Dharmashastras were compiled between 600 and 200 B.C
The final version of Arthashastra was written in the 4th century B.C.(written by Kautilya during the Maurya period.
The Sangam literature generally describes events up to the 4th century A.D.
Up to 1920, Indian civilization was considered to have begun about 6th century B.C. However, the excavations at Mohenjodaro, Kalibangan, and Harappa prove its antiquity to be of 5,000 B.C.
The Dark Age of Indian history was the period between 1500 and 600 B.C. This is known as Dark Age because not much is known about this period.
Indians had domesticated sheep and goat and started agriculture about 8,000 years ago and Iron metal came in regular use about 1,600 B.C.
o The tradition of rock paintings in India is proved to be more than 12 thousand years old.
Many Chinese travelers visited India as Buddhist pilgrims from time to time; three important pilgrims were:
o Fa-Hien (Faxian) - visited India in 5th century A.D.
o Hiuen-Tsang (Xuanzang) - visited India in 7th century and
o I-Tsing (Yijing) – visited India in 7th century.
The time period of Lower Palaeolithic culture was marked between 600,000 and 60,000 B.C.
The period between 150,000 B.C. and 40,000 B.C. is marked as the middle Palaeolithic culture.
The period between 9,000 and 8,000 B.C. is marked as Upper Palaeolithic culture.
The time period between 12,000 and 2,000 B.C. in India is marked as Late Stone Age, Mesolithic, or Microlithic period.
The Pleistocene Age came to an ended about 10,000 years ago.
Marshall suggested that Harappan civilization flourished between 3,250 and 2,750 B.C.
Wheeler dated it to 2,500-1,500 B.C.
On the basis of radiocarbon dating method following chronology of the civilization emerges as:
o Early Harappan Phase: c. 3,500 – 2,600 B.C.
o Mature Harappan Phase: c. 2,600 - 1,900 B.C.
o Late Harappan Phase: c. 1,900 – 1,300 B.C.
Max Muller gives arbitrarily the date of composition of Rig Veda to be around 1,200 to 1,000 B.C.
W. D. Whitney negated and criticized Muller for using totally arbitrary, unscientific, and un-academic method in assigning the dates.
On the analogy of the language of Avesta, some scholars opined that the date of Rig Veda may be 1,000 B.C.
The Aryans were originally inhabitants of India and did not come from outside as there is no archaeological or biological evidence, which could establish the arrival of any new people from outside between 5,000 B.C. and 800 B.C.
The growth of three kingdoms, namely Kosala, Kasi, and Videha took place. Thereafter, the excavations at Hastinapur, Atranjikhera, and many other sites have revealed cultures ranging from 2,000 B.C. onwards.
Some characteristic of the pottery of post Harappan period were noticed as Ochre Colored Pottery (O.C.P.) (c. 2,000-1,500) and during c. 1,200-600 B.C., Black and Red ware, Painted Grey Ware etc. were noticed.
The important landmark in the history of Indian culture was the evolution of Jainism and Buddhism during the 600 B.C.
Rishabhnath was the first Tirthankara of Jainism. The traditions of Jainism say that he was a king and renounced the kingdom in favor of his son, Bharata, and became an ascetic.
Vardhamana Mahavira was the twenty-fourth and the last Tirthankara of Jainism.
Mahavira was born about 540 B.C. in the village Kunda-grama near Vaisali. He was the only son of Siddhartha and Trisala. Siddhartha was the head of famous kshatriya Jnatrika clan and Trisala was the sister of Chetaka, an eminent Lichchhavi noble of Vaisali. Chetaka's daughter was married to the king of Magadha, Bimbisara.
In 468 B.C., Mahavira passed away at Pawapuri at the age of 72 years. He spent 30 years of his life in preaching his teachings.
Buddhism was founded by Gautama in 566 B.C. He was the son of Suddhodhan and Mayadevi. His father Suddhodhan was the eminent king of Sakya republic.
