THE EARLY MEDIEVAL INDIA: THE AGE

OF THE REGIONAL CONFIGURATION (c.

Before understanding the concept of the regional configuration in the early medieval period it

becomes important to understand which period could be termed as the early medieval period.

The early medieval period denoted the period between the ancient as well the medieval period.

This period was marked by the feudalism, political fragmentation, formation as well the

proliferation of the various states at the regional level. Thus, the period from the c. 600-1200 CE

could be termed as the early medieval period, which further could be divided into two phases:

one for north and one for the south.

I. First part

The period from the c. 600-750 CE in the North India was embarked by the Pushyabhutis of the

Thaneswar and the Maukharis from the Kannauj whereas the same period for the south included

the 3 states: Pallavas from the Kanchi, Chalukayas from the Badami and lastly the Pandyas from

the Madurai region.

II. Second part

Second part is the period from the c. 750-1200 C

E, which for the North India could be divided into two phases: phase one which was embarked

by the rule of the three prominent empires from the period 750-1000 CE and which are: Gujara

Pratihara, Palas and Rashtrakutas.

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While the phase two thereof which was from the c. 1000-1200 CE and which is also known as

the age of the conflict and age of the breakdown in which tripartite powers were divided and

fragmented into the smaller kingdoms. While the period from the 850-1200 CE had the

supremacy of the Cholas.

PUSHYABHUTIS OF THANESWAR

 This was the important family which had gained the prominence after the fall of the

Gupta family, and they had the empire at the capital Thaneswar, which could be found

near the Kurushetra. There are two important sources which provide the evidence about

the Pushyabhutis dynasty, which are as follows: Harhsacharita, which is the biography

of the Harsha and had been written by the court poet of the Harsha: Banabhatta; the

second evidence that reveal about this dynasty is the travelogues for the pilgrim from the

China: Hsuan Tsang / Xuanzang.

 Prabhakar Vardhana: he was the 4th king who had laid the foundation of this dynasty and

had been the general in the many victories in the military to his credit. Albeit, after his

demise his son Rajya Vardhana had take over the kingdom and rule, but he too was killed

treacherously by the Shashanka, who was the king of the Gauda (Bengal and the Bihar)

 The last Hindu ruler from the dynasty, was the Harsha Vardhana, who was originally

Shaiva but also had bolstered the Buddhism. He was also known as the Lord of the North

(Sakalauttarapathanatha). After the demise of the Prabhalar Vardhana, his son Rajya

Vardhana had taken over but then he was succeeded by his brother and the reign of the

governance were in his hands as the campaigns against the ruler of the Malwa,

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 Devagupta and the Shashanka. Albeit, he had defeated the army of the Malwa and then

had killed the Devagupta but later was killed by the Shashanka who had taken over the

Kannauj.

 It could be said about the Harsha Vardhana that he had ruled on the similar lines as the

Gupta, but the administration of the Harsha was more feudal and more decentralized.

Few feudatories form his kingdoms are: Bhaskaravarmana from the Kamarupa,

Dhurvbhatta from the Vallabhi, and from the Magadha the Purnavarman.

HOW WAS THE ADMINISTRATION UNDER THE HARSHA?

It has been state by the Chinese pilgrim Hsuan Tsang that the people under the administration of

the Harsha were highly taxed and the revenues were divided into the following parts:

1. One part at the inception was earmarked for the king

2. Second part was for the scholars

3. Third part had been reserved for the endowments of the officials and public servants.

4. Fourth part had been reserved for the purpose of the religious activates.

The administration was personally under the supervision of the Harsha and the day of the Harsha

was divided into 3 parts: in which during the first part was for the administration duties, while

the other part was for the religious duties.

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1.1. MAUKHARIES

 About the Maukharies it could be said that they were the subordinate rulers of the Gupta

dynasty and used the title of the Samantha. They had ruled over the city of the Uttar

Pradesh named Kannuaj and thereby the political centre of the India had been replaced

from the Patliputra.

