• Later Medieval period: 12th-18th century AD – 1206 – 1526 AD

Early medieval period: 7th – 12th century A.D. – 650 – 1206 AD
The North Indian Kingdoms –

After Harshavardhana the Rajputas emerged as a powerful force in Northern India and dominated the Indian political scene for nearly 500 years from the 7th century.

The Rajput’s 

image sources : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajput

They are the descendants of Lord Rama (Surya vamsa) or Lord Krishna (Chandra vamsa) or the Hero who sprang from the sacrificial fire (Agni Kula theory).

Rajput’s belonged to the early medieval period.

The Rajput Period (647A.D- 1200 A.D.)

From the death of Harsha to the 12th century, the destiny of India was mostly in the hands of various Rajput dynasties.

They belong to the ancient Kshatriya families.

There were nearly 36 Rajput’ clans. The major clans were:

• The Palas of Bengal
• The Chauhans of Delhi and Ajmer
• The Rathors of Kanauj
• The Guhilas or Sisodiyas of Mewar
• The Chandellas of Bundelkhand
• The Paramaras of Malwa
• The Senas of Bengal
• The Solankis of Gujarat

Tripartite Struggle 

Towards the close of the 8th century AD there were three great power in India the Palas in the East the Gurjar – Partihara in the North and the Rashtrakutas in Deccan.

The tripartite struggle for the supremacy the Palas Partiharas and the Rashtrakutas was the important event of these centuries 

The main cause for this struggle was the desire to possess the city of Kannauj which was then a symbol of sovereignty 

The Tripartite Struggle for Kanauj was between the Pratiharas of Central India, the Palas of Bengal and the Rashtrakutas of Deccan as all these three dynasties wanted to establish their supremacy over Kanauj and

the fertile Gangetic Valley.

The Tripartite Struggle lasted for 200 years and weakened all of them which enabled the Turks to overthrow them.

Pala Dynasty

Gopala (765-769 A.D.)

• Founder of Pala Dynasty and he also restored order.
• Ruled over Northern and Eastern India.
• He expanded the Pala dynasty and extended his power over Magadha.

Dharmapala (769-815 A.D.)

• He is the son of Gopala and succeeded his father.
• He brought Bengal, Bihar, and Kanauj under his control.
• He defeated the Pratiharas and became the master of Northern India.
• He was a steadfast Buddhist and founded the famous Vikramasila University and several monasteries.
• He also restored the Nalanda University.

Devapala (815-855 A.D.)

• Devapala is the son of Dharmapala who succeeded his father.
• He kept the Pala territories intact.
• He captured Assam and Orissa.

Mahipala (998-1038 A.D.)

• The Palas became powerful during his reign.
• The Pala dynasty declined after the death of Mahipala.

Govinda Pala

He is the last Pala King. His lineage is questionable as the ruler Madanapala was said to be the 18th and final ruler of the Pala lineage but he was succeeded by Govindapala.

• The Tomars of Delhi
• The Tomars were the feudatories of the Pratiharas.
• They founded the city of Delhi in 736 A.D.
• Mahipala Tomar captured Thaneshwar, Hansi and Nagarkot in 1043 A.D.
• Chauhans captured Delhi in the middle of the 12th century and the Tomars became their feudatories.
• The Chauhans of Delhi and Ajmer
• The Chauhans declared their independence in the 1101 century at Ajmer and they were the feudatories of the Pratiharas.
• They captured Ujjain from the Paramaras of Malwa and Delhi in the early part of the 12th century.
• They shifted their capital to Delhi.
• Prithviraj Chauhan was the most important ruler of this dynasty.

Rathors of Kanauj (1090-1194 A.D.)

• The Rathors established themselves on the throne of Kanauj from 1090 to 1194 A.D.
• Jaichand was the last great ruler of this dynasty.
• He was killed in the battle of Chandwar in 1194A.D. by Muhammad of Ghori.
• The Chandellas of Bundelkhand
• Established them in the 9th century.
• Mahoba was the capital of Chandella during the period of Chief Yasovarman
• Kalinjar was their important fort.
• The Chandellas built the most famous Kandariya Mahadeva Temple in 1050 A.D. and a number of beautiful temples at Khajuraho.
• Paramal the last Chandella ruler was defeated by Qutb-ud-din Aibak in 1203A.D.
• The Guhllas or Sisodiyas of Mewar
• The Rajput ruler Bappa Rawal was the founder of the Guhila or the Sisodiya dynasty and Chittor was its capital.
• During the period of Rawal Ratan Singh of Mewar.
• In 1307 A.D.Ala-ud-din Khilji invaded his territory and defeated him.
• Rana Sangha and Maharana Prata the Sisodiya rulers gave a tough fight to the Mughal rulers of India.

