Development of
Regional Power in Northern India (Post Gupta Period)
Short Notes on Post Gupta Period
1. Towards the end of
the Gupta Empire, Hun leader Torman invaded India, taking advantage of the
weakness of suitable heirs.
2. Their dominance was
established in Punjab, Rajputana and East Malwa. However, this dominance did
not last long.
3. He converted to
Jainism at an early age and settled on the banks of the river Chenab.
4. His son Mihirkul was
very strong and cruel. His capital was Shakal or Sialkot. He was a fierce
Buddhist hater and a worshiper of Shiva.
5. Hiuen Tsang said that
the Gupta emperor Narsinghgupta finally defeated Baladitya Mihirkul.
6. After the death of
Mihirkul, the Hun power was weakened due to lack of qualified leaders.
Balvir Maitrak Dynasty
1. It is known from the
Mandashore inscription that during the fall of the Gupta Empire, Yashodharman
established a strong independent state in West Malba.
2. His capital was
Daspur or Mandashore. None of his genealogy or heirs are known.
3. On the day of the
fall of the Gupta Empire, Bhattarak, the general of the Guptas, established an
independent kingdom and dynasty at Balvi in Saurashtra. The name of this
dynasty is Maitrak dynasty.
4. Bhattarak's son was
Dhrubasena. Dhrubasena II, a contemporary of Harshavardhana, was one of the
best Narpati of this dynasty.
5. He was a Buddhist and
at the invitation of Harsha he attended a religious conference in Prayag.
6. The greatest king of
this dynasty was Dhrubasena IV.
7. His court was the
center of education and culture. Poet Bhatti, who wrote the poem
"Bhattikavyam" or "Ravanabadham", was his poet.
8. Many warehouses were
set up at Balvi for export and import of goods.
9. Balvi was also
significant as a center of educational culture. Balvi University was the cradle
of educational culture, and his reputation was as far-reaching as that of
Nalanda.
10. Among the
contemporary Buddhist scholars, Sthirmati and Gunmati were notable.
Bakatak Dynasty
1. In the contemporary
period of the Gupta Empire, the kingdom of Bakatak was formed with some parts
of central and southern India.
2. The founder of this
dynasty is Bindhashakti.
3. His son Prabarsen was
the real founder of the Bakatak dynasty. His capital was Purika. He was a
supporter of the orthodox Brahmanical religion.
4. After Prabarsena,
Rudrasena I, Prithibhisena and Rudrasena II ascended the Bakatak throne.
5. The Gupta emperor
Chandragupta II married his daughter Prabhavati to Bakatak king Rudrasen II.
6. The king of this
dynasty wrote a prakrit poem called Sarvasena Haribijaya. Pravarsena II wrote
several poems in Prakrit. Among these, Setubandhan Kavya is notable. The great
poet Kalidasa stayed in his royal court for some time and composed the poem
"Meghdoot".
Maukhari Dynasty
1. The Maukhari dynasty
of Kannauj played an important role in the politics of northern India during
the Gupta period.
2. Ishanvarman was the
first independent king of this dynasty. The last king of this dynasty was
Grahavarman, son of Avantivarman.
3. He married Rajshree,
the daughter of Prabhakar Vardhan of the Pushyabhuti dynasty of Thaneswar. As a
result, both the dynasties became strong.
4. As a result,
Devgupta, the next Gupta king of Malabar, formed an alliance with Gaur king
Shashanka and formed a counter power alliance.
5. Shashanka attacked
Kanauj, defeated and killed Grahavarman. As a result, the energy of the mouth
is lost forever.
6. Harshavardhana later
annexed Kanauj to his empire.
Kalinga
1. Orissa is an ancient
state. Formerly it was called Kalinga.
2. The Mauryan emperor
Ashoka conquered Kalinga. Mahameghvahan of the Chedi or Chet dynasty
established an independent kingdom at Kalinga in the days of the weakness of
the Mauryan Empire.
3. Kharbel, the third
king of this dynasty, was the best king of this dynasty. After Kharbel's death,
the Kalinga kingdom became weak and divided.
4. Gaur king Shashanka
made Kalinga his kingdom. Gaur king Shashanka made Kalinga his kingdom.