 There was the ruler Hari Varhmana who had taken up the title of the Maharaja but then

the extent to which his kingdom expanded was known.

 The ruler Ishanavarmana: he was the real founder of the Maukhari supremacy and had

taken up the title of the Maharaja-adhiraja, which is revealed from the fact on the

Asirgarh copper palte inscription.

1. WESTERN CHALUKAYAS OF BADAMI: DECCAN

 In the north of the Maharashtra, the Satavahanas were succeeded by the Vakatakas who

themselves were succeeded by the Chalukayas from the Badami. The latter had played

the significant and the prominent role in the history of the Deccan and the south India.

They had ruled over 200 years from the 6 th Century CE. There were primarily the

maritime power and had eastblaished the kingdom in the Vatapi, which was the capital of

the Deccan. There were also the two independent branches from this lineage who had

ruled independently: the Chalukayas from the East of the Vengi and the Chalukayas from

the Lata.

 PULKESHIN I: the kingdom had been founded by him at the capital Vatapi. This ruler

had performed the number of the shrauta sacrifices as Ashvamedha.

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 . PULKESHIN II: he was the most powerful and the most important ruler of this dynasty

and there are many military vitcoires to his credit. The eulogy of him had been written by

the court poet named Ravikirti in the Aihole Inscription, which had described about the

victories against the Kadambas of Banavasi, Alupas and the Gangas of the Mysore. Also,

various expeditions had been led by him against the Deccan Kingdoms, south Kosala and

the Kalinga. He was the contemporary of the Harsha Vardhana but nevertheless had

acquired the title of the Daskhinapatheshvara (also termed as the Lord of the South).

There were many conflicts of him with the Pallavas of the Kanchi and had annexed the

region between he Krishna and the Godavari, and then placed it under the rule of his

brother Vishnuvardhana.

 There was a brief decline in the dynasty of the Badami Chalukayas after the demise of the

Pulakeshin II owing to the internal feuds. But then the Badami was acquired by the

Pallavas for the period of 13 years. This period had marked the long-drawn political

struggle between the Pallavas and the Chalukayas which had continued up as well as

down till the hundred years.

 VIKRAMADITYA I: The Vikramaditya had succeeded in pushing out the Pallavas out

from the Badami and then had re-established the authority over the whole of the

kingdom. He had not only defeated the rulers of the Pallavas but was also successful in

capturing their capital Kanchi.

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 The title that had been taken over by the Vikramaditya was the Rajamalla which meant

the Sovereign of the Mallas or the Pallavas. He had also defeated the Chera, Cholas and

the Pandyas.

 VIKRAMADITYA II: It could be said that the Vatapi dynasty rule was at the peak

during the reign of the Vikramaditya II, who was also known for his repeated invasions

of the territory of Tondaimandalam and the subsequent victories over the Pallava king

and had also engraved the Kannada inscription on the victory pillar of the Kailasanath

Temple.

 The Vikramaditya was also known for his benevolence towards the people and the

monuments of the Kanchipuram, which was the capital of the Pallava. During his reign,

an important and significant event that had happened is that the Umayyad Caliphate

Arabs had intruded and invaded the south of the Gujarat which was under the rule of the

Chalukayas and but the Pulakesi had defeated and driven out the Arabs.

 KIRTIVARMAN II: He was the last ruler of the dynasty but was defeated by the

Rashtakuta King Dantidurga. Thus, the rule of the Chalukay came to the end around 757

CE, and Rastrakutas, who were one of the Feudatories, had come to the prominence.

 About the Chalukya period it could be said that it lead to the growth of the art and the

architecture in the Deccan region. And the name that had been given to the architecture

was the Chalukyan architecture.

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PHASES OF THE DECCAN DYNASTY

1. THE EARLY PHASE

In this phase, the cave temples had been built: like the elementary caves of the Aihole one of the

Vedic, one of the Jaina and one from the Buddhist, which was followed by the four 4 cave

temples at the Badami region.

