History
Early Medieval India
Early Medieval India — Quick Revision
One-page CGPSC quick revision for Early Medieval India: tripartite struggle, Rajputs, Cholas, Arab and Turkish invasions, in tables for Prelims and Mains.
India from c. 750 to 1206 on one page: the tripartite struggle, Rajput kingdoms, the Cholas and the South, and the Arab and Turkish invasions. For explanations, go back to the chapter.
How to use this sheet
Scan it top to bottom in the week before Prelims. Bold entries are the facts examiners return to most often.
Master Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 634 | Aihole inscription of Pulakeshin II (Ravikirti) |
| 642 | Pallava Narasimhavarman I takes Vatapi |
| 712 | Muhammad bin Qasim conquers Sindh; Dahir killed |
| c. 750 | Gopala founds the Pala dynasty; Rashtrakutas rise under Dantidurga |
| c. 836–885 | Mihira Bhoja (Pratihara) |
| c. 850 | Vijayalaya takes Thanjavur: imperial Cholas begin |
| 919, 921 | Uttaramerur inscriptions of Parantaka I |
| 949 | Takkolam: Rashtrakuta Krishna III defeats the Cholas |
| 973 | Tailapa II ends the Rashtrakutas; Chalukyas of Kalyani |
| 985–1014 | Rajaraja I; Brihadisvara completed c. 1010 |
| c. 1000 | Kalingaraja sets up the Kalachuri kingdom at Tummana (Chhattisgarh) |
| 1000–1027 | Mahmud of Ghazni’s raids (traditionally 17) |
| 1014–1044 | Rajendra I; Ganga campaign (c. 1019–1023); Srivijaya (c. 1025) |
| 1018 | Mahmud at Kannauj; Pratihara Rajyapala flees |
| 1023 | Errakot inscription of Chhindaka Naga Nripatibhushana (Bastar) |
| Jan 1026 | Somnath sacked |
| 1054 | Koppam: Chola Rajadhiraja I killed |
| 1070–c. 1120 | Kulottunga I; tolls abolished |
| late 11th c. | Bhoramdeo temple, Kawardha (Phani-Nagavanshi) |
| c. 1148–49 | Kalhana’s Rajatarangini |
| 1178 | Kasahrada: Mularaja II (Naikidevi) defeats Ghori |
| 1191 | Tarain I: Prithviraj III wins |
| 1192 | Tarain II: Ghori wins; Prithviraj killed |
| 1194 | Chandawar: Jayachandra killed |
| c. 1200–1204 | Bakhtiyar Khalji in Bihar (Nalanda, Vikramashila) and Bengal (Nadia) |
| 1206 | Ghori assassinated; Aibak begins the Delhi Sultanate |
| 1279 | End of the Chola dynasty |
Tripartite Struggle
| Dynasty | Region | Remember |
|---|---|---|
| Gurjara-Pratiharas | West → Kannauj | Nagabhata I (checked Arabs); Nagabhata II (Kannauj); Mihira Bhoja (“Adivaraha”); Rajashekhara at Mahendrapala I’s court |
| Palas | Bengal–Bihar | Gopala (matsyanyaya); Dharmapala (Vikramashila, Somapura); Devapala (Nalanda grant to Balaputradeva); Mahipala I (beaten by Rajendra Chola) |
| Rashtrakutas | Deccan, Manyakheta | Dantidurga; Krishna I (Kailasa, Ellora); Dhruva, Govinda III; Amoghavarsha I (Kavirajamarga); Krishna III (Takkolam) |
Rajput and Allied Dynasties
| Dynasty | Capital | Ruler | Monument / fact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chauhans | Shakambhari → Ajmer | Vigraharaja IV; Prithviraja III | Harikeli Nataka; Tarain |
| Paramaras | Dhar | Bhoja | Samarangana Sutradhara; Bhojpur |
| Chandelas | Khajuraho, Kalinjar | Yashovarman; Vidyadhara | Khajuraho (UNESCO 1986); Kandariya Mahadeva |
| Solankis | Anhilwara Patan | Bhima I; Kumarapala; Mularaja II | Modhera; Vimala Vasahi; Hemachandra |
| Gahadavalas | Kannauj, Varanasi | Govindachandra; Jayachandra | Chandawar 1194 |
| Kalachuris of Tripuri | Near Jabalpur | Gangeyadeva (“Vikramaditya”); Lakshmikarna | Kalachuri-Chedi era from 248–249 CE; parent line of Ratanpur |
| Kashmir | — | Lalitaditya | Martand; Kalhana’s Rajatarangini |
Agnikula (Prithviraj Raso): Pratihara, Paramara, Chauhan, Chalukya, from a fire on Mount Abu. Feudalism debate: R.S. Sharma (for) · Harbans Mukhia (against) · B.D. Chattopadhyaya (state formation).