In 522-486 B.C. (during the reign of Darius), Achaemenians extended their empire to the northwestern part of India and they had subjugated a number of principalities living to the south of the Hindukush Mountains.
In 326 B.C., after the conquest of the Persian Empire, Alexander marched to India through the Khyber Pass.
In 324 B.C., Alexander reached Susa in Persia where he died in the next year i.e. 323 BC.
Maurayas(324 BC - 232 )
The Mauryan Empire was the first largest empires that ever established on Indian soil till 324 B.C.
Chandragupta Maurya(324-300 bc) was the first ruler who unified entire India under one political unit.
The detailed information about the administrative system of the Mauryan Empire is mentioned in Arthashastra. It is a book written by Kautilya. He was also known as Chanakya.
Bindusara (300-273 B.C.)
Bindusara, the son of Chandragupta Maurya, ascend to throne after his father.
Ashoka (273-232 B.C.)
Ashoka succeeded to the throne after the death of his father Bindusara in 273 B.C.
Simuka dynasty ruled from 235 B.C. to 213 B.C. and established Simuka dynasty.
Simuka was succeeded by his brother Krishna.
Satakarni-II ruled for about 56 years.
Gautamiputra was succeeded by his son Vasisthiputra Sri Pulmavi in about A.D. 130 and ruled for about twenty-four years.
Sri Yajna Satakarni (A.D. 165-195) was perhaps the last of the great Satavahana rulers. His inscriptions have been found in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh.
A Chola king, known as Elara, conquered Sri Lanka and ruled over it for about 50 years during the middle of the 2nd century B.C.
Karikala was a famous Chola king of the early time. He was credited because of his two achievements:
o He had defeated the joint forces of Chera and Pandya kings and
o He successful invaded Sri Lanka and ruled there.
Nedunjeliyan was a great Pandya king. He defeated the combined forces of Chera, Chola, and five other minor states in a war against him at Madurai.
The Pandyan kings assembled literary assemblies called as ‘Sangam’.
Nedunjeliyan had performed several Vedic sacrifices. He may be taken to have ruled around A. D. 210.
The Chera(Keralapura) power declined at the end of the 3rd century A.D. They again acquired power in the 8th century A.D.
Three big political powers emerged in India between the 1st century B.C. and 3rd century A.D., which played an important stabilising factor over large regions. They were:
o Satavahanas in the Deccan,
o Kushanas in the north, and
o Sakas in the west.
In the mid of 3rd century A.D., the empires of the Satavahanas and Kushanas came to an end.
Chandragupta-I succeeded his father Ghatottotkacha in A.D. 320.
Chandragupta-I was considered to have laid the foundation of the great Gupta Empire. He was married to a Lichchhavi princess Kumaradevi. The Lichchhavis were related to Gautama Buddh.
Samudragupta succeeded his father Chandragupta-I about A.D. 340. He earned a reputation as one of the greatest kings and conquerors. He was chosen by his father as his successor because of his qualities that would make him into a good king.
Chandragupta-II died about A.D. 413. His son Kumaragupta became the next king.
Kumaragupta-I died in A.D. 455. His son Skandagupta became the next king.
The Gupta dynasty continued to be in existence for more than 100 years after the death of Skandagupta in A.D. 467.
There were four major kingdoms in north India between the period in which the Guptas declines and the rise of Harsha (i.e. in the beginning of 7th century), namely:
o Guptas of Magadha;
o Maukharis of Kanauj;
o Maitrakas of Valabhi (Saurashtra); and
o Pushyabhutis of Thaneswar.
Rajyavardhana was killed by Gauda king Sasanka. Harshavardhana (younger brother of Rajyavardhana) was ascended the Pushyabhuti throne in A.D. 606 at the age of sixteen. He was also known as ‘Siladitya.’ He ruled for forty-one years.
After Grahavarman's death, the Councilors of Maukhari state offered the throne to Harsha.
