Indian Medieval History: Rajput Dynasties (between 7th To 12th Century)

RAJPUTS

• The period was from 647 AD to 1200 AD.
• From the death of Harsha to the 12^th century, the destiny of India was mostly in the hands of various Rajput dynasties.
• They belonged to the ancient Kshatriya families.
• There were nearly 36 clans of Rajputs. The major clans are :
• The Pratiharas of Avanti
• The Palas of Bengal
• The Tomars of Delhi
• The Chauhans of Delhi and Ajmer
• The Rathores of Kannauj
• The Guhilas or Sisodiyas of Mewar
• The Chandellas of Bundelkhand
• The Paramaras of Malwa
• The Senas of Bengal
• The Solankis of Gujarat

NOTE: The Pratiharis and the Palas have been discussed before (Medieval History - North Indian Kingdoms)

The Tomars of Delhi

• The Tomars were the feudatories of the Pratiharis.
• They founded the city of Delhi in 736 AD.
• Chauhans captured Delhi in the middle of the 12^th century and the Tomars became the feudatories.

The Chauhans of Delhi and Ajmer.

• The Chauhans declared their independence at Ajmer and were the feudatories of Pratiharas.
• They captured Ujjain from the Paramaras of Malwa and Delhi in the early part of 12^th
• They shifted their capital to Delhi.
• Prithviraj Chauhan was the most important ruler of this dynasty.

Rathores of Kannauj

• The Rathores established themselves on the throne of Kannauj from 1090 AD to 1194 AD.
• Jaichand was the last great ruler of this dynasty.
• He was killed in the battle of Chandawar in 1194 AD by Muhammad Ghori.

The Chandellas of Bundelkhand

• Established in 9^th
• Mahoba was the capital of Chandella during the period of Chief Yasovarman.
• Kalinjar was their important fort.
• The Chandellas built the most famous Kandariya Mahadeva Temple in 1050 AD.

The Guhilas or Sisodiyas of Mewar

• The Rajput ruler Bapa Raval was the founder of the Guhila or the Sisodiya dynasty and Chittor was its capital.
• During the period of Rana Ratan Singh of Mewar, Ala-ud-din Khilji in 1307 AD invaded his territory and defeated him.

The Paramaras of Malwa

• The Paramaras were also the feudatories of Pratiharas.
• They declared their independence in the 10^th century and Dhara was their capital.

Raja Bhoja

• He was the most famous ruler of this period (1018 AD-1069 AD).
• He set up a college at Dhara for the study of Sanskrit literature.

The reign of the Paramaras came to an end with the invasion of Ala-ud-din Khilji

The Senas of Bengal

• The rulers of the Sena dynasty traced their origin to the South Indian region of Karnataka.
• The dynasty’s founder was Samanta Sena.
• The empire at its peak covered much of the north-eastern region of the Indian subcontinent.

The Solankis of Gujarat

• The Solanki dynasty ruled parts of what are now Gujarat and Kathiawar in India between 950-1300 CE.
• They are also known as Chalukyas of Gujarat or the Solanki Rajputs.
• In 1026, the temple complex of Somnath in Gujarat was destroyed by Mahmud of Ghazni.

About Rajputs :

• They were great warriors and chivalrous by nature.
• They believed in protecting the women and the weak.
• Religion
• They were followers of Hinduism.
• They also patronized Buddhism and Jainism.
• During their period the Bhakti Cult started.
• Government
• Each kingdom was divided into a large number of Jagirs held by the Jagirdars.

Art and Architecture

• Mural paintings and Miniature paintings were popular.
• Temples of Khajuraho:
• Lingraja Temple at Bhubaneswar.
• The Sun Temple at Konark.
• The Dilwara Temple at Mount Abu.

End of Rajput power

• There was no strong military power during the Rajput period to keep the warring princes in check and to coordinate their activities against their foreign invasions.