Emergence of Rajput

States in Northern
India
Dr Amita Gupta
 The Origin of Rajputs is a subject of debate. There are many theories
that support their origins such as the Agni Kula theory, Tribal Origin
theory, Foreign Origin theory, Kshatriya Origin theory, and mixed
origin theory.

About the
Rajputs belonged to the early medieval period.

Rajputs The Rajput Period (647A.D- 1200 A.D.)

From the death of Harsha to the 12th century, the destiny of India
was mostly in the hands of various Rajput dynasties.
Rajput Clans

The four clans, namely −

• Pratiharas, (or Pariharas),

• Chauhans (or Chahamanas),
• Solankis (or Chaulukyas), and
• Pawars (or Paramaras).
 The Rajputs rose to political importance
in the 9th and 10th centuries.

They were divided into a number of clans

of which four claimed a special status.
Introduction:

These were the Pratiharas, the Chauhans,

the Chalukyas( Solankis) and the Parmars.

These 4 clans claimed to be the Agnikula

or fire family.
 According to a legend these clans
claimed their descent from a
mythical figure that arose out of
a vast sacrificial fire pit near
Mount Abu in Rajasthan.
Introduction:

On the Eve of the Turkish

invasion, besides these
Agnikula Clan other Rajput clans
were also ruling different regions
of northern and central India.
 • The chief among them were
• Chalukyas of Anhilvara,
• Chauhans of Ajmer,
• Gahadavalas of Kannauj,
Introduction:

• Tomars of Delhi,
• Chandella of Bundelkhand,
• Kalchuris of Chedi,
• Sena Kingdom of Bengal.
 • The Tomara( also called Tomar) was an
Indian dynasty, which ruled parts of
present day Delhi and Haryana during the
9th 12th century.
• Initially being feudatories of the Gurjara-
Pratihara dynasty, the Tomaras by around
the 10th century carved out an
Tomars of Delhi: independent Kingdom for themselves
around Delhi.
• King Anangapal Tomar is accredited to
establishing ‘Lal Kot’, which was basically a
walled Citadel serving as the capital of
Tomars in 736 CE.
Tomars of Delhi:

Chauhan King, Prithviraj

Chauhan captured ‘Lal Kot’ in
1180 CE and made extensive
renovations to the structure
and made it into a massive 13
gated Fort- Qila Rai Pithora.
Anangpal Tomar is often
described as the founder of
Delhi, built the Citadel some
10 kilometers from Surajkund.
Tomars of Delhi:

Surajkund( literally means the

Lake of the Sun) is an ancient
Surajkund reservoir is said to
reservoir of the 10th century,
have been commissioned by a
located on the southern Delhi
Tomar King named Surajpal.
Ridge of Aravalli range in the
Faridabad city of Haryana.
Who founded the city of Delhi in 736 AD?

A. Tomars

B. Chandel

C. Parmar

D. Chauhans
Surajkund
Chauhans of Ajmer:

• The earliest extant inscription that describes the

origin of Chauhans is the 1119 CE Sevadi inscription of
Ratnapal, a ruler of the Naddula Chahamana dynasty.
• According to this inscription, the ancestors of
Chahmanas was born from the eye of Indra.
• According to the 1170 CE Bijolia rock inscription of
Someshvara, the early Chahamana king Samantaraja
was born at Ahichchhatrapura in the gotra of sage
Vatsa
Chauhans of Ajmer:
The word Chauhan is the vernacular form of the Sanskrit term
Chahmana.
The Chahmanas originally had their capital at Shakambari( present
today Sambhar Lake town).
Until the 10th century, they ruled as Pratihara vassals.

When the Pratihara power declined after the tripartite struggle, the
Chahmana ruler Simharaja assumed the title Maharajadhiraj.
In the early 12th century, Ajayaraja II moved the kingdom’s capital to
Ajayameru( modern Ajmer).
Chauhans of Ajmer:
• Thus, the Chahamana rulers are also known as
Chauhans of Ajmer.
• The Chahamanas fought several wars with their
neighbors, including the Chalukyas of Gujarat, the
Tomars of Delhi, and Parmars of Malwa.
• From the 11th century onwards, they started facing
Muslim invasions, first by Ghaznavids, and then the
Ghurids.
• The Chahamana Kingdom reached its zenith under
Vigraharaja 4th in the mid 12th century.
• The most famous among the Chauhan rulers was
Prithviraj III, who ascended the throne at Ajmer at the
young age of 11, in or about 1177 CE.
Chauhans of Ajmer:
• It is assumed that he took the reigns of administration is in his hands at
the age of 16, and immediately commenced a vigorous policy of
expansionism at the cost of smaller states in the Rajasthan.
• The most famous expedition, however, was the one against the
Chandelas of Khajuraho and Mahoba.
• The fight in which the famous Warriors, Alha and Udal, died fighting to
save Mahoba has been immortalized in Hindu epics.
• His Kingdom included major parts of present-day Rajasthan, Haryana,
and Delhi; and possibly some parts of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.
• The dynasty’s power effectively ended in 1192 CE, when the Ghurids
defeated Prithviraj III in Second battle of Tarain.
Name the Ruler of Jaipur who served the Mughal Court constantly during the
reign of Mughal Emperors viz, Shahjahan and Aurangzeb.

