History Of Ancient India

India means the ancient name of India was called Jammudweep , Aryavarta , Bharatavarsha , Hindustan and finally India by the Greeks .

What is History – History is such a subject in which the events of the past, whose written and archaeological evidence is available, is history. We cannot call the events which have only written description and archaeological evidence is not available as history. 

Sources of Indian History – The best sources to know Indian history are Buddhist and Jain texts, historical texts, descriptions of foreigners and archaeological evidence.

Buddhist Literature – Important part of Buddhist literature is called ‘Tripitak’ which includes Suttapitak, Vinaya Pitak and Abhidhamma Pitak. All these are written in Pali language.

1. Sutta Pitaka – The teachings of Buddhism are written in this epic. An important part of Suttapitaka is ‘Anguttar Nikaya’ in which 16 Mahajanapadas have been discussed.

2. Vinaya Pitaka – In this epic, the rules related to the daily life of the monks of Buddhism have been mentioned.

3. Abhidhamma Pitaka – This epic is written in the form of question and answer, in which the philosophical principles of Buddhism are described.

Jain Literature – Jain literature is called ‘Aagam or Siddhanta’. The ancient great texts of Jainism are called Puvva. The great texts of Jainism are written in Prakrit, Magadhi and Ardhamagadhi languages.

1. Visionism – In this great book, information is available from the first Tirthankar of Jainism to the time after Mahavir Swami .

2. Bhagwati Sutra – In this Jain Maha Granth, Mahavir Swami and other Jain sages have been discussed.

3. Kalpasutra – In this great book, information about the early history of Jainism is found. This epic was written by the Jain sage Bhadravahu .

Arthashastra – This book was composed by Chanakya. It gives information about the administration of the Mauryan king Chandra Gupta .

Ashtadhyayi – This book was composed by Panini. In this Maurya period and some history before that is also found and in this the grammar of Sanskrit has also been mentioned. 

Historica – This book was composed by Herodotus who is also known as the father of history. In this book, 5th century BC. Information on the relations between India and Iran is given.

Indica – This book was composed by Megasthenes who came to the court of the Mauryan king Chandragupta as an ambassador of Seleucus Nicator . In this book, information about the society and culture of the Maurya period is found.

Natural History – This book was composed by Pliny, in the first century. In this the mineral resources of India have been discussed.

Si-yu-ki – This book was written by the Chinese traveler Hiuen Tsang . In this , information has been provided about Hiuen Tsang ‘s travels. Hiuen Tsang came to India during the reign of King Harshavardhana. The writings of Hiuen Tsang give information about the reign of Harshavardhana. 

Tahqiq-i-Hind – This book was composed in Arabic by Aburehan or Alberuni who came to India with Mahmud Ghaznavi. Alberuni has provided information about Indian society and culture in this book. This book isalso known as Kitab-ul-Hind .

Epigraphy – The study of inscriptions is called epigraphy. The oldest writings are considered to be of the Harappan civilization, but so far no success has been found in reading them. That’s why the articles written in the records of Emperor Ashoka are considered to be the most ancient. 

Coins – The study of coins is called Numismatics. The oldest coins in India date back to 500 BC. belong to Which are called Punchmark or Ahat coins and most of these coins are of silver. In the literature, these coins have been called Kashaarpan .

Archaeological sources – Ancient civilizations like the Harappan civilization were discovered through archeology.    

Harappan Civilization or Indus Valley Civilization

The Harappan civilization is considered to be the most ancient of all Indian civilizations and information about this civilization is found in the reports presented by Alexander Cunningham, John Marshall, Rai Bahadur, Daya Ram Sahni and Sir Mortimer Wheeler and on the basis of those reports Indian historians have spoken about the Harappan civilization.

Information about the Harappan civilization was first provided by Charles Mason in 1826. Charles Mason provided information about the mound located in Harappa to the British officials. After this, Alexander Cunningham, the father of the Archaeological Survey of India, got the mound located in Happa surveyed in 1853 and 1873.

In 1921 the Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India was Sir John Marshal . He sent Dayaram Sahni and Madho Swaroop Vats to Happa in 1921-22 to excavate  and in 1922-23 R.D Banerjee  to Mohenjodaro to excavate. The first official report of the Harappan civilization was presented in 1931-32 on the basis of the objects found in Harappa and Mohenjo Daro.

What should we call this civilization Harappa Civilization or Indus Valley Civilization ? However, initially this civilization was given the name of Indus Valley Civilization, but later on new sites  like Rangpur, Lothi and Kalibanga were discovered  which were not  located near the Indus river or its tributaries; that’s why this civilization is called Harappan civilization.

Historians have told different times of Harappan civilization but on the basis of radiocarbon method, the time of Harappan civilization is from 2500 to 1500 BC. If we talk about its area, Manda (Jammu) in the north in Kashmir) to Daimabad (in northern Maharashtra) in the south and Suvakingdor (in Baroda) in the west to Alamgirpur (Uttar Pradesh) in the east.

Major Cities of the Harappan Civilization

1. Harappa  – The city was the first to be found in this civilization and this city was located on the left bank of the river Ravi in the Montgomery district located in the Punjab region of modern Pakistan. Happa Nagar was excavated by Dayaram Sahni and Madho Swaroop Vats in 1921-22 and some seals were obtained from here on which a horned bird’s seal is made. The Happa city was the second largest city of the Harappan civilization in terms of area.

2. Mohenjo Daro – It was the second city of the Harappan civilization to be discovered and this city was located on the right bank of the Indus River in Rakana or Nikana district of Sindh region of modern Pakistan. Mohenjodaro was excavated by Rakhaldas Banerjee in 1922-23 and from here the artistic symbol, a statue of a three-faced deity on a stone, surrounded by elephant, rhinoceros, panther and buffalo, was found. Evidence of a bronze dancing woman statuette and a grain storage building have also been obtained from Mohenjodaro itself, which also has a bath like a bath, which historians have called the Great Bath . Mohenjo Daro was the largest city of the Harappan civilization.