In A.D. 641, Harsha sent an embassy with Hiuen-Tsang to the Chinese emperor and received the Chinese embassy in return.
Harsha did not have any heir to his throne. Therefore, after his death in A.D. 647, his empire was grabbed by his minister.
in south india
The Satavahana’s rule ended in the first half of the 3rd century A.D. from Deccan and south India.
In the second half of the 3rd century A.D., the Vakatakas came into power. However, much is not known about the founder of the Vakatakas dynasty,
Pravarasena was the (known) founder of the Vakataka Empire in western and central India.
o Chalukyas of Badami,
o Pallavas of Kanchipuram, and
o Pandyas of Madurai.
The Vakatakas in the Deccan were followed by the Chalukyas of Badami.
The Chalukyas develop their base at Vatapi or Badami and Aihole. They moved northwards and captured the areas around Nasik and the upper Godavari region.
Pulakesin-II was the greatest king of Chalukya dynasty.’ He ruled from A.D. 610 to 642.
Pulakesin-II was the contemporary of Harshavardhana of Kanauj.
The Rashtrakutas succeeded the Chalukyas of Badami and build a vast empire in the Deccan.
Dantidurga-I was the first known ruler of the Rashtrakuta dynasty. He defeated the Chalukyas and conquered Badami in A.D. 752.
The Chalukyas and the Pallavas were contemporaries of the Gangas and the Kadambas in the Deccan.
The western Gangas were distinguished from the eastern Gangas of Kalinga. The Chalukyas and the Pallavas were ruled over a large part of modern Mysore.This region was called after them as Gangavadi.
Konkanivarman Dharmamahadhiraja was the founder of the family. He ruled in the second half of the 4th century A.D. and had his capital at Kolar. He ruled independently from A.D. 350-550.
Durvinita was a prominent Ganga king. He was a scholar of Kannada and Sanskrit literature.
Sripurusha was another important ruler of (western Ganga) dynasty. He shifted his capital to Manyapura (Manne near Bangalore). His kingdom was known as Srirajya on account of its prosperity.
Mayurasharma established the Kadamba dynasty. He was a learned Brahman. It is said that Mayurasharma came to receive education at Kanchi, but he was insulted by some Pallava officials. To avenge his insult, he took up a military profession, defeated Pallava officials and then Pallavas recognized the independence of Mayursharma.
The Mayurasharma ruled from Banavasi from A.D. 345 to 365.
Kakusthavarman (A.D. 435-455) was the most powerful king and administrator of the Kadamba dynasty.
Simhavishnu was the famous Pallava king ruling in the 6th century A.D. He increased the influence and prestige of his family.
Simhavishnu’s son and successor Mahendravarman-I (A.D. 600-630) was a versatile genius. He was both a poet and a singer.
Mahendravarman-I composed a play ‘Mattavilas Prahasana’ (the Delight of the Drunkards) in Sanskrit.
Mahendravarman-I was the contemporary of the Chalukya king, Pulakesin-II and Harshavardhan of Kanauj.
Narasimhavarman-II ruled peacefully during the A.D. 695-722.
During this period, a particular style of temple architecture was developed. This is popularly known as the ‘Dravidian’ style of temple architecture.
Pallavas faced attacks from the Chalukya king Vikramaditya-II (A.D. 733-745) during the first half of the 8th century. He is said to have overrun Kanchi thrice.
The Pallavas had also been condemned of Pandyas and Rashtrakutas during the reign of Dantivarman (around A.D. 796-840).
Because of the continuous struggles, the power of the Pallavas began to decline.
This Kamarupa dynasty is also known as ‘Bhauma’ (i. e. the son of Bhumi).
Asura Naraka had a son namely Bhagadatta who had taken part in the Mahabharata War.
The inscriptions of the dynasty proved that the king Bhagadatta and his successors ruled for about 3,000 years in Kamarupa prior to king Pushyavarma.
