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550 – 1206 · Indian History timeline

Early Medieval India

  • 14events
  • c. 600 CE – 1148 CE
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  1. c. 600 CE

    The Pallavas of Kanchi and Mahabalipuram

    The Pallavas ruled from Kanchipuram. From about 600 CE, Mahendravarman I and his son Narasimhavarman I made it a great centre of temple art.

    ImpactTheir artists first cut temples from living rock and later built them in stone.

    Causes

    • After the Sangam age, the Pallavas rose as rulers of the northern Tamil country.

    Consequences

    • Their artists first cut temples from living rock and later built them in stone.
    • Pallava temples laid the base of the Dravida temple style.
    • The monuments of Mahabalipuram are among the earliest great temples of the south.
    • Their long wars with the Chalukyas shaped the history of the south.

    For the examPallava kings matched with monuments: Mahendravarman I, Narasimhavarman I, Rajasimha; The monuments of Mahabalipuram

    Prelims pointerTradition says the saint Appar turned Mahendravarman I from Jainism to Shaivism.

    ConnectedThe Sangam age: Cheras, Cholas and Pandyas (cause); Pulakeshin II and the Chalukyas of Badami (parallel); Samudragupta and the Prayaga pillar inscription (parallel)

  2. 606 CE

    Harsha of Thanesar and Kannauj

    Harsha became king of Thanesar in 606 CE and later ruled north India from Kannauj. His reign is known from Banabhatta and the Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang.

    ImpactHe tried to march into the Deccan but was stopped on the Narmada by Pulakeshin II.

    Causes

    • After the Guptas, north India was divided among regional kings.

    Consequences

    • He tried to march into the Deccan but was stopped on the Narmada by Pulakeshin II.
    • After his death in about 647 CE, north India split up again.
    • He reunited much of north India for a time after the Guptas.
    • He became a patron of Buddhism, though he earlier followed Hinduism.

    For the examThe author of the Harshacharita; Harsha's assemblies at Kannauj and Prayag

    Prelims pointerHis court poet Banabhatta wrote the Harshacharita, a Sanskrit account of his life.

    ConnectedGupta decline and the Huna invasions (cause); Pulakeshin II and the Chalukyas of Badami (parallel); Xuanzang (Hiuen Tsang) in India (parallel); Nalanda Mahavihara is founded (parallel)

  3. c. 610 CE

    Pulakeshin II and the Chalukyas of Badami

    Pulakeshin II ruled the Chalukya kingdom of Vatapi (Badami) from about 610 to 642 CE. He stopped Harsha on the Narmada and fought the Pallavas.

    ImpactHe pushed the Pallava king back behind the walls of Kanchipuram.

    Causes

    • Pulakeshin I founded the Chalukya kingdom and fortified Vatapi around 543 CE.

    Consequences

    • He pushed the Pallava king back behind the walls of Kanchipuram.
    • In 642 CE the Pallavas captured Vatapi, and Pulakeshin II was killed.
    • The Chalukyas made the Deccan a power able to stop the north.
    • Aihole, Badami and Pattadakal show the growth of Indian temple building.

    For the examThe author of the Aihole inscription; Chalukya sites in Karnataka: Badami, Aihole, Pattadakal

    Prelims pointerThe Aihole inscription of 634 CE, by the Jain poet Ravikirti, praises his victories.

    ConnectedHarsha of Thanesar and Kannauj (parallel); The Pallavas of Kanchi and Mahabalipuram (parallel); Early Gupta temples: Deogarh and Bhitargaon (cause)

  4. c. 630 CE

    Xuanzang (Hiuen Tsang) in India

    The Chinese Buddhist pilgrim Xuanzang (Hiuen Tsang) left China in 629 CE and spent many years in India, much of it studying at Nalanda.

    Prelims pointerAt Nalanda he studied under the teacher Shilabhadra; the monastery then had about 10,000 students and monks.