3. Chanhudaro- This city of Harappa civilization was situated on the left bank of the Indus River in Sindh region of modern Pakistan and its construction was done in 1931 by N. G. Majumdar. A seal was found from Chanhudaro on which three pots and two fish’s drawings were made and in Chanhudaro itself there is evidence of making  drains with burnt bricks.

4. Kalibangan – This site of Harappa civilization was located in Hanumanagadhi district of modern Rajasthan and its construction was done in 1953 by B.B. Lal and B.K.Thapar Evidence of plowed field , carved bricks, polished stone (shiv ling ),fire altar , horse skeleton and couple tombs have been found from here.

5. Lothal – This site of the Harappan civilization was situated on the banks of the Bhogha River in Ahmedabad district of modern Gujarat and was excavated by Rangnath Rao in 1954. Evidence of rice grains, two wheat grinding mills, 20 tombs, including some paired tombs, one of the striking features was that the doors of the houses used to open towards the street .

6. Alamgirpur – This site of the Harappan civilization was located in the Meerut district of modern Uttar Pradesh and was excavated in 1958 by Yajna Dutt Sharma. A small terracotta bead-like structure was coated with gold. Evidence of cloth is found in way of impressions on a trough has been found.

7. Banawali – This site of Harappa civilization was situated on the bank of Rangoi river in Hisar district of modern Haryana and its excavation work was done in 1974 by R.S. Visht .  Barley ,Sand plough has been found.

8.Dholavira — This site of Harappa civilization was located in Kutch district of modern Gujarat and its excavation was done by Ravind Singh Visht in ​​1990-91. Remains of a horse, a bronze statue of a bird, a statue, a playing field, a statue of a mongoose , jar and a signboard on which the inscriptions on which have not yet been deciphered.

Economic life

Agriculture – Grains of wheat, barley, sesame ,mustard, peas, watermelon etc. have been obtained from Harappa and Mohenjo Daro.

Food – Wheat, Barley,Date , Ghee, Milk, Curd,Goat, Chicken, Fish, Tortoise, Pig etc. were the main food of the people of Harappa civilization.

Animal Husbandry – The people of Harappa civilization used to get animals like dogs, bulls, sheep, goats, elephants, bats, buffalo, pigs, donkeys, camels etc.

Metals – The people of Harappa civilization used stone, chalk, gold, silver, copper, bronze, zinc etc. but at that time they did not have knowledge of iron.

Trade – The people of Harappa civilization used to do the work of weaving and used to do business in countries like Afghanistan, Turkestan, Mesopotamia, Hurasan, Greece etc.

Social life

Jewelry — The people of the Harappan civilization were very fond of jewelry, in which they used to wear rings, bracelets, necklaces, girdles, armlets, anklets, anklets, etc.

Dress – The people of the Harappan civilization used  to wear silk and cotton clothes.

Homeware – The people of Harappa civilization used pots, pans, pots, etc. in household items.

Religious life – The people of Harappa civilization used to worship the earth, trees, birds, sun etc.

Difference between Harappan Civilization and Vedic Civilization

Harappan Civilization

1. The people of Harappan civilization used to worship nature.

2. The people of Harappan civilization used to serve meat.

3. The Harappan civilization was an urban civilization.

4. The people of Harappan civilization did not have knowledge of iron.

5. Matriarchy was prevalent in the Harappan civilization.

Vedic Civilization

1. The people of Vedic civilization used to worship Indra and Agni

2. The people of Vedic civilization did not eat meat.

3.Vedic civilization was a rural civilization.

4. The people of Vedic civilization had knowledge of iron.

5.Vedic civilization was a patriarchal civilization.

End of Harappan Civilization

Historians have presented different theories regarding the decline of Harappan civilization  .

1. John Marshall and Ravendra Singh Visht have said that the Harappan civilization ended with flood .

2.Aarol Stein and Amanand Ghosh have said that the end of the Harappan civilization is due to climate change.

3.M. R. Sahni, Geogr Dales, and R. L. Ricks has said that the end of Harappan civilization happened due to the earthquake.

4. American historian Kennedy said that the end of the Harappan civilization was due to the epidemic of malaria.

5.M Dimitriyev , who was the historian of Russia, says that the end of Harappan civilization was due to lightning

6. Gordon Childe, Mackay, Piggot and Martin Wheeler have said that the Harappan civilization was ended by the King of Arya -Indra , because in Sanskrit Indra was called Purandara which means the destroyer of houses and cities.

The Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India, John Marshall, presented a report in 1931 in which he said — Mohenjodaro has a dead man cave in which the skeleton of a skull and the chest of an adult, some hand bones have been received which are in a very friable condition. was in [Mohenjo Daro and the Indus Civilization 1931]

The Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India, Mortimer Wheeler, said in his report — Men, women and children were brutally massacred in the evidence of Mohenjodaro. The skeletons of men and women that have been found also had ornaments on them, from this it can be inferred that ornaments are not buried with any man or woman after a simple death and some skeletons were cut with weapons like an ax. [Happa 1946, Ancient India (Journal) 1947]

Rigvedic culture

If we talk about the Rigvedic period, then its information is known to us only on the basis of Rigveda because Rigveda is considered to be the oldest Veda, therefore on the basis of Rigveda, we can get information about the early Rigvedic civilization. Historians have dated the time of Rigvedic civilization from 1500 to 1000 BC. It is considered between and this time is not certified but estimated, which has been determined by historians on the basis of their discretion and some facts.

The creators of the Rigvedic culture were Aryans who were not originally Indians but residents of Central Asia and this information is found in the Rigveda. Names of many rivers of Afghanistan are mentioned in Rigveda like Kubha (modern name Kabul), Kramu (modern name Kurram), Gomti (modern name Gomal), Suvastu (modern name Swat) etc. Similarly, Sapta Sandhav Pradesh is mentioned in Rigveda and it is formed by seven rivers Sindhu, Saraswati, Shatudri (modern name Shatalaj), Vipasa (modern name Vyas), Parushini (modern name Ravi), Vitasta (modern name Jhelum), Askini (modern name Jhelum). Modern name was the area of ​​Chenav) which is today a part of Afghanistan and Punjab.