2. THE SECOND PHASE

During this phase of the temple building, at Aihole, where there were around 70 structures and it

had been called as the cradles of the Indian temple architecture. These were the Lad Khan

temples with its interesting perforated stone windows and the sculptures of the river goddess and

the Meguti Jain Temple which had shown the progress in the structural design and the Durga

temple which had been built in the North Indian style.

3. THE MATURE PHASE

This mature phase of the Badami Chalukayan dynasty includes the architecture like the structural

temples at Pattadakal which had been built in the 8 th century and are now are the UNESCO

World Heritage. There are in total 10 temples at the Pattadakal.

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 2. THE EASTERN CHALUKAYAS OF THE VENGI

 In the second half of the 8th century it could be said that the Eastern Chalukayas had

established themselves as in the Vengi, Andhra Pradesh. The region of the Vengi had

been conquered by the Pulakesin II in the year c. 610-642 CE, and in the year 624 CE he

had appointed his brother (Vishnuvardhana) as the governor for the newly acquired

territory.

 After the demise of the Pulakesin II,Vishnuvardhana had declared the independence and

thus thereby the Eastern Chaluayas of the Vengi had come to the prominence. Earlier the

capital of the Eastern Chalukayas was Vengi, but later it had been moved to the

Rajamahendravaram.

 They had continued in the region as the feudatories of the Cholas until the year 1189 CE,

but then their kingdom had succumbed to the Hoysalas and the Yadavas.

RULERS OF THE EASTERN CHALUKAYAS

VISHNUVARDHANA : 624 CE

VIJAYADITYA II (808-847 CE): He was one of the important ruler of this dynasty, who had

led the successful military expeditions agasint the Rashtrakutas and had also led the campaigns

in the Gujarat.

VIJAYADITYA III (848-892 CE): He was the another important ruler of this dynasty and he

had won over the Pallavas and the Gangas and the Rashtrakutas.

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BHIMA I (892-922 CE)

He had been captured by the King of the Rastrakuta but was later released.

VIJAYADITYA IV (922 CE):

 He was the ruler for around 6 months.

 It was during the reign of the Bhima II and Amma II that some political stability had been

restored but then it did not last for long time and later in the year 999 CE the Eastern

Chalukyas dynasty had been captured by the Chola King Rajaraja.

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 3. CHALUKAYAS OF LATA

Chalukayas had started ruling in the Lata, which falls within the Gujarat region. Famous leaders

of this dynasty are:

BARAPPA (970-990 CE)

He was the most prominent ruler of this dynasty and had also worked earlier as the general for

the Western Chalukayan King Tailapa II. As per the Hemchandra’s Devyashryaa Kavya, the son

of the Mularaja had invaded the Lata region and had killed the Barappa.

GOGI RAJA (990-1010 CE)

He was the son of the Barappa and had probably revived the rule of the family in the lata region.

KIRTI RAJA (1010-1030 CE)

The 940 Shaka (or 1018 CE) copper plate inscription of the Kirti Raja had been discovered in the

Surat and which had the names the names of his ancestors as Gogi, Barappa and the Nimbarka.

VATSA RAJA (1030-1050 CE)

This ruler was believed to have built the golden umbrella for the god Samantha. He had also

established the free food canteen.

TRILOCHANA-PALA (1050-1070 CE)

The evidences of his rule are the two copper plate inscriptions from the period 1050 CE and

1051 CE. He was titled as the Maha-Mandaleshawara in these inscriptions.

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 4. PALLAVAS OF THE KANCHI

 It could be said that after the ruins of the Satavahanas, in the easter part of the peninsula

arouse the Ikshvakus. And there were many monuments and copper plate inscriptions

which had belonged to them.

 The Pallavas could be termed as the local pastoral tribes who had established their

authority in the land of the creepers called as Tondaimandalam, which is the south of the

Andhra Pradesh and the North of the Tamil Nadu, with the inclusion of the capital

Kanchi.