The king Pushyavarma was a contemporary of Samudragupta.
The 8th king, Bhutivarma had ruled in the mid of the 6th century is known for his own records.
Harsha died in the mid of 7th century AD (A.D. 647). Delhi Sultanate founded in the 12th century A.D. The intervening period span was of 600 years and evidenced an array events.
Major Events
Important events during six centuries were:
o The rise of important kingdoms in eastern, central, and southern India.
o The cultural traditions of these kingdoms remained stable even though they often fought among themselves.
o The economy, social structure, ideas, and beliefs were hardly changed rather followed the previous system. The changes in these fields had taken place more gradually than the changes in political structure.
o The spread of Muslim rule over the major part of northern India at the end of 12th century.
Dantivarman was succeeded by his uncle Krishna I about A.D. 758.
Krishna-I extended his kingdom from Maharashtra to Karnataka.
Dhruva became king in about A.D. 779. It was the opening of a new era in the history of Rashtrakutas.
There were three great powers in India in the early phase of 8th century A.D., namely:
o The Gurjara Pratihara in the north,
o The Palas in the east, and
o The Rasthrakutas in the Deccan.
Pala king Devapala (A.D. 821-860) was the most prominent in the second phase because his contemporary Pratihara and Rashtrakuta kings were weak rulers.
Pratihara kings Bhoja (A.D. 836-885) and Mahendrapala (A.D. 885-910) proved to be more powerful in the third phase (during the 9th century).
Each of the three kingdoms Pratiharas, Pala, and Rashtrakutas declined almost simultaneously around the end of the 10th century A.D.
The end of these three dynasties marked the end of the glorious era of more than 300 years.
The final version of Arthashastra was written in the 4th century B.C.(written by Kautilya during the Maurya period.
The Sangam literature generally describes events up to the 4th century A.D.
Up to 1920, Indian civilization was considered to have begun about 6th century B.C. However, the excavations at Mohenjodaro, Kalibangan, and Harappa prove its antiquity to be of 5,000 B.C.
The Dark Age of Indian history was the period between 1500 and 600 B.C. This is known as Dark Age because not much is known about this period.
Indians had domesticated sheep and goat and started agriculture about 8,000 years ago and Iron metal came in regular use about 1,600 B.C.
o The tradition of rock paintings in India is proved to be more than 12 thousand years old.
Many Chinese travelers visited India as Buddhist pilgrims from time to time; three important pilgrims were:
o Fa-Hien (Faxian) - visited India in 5th century A.D.
o Hiuen-Tsang (Xuanzang) - visited India in 7th century and
o I-Tsing (Yijing) – visited India in 7th century.
The time period of Lower Palaeolithic culture was marked between 600,000 and 60,000 B.C.
The period between 150,000 B.C. and 40,000 B.C. is marked as the middle Palaeolithic culture.
The period between 9,000 and 8,000 B.C. is marked as Upper Palaeolithic culture.
The time period between 12,000 and 2,000 B.C. in India is marked as Late Stone Age, Mesolithic, or Microlithic period.
The Pleistocene Age came to an ended about 10,000 years ago.
Marshall suggested that Harappan civilization flourished between 3,250 and 2,750 B.C.
Wheeler dated it to 2,500-1,500 B.C.
On the basis of radiocarbon dating method following chronology of the civilization emerges as:
o Early Harappan Phase: c. 3,500 – 2,600 B.C.
o Mature Harappan Phase: c. 2,600 - 1,900 B.C.
o Late Harappan Phase: c. 1,900 – 1,300 B.C.
Max Muller gives arbitrarily the date of composition of Rig Veda to be around 1,200 to 1,000 B.C.
W. D. Whitney negated and criticized Muller for using totally arbitrary, unscientific, and un-academic method in assigning the dates.
On the analogy of the language of Avesta, some scholars opined that the date of Rig Veda may be 1,000 B.C.