Historians believe that Aryans first settled in Afghanistan and then in Punjab, then gradually came towards Central India. The Aryas were divided into many tribes and tribes, in which Panchajan 1.Anu   2.Drumha 3.Yadu 4.Turvasu 5.Puru   were   prominent , besides these people there were also Bharata, Krivi, Trisu, Srinj who were very fighting and mutual The boys lived and the language of the Aryans was Sanskrit and the civilization was rural . 

The Dasarajya Yuddha (war between ten kings) was mentioned in the seventh division of Rigveda and the main reason for this war was that Sudas (King of Bharata) removed Vishvamitra from the post of Kul Purohit and appointed Vashishtha as Kul Purohit. Vishwamitra got angry and he formed a union of ten kings around him and attacked King Sudas. There was a war between Sudas and ten kings on the banks of river Ravi, which is known as Dasarajya war and Sudas won in this war.

After winning the Dasragya war, the Aryans started moving towards the east and also took control of Kurukshetra, which was named Brahmavarta . After capturing Kurukshetra, the Aryans took control of the area up to Ganga-Yamuna and Vihar and renamed it as Aryavarta .

Aryan Literature 

The initial literature of the Aryans was the Vedas, whose number is four and the oldest Veda is the Rigveda and the last Veda is the Atharvaveda .

1.Rigveda         2.Yajurveda        3.Samveda       4.Atharvaveda

1.Rigveda – Which means the Vedas of Shlokas. Rigveda was probably composed in Sapta Sandhav Pradesh (modern Afghanistan and Punjab) and it has 10 mandals. The collection of mantras in Rigveda is called Sukta. The compilation (gathering) of the Vedas has been done by Maharishi Krishna Dwaipayan who is also known as Vedvyas. Vishwamitra, Vamdev, Vashishtha, Bharadwaj are considered to be the creators of the mantras in Rigveda and only divisions 2 to 7 of Rigveda are considered to be the oldest. The Gayatri Mantra dedicated to the sun god Savitra is mentioned in the 3rd Mandala of the Rigveda, and in the 8th Mandala the handwritten mantras are called Khil and in the 9th Mandala the Soma Rasa is called the deity. Varna system has been mentioned in the 10th Mandal of Rigveda. In Rigveda itself, 250 mantras have been composed to please Indra, the deity of the Aryans, and 200 mantras have been composed to please Agni. 

2. Yajurveda – In this Veda, the rituals and methods of performing Yajna have been discussed in detail and Yajurveda is the only Veda which is in both prose and verse.

3.Samveda – In this Veda, the description of mantras or songs sung on the occasion of Yajna is found and this is called the origin of Indian music.

4.Arthavveda – This Veda has been written by Atharva Rishi and in this Veda, disease prevention, witchcraft, tantra mantra, curse vashikaran, love marriage, blind faith etc. have been mentioned. The birth of girls has been condemned in the Atharvaveda.

Political condition – In relation to the king, the Devasur Sangram has been discussed in the book named Aitareya Brahmin, in which the reason for the defeat of the gods has been said to be the absence of the king, and in this way the king was elected among the Aryans.

The king was the ruler of the nation and the main functions of the king were military related, administrative work and judicial work.

Rajkarmachari – The main employees of the king consisted of priests, commanders and villagers (village heads).

Sabha and Samiti – The king was controlled by the Sabha and Samiti, in which the most prominent was the assembly and the priestly class was included in it. The committee was a big organization in which the people of the common people were included.

Political organization – In the Rigvedic civilization, the head of the clan (family) was called Kulap and the village was formed by the organization of several clans. The head of the village was called Gramin and Vish was formed by joining many villages and the head of Vish was called Vishpati. The organization of poisons was called Jana, whose head was Rajan. The nation was formed by the organization of many people, whose head was the king himself.

War system of Aryans – The war system of Aryans was very strong, their army had infantry and chariot army and soldiers used bow, arrow, floor, spear etc.

Social condition – In the Rigvedic period, the society was divided into four varnas, Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras and the varna system was based on karma.

Food and drink – In the Rigvedic period, the Aryans used to consume milk, ghee, som etc. but the Aryans did not use garlic and onion.

Economic condition – In the Rigvedic period, the Aryans used to do agriculture and animal husbandry. Used to produce rice, barley, mustard, sesame, lentils etc. in agriculture. Cows and horses were the most loved in animal husbandry.

Religious condition – In the Rigvedic period, the Aryans used to worship Indra and Agni through Yagya, in which 250 mantras were chanted for Indra and 200 for Agni.

 

Later Vedic Period

After the Rigvedic period, the later Vedic period begins and the period of the later Vedic period is from 1000 to 600 BC. It is considered between but this time is not certified. Important literature of later Vedic period Samaveda, Yajurveda, Atharvaveda, Brahmins, Upanishads, Puranas etc.

Political condition – There were special changes in the later Vedic period as compared to the Rigvedic period, in this period big cities, states and empires were established. In this, the names of Kuru, Panchal, Kosala, Kashi, Videha, Magadha, Gandhara etc. are notable and in this period the spirit of imperialism emerged.    

King – The post of Brahmin had become most important in the post-Vedic period as compared to the Rigvedic period and the post of the king became hereditary and the king had to step down from the throne and bow down to the Brahmin. In the post-Vedic period, the powers of Sabha and Samiti were reduced to a great extent and only a nominal institution was left.

Rituals – Rajasuya Yagya for kings, Vajpayee Yagya for Emperor, Ashwamedh Yagya for Chakravarti Samrat, Purushumegh Yagya for Virata, Sarvamegh Yagya for Sarvarashtra became essential in later Vedic period.

Rajasuya Yajna – It was described in Yajurveda and under this the king used to leave a horse for the Yagya Karva and all the territories through which that horse passed would become that king’s territory if any king stopped that horse. There was a war with that king.  

Vajpayee Yagya – Information about this Yagya is found in a book named Shatpath Brahmin and it is   considered more superior than Rajasuya Yagya, under which there was a race of chariots.

