UNIT - IV Lesson 9

RAJPUT KINGDOMS IN NORTH INDIA ARAB AND TURKISH INVASIONS

RAJPUT KINGDOMS IN NORTH INDIA Harshas Empire survived only for a short period. There was no centralised authority after Harshas rule. The country once again broke into big and small kingdoms. These kingdoms had their independent rulers. They waged wars with each other. Therefore, political unity was completely lost. The Rajputs ruled most of the Kingdoms that appeared in North India, after the death of Harsha. There were about 36 Rajput Clans. But only a few of them have left indelible historical marks. Origin of Rajputs: According to Rajput traditions, they were the descendants of the ancient Kshatriya ruling class. Some claim that they were the descendants of Surya Vamsa or Solar race of Rama. Some consider that they belonged to Chandra Vamsa or the Lunar race of Lord Krishna. Some called themselves as Agnikula Rajputs. 83

The Rajputs continuously fought among themselves and failed to establish a unified state. Let us learn about a few Rajput clans. The Prathiharas: Nagabhatta I founded this dynasty. Kanuaj was their capital. When the Arabs invaded the western part of India, they were defeated by Nagabhatta I. The most famous king of the Prathiharas was king Mihira Bhoja. He ruled from A.D 836 to A.D. 885. His empire included parts of the Punjab, Rajasthan, Gwalior, Malwa, Gujarat and Kathiawar. He also prevented the Arab invasions on the North West of India. His son Mahendrapal was also equally great and powerful. Under his rule, the Prathihara empire reached its zenith. His court poet and dramatist Rajashekara wrote Bala Ramayana, Bala Bharatha and a few more works in Sanskrit. Thus the Prathiharas promoted learning and literature. They had also built many beautiful temples. The Chauhans : Another branch of the Rajputs was the Chauhans of Ajmer. This kingdom was founded at the end of the 8th century A.D. The famous king of this dynasty was Visaldeva. He captured Delhi from the Tomaras. The last and the most powerful king of this dynasty was Prithviraj Chauhan. He defeated Muhammad of Ghor in the First Battle of Tarain in A.D 1191. But in the next year Prithviraj was defeated and killed by Muhammed of Ghor in the Second Battle of Tarain. His defeat was a great blow to the Rajputs. Read the story of Rani Samyuktha and Prithviraj The Chandelas : The Chandelas had ruled the region called Bundelkhand. Bundelkhand was situated between the Yamuna and the Narmada rivers. The important rulers of this dynasty were Dhanga and Kirtivarman. The Chandela rulers were great builders. Kirtivarman was responsible for digging a big lake near Mahoba. The famous Vishnu Temple was built by Yashovarman at Khajuraho in A.D 955. He made Mahoba his capital. Two other temples of this period are the Parswanath temple and the Kandariya Mahadeva temple at Khajuraho. They continued to be great attractions for the devotees and visitors even today. The last ruler of this dynasty was defeated by Qutb-ud-din Aibak. And thus came the end of the Chandela rule in Bundelkhand. Paramaras : Upendra was the founder of this dynasty. The next ruler was Munjaraja. He was not only a great patron of poets, but 84