A. Raja Man Singh

B. Mirza Raja Jai Singh

C. Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh

D. Raja Bhagwan Das

 A. Ajayaraja
Who was the
founder of Ajmer B. Arnoraj
City?
C. Vasudev

D. Vigrahraj II
 The Gahadavala Dynasty:
• The Gahadavala dynasty was among the rulers of Indians of continent, that ruled
parts of the present Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, during the 11th and
12th centuries.
• Their capital was located in Varanasi in the Gangetic Plains, and for a brief period,
they also controlled Kanyakubja( modern Kannauj).
• Chandradeva, the first monarch of the dynasty, established a sovereign Kingdom
sometime before 1090 CE, after the decline of Kalchuri of Tripuri.
• The Kingdom reached its zenith under his grandson Govindchandra who annexed
some of Kalchuri territories, warded off Ghaznavid raids, and also fought the
Palas.
The Gahadavala Dynasty:

• Chandradeva, the first monarch

of the dynasty, established a
sovereign Kingdom sometime
before 1090 CE, after the decline
of Kalchuri of Tripuri.
• The Kingdom reached its zenith
under his grandson
Govindchandra who annexed
some of Kalchuri territories,
warded off Ghaznavid raids,
and also fought the Palas.
The Gahadavala Dynasty:

• In 1194 CE, Govindchandra’s grandson

Jayachandra was defeated by the Ghurids,
which effectively ended the dynasty’s
Imperial power.
• The Kingdom ceased to exist when
Jaychandra’s successor were defeated by
the Delhi sultanate in the 12th century.
• The political developments in the North,
western central India were considerably
influenced by the changes taking place in
the contemporary West and Central Asia.
• The coming of the Arabs( 7th 8th
centuries), first as traders and later as
invaders, had already made a substantial
impact in India.
The
Gahadavala Dynasty
Rathors of Kanauj
• The Rathors established themselves on the throne of
Kanauj from 1090 to 1194 A.D. (as per various sources).
• Jaichand was the last great ruler of this dynasty. He was
killed in the battle of Chandwar in 1194A.D. by Muhammad
of Ghori.
The Chandellas of Bundelkhand
• Established them in the 9th century.
• Nannuk, a ruler of small kingdom was the founder of
Chandela Dynasty.
• Chandellas ruled much of the Bundelkhand region of
Central India for approximately 500 years between the
9th and the 13th centuries AD. In those days, the
Bundelkhand region was popularly known by the name
of Jejakabhukti.
• The capital city of Chandels was Khajuraho which was
later changed to Mahoba.
Which Rajput clan once ruled over Bundelkhand?

A. Rathores

B. Paramaras

C. Chauhans

D. Chandelas
The Chandellas of Bundelkhand

• Kalinjar was their important fort.

• The Chandellas built the most famous
Kandariya Mahadeva Temple in 1050 A.D. and
a number of beautiful temples at Khajuraho.
• The Chandel Dynasty is famous in Indian
history for Maharaja Rao Vidyadhara, who
repulsed the attacks of Mahmud of Ghazni.
• Paramardi the last independent Chandella
ruler was defeated by Qutb-ud-din Aibak in
1203 A.D. After him, the Chandela continues
to become week and other new dynasties
emerged in to picture like Bundela in Orchha,
Baghels in the Bandhavgarh region.
Which one of the following dynasties built the Khajuraho temples?