Ashwamedha Yajna – It has been mentioned in the book named Aitareya Brahman and horse was sacrificed in this, but historians have given many opinions.

Purushmegha Yajna – In this a human being was sacrificed. 

Sarvamegha Yagya – In this all the yagyas were organized.

Rajkarmachari – The importance of Rajkarmacharis had increased a lot in the later Vedic period and their number had reached up to 12. 1. Priest 2. King 3. Patrani 4. Priyarani 5. Nirakrit wife 6. Soot 7. Fighter 8. Villager 9. Dauvarik 10. Treasurer 11. Tax President 12. State tax collector. In the later Vedic period, all these were called Ratni .

Social condition – There was a big change in the social condition of the Aryans in the post-Vedic period and the condition of women had become very pathetic in this period, they were considered only as an object of enjoyment. In the post-Vedic period, the practice of sati-practice had also started, in which if a woman’s husband died, then that woman was put alive in her husband’s funeral pyre. 

In the post-Vedic period, it was made mandatory for Brahmins to occupy positions like priests, ministers, teachers, teachers, sages and preachers, and all these positions could only be held by Brahmins. In the later Vedic period, the varna system was not based on karma but on the basis of birth. 

In the later Vedic period, the life of man was divided into four parts. The first 25 years of celibacy, 25 to 50 years of household life, 50 to 75 years of Vanprastha and the last life came under Ashram and the practice of clan system started in the later Vedic period itself.

Economic condition – There were many changes in the economic condition of the Aryans in the post-Vedic period and the work of animal husbandry and agriculture had started on a large scale and there was special progress in the industries such as carpenters, blacksmiths, goldsmiths, cobblers, fishermen, weavers, washermen etc. |

Trade – In the post-Vedic period, there was a great progress in the field of trade and the practice of Nishka, Krishnal, Shatnam etc. currencies started and in the post-Vedic period, Aryans used to trade herbs.

Religious condition – In the post-Vedic period, the trend of many gods and goddesses had started and the importance of yagyas had increased so much that only one yagya was organized for many years. The presence of a Brahmin was made mandatory in religious rituals and sacrifices were made mandatory on the occasion of Yagyas. In the later Vedic period itself, sacrifices – bullocks, buffaloes, children, etc. were given and in this period the importance of gods like Vishnu, Shiva and Prajapati had increased and ghosts, ghosts, tantra-mantras, etc. were believed more.

MAHAJANPADA PERIOD

Around 600 B.C. The 16 Mahajanapadas had emerged and its information has been provided in the Buddhist text Ainguttar Tanakaya, Mahavastu and Jain text Bhagwati Sutya.

1. Magadha — Among all the Mahajanapadas, Magadha was the most powerful Mahajanapada and its capital was at Grivraj or Rajagriha. Magadha was situated in Patna, Bodh Gaya and part of Shahabad in modern Bihar.

2. Anga — Its capital was in Champa. Anga was situated in Bhagipur and Munger, part of modern Dihar.

3. Vajji — This Mahajanapada was situated in the part of modern northern Vihar and its capital was divided into three regions. This Mahajanapada was a union of 8 republics in which Licchavi , Videha and Gyatrik  were some important ones.

4.Malla — This Mahajanapada was situated in the area of devariya district of modern Uttar Pradesh. The Malla state was a confederacy and had two branches , one of which had its capital at Kushinagar and it was here that Lord Buddha attained nirvana . The second capital of the Mallas was at Pava and it was here that Mahavir Swami died.

5. Kashi — Its capital was in Varanasi and 23 Jain Tithankar Pawanath used to live here.

6.Chedi – This Mahajanapada included the area of ​​modern Bundelkhand and its capital was at Shaktimati.

7.Vatsa – This Mahajanapada was situated around modern Prayagraj (Allahabad) and its capital was at Kaushambi (modern Kausam village) and it was a trading center during the Mahajanapada period.

8. Panchal-  This Mahajanapada was situated in present-day Badaun, Bareilly districts of Uttar Pradesh and it was divided into two parts, northern and southern. The capital of the Northern Pancha was at Ahichtra and the capital of the Southern Pancha was at Kakhampalya (Khampi of Firuzabad).

9. Kosala – This Mahajanapada was situated in modern Avadh state and its capital was in Shravasti of modern Uttar Pradesh.

10.Kuru-  This Mahajanapada was situated around modern Delhi and Meerut and its capital was in Indraprastha.

11.Shursen- The area of ​​present-day Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh came under Mahajanapada and its capital was in Mathura.

12. Avanti — This Mahajanapada was situated in some parts of modern Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and it had two capitals — Northern Avanti and Southern Avanti . The capital of northern Avanti was at Ujjain and the capital of southern Avanti was at Mahishmati (Madhya Pradesh).

13. Ashmaka – This Mahajanapada was situated on the banks of river Godavari in modern Andhra Pradesh and had its capital at Potana or Potil. The whole of South India used to come under this Mahajanapada.

14. Matsya — This Mahajanapada was situated around Jaipur district of present-day Rajasthan and its capital was in Virat Nagar (around modern Alwar and Bharatpur).

15. Kamboj — This Mahajanapada was the neighboring kingdom of Gandhara Mahajanapada and its capital was in Rajouri or Hazara. This Mahajanapada was especially famous for horse trading.

16. Gandhara — This Mahajanapada was situated in the Peshawar and Rawalpindi region of modern Pakistan and its capital was in Taxila. It wasa famous city of trade and business and students from all over the country/abroad used to come here.

Magadha Mahajanapada was very powerful in all these Mahajanapadas. Magadha saw the rise of the Hayaka dynasty whose founder was Emperor Bimbisara who was a contemporary of Lord Buddha.

Buddhism

1. Buddhism

First of all, let’s talk about Buddhism, if you read Indian history, you will find only Buddhism there, but this is not correct, because when you study Buddhist literature, you will find the word Boddh Dham there. Under Buddhist literature  Tripatika is considered to be the most important  other texts like Anguttara Nikaya , Makhjham Nikaya , Ruddak Nikaya etc. Boddh Dham means thought, which is a pali language word, in which there is no such  concept of religion, because religion includes worship but  Dhamm does not include worship or any superstition.