also himself a famous writer. The most important king of this dynasty was Bhoja (A.D. 1010- A.D. 1055). He dug a very big lake (more than 250 square miles). It is situated to the South East of Bhopal. He started a Sanskrit College at Dhara. The Palas of Bengal : Gopala (C.A.D. 765-C.A.D.769) was the first ruler of the Pala Dynasty of Bengal. He annexed Magadha and brought peace to his country. He was succeeded by Dharmapala (C.A.D.769-C.A.D.815). He ruled Bengal for nearly four decades. He was a follower of Buddhism. He founded the University of Vikramasila. His son Devapala was a worthy son of a worthy father. He had many victories to his credit. He was also an efficient ruler. But his successors were not very strong. After a passage of a decade King Mahipala once again regained the glory of the Palas. However, Mahipala had to face a defeat at the hands of Rajendra Chola who marched as far as the Ganges. The Palas were great patrons of art, painting, and sculpture. Casting in bronze and the metals made great progress. The Statue of Surya is a remarkable and outstanding masterpiece. Administration of the Rajputs : The Rajput political system was mainly based on feudalism. Specific territories were given to various chiefs. Each chief or feudal lord collected taxes from the farmers and other people. The chiefs had to pay a part of the revenue to the king. They were to maintain a small army with the balance revenue. They were to send the army to the King during the times of War. In course of time, the feudal chiefs became very powerful and rich. As a result, the feudal system did not allow the growth of a strong central Government. Whenever a weak king occupied the throne, some of the chiefs boldly declared their independence. Position of Women : Women were considered inferior to men. Child marriage, female infanticide and polygamy were common. Sati was practised. If a ruler was defeated and killed, his Queen committed Jauhar. Understand the terms Sati and Polygamy Economy : Agriculture was the chief occupation of the people. Various arts and crafts flourished. India traded with the Mediterranean world and the countries of West Asia. 85

Art and Architecture : The Rajputs built many forts, palaces and temples. The Rajput forts at Jaisalmer and Chittor in Rajasthan are well known. Some of the best Rajput palaces are located at Udaipur and Jaipur. The Chandelas built many magnificent temples at Khajuraho. The Jagannath temple at Puri, the Lingaraja temple at Bhuvaneswar and the Sun temple at Konark were built in other parts of India during the Rajput period. The Dilwara Jain temple at Mount Abu is known for its excellent carvings. The Rajputs used to build Vijaya stamba or victory towers to celebrate their victory in a war. One such example is Chittorgarh Vijaya stampa.

Marble Statues, Khajuraho

Dilwara Jain Temple

Literature : Rajput rulers patronised the development of literature. Some of the Kings were themselves poets. Gita Govindam of Jayadeva, Bakti Kavya of Bhartruhari, Uttara Rama Charitam of Bhavabhuti, Prabodha Chandrodaya of Krishna Mishra and Bilhanas Vikramanga Charita belonged to the Rajput period. Prithviraj Raso in Rajasthani language was written by Chand Bardai. Ujjain was a renowned centre of learning. One unfortunate feature of the period was the lack of interest in science and technical education. Arab and Turkish Invasions For a long time, there had been trade contacts between India and the Arab World. In the beginning of the 8th century A.D. some 86

problems arose between the Indian and Arab merchants. At that time, Muhammad-bin-Quasim, an Arab General, attacked Sind and occupied it. Since there was no unity among the Hindu rulers in Sind area, the Arab occupation in this part lasted for a century. As a result, Islam found its way into India through Sind. The Turkish invasions of India took place three centuries after the Arab occupation of Sind. Alaptigin of Turkish origin set up an independent Kingdom at Ghazni in the 10th century A.D. His son-inlaw, Sabuktigin, succeeded him in A.D. 977. He was a brave warrior. He conquered many places. After a reign of 20 years Sabuktigin died. His son Mahmud succeeded him. Mahmud of Ghazni (A.D. 997-1030) : In A.D. 997 Mahmud occupied the throne of Ghazni. He was a brilliant general and a mighty conqueror. Besides, he had a great love for his religion. He wanted to make Ghazni a powerful Kingdom. Mahmud decided to pursue a policy of aggressive warfare against the Hindu rulers of India. He invaded India 17 times. His aim was to plunder the enormous wealth of India. This was the reason why some of his attacks were made on the temples which were the repositories of rich treasure. It was not his aim to conquer and occupy India. Attack on Somnath Temple : In A.D. 1025 Mahmud of Ghazni attacked the most celebrated Hindu temple at Somnath in Kathiawar. This temple was famous for its fabulous wealth. Mahmud entered the temple and destroyed the idol of Lord Somnath. Laden with rich booty Mahmud returned to Ghazni. By using the booty he beautified the city of Ghazni. The famous writers like Firdausi and Alberuni lived in his court. Firdausi wrote Shah Nama, the famous Persian epic. It is the biography of Mahmud. Alberuni left some interesting accounts of India and her people. Collect more details about the Somnath temple and its attack Muhammad of Ghor (A.D. 1173 - A.D. 1206) : For over a century and a half, i.e., from A.D. 1030 to A.D. 1190 India was free from outside attack. The successors of Mahmud of Ghazni were weak. So they could not hold their kingdom. A small state in Afghanistan, Ghor, became powerful under the princes of Ghor who were subordinates to Ghazni. They captured Ghazni in A.D. 1173. Shahabud-din Muhammad, better known as Muhammad of Ghor became the 87