The Aryans were originally inhabitants of India and did not come from outside as there is no archaeological or biological evidence, which could establish the arrival of any new people from outside between 5,000 B.C. and 800 B.C.
The growth of three kingdoms, namely Kosala, Kasi, and Videha took place. Thereafter, the excavations at Hastinapur, Atranjikhera, and many other sites have revealed cultures ranging from 2,000 B.C. onwards.
Some characteristic of the pottery of post Harappan period were noticed as Ochre Colored Pottery (O.C.P.) (c. 2,000-1,500) and during c. 1,200-600 B.C., Black and Red ware, Painted Grey Ware etc. were noticed.
The important landmark in the history of Indian culture was the evolution of Jainism and Buddhism during the 600 B.C.
Rishabhnath was the first Tirthankara of Jainism. The traditions of Jainism say that he was a king and renounced the kingdom in favor of his son, Bharata, and became an ascetic.
Vardhamana Mahavira was the twenty-fourth and the last Tirthankara of Jainism.
Mahavira was born about 540 B.C. in the village Kunda-grama near Vaisali. He was the only son of Siddhartha and Trisala. Siddhartha was the head of famous kshatriya Jnatrika clan and Trisala was the sister of Chetaka, an eminent Lichchhavi noble of Vaisali. Chetaka's daughter was married to the king of Magadha, Bimbisara.
In 468 B.C., Mahavira passed away at Pawapuri at the age of 72 years. He spent 30 years of his life in preaching his teachings.
Buddhism was founded by Gautama in 566 B.C. He was the son of Suddhodhan and Mayadevi. His father Suddhodhan was the eminent king of Sakya republic.
In 522-486 B.C. (during the reign of Darius), Achaemenians extended their empire to the northwestern part of India and they had subjugated a number of principalities living to the south of the Hindukush Mountains.
In 326 B.C., after the conquest of the Persian Empire, Alexander marched to India through the Khyber Pass.
In 324 B.C., Alexander reached Susa in Persia where he died in the next year i.e. 323 BC.
Maurayas(324 BC - 232 )
The Mauryan Empire was the first largest empires that ever established on Indian soil till 324 B.C.
Chandragupta Maurya(324-300 bc) was the first ruler who unified entire India under one political unit.
The detailed information about the administrative system of the Mauryan Empire is mentioned in Arthashastra. It is a book written by Kautilya. He was also known as Chanakya.
Bindusara (300-273 B.C.)
Bindusara, the son of Chandragupta Maurya, ascend to throne after his father.
Ashoka (273-232 B.C.)
Ashoka succeeded to the throne after the death of his father Bindusara in 273 B.C.
Simuka dynasty ruled from 235 B.C. to 213 B.C. and established Simuka dynasty.
Simuka was succeeded by his brother Krishna.
Satakarni-II ruled for about 56 years.
Gautamiputra was succeeded by his son Vasisthiputra Sri Pulmavi in about A.D. 130 and ruled for about twenty-four years.
Sri Yajna Satakarni (A.D. 165-195) was perhaps the last of the great Satavahana rulers. His inscriptions have been found in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh.
A Chola king, known as Elara, conquered Sri Lanka and ruled over it for about 50 years during the middle of the 2nd century B.C.
Karikala was a famous Chola king of the early time. He was credited because of his two achievements:
o He had defeated the joint forces of Chera and Pandya kings and
o He successful invaded Sri Lanka and ruled there.
Nedunjeliyan was a great Pandya king. He defeated the combined forces of Chera, Chola, and five other minor states in a war against him at Madurai.
The Pandyan kings assembled literary assemblies called as ‘Sangam’.
Nedunjeliyan had performed several Vedic sacrifices. He may be taken to have ruled around A. D. 210.
The Chera(Keralapura) power declined at the end of the 3rd century A.D. They again acquired power in the 8th century A.D.
