Medieval India: Rajput Kingdoms and Invasions

Siyaka II is credited with establishing the Paramara dynasty as an independent power by defeating the Rashtrakutas.

Devpala, the Pala king, successfully campaigned against the Rashtrakuta ruler Amoghavarsha, asserting Pala dominance in the region.

Prithviraj Chauhan was the last ruler of Chauhan dynasty to sit on the throne of Delhi. During his reign, Muhammad Ghori invaded India in 1191. In the first battle of Tarain, Prithviraj defeated his army. The battle was fought near the town of Tarain near Thanesar in present-day Haryana.

Mohammed Ghazni was the first sultan of the Ghaznavid dynasty in Afghanistan. He conquered the eastern Iranian lands, modern Afghanistan, and the northwestern Indian subcontinent (modern Pakistan) from 997 to his death in 1030. In 1025, he attacked Somanath temple in Gujarat, broke the jyotirlinga and took away 2 million dinars.

During the Rajput era, the feudal system was prevalent where landlords collected taxes from the peasantry and paid a portion as tribute to the king.

Land revenue was the primary source of income for kingdoms during the Rajput era, as it was an agrarian society.

In the village administration of the Rajput era, the head of the village Panchayat was commonly referred to as the Mukhi or Mukhiya.

Kingship was hereditary, but the succession was often contested among brothers or other family members; it was not strictly limited to the eldest son.

Firdausi was the court poet of Mahmud of Ghazni and the author of the epic Shahnama, which chronicles the history of Persian kings.

Nizam-ul-mulk, also known as Chin Qulich Khan, founded the Asaf Jahi dynasty in the Deccan, which ruled the Hyderabad state.

Historians generally agree that Mahmud of Ghazni's primary motivation for his numerous invasions of India was to plunder the immense wealth stored in temples and cities.

Answer- (B) - To gain possession of the wealth of India.

The Kandariya Mahadeva temple dedicated to Shiva was constructed in 999 by the king Dhangadeva of the Chandela dynasty. The temple had an ornamented gateway that led to an entrance. It had a main hall known as mahamandapa where dances were performed.

Sawai Jai Singh II was the founder of the Pink city i.e. Jaipur. He was a remarkable Monarch of Jaipur, was a mathematician, an astronomer, and a town planner. He shifted his capital from Amber to Jaipur due to increase in population and growing scarcity of water. He consulted several books on architecture and architects before making the layout of Jaipur.

Prithviraj Chauhan was the last and the most powerful ruler of the Chauhan dynasty. He defeated Muhammad Ghori in the First Battle of Tarain in 1191 A.D. 

The Parmaras founded their independent kingdom on the ruin of the Pratihara Kingdom. Munja Vakpati was the first great ruler of this dynasty. The Parmars ruled from their capital at Dhar (near Indore). The Parmars became famous in the time of Raja Bhoja.

In 750 AD, Nagabhata-I replaced the throne of the great king Harshavardhana and established himself as the great ruler of Ujjain. He resisted invasion by the Mlechchas who were identified with the Arab Muslim invaders which is mentioned in the Gwalior inscription of his descendant Mihira Bhoja. Nagabhata was the founder of the imperial Gurjara Pratihara dynasty.

The Khandaraya temple in Madhya Pradesh is a Hindu temple built in the medieval period. It was built by the Chandelas in their capital city of Khajuraho. Shiva is the chief deity of this temple. The temple is the largest among the three groups of the Khajuraho complex of temples namely Kandariya, Matangeshwara and Vishvanatha temples.

Chand Bardai was an Indian poet, who composed Prithviraj Raso, an epic poem in Brajbhasa about the life of the Chahamana king Prithviraj Chauhan. The poem presents him as a court poet of Prithviraj. According to it, after Prithviraj was defeated at the Second battle of Tarain and taken to Ghazna by Muhammad of Ghor, Chand Bardai travelled to Ghazna and helped Prithviraj kill Muhammad.

Alberuni is the author of Kitab-ul-Hind. It contains comments on Indian sciences, Hindu religious beliefs, customs, and social organization. Al Beruni was an Iranian scholar and polymath from Khwarezm, modern day Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Most of his works including Kitab-ul-Hind are in Arabic.

The Paramara Dynasty was founded by a chief called Upendra (Krishanaraja) at the beginning of the 9th century. The capital of Paramaras initially was Ujjain which later was replaced by Dhara. They were able to rule till 1305 when Malwa was conquered finally by Alauddin Khilji.