5. After the death of
Shashanka, Kalinga, the second Mainyabhit of the Shailoddhava dynasty, declared
independence. After the fall of this dynasty, Kalinga was again divided into
smaller kingdoms.
Bengal
1. During the fall of
the Gupta Empire in the first half of the sixth century, several independent
kingdoms emerged in Bengal. Of these independent states, Gaur gained the most
fame and influence.
2. At the heart of this
fame and establishment of the kingdom of Gaur was the strong leadership of
Shashanka, the ruler of Gaur. No neutral historical account of Shashanka is
found.
3. Shashanka: If you
want to know about him, you have to rely on Harsha's poet Banavatta and Chinese
traveler Hiuen Tsang. We can learn a lot about him from the Buddhist book
"Aryamanjushrimulkalpa".
4. Shashanka ruled from
607 to 637 AD. After conquering all of Bengal, Bihar and parts of Orissa,
Shashanka went to war against Graha Varman, the Maukhari king of Kanauj, the
enemy of Gaur.
5. Graha Varman was
defeated and killed. It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving
the post.
6. Harshavardhana
ascended the throne of Thaneswar in 606 AD and marched against him. Because he
maintained his conquered empire until his death in 637 AD.
7. He was a worshiper of
Shiva. In various Buddhist scriptures, he has been called an anti-Buddhist.
8. Banavatta called
Shashanka "Gauradham" and "Gaurabhujanga". Hiuen Tsang
called him an anti-Buddhist. However, Dr. Ramesh Chandra Majumder and Dr. Rama
Prasad Chandra do not support this view. Because He Yen Sang wrote in his essay
that Buddhism spread in Bangladesh during the reign of Shashanka.
9. He himself saw
Buddhist stupas in copper plated, Karnasuvarna etc. places. He was the first of
the Bengali politicians to establish Bengal in a prominent position.
10. Following the policy
he laid down for the conquest, the Pala kings later laid the foundations of a
vast empire.
Pusyabhuti Dynasty of Thaneshwar
1. Little is known about
the early history of the Pusyabhuti dynasty. However, the founder of this
dynasty was Pusyabhuti.
2. He married his
daughter Rajshree to Graha Varman, a king of the Maukhari dynasty of Kanauj.
3. The first notable
king of this dynasty was Prabhakar Vardhana.
4. After the death of
his father, Rajya Vardhan ascended the throne. But he was killed in 606 AD by
Shashanka, the ruler of Gaura.
5. Then Harshavardhana
ascended the throne of the Pusyabhuti dynasty of Thaneswar at the age of only
sixteen. His name is Harshabda or Harsha Sambat.
6. To commemorate his
accession to the throne, he introduced a new year from 606 AD.
7. Banabhatta's
'Harshacharita' and the description of the Chinese traveler Hiuen Tsang are
very valuable as elements of the history of Harshavardhana's reign. Besides,
the ‘I Hole Inscription’ of Nalanda Shil, Bons Khera Copperplate, Sonapat
Copperplate, Madhuban Copper Pot and Chalukya King II Pulokeshi is very
important.
8. He proclaimed himself
emperor of Kanauj in 612 AD, at which time he assumed the title of Shiladitya.
9. Kanauj is the capital
of Thaneswar and Kanauj.
10. Harsh sent an
expedition to conquer the Deccan, but was defeated by the Chalukya king of
Batapi, Pulkeshi II. After that he never dreamed of conquering the Deccan.
11. In the Aihole
inscription of the Chalukya king of Batapi, Pulkeshi, Harsha is called
‘Sakalottarapathanath’ or the lord of all Uttarapathas.
12. Harshavardhana was an
extraordinarily talented warrior and prajahitaisi narpati. Due to his efforts,
Kanauj was awarded the title of 'Mahodayashree'.
13. He was also a
prominent poet and playwright. His plays Nagananda, Ratnabali, Priyadarshika
Natak are invaluable resources of Sanskrit literature.
14. Kadambari and
Harshacharita writer Banabhatta was his poet.
15. In this era, Nalanda
University was the best center of Buddhist learning. Harshavardhana used to
donate freely here.