Three big political powers emerged in India between the 1st century B.C. and 3rd century A.D., which played an important stabilising factor over large regions. They were:
o Satavahanas in the Deccan,
o Kushanas in the north, and
o Sakas in the west.
In the mid of 3rd century A.D., the empires of the Satavahanas and Kushanas came to an end.
Chandragupta-I succeeded his father Ghatottotkacha in A.D. 320.
Chandragupta-I was considered to have laid the foundation of the great Gupta Empire. He was married to a Lichchhavi princess Kumaradevi. The Lichchhavis were related to Gautama Buddh.
Samudragupta succeeded his father Chandragupta-I about A.D. 340. He earned a reputation as one of the greatest kings and conquerors. He was chosen by his father as his successor because of his qualities that would make him into a good king.
Chandragupta-II died about A.D. 413. His son Kumaragupta became the next king.
Kumaragupta-I died in A.D. 455. His son Skandagupta became the next king.
The Gupta dynasty continued to be in existence for more than 100 years after the death of Skandagupta in A.D. 467.
There were four major kingdoms in north India between the period in which the Guptas declines and the rise of Harsha (i.e. in the beginning of 7th century), namely:
o Guptas of Magadha;
o Maukharis of Kanauj;
o Maitrakas of Valabhi (Saurashtra); and
o Pushyabhutis of Thaneswar.
Harshavardhana(606-640AD)
Rajyavardhana was killed by Gauda king Sasanka. Harshavardhana (younger brother of Rajyavardhana) was ascended the Pushyabhuti throne in A.D. 606 at the age of sixteen. He was also known as ‘Siladitya.’ He ruled for forty-one years.
After Grahavarman's death, the Councilors of Maukhari state offered the throne to Harsha.
In A.D. 641, Harsha sent an embassy with Hiuen-Tsang to the Chinese emperor and received the Chinese embassy in return.
Harsha did not have any heir to his throne. Therefore, after his death in A.D. 647, his empire was grabbed by his minister.
in south india
The Satavahana’s rule ended in the first half of the 3rd century A.D. from Deccan and south India.
In the second half of the 3rd century A.D., the Vakatakas came into power. However, much is not known about the founder of the Vakatakas dynasty,
Pravarasena was the (known) founder of the Vakataka Empire in western and central India.
Kingdoms of Central & South India
After the Vakatakas, three major kingdoms (listed below) dominated the Deccan and south India for about 300 years:o Chalukyas of Badami,
o Pallavas of Kanchipuram, and
o Pandyas of Madurai.
The Vakatakas in the Deccan were followed by the Chalukyas of Badami.
The Chalukyas develop their base at Vatapi or Badami and Aihole. They moved northwards and captured the areas around Nasik and the upper Godavari region.
Pulakesin-II was the greatest king of Chalukya dynasty.’ He ruled from A.D. 610 to 642.
Pulakesin-II was the contemporary of Harshavardhana of Kanauj.
The Rashtrakutas succeeded the Chalukyas of Badami and build a vast empire in the Deccan.
Dantidurga-I was the first known ruler of the Rashtrakuta dynasty. He defeated the Chalukyas and conquered Badami in A.D. 752.
The Chalukyas and the Pallavas were contemporaries of the Gangas and the Kadambas in the Deccan.
The western Gangas were distinguished from the eastern Gangas of Kalinga. The Chalukyas and the Pallavas were ruled over a large part of modern Mysore.This region was called after them as Gangavadi.
Konkanivarman Dharmamahadhiraja was the founder of the family. He ruled in the second half of the 4th century A.D. and had his capital at Kolar. He ruled independently from A.D. 350-550.
Durvinita was a prominent Ganga king. He was a scholar of Kannada and Sanskrit literature.
Sripurusha was another important ruler of (western Ganga) dynasty. He shifted his capital to Manyapura (Manne near Bangalore). His kingdom was known as Srirajya on account of its prosperity.