2.  From where do we get information about Buddhism..?

Although many religions or Dhammas were born in India, Buddhism is such a religion which  became popular even outside India. That’s why you get information about Buddhism in archaeological evidence, Buddhist literature and descriptions of foreign travelogs . Buddhism is the only religion of India on whose scale archaeological evidence is found in India and the other is Jainism.

Buddhist countries in the world

1.China 2.Sri Lanka 3.Myanmar 4.Bhutan 5.Nepal 6.Cambodia 7.Singapore 8.Tibet 9.Vietnam 10.Mongolia 11.Hong Kong 12.Taiwan 13.Thailand 14.Japan 15.Laos 16.North Korea 17 .South Korea

3. Early History of Buddhism

By the way, you must have read in Indian history that Buddhism was started by Gautam Buddha but it is not correct. When you study Buddhist literature, you will find there the names of 27 Buddhas before Gautam Buddha. 1. Tanhankar 2.Meghankar 3.Sharanankar 4.Dipankar 5.Kaudilya 6.Mangal 7.Suman 8.Khet 9.Shobit 10.Anomdarshi 11.Padram 12.Narada 13.Padmottara (Padmottara) 14.Sumedha 15.Sujat 16. Priyadarshi 17. Arthadarshi 18. Dhamma Darshi 19. Siddhartha 20. Tishya 21. Pushpa 22. Vipashvi (Vipashavi) 23. Shikhi 24. Vishvabhu 25. Kukra Chhanda 26. Kona Gaman (Kanak Muni) 27. Kashyap And the 28th Buddha became Siddhartha Gautama. All the Buddhas who happened before Gautam Buddha, their history is found only in Buddhist literature and is not found in archaeological evidence, that is why they have not been written in Indian history, like there were 24 Tirthankaras in Jainism, but history is found only of Mahavir Swami. | In the same way there were 28 Buddhas in Buddhism, but the history is available only of Siddharth Gautama.

3. Early history of Buddhism

By the way, you must have read in Indian history that Buddhism was started by Gautam Buddha but it is not correct. When you study Buddhist literature, you will find there the names of 27 Buddhas before Gautam Buddha. 1.Tanhankar   2.Meghankar   3.Sharanankar   4.Dipankar   5.Kaudilya   6.Mangal   7.Suman   8.Khet   9.Shobit   10.Anomdarshi   11.Padram   12.Narada   13.Padmottara (Padmottara) 14.Sumedha 15.Sujat   16. Priyadarshi 17.   Arthadarshi 18. Dhamma Darshi 19. Siddhartha 20. Tishya 21.   Pushpa   22.   Vipashvi (Vipashavi)   23.   Shikhi 24. Vishvabhu 25. Kukra Chhanda 26.   Kona Gaman (Kanak Muni) 27. Kashyap  And the 28th Buddha became Siddhartha Gautama. All the Buddhas who happened before Gautam Buddha, their history is found only in Buddhist literature and is not found in archaeological evidence, that is why they have not been written in Indian history, like – there were 24 Tirthankaras in Jainism, but history is found only of Mahavir Swami. | In the same way there were 28 Buddhas in Buddhism, but the history is available only of Siddharth Gautama.

4. Siddhartha Gautama and his early life

Siddhartha Gautama, also known as the Light of Asia , was born around 567 or 563 BC. I was born in Lumbini forest (modern Rummindei) in Nepal. His mother Mahamaya Devi died on the 7th day of his birth and after that Siddhartha Gautama was brought up by his maternal aunt Prajapati Gautami. Siddhartha Gautama’s father Shuddhodana was the king of Shakya-dynasty and his kingdom was near the border of Nepal and capital was in Kapilvastu. At the age of 16, Siddhartha Gautama was married to Yashodhara (other names – Gopa, Vimba and Bhadrakachha), daughter of King Dandapani of Devdah and a son named Rahul was born from Yashodhara’s womb. 

One day Siddhartha Gautama went out to visit his kingdom, he found an old man, a sick person, a dead person and a monk on the way, seeing which many questions started arising in his mind and the answers to all these questions were given by his charioteer Channa. Or Chhandak gave it. After this Vairagya (freedom from worldly life) awakened in the mind of Siddhartha Gautam and leaving all worldly things, Siddhartha Gautama went out of the city at night with his horse Kanthak and charioteer Channa or Chandak. This incident happened in the 29th year of his age.

After crossing the river Amona, at sunrise in the morning, reached the city of Anuvaineya and there Siddhartha Gautama handed over his precious clothes and horse Kanthaka to the charioteer Channa or Chandak and cut his hair and put on saffron (saffron) clothes. This incident of home abandonment has been mentioned in the Pali text Majjhim Nikaya as Mahabhinishkraman .  

5. Siddhartha Gautama and his attainment of knowledge

After leaving the house, Siddhartha Gautama spent 7 days in the mango garden (mango garden) of Anupiya village, after which Siddhartha Gautama reached Rajgriha, the capital of Magadha, from where he went to Vaishali and in Vaishali itself, he had a Sankhya-Darshan from a monk named Alarkalam. Took the education of and in this way Alarkalam became the first teacher of Siddhartha Gautama. After receiving education from Alarkalam, Siddhartha Gautama found 5 ascetics Kaudinya, Auj, Asij, Vappa and Bhaddiya near Rajagriha. Siddhartha Gautama along with these 5 ascetics started austere penance but to no avail and at the end he took food, leaving the five ascetics with Siddhartha Gautama.

After all these events, Siddhartha Gautama finally reached Uruvela (modern Bodh Gaya, Vihara) and started penance under a Peepal tree on the banks of the Niranjana river. According to the Jataka tales, Sujata, the daughter of a merchant of Uruvela, used to bring food for Siddhartha Gautama every day. At the age of 35, on the night of Vaishakhi Purnima, Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment and when morning came, Sujata brought food and some children were also with her. It was at this time that the same children called Siddhartha Gautama as Buddha for the first time and from that time Siddhartha Gautama was called Buddha.