    ConnectedHarsha of Thanesar and Kannauj (parallel); Nalanda Mahavihara is founded (cause); Faxian (Fa-Hien) visits India (parallel)

  5. 712 CE

    The Arab conquest of Sindh

    In 712 CE, the Arab general Muhammad bin Qasim conquered Sindh, defeating its ruler, Raja Dahir. It brought Arab rule to the north-west of the subcontinent.

    ImpactSindh came under Arab rule, but the Arabs did not push much further into India.

    Causes

    • Hajjaj, the Umayyad governor of Iraq, sent Muhammad bin Qasim against Raja Dahir's kingdom of Sindh.

    Consequences

    • Sindh came under Arab rule, but the Arabs did not push much further into India.
    • Indian mathematics and medicine reached the Arab world; Brahmagupta's astronomy was translated into Arabic at Baghdad.
    • It brought the Arabs to the north-western edge of India for the first time.
    • It opened a channel through which Indian science reached Baghdad and the wider Arab world.

    For the examThe Umayyad governor who sent Muhammad bin Qasim to Sindh; Lasting effects of the Arab conquest of Sindh

    Prelims pointerThe expedition set out in 711; Sindh was conquered in 712 CE.

    ConnectedThe Gurjara-Pratiharas (effect); Harsha of Thanesar and Kannauj (parallel)

  6. c. 724 CE

    Lalitaditya and the Karkota kings of Kashmir

    Lalitaditya Muktapida, a king of Kashmir's Karkota dynasty, ruled from about 724 CE. He defeated Yashovarman of Kannauj and built the Sun Temple at Martand.

    Prelims pointerThe Martand temple, in Anantnag district, is dedicated to Surya, the Sun god.

    ConnectedKalhana writes the Rajatarangini (parallel); The tripartite struggle for Kannauj (parallel)

  7. c. 730 CE

    The Gurjara-Pratiharas

    The Gurjara-Pratiharas rose in western India in the 8th century by resisting Arab raids from Sindh. Later they ruled much of north India from Kannauj.

    ImpactNagabhata II captured Kannauj in about 816 and made it the Pratihara capital.

    Causes

    • Arab raids from Sindh threatened western India in the early 8th century.

    Consequences

    • Nagabhata II captured Kannauj in about 816 and made it the Pratihara capital.
    • Under Mihira Bhoja and Mahendrapala they ruled much of north India, until weakened in the 10th century.
    • They guarded north India against the Arabs of Sindh for generations.
    • They held Kannauj longer than either of their rivals.

    For the examThe Pratihara king who made Kannauj the capital; Arab writers' view of the Pratiharas

    Prelims pointerMihira Bhoja ruled from about 836 to 885.

    ConnectedThe Arab conquest of Sindh (cause); The tripartite struggle for Kannauj (parallel); The rise of the Rajput clans (parallel)

  8. c. 750 CE

    The Pala kings of Bengal

    Gopala founded the Pala dynasty in Bengal around 750 CE. The Palas ruled Bengal and Bihar and were great patrons of Buddhism.

    ImpactHis son Dharmapala (c. 770–810) took Kannauj for a time and founded great Buddhist monasteries.

    Causes

    • Bengal had fallen into anarchy, called matsyanyaya, the 'law of the fishes'.

    Consequences

    • His son Dharmapala (c. 770–810) took Kannauj for a time and founded great Buddhist monasteries.
    • Teachers from the Pala kingdom helped spread Buddhism to Tibet.
    • The Palas kept Buddhism strong in eastern India and linked it with Tibet and South-East Asia.
    • Their monasteries were among the great centres of learning of the age.

    For the examGopala's choice as king and the meaning of matsyanyaya; Pala monasteries: Paharpur and Vikramashila

    Prelims pointerDharmapala built the Somapura Mahavihara at Paharpur, now in Bangladesh, a UNESCO site since 1985.