A. Chandellas

B. Chauhans

C. Paramars

D. Tomars
The Guhllas or
Sisodiyas of Mewar
• Guhil was the founder of the Guhila
Dynasty.
• This Clan originated in Kashmir,
migrated to Gujarat in the 6th century,
and then again migrated to Mewar
around the area of Magadh in the 7th
Century.
• The Rajput ruler Bappa Rawal laid the
foundation of the Guhilot Dynasty or
the Sisodiya dynasty in Mewar and
Chittor was its capital.
The Guhllas or Sisodiyas of Mewar
• During the period of Rawal Ratan Singh of
Mewar.
• In 1303 A.D. Ala-ud-din Khilji
invaded his territory and defeated
him. Candidates can read in detail
about the Alauddin Khilji – Reign,
Victories and Annexed States on the
linked page.
• Rana Sangha and Maharana Pratap the
Sisodiya rulers gave a tough fight to the
Mughal rulers of India.
• Maharana Pratap was the 54th ruler of
Mewar in the line of Sisodhiya Rajputs.
The Paramaras of Malwa
• The Paramaras were also the
feudatories of Pratiharas. They
declared their independence in the
10th century and Dhara was their
capital.
• The Paramaras ruled until 1305,
when Malwa was conquered by Ala
ud din Khilji.
• The later Parmara rulers moved
their capital to Mandap-Durg (now
Mandu).
Raja Bhoja (1010-1055)
• He was the most famous ruler of this period.
• He constructed a beautiful lake more than 250 sq. miles
near Bhopal.
• 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.
Who was the founder of Parmar Dynasty?

A. Vakpati Munj

B. Gopal

C. Vam-Rajdeo

D. Nagbhatt I
Society Under Rajputs
• Nature of the Rajputs
• The Rajputs were great warriors and
chivalrous by nature.
• They believed in protecting the women and
the weak.
• Religion
• The Rajputs were staunch followers of
Hinduism.
• They also patronized Buddhism and Jainism.
• During their period the Bhakti Cult started.
• Government
• The Rajput Society was Feudal in its
organizational setup.
• Each kingdom was divided into a large
number of Jagirs held by the Jagirdars.
Which of the following place there were no Buddhist education center during
Rajput period?

A. Vikramshila

B. Nalanda

C. Odantpur

D. Mount Abu
Major literary work
• Kalhana’s Rajatarangin – ‘River of Kings’
• Jayadeva’s Gita Govindam – Song of the cowherd
• Somadeva’s Kathasaritasagar
• Chand Bardai, the court poet of Prithviraj Chauhan, wrote
Prithviraj Raso in which he refers to the military exploits of
Prithviraj Chauhan.
• Bhaskara Charya wrote Siddhanta Shiromani, a book on
astronomy.
• Rajasekhara – The court poet of Mahendrapala and
Mahipala. His best known works were Karpuramanjari,
Kavyamimamsa, and Balaramayana.
Who wrote Prithviraj Raso?

A. Kalhana

B. Vishakadatta

C. Rajasekara

D. Chandbaradai
Rajputras are mentioned as Agnikula Kshatriyas in:

A. Prithviraj Raso

B. Rajataranini

C. Vikramankadeva Charita

D. Dasakumara Charita
 Mural paintings and Miniatures paintings
were popular.

Temples at Khajuraho

Art and Lingaraja Temple at Bhubaneshwar

Architecture
The Sun Temple at Konark

The Dilwara Temple at Mount Abu

Mural paintings and Miniatures paintings
 MINIATURE PAINTINGS
1- RAJASTHANI SCHOOL (17th MEWAR 17th AD • Bold colours • Aranya Kanda,
– 19th AD) (Western India) • Colors are bright and contrasting Saraswati
• Text of painting is written in black Bhandar
on the top against yellow ground

BUNDI 17th AD • Red colour brilliant border • Bhairavi Ragini

• Overlapping and semi-naturalistic Painting,
trees. Allahabad
• Rising sun in golden colour Museum

KOTA 18th – 19th • Most of the space is occupied by • Ragin Vasanta

AD hilly Jungle
• Themes of Tiger and Bear hunt are
very popular
AMBER- 18th AD • Fairly large number of portraits of • Jaipur Painting
JAIPUR Jaipur Rulers
The Dilwara Temple at Mount Abu
QUESTION: Battle of Mandsaur was
fought between which parties?

A. Rajputs and ​Britishers

B. Marathas and Rajputs
C. Marathas and ​Mughals
D. Rajputs and ​Mughals
QUESTION: Who DID NOT attend
the Hurda Conference?

A. Sawai Jai Singh

B. Maharana Jagat Singh
C. Rao Ummed
D. Abhay Singh
Which dynasty of Rajputana took part in the tripartite struggle for the
control over the city of Kannauj?

A. Chauhan

B. Gurjar Prathihar

C. Parmar

D. Gehlot
The battle of Gagron was fought between
whom?

A. Prithvi Raj Chauhan and Mohammad Ghori

B. Babur and Rana Sanga

C. Mahadaji Scindia and Maharaja Vijay Singh

D. Rana Sanga and Mahmud Khilji II

Which of the following dynasty ruled the Jejakabhukti region of central India?

A. Parmar Dynasty

B. Kalchuri Chedi ​Dynasty

C. Chandela Dynasty

D. Mughal Dynasty
Which of the following was not the king of the Rajput Dynasty?

A. Tomaras

B. Ananga Pala

C. Prithviraj Chauhan

D. Bahlul Lodi