 Some of the inscriptions about this dynasty had referred to the rulers/kings there from

such as the Vaskandavarman, who had probably ruled in around 4th century. But in the

very last quarter of the 6th century the ruler had played the prominent role and rose to the

power was Simhavishnu.

SIMHAVISHNU

It was believed that he had defeated the Ikshvakus and also had laid the foundation of the Pallava

Empire. He had conquered the land up to the Kaveri and also the capital at Kanchi. He had bore

the title of the Avanisimha.

MAHENDRAVARMAN I (590-630 CE)

He had been defeated by the Pulkeshin II at the Pullalur, who had annxed the northern part of the

Pallava Region. He was the great patron of the arts and was himself the poet and the musician.

He had written the Mattavilasa Prahasanna and had also initiated the construction of the famous

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cave temple at Mahabalipuram. He was earlier a Jaina but later had taken up the Shaivism under

the influence of the Appar.

NARASIMHAVARMA I (630-668 CE)

 He had avenged his father defeat and only had had defeated the Pulkeshin II but had also

invaded the Western Chalukayan Kingdom and had captured the Badami with the aid of

the Manavarma, who was the prince of the Sri Lanka.

 It has also been claimed that he had not only won over the Chalukayas but also the

Cholas, Cheras and the Kalabhras. He was the enthusiastic patron of the architecture and

alongwith the construction of the port of the Mamallapuram, he had also ordered the

consturuction of the rathas at the Mahabalipuram.

MAHENDRAVARMAN II (668-670 CE)

The conflict of the Pallava and the Chalukaya had continued for the subsequent decades and in

fighting with the Chalukayas, the Mahendravarman had died.

PARAMESHVARAMNA I (670-695 CE)

He had defeated the Chalukaya King Vikramaditya and also the Gangas. He had also built the

temple at Kanchi.

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PERIOD FROM THE C. 750-1000 CE

The period from the c. 750-1000 CE was marked by the growth of the three important and

prominent political parties:

Gurjara Pratiharas: this dynasty had ruled the western India as well as the upper Gangatic

valley till the middle of the 10th century

Palas: they had ruled the eastern India till the middle of the 9th century.

Rastrakutas: the dynasty who had ruled the Deccan region.

1. PRATIHARA DYNASTY

The Pratiharas were also known as the Gurjara-Pratihara and they originated from the Gurharas

who primarily were the pastoralists and fighters. The greatest development of the Gurjara

Pratihara was the temple that had been built at the Khajuraho. This dynasty was founded by the

Brahmana, named Harichandra in the Jodhpur region, in the south of the Rajasthan.

NAGABHATTA I (730-760 CE)

One of the most famous and prominent Pratiharas king was the Nagabhatta. He had defeated the

Arab army under the Junaid and Tamin when there were Caliphate campaigns. He had exercised

the controlover the Malwa, Rajputana and the Gujarat region. He also had defeated the

Rashtrakuta king- Dhruva.

VATSARAJA (780-800 CE)

He was one of the successor so the Nagabhatta, who had extended his rule over to a large part of

the North of the India and had made the Kannauj as his capital. The tripartite struggle between
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the Rashtrakutas, Pratiharas and the Palas during his reign could be depicted as: Dharmapala,

Pala being defeated by the Vatsaraja, who in turn was defeated by the Dhruva, the Rashtrakuta

King.

BHOJA I / MIHIR BHOJA (836-885 CE)

He was the grandson of the Nagabhatta II and who had a long reign of around 46 years and

proved to be the most successful and popular ruler of the Pratiharas. He had won the victories

over the Palas and the Rashtrakutas. He had his capital at the Kannauj, which was also called as

Mahodaya. His supremacy had been acknowledged by the Chandalas and the Arbas from the

Sindh region.

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 2. THE PALAS OF BENGAL

 In the east of the India, after the demise of the King Shashanka in the year c. 637 CE, a

situation of the political confusion had pervaded in the Bengal and the adjoining areas.

The region had witnessed the major invasions from the Yashovarmana of Kannauj,

Lalitaditya of the Kashmir and the Chinese army. The most of the Bengal had been

conquered by the Bhaaskaravarmana, who was the ruler of the Assam. Around the 8 th

century, foundation of the Pala dynasty had been laid down by the Gopala. And the

kingdom of the Pala included the Bengal and Bihar region, which in turn included the

major cities of Pataliputra, Vikrampura and the Ramvati.

 About the Pala kings, it could be said that they were the ardent followers of the

Buddhism and in particular the Mahayana and Tantric Schools of the Buddhism. This

religion had been greatly promoted by them by making and constructing the monasteries

and the temples in the east of the India.

GOPALA (C. 750 CE)

He had displaced the later Guptas of the Magadha and the Khadga dynasty of the eastern Bengal.

He was the ardent and the staunch Buddhist, and as per the Buddhist scholar Taranatha, the

famous monastery at Odantapuri had been built by the Gopala.

DHARAMPALA (770-810 CE)

 The king of the Rashtrakuta, Drhuva had defeated this ruler. But, later on he had went on

to conquer the large parts of the northern India and had also raised the empire of the Pala

to the heights. But he was again defeated by the Pratihara King Nagabhatta II. But, an

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 important work that has been done by him was the construction of the Vikramshil

monstery near the Bhagalpur in the Bihar.

 He had also founded the Somapuri monastery and was also credited with the grant of the

200 villages to the Nalanda University. The renowned 8th century Buddhist Scholar,

Santarakshita, who was also considered as the abbot of the Nalanda.

DEVAPALA (810-850 CE)

He extended the empire to include Pragyoytishpur/Kamarupa and the other parts of the Orissa

and the modern Nepal. The inscriptions which relate to him, proclaim the victory over the Hunas,

the lords of the Gurjaras and the Dravidas. It could be said that he was the great patron of the

Buddhism.

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 3. RASHTRAKUTAS

The rulers and the region of the rule of this dynasty are as hereunder:

DANTIDURGA (733-756 CE)

He was the feudatory of the Chalukaya king, Kiritvarman II, who later went on to find the

Rashtrakuta Kingdom by taking the control of the northern regions of the Chalukaya empire and

thus thereafter had ascended to the throne in the year 733 CE. He had also helped his father in

law, the Pallava King Nandivarmana, in regaining the Kanchi from the rule of the Chalukaya,

and had also defeated the Gurjaras of the Malwa and the other rulers of the Kalinga and the

Kosala.

KRISHNA I (756-774 CE)

This ruler had extended the empire of the Rashtrakutas and had brought the major portions of the

present day Karnataka and Konkan under his control. Also, the final blows to the Palllavas had

been given by him. Also,the magnificent rock-cut Kailashnatha Temple at the Ellora had been

built during his reign.

DHRUVA (780-793 CE)

During the reign of the Dhruva, the kingdom has been expanded into the empire that had

encompassed all the terrotities between the Kaveri River and the Central India. He had led onto

the successful expeditions to the Kannauj and had defeated the Gurjara-Pratihara and the Palas of

the Bengal. He also had brought the Eastern Chalukayas and the Gangas of the Talakad under his

control.

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GOVIND III (793-814 CE)

He was the son of the Dhruva, who had like his father taken the Rashtrakuta empire to the lager

heights. He had emerged victorious from the tripartite struggle and had made incursions to the

north of the India and had defeated the Pala King Dharampala, and had also wrestled the Malwa

empire.

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REFERENCES

1. Poonam Dalal Dahiya , Ancient and Medieval India, 2nd Edition

2. Upinder Singh , Ancient India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century, 1 st Edition,

Pearson

3. Sailendra Nath Sen, A Textbook Of Medieval Indian History, Textus, 2013

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