After attaining enlightenment, Mahatma Buddha gave the first sermon to Sujata and the children who came with him, after that in Uruvela itself, Mahatma Buddha made two barbarians Tapasyu and Bhallik as his disciples. From Uruvela, Mahatma Buddha reached Rishipattam (modern name Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh) and there he found the same 5 ascetics who had left him. Mahatma Buddha gave his first sermon to the same five ascetics in Sarnath, which is called Dhammachakra-pravartan in Buddhist texts . After Sarnath Mahatma Buddha went to Varanasi where a merchant named Yas along with his parents and 50 other companions accepted the discipleship of Mahatma Buddha.

After Varanasi, Mahatma Buddha reached Rajagriha, the capital of Magadha, where he was welcomed by Emperor Bimbisara of Magadha and donated Venu Van Vihar. Sariputra, Modgalayan, Upali, Abhaya etc. became disciples of Buddha in Rajagriha itself. The merchant Sudat (Anathapindaka) of Sravasti also entered the Buddha’s association at Rajagriha and donated a Jetavana Vihara at Sravasti. Vishakha, the daughter of a merchant of Sravasti, became a disciple of Buddha and it was through her that the monastery named Purvaram was built.

The Licchavi kings of Vaishali had donated a vihara named Kutagrashala to Mahatma Buddha in the 8th year of his attainment of enlightenment. In Vaishali itself, his mother Prajapati Gautami, wife of Mahatma Buddha Yashodhara and sister Nanda came to meet Mahatma Buddha and sought permission to enter the Sangha but all the women were from his own family, that is why   Mahatma Buddha refused because at that time Mahatma Buddha’s There were no women in the Sangh. At the same time Amrapali, the famous dancer of Vaishali and Kshema, the queen of Emperor Bimbisara of Magadha also sought permission to enter the association of Mahatma Buddha. After this, Mahatma Buddha granted permission to enter the Sangha and at the same time King Udayan of Kaushambi also accepted Buddhism under the influence of Pindola Bhardwaj.

In the 20th year of enlightenment, Mahatma Buddha was going to Sravasti, the capital of Kosala Mahajanapada, on the way a dreaded dacoit Angulimala was found, but Angulimala was so impressed by Mahatma Buddha that he became his disciple. According to the Buddhist texts, most of the disciples of Mahatma Buddha were in Kaushal Mahajanapada and Mahatma Buddha gave maximum sermons in Shravasti, the capital of Kaushal Mahajanapada.

6. Mahatma Buddha and his Mahaparinirvana

Mahatma Buddha reached Pava in his last time where he ate Sukar Maddava (modern name mushroom) food at the house of his disciple Chunda (goldsmith) which caused him diarrhea. After this Mahatma Buddha went to Kushinagar from Pava and it was here that he gave his last sermon to Subhadda in which he said that all worldly things are destroyed, strive enthusiastically for your liberation. Mahatma Buddha attained Mahaparinirvana at the age of 80, after which his body metal (ash) was divided into 8 parts. The names of those kings have been mentioned in the Buddhist text Mahaparinirvana Sutra, who built stupas of Mahatma Buddha.

1. Magadha emperor Ajatashatru

2. Shakyas of Kapilavastu

3. Lichchavi of Vaishali

4. Brahmins of Veddweep

5. Bullies of Alkapp

6. Mallas of Pava

7. Moriy of Pippalivan

8. Kolis of Ramgram   

7. Chief disciple of Mahatma Buddha

1. Sariputra – He was a resident of Rajagriha and one of the ultimate disciples of Mahatma Buddha.

2. Ananda – He was the cousin and most beloved disciple of Mahatma Buddha.

3. Moggadalayan – He was also a resident of Rajagriha.

4. Anathpindak – He was a big merchant of Shravasti and he himself had donated Jetavana Vihar to Mahatma Buddha.

5. Bimbisara – He was the emperor of Magadha.

6. Ajatashatru – He was also the emperor of Magadha who was the son of Bimbisara.

7. Prasenjit – He was the king of Kosala.

8. Jivaka – He was the son of Amrapali and disciple of Mahatma Buddha and was valid.

9. Mahakashyap – He was a Brahmin of Magadha and after the death of Mahatma Buddha, he was the president of the Buddhist Sangiti (assembly) held in the Saptaparni cave of Rajagriha.

8. Chief disciple of Mahatma Buddha 

1. Prajapati Gautami – This was the aunt of Mahatma Buddha and the first woman who joined the Sangha.

2. Yashodhara – She was the wife of Mahatma Buddha.

3. Nanda – She was the daughter of Prajapati Gautami and cousin of Mahatma Buddha.

4. Amrapali – She was a famous dancer of Vaishali.

5. Kshema – She was the queen of Emperor Bimbisara of Magadha.

6. Mallika – She was the queen of King Prasenjit of Kosala.

7. Vishakha – She was the daughter of a merchant of Bhaddiya village of Anga Mahajanapada and it was she who donated Purvaram Vihar to Mahatma Buddha in Shravasti.

9. Principles and Teachings of Buddhism

The 4 Absolute Truths of Buddhism

1. Sorrow – According to Mahatma Buddha, the world is sorrowful.

2. Sorrow Community – It means that there are many reasons for the origin of sorrow and the basic basis of all is ignorance.

3.Dukh Nirodh – For the cessation of unhappiness (Nivaran) it is necessary to eliminate desire.

4. Dukha Nirodhgamini Pratipada – A path that ends worldly sorrows and this is called the Eightfold Path in Buddhism.

10. Eightfold Path

1. Right view – Seeing any object in its real form is the right view.

2. Right resolution – Keeping thoughts free from malice and violence.

3. Right speech – speaking the truth and not using violent language.

4. Samyak Karmanti – Doing good deeds

5. Samyak Aajeev – Earning an honest living.  

6. Proper exercise – keeping your body disease free.

7. Samyak Smriti – Keeping good thoughts.

8. Samyak Samadhi – Concentration of mind or mind.

11. Ashtangik routes are divided into 3 parts.

1. Pragya

A.right vision

B.due resolution

C.right speech

2. Sheel

A.right action

B.right living

C.right exercise

3. Samadhi

A.right memory

B.right tomb

12. 10 precepts or precepts of Buddhism

1. Nonviolence

2. truth

3. Asteya (not stealing)

4. Don’t commit adultery

5. Don’t drink honey

These five virtues are meant for householder worshippers.