The Paramaras of Malwa

The Paramaras were also the feudatories of Pratiharas. They declared their independence in the 10thcentury and Dhara was their capital.

Raja Bhoja (1018-1069)

• He was the most famous ruler of this period.
• He constructed a beautiful lake more than 250 sq. miles near Bhopal.
• He set up a college at Dhara for the study of Sanskrit Literature.
• The reign of the Paramaras came to an end with the invasion of Ala-ud-din Khilji.

Nature of the Rajputs

The Rajputs were great warriors and chivalrous by nature.

They believed in protecting the women and the weak.

Religion

The Rajputs were staunch followers of Hinduism.

They also patronized Buddhism and Jainism.

During their period the Bhakti Cult started.

Government

The Rajput government was outdated in character.

Each kingdom was divided into a large number of Jagirs held by the Jagirdars.

Major literary works of this period

• Kalhana’s Rajatarangin
• Jayadeva’s Gita Govindam
• Somadeva’s Kathasaritasagar

Chand Bardai, the court poet of Prithviraj Chauhan, wrote Prithviraj Raso in which he refers to the military exploits of Prithviraj Chauhan.

Bhaskara Charya wrote Siddhanta Shiromani, a book on astronomy.

Rajasekhara

The court poet of Mahendrapala and Mahipala.

His best known works were Karpu ramanjari , Bala and Ramayana.

Art and Architecture

During this period Mural paintings and Miniature paintings were popular.

Temples at Khajuraho

Lingaraja Temple at Bhubaneshwar

The Sun Temple at Konark

The Dilwara Temple at Mount Abu

End of the Rajput Power

There was no strong military power during the Rajput period to keep the warring princes in check and to coordinate their activities against foreign invasions.

Some popular terms

• Jauhar: A mass suicide of women in order to escape defilement at the hands of foreign victors.
• Gita Govindam: Song of the cowherd
• Rajatarangini: ‘River of Kings’
• Kathasaritasagara: ‘Ocean of tales’

South India (Cholas)
The Chola Empire – 850 – 1279 AD – Tanjore, Gangaikondacholapuram

The founder of the chola dynasty was Vijayalaya who was at first a feudatory of the Pallavas 

He captured Tanjore in 850 AD 

The greatest Chola rulers were Rajaraja – 985-1014 AD and his son Rajendra I 1014-1044AD

The Chola Dynasty was the greatest among all the south Indian dynasties. 

They ruled beyond the sea like Maldives Islands and Sri Lanka which shows that they had very efficient as well as huge naval power. 

The Chola ruled for a long period from about the later half of the 9th century to the beginning of the 13th century, but after the advent of Pandayas, the Chola Empire collapsed. 