16. He donated eighty
villages in Orissa to a Buddhist scholar named Joysen. He forbade the killing
of animals in his kingdom.
17. Although he was
devoted to Buddhism, he was a worshiper of Shiva and the Sun.
18. Harshavardhana has
also been significant in history as a good ruler. Personally, he looked after
every aspect of the regime and visited the empire regularly.
19. Harsh used to take
the help of various classes of employees to run the government. Notable among
these are Abanti, Singhanad, Kuntal, Uparik, Visyapati etc.
20. Land was paid in lieu
of salaries to the royal servants.
21. For the convenience
of governing, Harsh divided his empire into several entities or provinces, the
provinces into 'subjects' or districts, and the districts into 'villages'. The
governance of the village was in the hands of ‘Grameek’. He ruled the village
with the help of an employee named 'Cornic'.
22. Harshavardhana
introduced various reforms in the military. He had four branches: infantry,
cavalry, chariots and elephants. The chief of the cavalry was called Kuntal.
The high-ranking officers of the infantry were called Baladhikrita,
Mahabaladhikrita etc.
23. Ordinary soldiers
were known as Chat and Bhat. Military positions were hereditary.
24. During
Harshavardhana, three types of taxes or revenue were collected: Bhag, Hiranya,
Boli.
25. The emperor himself
was at the top of the judiciary. Harsh's penal code was very strict. However,
as the trend of decentralization increased in his empire, the influence of the
feudal lords increased.
26. After
Harshavardhana's death in 647 AD, political unity in northern India was again
shattered.
27. On the ruins of his
empire originated several conflicting kingdoms. These states are Kanauj,
Kashmir, Bengal, Kamrup, Orissa, Tibet etc.
28. After the death of
Harsh, there was chaos in the Kanauj Empire due to lack of qualified heirs. In
this situation, one of his ministers named Arjuna seized the throne of Kanauj.
The long fifty years after this incident, the history of Kanauj is a kind of
obscurity.
29. At the end of the
Dark Ages, around 700 AD, a powerful military king named Yashvarman appeared in
the history of Kanauj. Bakpatiraj, the author of 'Gaurbaho' and Bhavabhuti, the
author of 'Mahabir Charit', 'Uttar Ramcharit' and 'Malti Madhav' used to
decorate his royal court. ‘Uttar Ramcharit’ is one of the best books in Sanskrit
drama literature.
The Rise of Bangladesh in the Post-Shashanka ERA
1. After the death of
Shashanka in 637 AD, a great calamity befell the history of Bengal. It lasts
for about one and a half hundred years. During this time small kingdoms were
established in different parts of Bengal.
2. After the death of
Shashanka, his son Manabdev ascended the throne. His reign was only eight
months and five days.
3. After the death of
Shashanka, Hiuen Tsang came to Bengal. He noticed the existence of five
separate states in Bengal at this time.
4. Lama Taranath, a
Tibetan Buddhist scholar, goes on to describe the horrific situation. At that
time the feudal lord Rai was the real ruler of the country.
5. The people of Bengal
had the same situation as the big fish in the pond who swallowed the small
fish. This condition of Bengal is called Matsyanaya. It was followed by one
foreign attack after another.
6. In this critical
situation, the leaders of Bengal installed a man named Gopal on the throne of
Bengal. As a result of Gopal's accession to the throne, the Pala dynasty was
established in Bengal.
7. Gopal: It is known
from the Khalimpur copper rule of Dharmapala that Prakritipunj chose Gopal as
the king of Bengal to establish peace and stability in the heart of Bengal.
Nothing special is known about the family identity, past life and residence of
Gopal, the founder of the Pala dynasty. It is written in the Khalimpur
copperplate that his father's name was Bapat and his grandfather was Dayit
Vishnu. There was no royal title before their name. It is said of Lord Vishnu
that he was omniscient. His father, Bopat, has been called an "enemy
destroyer." It seems that his father was a general. Gopal's wife Daddadevi
was the daughter of Bhadravansa of East Bengal.
8. During the Khalimpur
copper rule, Gopal's son Dharmapala was called 'Bhadratmaj'.
9. It is known from
Devpala's Munger inscription that he was a Buddhist. In writing Khalimpur, he
has been called 'Param Saugat'.
10. Tibetan scholar Lama
Taranath said that Gopal Odantapuri built the monastery. The famous Buddhist
philosopher Shantarakshita was his contemporary.
11. Dharmapala: After the
death of Gopal, the founder of the Pala dynasty, his worthy son, a skilled
warrior and diplomat, Dharmapala ascended the throne of Bengal. He turned the
regional kingdom of Bengal of the Pala dynasty into an all-India empire.
Gujarati poet Sohail called him 'Uttara-Pathaswamin'.
12. When Harshavardhana's
death created a political vacuum in northern India, the three powers fought for
supremacy in Aryavarta. These three powers are the Pala dynasty of Bengal, the
Gurjar Pratihara dynasty of Malabar and the Rashtrakuta dynasty of the Deccan.
13. This rivalry between
the three forces is known as the 'Tri-Power War'.
14. It is known from the
copperplate of Narayan Pal found at Bhagalpur that Kanauj came under his
control. He had a title ‘Parameswara Parambhattarak Maharajadhiraja’.
15. According to Dr.
Ramesh Chandra Majumder, Dharmapala's reign was "the dawn of Bengali
life".
16. During his tenure
there was a tremendous improvement in the culture of education. He established
Vikramshila Maha Vihara, Odantapuri Vihara and Sompuri Vihara in Magadha.
17. The famous Buddhist
scholar Harivhadra was his guru. His prime minister was a Brahmin named Garg.
He donated tax-free land to many Hindu temples. During his reign the economic
development of Bengal was observed.
18. Devapala: After the
death of Dharmapala, his worthy son Devapala ascended the throne. He was a hero
and a warrior like his father. The Badal Stambha inscription describes him as
the ruler of a vast empire from the Himalayas in the north to the Bindha Mountains
in the south. His minister was Brahman Darbha Pani and his grandson Kedar
Mishra. His fame spread not only in India but also outside India to the Golden
Islands i.e. Sumatra, Java Island and Malay Islands. Dev Baal, son of King BAL
of the Shailendra dynasty of Java and Sumatra, begged Devpala for five villages
to establish a Buddhist monastery at Nalanda, and Devpala granted it. Nalanda
University gained its surface patronage. He built several monasteries in
Nalanda and a huge temple at Buddha Gaya.
19. After the death of
Devapala, the power and authority of the Pala dynasty gradually diminished, the
condition of the Pala kings became critical and after the destruction of the
Pak Empire, several independent kingdoms emerged.
20. First Mahipala: In
this great misfortune of the Pala Empire, the second Mahipala, the son of
Vigraha Pala, ascended the throne. He is called the 'Founder of the Second Pala
Empire'. The most notable event of his reign was the two-year Chola invasion of
Bengal by the Chola king Rajendra Chola. The first Mahipala fled from the
battlefield without any direct struggle against the Cholas.
21. Rajendra Chola
occupied the land and looted a lot of wealth. It is said that the defeated
kingdom of Bengal was forced to carry the jug of Ganges water on its head to
the Chola kingdom.
22. He took the new title
Gangaikond or Ganga Conqueror. His new capital was called Gangaikondcholpuram.
23. It was during the
reign of Mahipal I that the Turkish invasion of northern India began, and Sultan
Mamud repeatedly attacked India. Although the Aryavarta kingdom united to repel
the attack, Mahipal did not join the effort. In fact, he was busy restoring his
father's kingdom.
24. He built several
cities and dug ponds.
25. He was a Buddhist by
religion. He established two Buddhist monasteries at Nalanda and Sarnath and a
Hindu temple at Kashi.
26. After the death of
Vigrahapala III, his son Mahipala II ascended the throne. The situation became
complicated when he imprisoned his two brothers, Shurpal II and Rampal. Taking
advantage of this situation, the feudal kings of the Barind region declared
rebellion. This revolt is known as Kaivarta revolt. The leader of the rebellion
was Divya or Divyak or Divbak.
27. The details of this
rebellion are found in Sandhyakar Nandi's "Ram Charit".