The Gurjara Pratihara dynasty was founded by Harichandra, in the area around Jodhpur in Rajputana. They ruled most of northern India from mid-7th to the 11th century. Gurjara-Pratihara are known for their sculptures, carved panels and open pavilion style temples. The greatest development of their style of temple building was at Khajuraho

The Second Battle of Tarian was fought in 1192 AD between Ghurid army of Mohammed Ghori and Rajput army of Prithviraj Chauhan. After his defeat in the first battle, Mohammad Ghori came back to avenge his loss. Many of Prithviraj Chauhan's former allies were this time indifferent to fight for him and his enemy, king Jaichand of Kannauj also supported Ghori which reduced the Rajput armywhich led them to their defeat.

Muhammad Ghori was Sultan of the Ghurid Empire from 1173 to 1202. In 1194 AD, when Muhammad Ghori invaded India, he attacked Kannauj and defeated Jai Chand Rathor in the battlefield of Chandawar. After this invasion, Qutab-ud-Din Aibak became his chief commander.

Chandbardai was known for his excellence in poetry. Chandrabai was a court poet of Prithvi Raj Chauhan. He was born in Lahore in the year 1148. He acquired immense knowledge of language, literature, grammar, puranas, astrology etc. The famous creation of Chandbardai is Prithviraj Raso. It is considered to be the first epic in Hindi. 

Chandrabai was a court poet of Prithvi Raj Chauhan. He was born in Lahore in the year 1148. He acquired immense knowledge of language, literature, grammar, puranas, astrology etc. The famous creation of Chandbardai is Prithviraj Raso. It is considered to be the first epic in Hindi. 

Chandbardai was known for his excellence in poetry. Chandrabai was a court poet of Prithvi Raj Chauhan. He was born in Lahore in the year 1148. He acquired immense knowledge of language, literature, grammar, puranas, astrology etc. The famous creation of Chandbardai is Prithviraj Raso. It is considered to be the first epic in Hindi. 

Anandpal, the son of Jaipal, formed a coalition with other rulers to resist the invasions of Mahmud of Ghazni after his father's defeat.

Mahmud of Ghazni defeated the Hindu Shahi ruler Jaipal at the Battle of Peshawar in 1001 AD. This was the first major defeat of the Shahi dynasty against Mahmud.

Mahmud of Ghazni for the first time attacked modern Afghanistan and
Pakistan in 1000 AD. There he defeated Hindu Shahi ruler Jaipala, who
committed suicide later and was succeeded then by his son Anandpala. He formed an alliance with the rulers of central and western India to repulse Ghazni.

In
the nineteenth century, the region that constitutes most of present-day
Rajasthan was called as Rajputana by the British. While this may suggest
that this was an area that was inhabited only or mainly by Rajputs.

There
were several groups who identify themselves as Rajputs in many areas of
northern and central India. And of course, there are several peoples
other than Rajputs who live in Rajasthan. However, the Rajputs are often
recognised as contributing to the distinctive culture of Rajasthan.

From the eighth century onwards, a samanta or, in later times, a zamindar built a fortified palace in or near the towns. They levied taxes on traders, artisans and articles of trade and sometimes donated the right to collect these taxes to local temples, which had been built by themselves or by rich merchants. These rights were recorded in inscriptions that have survived to this day.

Mahmud of Ghazni's repeated raids demonstrated the military and political weakness of the fragmented Northern Indian states. This lack of unity facilitated subsequent invasions and the eventual conquest of India by later Islamic rulers.

Alberuni, a famous scholar and polymath, accompanied Mahmud of Ghazni during his Indian expeditions and wrote the Kitab-ul-Hind.

When Mahmud of Ghazni attacked the Somnath temple in 1025-1026 AD, the ruler of Gujarat (the Chaulukya dynasty) was Bhima I.

Historians generally agree that Mahmud of Ghazni conducted 17 plundering raids into India between 1000 and 1026 AD.

Maharaja Jaswant Singh was a prominent ruler of the Marwar kingdom (Jodhpur) during the Mughal period.

Mahmud of Ghazni invaded and plundered the Somnath temple in 1026 AD (often cited as 1025-1026).

In Rajasthan and central India there arose a number of small kingdoms ruled by dynasties that came to be called the Rajputs. Many parts of North India and modern-day Pakistan were ruled by these dynasties. Some of these were Solanki dynasty who ruled over present day Gujarat, Chandelas of Khajuraho, Chauhans of Ajaymeru and Delhi, Bundelas of Bundelkhand, etc

Maharaja Suraj Mal was ruler of Bharatpur in Rajasthan in India. Deeg was the first capital of the Bharatpur state. Maharaja Suraj Mal built the Deeg fort in 1730 as the place was vulnerable to repeated attacks by invaders. The fort had massive walls and a deep moat to keep away raiders.

