History ANANYA.P.

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 When, Where, and How:
The Medieval Period of Indian History
LET’S GET STARTED!!
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• History is the study of human past.
• To make the study of history easier, it is
divided into 3 parts: Ancient, Medieval and
Modern
• Ancient Period: This period stretches till the
600 century CE.
• Medieval Period: This Period stretches from
647 CE to 1700 CE.
• Modern Period: This Period Stretches from
1700 CE till date.
Medieval Period Of Indian History:

• The word ‘medieval’ comes from the Latin words ‘Medius’ and
‘Aevum’, which mean middle age.
• The medieval period of Indian history extends from 647 CE, with the
death of king Harsha to 1700 CE, with the break up of the Mughal
empire and the establishment of british rule in India.
• There are two divisions to the medieval period. These are: The early
medieval period(647-1200 CE) and The later medieval period (1200-
1700 CE).

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The Medieval Period Of Indian History:

• The medieval period saw far-reaching changes in all fields- political,social,cultural and
economic.
• After the breakup of Harsha’s empire several independent kingdoms rose. These kingdoms
were rarely at peace with one-another.
• Taking advantage of this political instability and lack of unity among the Indian rulers,
tribes from central asia entered india throught the mountain passes in the north-west.
• Today this period of Indian history is identified with a series of Turkish, Afghan,
Persian(Iranic) and Mongol dynasties that ruled over India from the 11 th to the 18th
centuries CE.
• In this period, South India remained largely unaffected by the events in the north.
Prosperous kingdoms like the Cholas and The Rashtrakutas flourished in the south.
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Impact of geography on history (south):

• The southern peninsula faced fewer threats of invasion. The Vindhya

and Satpura ranges acted as a barrier, discouraging the southern
movement of the Turks an the Mughals.
• The kingdoms in the south, which had long coastlines, like the Cholas
and the Pandyas, developed strong navies which helped in conquering
lands across the Indian ocean.

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Impact of geography on history (north):

• India is a vast land with a 5,422km long coastline.

• The Himalayan mountain ranges, which stretch for over 2,575km along the north of India, cutting
off the Indian subcontinent from the rest of Asia. This has resulted in India being physically and
culturally distinct from the rest of Asia.
• The Himalayas have posed a barrier for many who have wanted to conquer this land. But the
passes, or points along the ranges which are lower than the surrounding peaks, let travellers and
Invaders to enter India.
• Many of the Invaders like the Turks and the Mongols have had a powerful impact on the culture of
India.
• Due to India’s physiographic features(relief), India’s history developed differently in it’s regions.
The northern plains comprising the basins of the rivers Indus and Ganga, was the seat of many
great empires.

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Sapta Sindhu:

• During the Vedic age, India was called Sapta Sindhu or the land of the
seven rivers.
• These rivers where the Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej, Beas and the
mythical Saraswathi.
• Sindhu was the Sanskrit name for the river Indus.
• The earliest reference to this name is in the Zend Avesta the Holy book of
the Ancient Persians. But it is referred to as Hapt Hindu, the Persian ‘H’
gets replaced by ‘S’. Thus, Sindhu or Hindu was India’s name from very
Ancient times.
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Hindustan:

• The word Hindu was derived from the Sanskrit word Indu.
• Indu was another word for soma, the drink of the vedic people.
• Soma played an imporatant role in vedic rituals. It was offered to the
gods, and then consumed by the people.
• So the Hindu were the people who drank Indu and were blessed by it;
and the land was known as Hindustan.

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Aryavarta and Bharatavarsha:

• After the coming of the Aryans and the spread of the Vedic culture,
northern India came to be known as Aryavarta, or the land of the
Aryans.
• India was also known as Bharatavarsha, or the land of Bharat where
the descendants of Bharata lived. Bharata the son of King
Dhushayanta, is a mythical king who is believed to have ruled and
conquered the whole of the Indian Subcontinent.

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Indica:

• In all Arabic and Persian literature of the medieval period, the Indian
Subcontinent is referred to as Hind,and the people who live here as
Hindus.
• The Greeks however, called this land Indica.
• It is most probably from this name that the subcontinent got it’s
modern name ‘India’

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Sources of Information for the medieval history:

• The medieval period has several sources of information that historians

use. The different sources are:
-Epigraphic Evidence(inscriptions)
-Numismatic Evidence(coins)
-Archaeological Evidence(Buildings, Sculptures, etc.)
-Artistic Evidence(paintings)
-Literary Evidence(Historical writings)

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Inscriptions:

• Inscriptions are writings engraved on hard surfaces like metal, rock,

and stone. The study of inscriptions is called epigraphy.
• Inscriptions maybe short such as a two-line dedication of a temple or a
statue, or lengthy such as long poems in praising the Achievements of
kings. Long poems In praise of kings are called Prashastis.
• Since Prashastis where written by court poets appointed by the kings
they may not be factually accurate.

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Coins:

• Coins are pieces of metal that are used as money they were usually
issued by the ruler of a kingdom. The study of coins is called
numismatics.
• Coins help a historian clarify any doubt they have about dates and
events that are given in books and other sources of information.