List of Chola Rulers and their contributions

Name of Chola Rulers (Kings)	Period of Rule	Contribution (s)
Vijayalaya Chola	848–891 AD	Founder of the Chola Empire Took the title of Parakesarivarman 3. He built solesvara temple of Narttamalai, Pudukkottai.
Aditya I	870 – 907 AD	Known by the surname Kodandarama.  He was the son of Vijayalaya who extended the Chola dominions by the conquest of the Pallavas and occupied the Western Ganga Kingdom. 3. He built 108 temples for Shiva along the banks of the Kaveri.
Parantaka Chola I	907-950 AD	Took the title of Maduraiyum Elamum Konda Parakesarivarman – Parakesarivarman who conquered Madurai and Sri Lanka. 2. Best part of his reign was marked by increasing success and prosperity.
Gandaraditya Chola	950-957 AD	Known as "Merkey elundarulina devar" - the king who was pleased to go west. He had written a Tamil hymn on Siva of the Chidambaram Temple. 3. He was a reluctant monarch and focussed more on religious work and not on empire building.
Arinjaya Chola	956-957 AD	He was also referred to by the names Arikulakesari, Arikesari, or Arindama. 2. There is some debate among group of historian regarding whether Arinjaya actually succeeded Gandaraditya or whether Arinjaya ruled on his own right. There is little epigraphic evidence available to give us any concrete information on Arinjaya’s rule.
Sundara Chola	957-970 AD	Known by the name Madhurantakan Sundara Chola and Parantaka Chola II. 2. During his reign, both Sanskrit and Tamil literature received encouragement. The Buddhist work on Tamil grammar, Virasoliyam eulogises him as a patron of letters and of Buddhism.
Uttama Chola	970-985 AD	1. He was the son of the illustrious Sembiyan Mahadevi and the cousin of Parantaka II.
Rajaraja Chola I	985-1014 AD	He built the Brihadeeswarar Temple in Thanjavur, one of the largest Hindu temples. 2. During his reign, the texts of the Tamil poets Appar, Sambandar, and Sundarar were collected and edited into one compilation called Thirumurai.
Rajendra Chola I	1012-1044 AD	He built a new capital city called Gangaikonda Cholapuram to commemorate his victory after defeating Mahipala, the Pala king of Bengal and Bihar. 2. He built sixteen miles long and three miles wide artificial lake which was one of the largest man-made lakes in India.
Rajadhiraja Chola	1044-1054 AD	He maintained the Chola authority over most of Lanka, Vengi, Kalinga, etc. He performed the horse-sacrifice and earned the title Jayamkonda Cholan (The Victorious Cholan). He was also known as Vijaya Rajendra Cholan (the victorious Rajendra Cholan). 4. He also assumed the title Jayangonda Chola.
Rajendra Chola II	1054-1063 AD	1. He is best remembered for his role in the battle of Koppam along with his elder brother where he dramatically turned towards the Chalukyan King Someshvara I, after the death of his brother in 1052.
Virarajendra Chola	1063-1070 AD	He was one of the most underrated Chola kings, mainly because a major part of his life was spent as a subordinate of his two elder brothers Rajadhiraja Chola I and Rajendra Chola II. 2. The famous grammatical work in Tamil, Virasoliyam was written by Buddhamitra during his period.
Athirajendra Chola	1070-1070 AD	1. His reign was marked by civil unrest, possibly religious in nature.
Kulothunga Chola I	1070-1122 AD	He got the title Kulottunga, literally meaning the exalter of his race. Famous poet Jayamkondar Jayamkondar who wrote the poem Kalingattu parani to celebrate the military victories of Kulottunga Chola was one of the gems of his court. 3. He established Chola overlordship over the Sri Vijaya province Kedah in Malaysia.
Vikrama Chola	1118-1135 AD	He was a great devotee of Siva and greatly patronised the temple at Chidambaram. 2. Took the title of Vikrama Chola was Tyagasamudra – the ocean of sacrifice.
Kulothunga Chola II	1133-1150 AD	His reign was known for general peace and good governance. 2. He was also called Tirunirruchola.
Rajaraja Chola II	1146-1173 AD	He initiated the construction of the very famous Airavateswarar Temple at Darasuram near Kumbakonam. 2. During his rule the Chola navies did remain dominant in the western sea as well as the eastern sea.
Rajadhiraja Chola II	1166-1178 AD	He was known to have raised flower gardens around the place. 2. During his reign witnessed the local feudatories and chieftains.
Kulothunga Chola III	1178–1218 AD	He gained victories in the war against the Hoysalas, Pandyas of Madurai, Cheras of Venad, the Sinhala kings of Eelam (Ceylon), as well as the Chodas of Velanadu and Nellore. He initiated commissioned the Sarabeswara or Kampahareswara temple at Tribhuvanam near Kumbakonam which is considered a great specimen of Dravidian Architecture. 3. He built the mukha-mandapa of Sabhapati, the gopura of Goddess Girindraja (Sivakami) and the verandah around the enclosure (prakara harmya) in the Siva Temple of Chidambaram.
Rajaraja Chola III	1216–1256 AD	1. Under his reign, the Chola had lost most of their control of the territories south of the river Kaveri and their hold on the Vengi territories in the north was slipping with the emergence of the Hoysala power.
Rajendra Chola III	1246–1279 AD	1. During his reign, Pandyas destroyed the fort and the outer wall of the temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram.