New Kings and Kingdoms

History - Chapter 2 New Kings and Kingdoms Medieval Period Early Medieval Later Medieval Period 8th Period-12th Century to 12th Century to 18th Century Century Who were the new powers? How they became powerful? The Emergence of New Dynasties ● Rich landlords or warrior chiefs became subordinates of kings and were given title of samantas, and were expected to bring gifts for their kings or overlords, had to be present at their courts and would provide them military support. With more power and wealth, samantas became ‘maha-samanta’ or ‘mahamandaleshwar’, and some of them became free from their overlords. ● Dantidurga, who was a Rashtrakuta chief, performed ‘hiranyagarbha’ ritual to become a Kshatriya and then he overthrew his Chalukya overlord. ● In spite of being Brahmans, Kadamba Mayurasharman and Gurjara-Pratihara Harichandra built their kingdoms in Karnataka and Rajasthan. Prashastis and Land Grants ● Prashastis are a special kind of inscription, meaning “in praise of”. They were composed by learned Brahmanas in praise of the rulers, which may not be literally true; but, they tell us how rulers of that time wanted to illustrate themselves. ● If the kings liked the prashastis, they gave land as a gift to the Brahmans, with records of it on copper plates. ● Kalhana was a famous writer who wrote a long Sanskrit poem (Rajatarangini - "The River of Kings") on kings of Kashmir by using a variety of sources,such as inscriptions, documents, eyewitness accounts, and earlier histories. He was usually critical about rulers and their policies. Rajput ancestry can be divided between Suryavanshi (“House of the Sun,” or Solar people), or those descended from Rama, the hero of the epic Ramayana; and Chandravanshi (“House of the Moon,” or Lunar people), or those descended from Krishna, the hero of the epic Mahabharata. A third group, Agnikula (“Family of the Fire God”), is the group from which the Rajputs derive their claim to be Kshatriyas. Some Rajput Rulers Direct Instruction: (discussion) - (40 m) Examine the new dynasties and political developments - 8th to 12th century 8th Century 12th Century Rajput period Mihira Bhoja (836–885 CE) or Bhoja I was a ruler of the Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty of India. The Pratiharas and three other Rajput dynasties originated from a sacrificial fire-pit (agnikundTa) at Mount Abu. ● The Gurjara-Pratiharas, or simply, the Pratiharas (8th century CE - 11th century CE) held their sway over western and northern India. ● This dynasty saw its fortunes rising under Nagabhata I (750–780 CE) who successfully defeated Arab invaders. ● Bhoja the Great or Mihira Bhoja (c. 836-890 CE) was the most well-known king of this dynasty.He expanded his kingdom to the east and made conquests in Punjab,Awadh,Malwa and Gujarat. ● He established his capital at Kanauj. ● The Pratiharas were known chiefly for their patronage of art, sculpture and temple-building, and for their continuous warfare with contemporary powers like the Palas (8th century CE - 12th century CE) of eastern India and the Rashtrakuta Dynasty (8th century CE - 10th century CE) of Deccan. ● Invasion of Mahmud of Ghazni and continuous wars finally led to the decline of this dynasty by 10th century. Nagabhata I Mihir Bhoja The Rashtrakuta Dynasty ● ● The Rashtrakuta Dynasty ruled parts of South India from the 8th to the 10th century CE. ● At its zenith, their kingdom included the modern state of Karnataka in its entirety along with parts of the current Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra and Gujarat. ● The name 'Rashtrakuta' in Sanskrit means ‘Country’ (Rashtra) and ‘Chieftain’ (Kuta). ● They rose to prominence under Dantidurga (who was a feudatory of t Chalukyas of the Badami,) defeated their King Kirtivarman II in 752 CE and founded the Rashtrakutas dynasty. ● The Rashtrakuta rulers were able administrators and great warriors. ● Their invincible armies overran the territories from Cape of Comorin to Kannauj and from Benares to Bharuch. ● Constant conflict with The Palas, the Gurjara Pratiharas and the Pallavas of Kanchipuram. ● The Rashtrakutas built various capitals as their empire grew.Manyakheta (Malkhed in Karnataka now) was the royal capital of the Rashtrakutas. ● The stunning Kailasa Temple of Ellora (a rock-cut structure) is the epitome of Rashtrakuta architectural achievement, but many of the caves of Ellora and Elephanta (in present-day Maharashtra state) have also been created and renovated under the supervision of the Rashtrakutas. ● By the end of 10th century ,the power of the Rashtrakutas declined. The Kailasa Temple of Ellora Mahmud Of Gazni .

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