28. Mahipala II, the Pala
king, was killed while trying to quell the revolt.
29. After Divya's death,
his brother Rudrak and after Rudrak his son Bhim ascended the throne. On the
other hand, after the death of Mahipala II, Rampal ascended the throne.
30. Rampal prayed to the
feudal lords for help in restoring the Barind land. It is known from the book
'Ramcharit' that he subdued them by land and wealth. With their help he formed
a strong army. In the battle, Kaivarta hero Bhim was defeated and killed. The
authority of the Palas over the Barind lands was re-established.
31. He established a new
capital called Ramavati. He was the last notable Narpati of the Khayishnu Pala
dynasty. He reunited the fragmented Bengal. This is why he is called the
"founder of the Third Pala Empire". He ruled for about 42 years.
32. Although Rampal
brought back some of the lost glory of the Pala Empire, after his death the
empire began to decline rapidly. The Pala dynasty fell by 1162 AD.
33. Other aspects of the
Pala period: - Pala kings ruled Bangladesh for a long period of four hundred
years. Hereditary monarchy was the prevailing system of government in the Pala
period. However, the king was not authoritarian even though he had absolute
power. It is known that there is a class of employees named Khol. They were
probably spies. A total of five types of taxes or revenue are mentioned in the
various deeds and copperplates of this period. They are share, consumption,
tax, diamond and surcharge. The Pala kings were patrons of education, culture,
literature, art and religion. During this period a new style of Sanskrit
composition emerged in Bangladesh, which is entirely Bengal's own. Her name is
"Gauriya Riti". It was during this period that eminent scholar and
politician Bhavdev Bhatt, Jimutabahan by Dayabhaga and Sandhakar Nandi by
Ramcharita appeared. Chakrapani Dutta, the author of Ayurveda Deepika,
Vanumati, Shabdachandrika, Medical Collection etc. was a man of that time.
Prominent physician Sureshwar was a man of this period. In this era, the
original form of Bengali language originated from the mixture of
Magadhi-Prakrit and Sourseni apabhrangsa. This primitive form is called
Charyapada. Buddhism such as Louis Pad, Kahn Pad - Charyapadas written by
Charyas are the oldest specimens of Bengali language. Bitpal and Dhiman were
the best sculptors of this era. The construction of human statues is one of the
features of this era. Bengali was also quite advanced in painting that day. The
illustrations in the book Ost Sahasrika Pragya Parmita written during the time
of Rampal are noteworthy. Although the Pala kings were Buddhists, they were
tolerant of other religions. All in all, the Pala kings started a new era in
all walks of life.
34. Sen Dynasty: The Sen
dynasty emerged on the ruins of the Pala rule in the latter part of the eleventh
century AD. Scholars differ on the identity of the clan and their place of
origin. However, most historians say that the ancestors of the Sena came to
Bengal with the Chola army during the Bengal expedition of the Chola king
Rajendra Chola.
35. Samanta Sen was the
founder of the Sen Dynasty. His son Hemant Sen actually established his rights
in the R region by taking advantage of the weakness of the Pala kings.
36. He holds the title of
Maharajadhiraja.
37. Hemant Sen's son
Vijay Sen is the founder of the independent Sen Dynasty.
38. From Bikrampur
copperplate and Deopara inscriptions it is known about his reign. The author of
the Deopara script is Umapatidhar, the poet of the Palas.
39. Vijay Sen turned a
small Sen kingdom into an empire. During his reign a new glorious era began in
Bengal.
40. His poets Umapatidhar
and Shri Harsh composed his victory praises. His two capitals were Bikrampur in
East Bengal and Vijaypur in West Bengal.
41. After the death of
Vijay Sen, his son Ballal Sen ascended the throne.
42. His reign is known
from Naihati Tamrapat, Adbhut Sagar and Dan Sagar by Ballal Sen and Ballal
Charit by Anandabhatta. He held the titles of Maharajadhiraja and Nishanka
Shankar Gaureshwar.
43. He increased his
prestige by marrying the Chalukya princess Rama Devi. He is one of the notable
personalities in the social history of Bengal.