Cholas
| Item | Fact |
|---|---|
| Founder | Vijayalaya, Thanjavur, c. 850 |
| Parantaka I | Madurai; Uttaramerur 919/921 |
| Rajaraja I | Sri Lanka (north), Maldives; land survey; Brihadisvara |
| Rajendra I | Gangaikonda Chola; Gangaikonda Cholapuram; Kadaram-konda (Srivijaya) |
| Kulottunga I | Chalukya-Chola; Sungam Tavirtta Cholan; China embassy 1077 |
| Units | Mandalam > Valanadu > Nadu > Ur |
| Assemblies | Ur (villagers), Sabha (Brahmins), Nagaram (merchants) |
| Uttaramerur | 30 wards; kudavolai (lots); age 35–70; variyams (tank, garden, gold, annual) |
| Land | Vellanvagai, brahmadeya, shalabhoga, devadana, pallichchhandam |
| Art | Lost-wax bronzes (Nataraja); Great Living Chola Temples (UNESCO 1987/2004) |
| Guilds | Manigramam, Ainnurruvar |
Other southern powers: Chalukyas of Kalyani (Vikramaditya VI, Mitakshara); Hoysalas (Belur, Halebidu); Kakatiyas (Warangal, Rudramadevi, Ramappa); Yadavas (Devagiri); Pandyas (Madurai).
Arab and Turkish Invasions
| Wave | Leader | Key facts |
|---|---|---|
| Arabs | Muhammad bin Qasim | 712; Debal, Raor (Dahir killed), Multan; sent by Hajjaj; Chachnama |
| Ghaznavids | Mahmud (998–1030) | 17 raids; Somnath 1026; annexed Punjab; Alberuni, Firdausi, Utbi |
| Ghurids | Muhammad Ghori | Multan 1175; Kasahrada 1178 (lost); Lahore 1186; Tarain 1191 (lost), 1192 (won); Chandawar 1194 |
Causes of defeat (Mains): fragmentation · feudal levies · elephants vs mounted archers · horse supply · undefended north-west · narrow military base · Turkish centralised command, mamluks, iqta.
Chhattisgarh Links
| Link | Fact |
|---|---|
| Kalachuris of Ratanpur | Branch of the Tripuri Kalachuris; Kalingaraja at Tummana c. 1000; Ratanpur founded by Ratnadeva I |
| Chhindaka Nagas | Barsur, Chakrakota mandala (Bastar); earliest inscription 1023 |
| Chola campaign | Tirumalai inscription of Rajendra I: Kosalai-nadu and Śakkarakkōṭṭam (Chakrakota) |
| Bhoramdeo | Phani-Nagavanshi, late 11th century; “Khajuraho of Chhattisgarh” |
| Turkish conquest | Did not reach Chhattisgarh; Kalachuri rule continued to 1741 |
| Kakatiyas | Bastar’s later rulers traced descent from the Kakatiyas of Warangal (Annamdev) |
Don’t Confuse
| This | vs | That |
|---|---|---|
| Mihira Bhoja (Pratihara, 9th c.) | vs | Raja Bhoja (Paramara, 11th c.) |
| Kailasa, Ellora (Rashtrakuta) | vs | Kailasanatha, Kanchi (Pallava) |
| Takkolam 949 (Cholas lost) | vs | Koppam 1054 (Chola king killed) |
| Tarain I 1191 (Prithviraj won) | vs | Tarain II 1192 (Ghori won) |
| Solanki Chalukyas (Gujarat) | vs | Badami / Kalyani Chalukyas (Deccan) |
| 36 royal Rajput clans | vs | 36 garhs of Chhattisgarh |
| Mahmud (raids) | vs | Ghori (conquest) |
| Bakhtiyar Khalji (Ghurid commander) | vs | Alauddin Khalji (Sultan, 1296–1316) |
Favourite MCQ traps
- Uttaramerur is Parantaka I, not Rajaraja I; kudavolai is lots, not universal voting.
- Ghori lost twice (1178, 1191) before winning in 1192.
- Jaichand died at Chandawar, not Tarain.
- Alberuni was with Mahmud, not Ghori.
- Gangaikonda Cholapuram is Rajendra I’s capital; Thanjavur’s temple is Rajaraja I’s.
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