    ConnectedThe tripartite struggle for Kannauj (parallel); Vikramashila Mahavihara (effect); Nalanda Mahavihara is founded (parallel)

  9. c. 750 CE

    The rise of the Rajput clans

    From the 8th century, new ruling clans called Rajputs rose in north and west India. Where they came from is still debated by historians.

    Prelims pointerSome historians saw the Rajputs as foreign tribes, others as old Kshatriya families, and others as local groups gaining status over time.

    ConnectedThe Gurjara-Pratiharas (parallel); The Delhi Sultanate is established (effect)

  10. c. 753 CE

    The Rashtrakutas of the Deccan

    In the mid-8th century, Dantidurga overthrew his overlords, the Chalukyas of Badami, and founded the Rashtrakuta dynasty of the Deccan.

    ImpactLater kings, Dhruva and Govinda III, raided the north and joined the fight for Kannauj.

    Causes

    • The Chalukyas of Badami had grown weak.

    Consequences

    • Later kings, Dhruva and Govinda III, raided the north and joined the fight for Kannauj.
    • Their rule ended in the 970s, when Taila founded the Later Chalukya line of Kalyani.
    • A Deccan power was strong enough to raid deep into north India.
    • Kannada literature and rock-cut art flourished under their patronage.

    For the examThe Rashtrakuta king to whom the Kavirajamarga is attributed; Order: Dantidurga, Govinda III, Amoghavarsha I, Krishna III

    Prelims pointerManyakheta (Malkhed), in present Karnataka, was the Rashtrakuta capital.

    ConnectedPulakeshin II and the Chalukyas of Badami (cause); The tripartite struggle for Kannauj (parallel); The Kailasa temple at Ellora (effect)

  11. c. 760 CE

    The Kailasa temple at Ellora

    Under the Rashtrakuta king Krishna I (c. 756–773), the Kailasa temple at Ellora was carved out of a single rock.

    Prelims pointerThe Kailasa temple is Cave 16 at Ellora.

    ConnectedThe Rashtrakutas of the Deccan (cause); The Ajanta caves and their paintings (parallel)

  12. c. 780 CE

    The tripartite struggle for Kannauj

    From the late 8th to the early 10th century, the Pratiharas, Palas and Rashtrakutas fought one another for Kannauj and the rich upper Ganga valley.

    ImpactThe Pratiharas held Kannauj longest and made it their capital.

    Causes

    • Control of Kannauj meant control of the rich upper Ganga valley.

    Consequences

    • The Pratiharas held Kannauj longest and made it their capital.
    • The long wars weakened all three powers.
    • No single power could hold north India for long, which kept it divided.

    For the examPowers of the tripartite struggle matched with their home regions; Order of the contests for Kannauj from Dharmapala to Indra III

    Prelims pointerThe three powers: Palas (Bengal), Gurjara-Pratiharas (western India) and Rashtrakutas (Deccan).

    ConnectedThe Pala kings of Bengal (parallel); The Gurjara-Pratiharas (parallel); The Rashtrakutas of the Deccan (parallel); Harsha of Thanesar and Kannauj (parallel)

  13. c. 800 CE

    Vikramashila Mahavihara

    The Pala king Dharmapala founded the Buddhist monastery of Vikramashila on the Ganga, at Antichak in Bhagalpur district, Bihar. It was second only to Nalanda in fame.

    Prelims pointerVikramashila was founded by the Palas, not the Guptas, who founded Nalanda.

    ConnectedThe Pala kings of Bengal (cause); Nalanda Mahavihara is founded (parallel)

  14. 1148 CE

    Kalhana writes the Rajatarangini

    In 1148 CE, the Kashmiri poet Kalhana wrote the Rajatarangini, 'River of Kings', a Sanskrit verse history of the kings of Kashmir.

    Prelims pointerIt is divided into 8 books, called tarangas, of nearly 8,000 verses.

    ConnectedLalitaditya and the Karkota kings of Kashmir (parallel)

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