Governor of Ghor. He strengthened his position in Ghazni and then marched towards India. He conquered Multan in A.D. 1175 and then Sind and the Punjab. His object was to establish Muslim power in India. He was successful in his attempt. It was this Muhammad of Ghor who was responsible for founding the Muslim power in India. Muhammad of Ghors Campaigns : Muhammad of Ghors campaigns against India were well planned and skillfully organised. He first defeated the Muslim rulers of Sind and the Punjab. When he attacked Gujarat, the Gujarat ruler defeated him. The First Battle of Tarain : In A.D. 1191 Muhammad of Ghor advanced towards Delhi. Many brave Rajputs of Northern India, under the leadership of Prithviraj Chauhan of Delhi, opposed him at the battlefield of Tarain near Thaneswar. The ruler of Kanauj, Jayachandra, kept aloof on this occasion. It was due to Prithvirajs marriage with Samyukta, daughter of Jayachandra. This marriage took place against the wishes of Jayachandra. In this battle the army of Muhammad of Ghor was utterly defeated. Muhammad was severely wounded in his arm. However, a young Khilji soldier saved him. Prithviraj had stopped with his victory and he did not make any attempt to capture the Punjab. The Second Battle of Tarain : Muhammad of Ghor was not a man to be frightened by defeats. In A.D. 1192 he again led a big force against Prithviraj. Prithviraj appealed to all the rulers and chiefs of Northern India. Only a few sent their army to help Prithviraj. Muhammad of Ghor, with burning desire for revenge, attacked Prithviraj at Tarain. There was a furious battle in which the Rajputs were defeated. Prithviraj was captured and put to death. The Second Battle of Tarain was a turning point in the history of India. It led to the foundation of the Turkish rule in North India. Other Conquests : Muhammad of Ghor returned home and left behind his general Qutb-ud-din Aibak as his viceroy. Aibak had completed the task of his master. He conquered Meerut, Ajmer and Delhi. He made Delhi his capital. In A.D. 1194 Muhammad of Ghor came to India. He defeated Jayachandra, the king of Kanauj, near Agra and killed him. As a result of this victory, the entire region from Benares to Meerut fell into the hands of the Turkish invaders. Muhammad-bin-Bakthiyar Khilji, a general of Aibak, conquered Bihar, Bengal and destroyed the famous Nalanda University in A.D. 1197. As a result many Buddhist monks fled to Tibet and Nepal. 88

This was one of the main causes for the growth of Buddhism in Nepal and Tibet. After the death of Muhammad of Ghor in A.D. 1206 Qutb-uddin Aibak became the Sultan of Delhi. He was the founder of the Slave dynasty in India. Effects of Arab and Turkish Invasions : The Arab scholars visited Sind and studied many Indian literary works. They translated many Sanskrit books on astronomy, philosophy, mathematics and medicine into Arabic. They learnt the numerals 0 to 9 from India. Until then the people in the West did not know the zero. Through the Arabs Europe got more knowledge about mathematics, especially the importance of zero from India. The Western countries and the Arabs learnt the game of chess from the Indians. Learning Outcome
1. Pupil will be able to recall the names of important Rajput kingdoms and kings. 2. Pupil will be able to describe the contribution of the Rajputs to Indian art and architecture. 3. Pupil will be able to explain the causes for the Muslim invasions on India. 4. Pupil will be able to recall the effects of Arab and Turkish invasions. 5. Pupil will be able to discriminate the difference between the invasion of Mahmud of Ghazni and Muhammad of Ghor.