Mohammed Ghori was defeated by Raja Bhimdev II in the battle of Kayadara near Mt. Abu. After this defeat, he never turned to Gujarat later on. Bhimdev II  was an Indian king who belonged to the Solanki dynasty and ruled parts of present-day Gujarat. His reign suffered many rebellions by the feudatories as well as external invasions by the Ghurids, the Paramaras, and the Yadavas of Devagiri.

Mahmud Ghazni made the very first attack on India in 1001. He attacked India 17 times in 25 years. He made his last attack on the Somnath temple in 1025 to plunder the gold.

Modhera Sun temple is located at Modhera village of Mehsana district, Gujarat, India on the bank of river Pushpavati. It is a Hindu temple built by Bhimdev I of the Solanki dynasty in 1026AD and dedicated to the Sun. The Temple was plundered by Mahmud Ghazni in 1024-25 when his army invaded Bhima's kingdom. Even after the attack, the temple still retains its architectural grandeur till date.

Mahmud invaded Somnath temple in 1025 A.D it was his last invasion in India. He destroyed the idol of Somnath and looted enormous wealth from this temple. He took a lot of silver, gold and many other precious gems along with him.  The Islamic world appreciated this victory and the Caliph called him as the "Star of the Islamic world".

Mahmud of Ghazni for the first time attacked modern Afghanistan and Pakistan in 1000 AD. There he defeated Hindu Shahi ruler Jaya Pala, who committed suicide later and was succeeded then by his son Anandpala.

During the Rajput era, land revenue was typically fixed at one-sixth of the total agricultural produce.

Udai Singh was the Maharana of Mewar and the founder of the city of Udaipur in the present-day Rajasthan state of India. He was the 53rd ruler of the Mewar dynasty.

Maharaja Jaswant Singh was a ruler of Marwar which is in the southwestern part of the present-day Indian state of Rajasthan. He died at Jamrud, near Peshawar in Pakistan, on 28 December 1678 at the age of 49.

Maldev Rathore was an Indian ruler of Marwar, which was later known as Jodhpur in the present-day Rajasthan state of India. He was a descendant of the Rathore clan. 

The Paliya is a type of memorial found in western India especially Saurashtra and Kutch regions of Gujarat state of India. They mostly commemorate the death of a person. These stone monuments have symbols and inscriptions.

Modhera Sun temple is located at Modhera village of Mehsana district, Gujarat, India on the bank of river Pushpavati. It is a Hindu temple built by Bhimdev I of the Solanki dynasty in 1026AD and dedicated to the Sun. The sanctum sanctorum is designed in a way that the first rays of rising sun lit up the image of Surya during solar equinox days.

1. The last attack of Mahmud was on the Somnath Temple in Gujrat in 1027 A.D
2. Mahmud invaded Kalinjar in 1023 A.D
3. Mahmud attacked Mathura and Kannauj in 1018 A.D and 1021 A.D respectively
4. Mahmud conquered Thanesar in 1014 A.D
5. Mahmud defeated the Hindu Shahi kingdom ruler Anandpal in the 1000 AD.

Therefore the correct chronology of invasion is 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

Mahmud of Ghazni received a robe of honor and a title from the Caliph of Baghdad, Al-Qadir Billah, which legitimized his rule as an independent sovereign.

Prithviraj Chauhan or Rai Pithora in the folk legends was an Indian king from the Chahamana dynasty. He ruled Sapadalaksha, the traditional Chahamana territory, in present-day north-western India.

Prithvirajraso is an epic poem composed by Prithviraj's court poet, Chand Bardai. It narrates the heroic exploits of the Chauhan king, Prithviraj who ruled Ajmer and Delhi between 1165 and 1192. It also described the struggles between the Rajputs and Muhammad Ghori, besides providing details on the political, military and socio-economic structure of the Rajputs. 

Ajmer (Rajasthan) was the capital of the Chauhan kings in the twelfth century and later became the suba headquarters under the Mughals. The city provides an excellent example of religious coexistence.

Ajayaraja was the great ruler of Chauhan dynasty. He established the city of Ajmer which was originally known as Ajyameru in 1113. He made it the capital of his kingdom.

Chauhan king of Sakambhari – Ajayaraj Chauhan was a vassal of the Gurjara Pratihara. He established a city Ajaymeru, which was later known as Ajmer.

Prithviraj Chauhan known as Rai Pithora in the folk legends. He was an Indian king from the Chahamana (Chauhan) dynasty.

Chauhans were the Rajput kings who ruled parts of northern India in the medieval period. They were the feudatories of the Gurjar-Pratiharas who in the Battle of Rajasthan assisted Nagabhatta I to defeat and protect the borders from the Arab Invasions. Manik Rai, the founder of the Chauhan dynasty, belonged to Ajmer.