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Monuments and Buildings:

• Monuments and buildings often provide information about the period

during which they were built. Temples, palaces and mosques can tell
us not only of the religious practices but also about the political,
economic and social conditions of that time.
• Mosques like the Jama Majid in Delhi, forts like those at Delhi,
Gwalior, Agra and Mandu, and palaces like those at Jaipur, Jodhpur,
Deeg and Hyderabad, are studied by historians to understand the style
of architecture followed at the time.

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Paintings:

• Paintings are an important source of information as they tell us about

the following things:
-The artistic progress of the time.
-Record of lineage of kings and nobles.
-The way of dressing, the custom followed, important
events, the life of the common people, along with other features of the
time.

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Literary Evidence:

• It consists of historical writings, biographies, plays, novels and epics.

There are two types of literary evidence, these are:
-Indigenous sources
- Foreign sources

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Literary Evidence:

Indigenous sources Foreign sources

• These are the literary evidences by Indian • These are the literary evidences by Foreign
writers and Indian court poets. travellers.
• Examples: • Examples:
- Rajatarangini by Kalhana tells us about -Tahqiq-i-hind by Alberuni the Persian
important achievements and lives of kings. traveller.
-Vikramadeva Charitha by Bilhana tells us -Ibn-Batuta the Morrocon traveller wrote
about the achievements of king Rajendra Chola. about the reign of Muhammud bin Tughlaq.
- Prithviraj Raso by Chand Bardai is the - Marco Polo the Italian ambassador wrote
account of the famous Rajput ruler, Prithviraj about Kublai Khan the Chinese emperor.
Chauhan.

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New Kings and
Kingdoms
LET’S GET STARTED!!!

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Samanthas:

• After the break up of Harsha’s kingdom several small states and

kingdoms arose. The states and kingdoms were rarely at peace with
one another.
• During this time, many warriors and chieftains came to power under
the kings. They were called Samanthas or Subordinates.
• At times Samanthas became more powerful than the rulers and broke
away from them to become independent rulers.

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The Rajput Period:

• The Rajputs were clans or social groups, based around present-day

Rajasthan. They claimed Descent from Kshatriyas. The Rajputs were
Staunch Hindus. They protected their land with Fierce patriotism. They
created large empires and resisted the advance of the Arabs and Turks.
• There were 3 main clans these are:
-Gurjara-Prathiharas of Mandor
-The Chauhans of Ajmer
-The Paramaras of Malwa

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Gurjara-Prathiharas:

• Many historians claim that the Gurjaras came to India with the Huns at the end of the 5 th
century CE.
• By the 7th century CE they had established kingdoms in Punjab, and southern Rajasthan.
They had come to be called as Kshatriyas and of Indian origin.
• Nagabhatta 1 established the Prathihara Dynasty and took control of Ujjain.
• Nagabhatta 2 captured Kannauj, the imperial city of Harsha, and made it his Capital.
• His grandson Bhoja 1, Under him The Pratiharas stretched from the foothills of the
Himalayas to the river Narmada and from Bengal to Sind.
• The Gurjara Empire broke up into several independent kingdoms around 950 CE. Around
1019 CE, Mahmud of Ghazni took control of Kannauj. This spelt the end of the Prathihara
Dynasty.

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The Chahamanas or Chauhans:

• As the major powers of north and east India, like the Prathiharas, Palas
and Rashtrakutas began to decline, smaller feudal lords or vassals grew
in strength and ousted their former rulers.
• The Chauhans are believed to have been originally a desert tribe from
the west of Jaipur. In the 12th century CE, Ajeyraja broke free from the
Gurjara Prathiharas and established the Chauhan Dynasty. He Built his
capital at Ajaymeru or Ajmer.
• The most famous ruler of the Chauhan Dynasty was Prithviraj
Chauhan.
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Prithviraj Chauhan:

• The best known Chauhan ruler was the legendary Prithviraj Chauhan,
who ascended the throne in 1177 CE.
• He was a brave warrior. His life has been immortalised in the famous
poem Prithviraj Raso, By Chand Bardai.
• He challenged and defeated Mohammad Ghori, the Turkish invader, in
the First battle of Tarain. But, was defeated in the second battle of
Tarain.

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Prithviraj raso:

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The Paramaras:

• The Paramara Dynasty of Rajputs ruled the region around Malwa from
the 10th to 12th centuries CE.
• The most famous ruler of this period was Raja Bhoj, he ruled
from1010-1060 CE. He was a philosopher and a prolific writer.
• The capital of the Paramaras is at Dhar.
• The Paramaras ruled till 1305 CE, when Malwa was cconquered by
Alauddin Khaliji, The Khalji sultan of Delhi.

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The Palas of Bengal

• Dharmapala founded the Pala Dynasty.

• Under Dharmapala and his son, Devapala the Pala kingdom grew to include
present-day Bengal, Bihar, and parts of Odisha.
• The Palas were Buddhists.
• One of the later kings Mahipala, was defeated by the Chola king Rajendra
Chola.
• The university at Nalanda was revived by the patronage of the Palas.
Dharmapala established a famous buddhist monastery and college at
Vikramashila.
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Thank
You!!!!
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