6. Celibacy

7. Not doing Aparigraha (not hoarding money)

8. Not eating after noon

9. Sacrifice the comfortable bed

10. Abandonment of ornaments

It was mandatory for the monk of Buddhism to follow the ten precepts.

13. Main features of Buddhism

1. There is no belief in God in Buddhism.

2. There is no recognition of soul in Buddhism.

3. Buddhism believes in reincarnation.

4. Buddhism believes in Karmaism.

5. Buddhism supports science.

14. Buddhist Association

The organization of the disciples of Mahatma Buddha has been called the Buddhist Sangha, in which there were both female monks and male monks and the three gems of   Buddhism are Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. Mahatma Buddha founded the Buddhist Sangha with 5 Brahmin disciples after giving his first sermon at Rishipatnam (modern Sarnath). To get admission in the Buddhist Sangha, it is necessary to give up household life and be at least 15 years of age. No person could enter the Sangha without the permission of the parents and the doors of the Sangha were open to all persons. 

While taking membership in the Buddhist Sangha, one had to say Buddha Sharanam Gachhami, Dhammam Sharanam Gachhami, Sangham Sharanam Gachhami (I take refuge in the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha). The organization of the Buddhist Sangha was based on the republican system and the proposal in the assembly of the Sangha was called Natti or Vritti while the act of reading the proposal was called Anusavan  .

The resolution passed by the majority was called Bhumskam , while the difference on any proposal was called Adhikaran, but there was voting on the differences and the voting was done both in the form of Gulhak (secret) and Vivatak (direct). The officer who arranged the seating in the assembly was called Asan Pragyapak and it was considered necessary to have at least 20 members in the meeting of the assembly.

When monks and nuns (sage male-sage female) used to do Dhammavarta on a special occasion, it was called Uposath . Entry into the Buddhist Sangha was called Upasampada while renunciation of household life was called Pravajya and the person who took Pravajya was called Shramner. Shramner used to become the officer of Upasampada or Shikshapad after getting education from an Acharya. To become an officer of education, it was necessary to be 20 years of age.

15.Buddhist Literature

Tripitaka is considered the most sacred of Buddhist literature and it is written in Pali language. Tripitaka includes 3 texts Suttapitaka, Vinaya Pitaka and Abhidhamma Pitaka.

1. Suttapitaka – The teachings of Buddhism are written in this epic and Sutta means preaching and Pitaka means box or basket   . The Sutta Pitaka is divided into 5 Nikayas (Parts).

A.Dirgha Nikaya – In this Mahagranth, long teachings of Mahatma Buddha have been described.

B.Majjhim Nikaya – In this epic, small teachings of Mahatma Buddha are described.

C.Joint body – In this Mahagranth the declarations of Mahatma Buddha have been described and in this Mahagranth the eightfold path has also been mentioned. The Dharmachakrapravartana Sutta is a part of the Samyukta Nikaya text.

D.Anguttar Nikaya – In this Mahagranth, more than 2 thousand brief statements of Mahatma Buddha have been mentioned and information about 16 Mahajanapadas has also been provided in this book.

E. Khuddak Nikaya – Many books come under this Mahagranth like – Khuddak Path, Dhammapada, Udan, Suttanipata, Vimanavatthu, Pantvatthu, Therigatha etc. and Jataka tales also come under this Mahagranth

2. Vinaya Pitaka – The rules of the Buddhist association are mentioned in this epic and this epic also has many parts.

A. Patimokkha (Pratimoksha) – In this there is a complete description of rules and prohibitions related to discipline and the atonement to be done when it is broken.

B. Suttavibhanga – Commentaries on the rules of the Patimokkha book have been presented in this.

C. Family – In this book, the summary of the second part of Vinaya Pitaka has been presented in the form of question and answer.

3. Abhidhamma Pitaka – This epic describes the philosophical principles of Buddhism.

16. Other Major Buddhist Texts

1. Jataka Tales – They are 549 in number and contain the stories of the previous births of Mahatma Buddha. This is the oldest collection of Indian fiction and it is in Pali language.

2. Atath stories – These are written in the form of commentaries of Tripitaka. The Attaka story of the Suttapitaka is the Mahaatthak. Eighth story of Vinayapitak is Kurundi and Eighth story of Abhidhamma Pitak is Mahapachari which is in Sinhalese language and was translated by Buddhaghosa into Magadhi language.  

3. Nidan stories – The life story of Mahatma Buddha is first described in the Nidan stories and it has 3 parts.

A.Dur Nidan – It contains the details of the previous births of Mahatma Buddha.

B.Avidur Nidana – In this the Bodhisattva is urged to take birth again on earth.

C.Santika Nidana – In this, there is a description of the kings and other people who were first initiated into Buddhism.

4. Dipavamsa and Mahavamsa – It contains the history of Sri Lanka and it is in Pali language. Information about the Maurya dynasty has also been given in this book.

5. Milindapanho – This book describes the conversation between King Minander of Greece and Buddhist monk Nagasena. Its author was Nagasena and it is written in Pali language.

17. Sanskrit Buddhist texts

1. Buddha Charitra – This epic was composed by Ashvaghosha, in which a simple description of the life of Mahatma Buddha has been provided.

2. Vajrasuchi – This is an Upanishadic text and it was also composed by Ashvaghosh, in which the varna system has been refuted, but in this text, another Buddhist scholar and philosopher Dharmakirti also did some compositions.

3. Mahavastu – This is the text of the Hinayana sect and in this things related to the life of Mahatma Buddha have been discussed.