44. He was a staunch
conservative and a patron of Brahmanical religion. He is said to have
introduced nobility among the Brahmins, Vaidyas and Kayasthas in Bengali Hindu
society.
45. In the
Veda-Smriti-Purana, well-known scholar Ballal Sen wrote two books on Hindu
rituals, marriage, shraddha and various rituals called 'Dansagar' and
'Advutsagar'.
46. He was a supporter of
Tantric Hinduism. He sent missionaries to Chittagong, Arakan, Orissa and Nepal
to popularize the religion.
47. Under the direction
of Buddhimanta Kha, the ruler of Navadwip, Ananda Bhatt wrote a book about him
called Ballalcharita. During his reign, the city of Gaur was built near Malda
and Gaure was named Lakshanavati after his son Lakshman Sen.
48. When Ballal Sen left
home in his last years, Lakshman Sen ascended the throne in 1169 at the age of
sixty. The size of his empire was larger than that of his predecessors. His
titles were 'Gaureshwar', 'Ariraj Mardan Shankar' and 'Param Vaishnava'.
49. Lakshman Sen was a
patron of education and culture. He finished his father's unfinished book
'Strange Sea'. Joydev's 'Gitagovinda', Pavandoot's author Dhoi, Pandit
Umapatidhar, Sharan, poet Govardhan decorated his royal court.
50. The famous Indian
scholar Halayudha was his Prime Minister. He was a fan of Vaishnavism. Minhaj
Uddin Siraj called him the 'Caliph of Hindustan'.
51. The most notable
event of Lakshman Sen's reign was the conquest of Bengal Bihar by Ikhtiyar
Uddin Mohammad bin Bakhtiyar Khilji, a follower of the Turkish hero Mohammad
Ghori.
52. Fifty years after the
incident, the Turkish historian Minhajuddin Siraj recorded the incident in his
Tabakat-i Nasiri. One hundred years later, Isami recorded this incident in his
Futuh-us-Saladin.
53. It is known from his
account that Bakhtiyar Khalji conquered Bihar in 1199 AD, looted a lot of
wealth and destroyed Odantapuri Bihar.
54. Then in 1201 he
entered the capital of Bengal, Navadwip, with only seventeen cavalry in the
guise of a Turkish merchant, leaving the main army behind. At noon, when the
emperor, other people and guards of the palace were busy bathing and eating,
they entered the palace and started killing. In this situation, Emperor
Lakshman Sen left his lunch unfinished and fled to Bikrampur in East Bengal by
boat through the back door of the palace barefoot. In this way Lakshman Sen's
dominance in West Bengal came to an end.
55. He ruled East and
South Bengal from Bikrampur in East Bengal till his death.
56. After the death of
Lakshman Sen, his sons Bishwarup Sen and Keshab Sen ascended the throne one
after the other. They took the title of Gaureshwar.
57. Even after Keshab
Sen, a few Sen Kings ascended the throne, but they were insignificant and
nothing special is known about them.
58. The system of
governance of the Sena was basically similar to the system of Pala rule. In the
Sena regime, the king was omnipotent and had all the power. The monarchy was
hereditary.
59. The head of the
judiciary was the superintendent. The head of the military department was
called Mahapilupati.
60. However, in the
history of Bengal and Bengalis, the Sen Era is an era of peace and prosperity.
This peace and prosperity ushered in a new era in the politics, religion,
education and culture of Bengal.
61. Govardhan's
'Aryasaptashati', Umapatidhar's 'Vijay Sen Prasasti' etc. bear witness to his
testimony. Prominent scholars Bhavadev Bhatta and Jimutabahana were the people
of this age.
62. Dayabhaga, written by
Jimutabahan, is a famous book on Hindu inheritance law.
63. The Sen Era is also
an important chapter in the history of art. The Sen Kings were patrons of the
industry. Notable artists of this era include Shulpani, Sutra Dhar, Vishnu
Bhadra, Karma Bhadra, Tathagata and others.
64. All in all, at the
end of the Pala period, in the midst of the great political disunity, anarchy
and uncertainty in the heart of Bengal, the Sena kings united Bengal and made
it a strong state.
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