Mayurasharma established the Kadamba dynasty. He was a learned Brahman. It is said that Mayurasharma came to receive education at Kanchi, but he was insulted by some Pallava officials. To avenge his insult, he took up a military profession, defeated Pallava officials and then Pallavas recognized the independence of Mayursharma.
The Mayurasharma ruled from Banavasi from A.D. 345 to 365.
Kakusthavarman (A.D. 435-455) was the most powerful king and administrator of the Kadamba dynasty.
Pallavas(3-9th century)
The Pallavas became prominent after the fall of Satavahanas from the 3rd century until the rise of Cholas in the 9th century A.D. However, the origin of Pallava is under debate. Simhavishnu was the famous Pallava king ruling in the 6th century A.D. He increased the influence and prestige of his family.
Simhavishnu’s son and successor Mahendravarman-I (A.D. 600-630) was a versatile genius. He was both a poet and a singer.
Mahendravarman-I composed a play ‘Mattavilas Prahasana’ (the Delight of the Drunkards) in Sanskrit.
Mahendravarman-I was the contemporary of the Chalukya king, Pulakesin-II and Harshavardhan of Kanauj.
Narasimhavarman-II ruled peacefully during the A.D. 695-722.
During this period, a particular style of temple architecture was developed. This is popularly known as the ‘Dravidian’ style of temple architecture.
Pallavas faced attacks from the Chalukya king Vikramaditya-II (A.D. 733-745) during the first half of the 8th century. He is said to have overrun Kanchi thrice.
The Pallavas had also been condemned of Pandyas and Rashtrakutas during the reign of Dantivarman (around A.D. 796-840).
Because of the continuous struggles, the power of the Pallavas began to decline.
Kamarupa Dynasty
The Kamarupa dynasty claims its descent from the Asura Naraka. This Kamarupa dynasty is also known as ‘Bhauma’ (i. e. the son of Bhumi).
Asura Naraka had a son namely Bhagadatta who had taken part in the Mahabharata War.
The inscriptions of the dynasty proved that the king Bhagadatta and his successors ruled for about 3,000 years in Kamarupa prior to king Pushyavarma.
The king Pushyavarma was a contemporary of Samudragupta.
The 8th king, Bhutivarma had ruled in the mid of the 6th century is known for his own records.
Harsha died in the mid of 7th century AD (A.D. 647). Delhi Sultanate founded in the 12th century A.D. The intervening period span was of 600 years and evidenced an array events.
Major Events
Important events during six centuries were:
o The rise of important kingdoms in eastern, central, and southern India.
o The cultural traditions of these kingdoms remained stable even though they often fought among themselves.
o The economy, social structure, ideas, and beliefs were hardly changed rather followed the previous system. The changes in these fields had taken place more gradually than the changes in political structure.
o The spread of Muslim rule over the major part of northern India at the end of 12th century.
Rulers of Rashtrakutas
Dantivarman or Dantidurga was the founder of the Rashtrakuts dynasty. He made his capital at Manyakhet or Malkhed near modern Sholapur. Dantivarman was succeeded by his uncle Krishna I about A.D. 758.
Krishna-I extended his kingdom from Maharashtra to Karnataka.
Dhruva became king in about A.D. 779. It was the opening of a new era in the history of Rashtrakutas.
There were three great powers in India in the early phase of 8th century A.D., namely:
o The Gurjara Pratihara in the north,
o The Palas in the east, and
o The Rasthrakutas in the Deccan.
Pala king Devapala (A.D. 821-860) was the most prominent in the second phase because his contemporary Pratihara and Rashtrakuta kings were weak rulers.
Pratihara kings Bhoja (A.D. 836-885) and Mahendrapala (A.D. 885-910) proved to be more powerful in the third phase (during the 9th century).
Each of the three kingdoms Pratiharas, Pala, and Rashtrakutas declined almost simultaneously around the end of the 10th century A.D.
The end of these three dynasties marked the end of the glorious era of more than 300 years.
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