SELF - EVALUATION I. Choose the Correct Answer 1. The book written by Rajashekara is a) Bala Ramayana c) Shakundalam a) A.D. 1194 c) A.D. 1193 89 b) Ramayana d) Gita Govindam b) A.D. 1191 d) A.D. 1195

2. The First Battle of Tarain took place in

3. The lake near Mahoba was dug by a) Yashovarman c) Vishnu Varman a) Mahmud of Ghazni c) Qutb-ud-din-Aibak a) Kanuaj c) Malwa 6. Devapala was the son of a) Gopala c) Mahendrapala a) Agra c) Mount Abu a) Chand Bardai c) Bhavabuthi a) Mahipala c) Dharmapala b) Dharmapala d) Mahipala b) Delhi d) Khajuraho b) Bilhana d) Jayadeva b) Gopala d) Devapala b) Kirtivarman d) Rajavarman b) Muhammad of Ghor d) Sabuktigin b) Dhara d) Jaipur.

4. The last ruler of the Chandela dynasty was defeated by

5. Bhoja I started a Sanskrit college at

7. The Dilwara Jain Temples are found in

8. The author of Vikramanga Charita is

9. The Pala King defeated by Rajendra Chola was

10. In A.D. 1025 Mahmud of Ghazni attacked the most celebrated Hindu temple in a) Khajuraho c) Dilwara 11. Jayachandras daughter was a) Shakuntala c) Padmini b) Samyukta d) None of the all. b) Somnath d) Puri Jagannath

12. In A.D. 1197 Nalanda University was destroyed by a) Muhammad of Ghor c) Bakthiyar Khilji 90 b) Qutb-ud-din d) Alaptigin

II. Fill in the Blanks 1. Prathihara dynasty was founded by _____________ 2. The Chauhan King Visaldeva captured Delhi from___________ 3. During the reign of _____________ the Prathihara Kingdom reached its zenith. 4. The important rulers of Chandela dynasty were _____________ and _____________ 5. The famous Vishnu temple at Khajuraho was built by _____________ 6. _____________was the founder of Paramara dynasty. 7. The first ruler of the Pala dynasty of Bengal was_____________ 8. The Rajput political system was mainly based on____________ 9. The Chandelas built many magnificent temples at ___________ 10. The famous poets_____________and in the court of Mahmud of Ghazni. _____________lived

11. Muhammad-bin-Qasim, the Arab General attacked __________ 12. Shah Nama was written by_____________ III. Match the Following 1. Surya Vamsa 2. Prithviraj 3. Second Battle of Tarain 4. Bhoja I 5. Dharmapala 6. Vijaya Stamba 7. Jaisalmer 8. Gita Govindam 9. Prithviraj Raso 10. Alaptigin 11. Shah Nama 12. Shahab-ud-din 13. Jayachandra 91 Vikramasila University Victory tower Rama Jayadeva Chand Bardai Chauhan A.D. 1192 Paramara dynasty Fort Muhammad of Ghor King of Kanauj Firdausi City of Ghazni

IV. Answer Briefly 1. What do you know about the origin of the Rajputs? 2. What do you know about Prithviraj Chauhan? 3. Explain the architectural contribution of the Chandelas. 4. Who founded the University of Vikramasila? What do you know about that University? 5. Write a note on the position of the Rajput women. 6. Mention some of the literary works of the Rajput period. 7. What was the aim of Mahmud of Ghaznis invasions on India? 8. Mention the main aim of Muhammad of Ghors invasion on India. 9. Who was Qutb-ud-din Aibak? What do you know about him? 10. Bring out the difference between Mahmud of Ghaznis and Muhammad of Ghors invasions of India. V. Answer in Detail 1. Explain the administrative system of the Rajputs. 2. Name the places of architecture of the Rajput period. 3. Explain the causes and results of the Second Battle of Tarain. 4. Bring out the effects of Arab and Turkish invasions.

92