4. Vishuddhimagga – This is also a text of Hinayana sect and it was composed by Buddhaghosa.

5. Lalit Vistar – This is a book composed in Sanskrit language of the Mahayana sect and the entire saga of the life of Mahatma Buddha is described in it. This text was used by Edwin Arnold in writing an epic poem Light Of Asia (Honorable of Asia) on the life of Mahatma Buddha.

18. Famous Buddhist scholar and philosopher

1. Ashwaghosh – He was a poet, dramatist, musician, scholar and logician. He composed the epic Buddha Charitam, a book describing the life character of Mahatma Buddha and was a contemporary of King Kanishka of the Kushan dynasty.

2. Nagarjuna – He was a friend and contemporary of the Satavahana king Yagya Sri Gautamiputra of Andhra and it was he who propounded the secondary school of Buddhist philosophy known as Shunyavada.

3. Asanga and Vasubandhu – both of them were brothers and were famous Buddhist scholars of Punjab in the first century and Asanga’s Guru Maitreyanath was a famous Acharya of Vigyanavada Sampradaya. The greatest text written by Vasubandhu is the Adhidhamma Kosha, which is considered the world’s encyclopedia of Buddhism.

4. Digdnag – He was a famous logician of Buddhism in the 5th century AD and he wrote more than 100 books on logic and is considered the father of medieval justice.

5.Dharmakirti – He was a great Buddhist philosopher, thinker and linguist of the 7th century and   impressed by his unique talent, Dr. Strachey Vatsky called him  the Kant of India.

19. Due to the spread of Buddhism

There was such an attraction in the personality of Mahatma Buddha that everyone used to listen to his sermons with great enthusiasm and Mahatma Buddha asked everyone to follow the middle path (middle path) to attain enlightenment. All people were given the right to come to Buddhism without any discrimination and influenced by Mahatma Buddha, many great kings Bimbasar, Prasenjit, Ajatshatru, Emperor Ashoka, Kanishka, Harshvardhan etc. accepted Buddhism and did a lot in its propagation. Contributed |

20. Buddhist Music (Conference)

1. First Buddhist Council – Immediately after the death of Mahatma Buddha in 483 BC. It was organized in the Saptaparni cave of Rajagriha during the reign of Emperor Ajatashatru of Magadha and was presided over by Mahakashyapa and was attended by Ananda and Upali, the principal disciples of Mahatma Buddha. The main feature of this music was. In this the teachings of Mahatma Buddha were compiled and they were given the names of Suttapitaka and Vinayapitaka.

2. Second Buddhist Council – This council was organized in 283 BC. It was performed in the Kusumpuri Vihara of Vaishali during the reign of Kalasoka and was presided over by Subukami.

3. Third Buddhist Council – This council was organized during the reign of Emperor Ashoka in 247 BC. It was held in Patilaputra’s Ashokaram Vihara and it was presided over by Moggaliputtatisya. Adhidhamma was composed in this music and a book named Kathavastu was also composed to understand Adhidhamma easily.

4. Fourth Buddhist Council – This council was organized in Kundalvan of Kashmir during the reign of Emperor Kanishka and it was presided over by Vasumitra and vice-chaired by Ashvaghosha. The Mahayana sect was dominant in this music and the introduction of Sanskrit in Buddhist texts started from this music. Some historians say that Buddhism was divided into two sects from this music, but this is not true.

21. Mahayana sect

1. Mahayana means – the path of excellence and it is also called Bodhisattvayana.

2. The formation of the Mahayana sect was probably done by the Brahmin and Kshatriya disciples of Mahatma Buddha.

3. People of Mahayana sect consider Mahatma Buddha as God.

4.People of the Mahayana sect worship idols and by the followers of the Mahayana sect, the idol of Mahatma Buddha was first made under the Mathura art in the first century, which is considered to be the first idol of India because before that the idol of any great man in India. was not created.

5. The followers of the Mahayana sect do not eat meat.

6. Followers of Mahayana sect consider Lumbini, Bodhgaya, Sarnath, Kushinagar etc. as their pilgrimage.

7. Most of the texts of Mahayana sect are in Sanskrit language.

22. Hinayana Sect

1. The meaning of Hinayana is the low way.

2. This sect was probably formed by the Vaishya and Shudra disciples of Mahatma Buddha.

3. The followers of Hinayana sect want to maintain the ancient ideals of Mahatma Buddha.

4. The followers of Hinayana sect consider Mahatma Buddha as a great man.

5. The followers of the Hinayana sect are not idolaters.

6. Most of the texts of Hinayana sect are in Pali language.

23. Vajrayana Sect

1. Vajrayana is a Sanskrit word and the beginning of this sect is believed to be around 5th or 6th century.

2. The followers of Vajrayana sect consider Mahatma Buddha and his main disciples as God.

3. The followers of the Vajrayana sect consume meat.

4. The followers of the Vajrayana sect believe in tantra-mantra etc.

5. All the texts of the Vajrayana sect are written in Sanskrit.

6.Vajrayana branch was developed most in Tibet and Bhutan.

7. There is no much difference between Vajrayana sect and modern Hindu religion.

 24. The main reason for the decline of Buddhism in India 

By the way, historians have given many arguments on the decline of Buddhism.  I myself have read historians of English and Hindi but no one showed the courage to write the truth. King Harshvardhan of the Pushyabhuti dynasty, who was a Buddhist king, and during his reign, the famous Chinese traveler Hiuen Tsang visited India. Hieun Tsang has written in his book Si Yu Ki that at that time several thousand students were studying in Nalanda University and more than 10 thousand Buddhist monasteries were built in which thousands of Buddhist monks lived, but after the death of King Harshavardhana, the king who Buddhists did not agree with the ideology of Dhamma, they started torturing the Buddhist monks living in Buddhist Viharas and started destroying Buddhist Viharas and because of this persecution, Buddhist monks went to nearby countries but some There were huge rebellions in places.

Even today, excavation work is done by the Archaeological Survey of India in India, then the idols of Mahatma Buddha are found only in a broken state, which proves that at that time, the anti-Buddhist kings attacked Buddhism. Harmed him a lot but could not destroy him completely. To end Buddhism completely, the same kings invited the Muslim invaders to come to India and then one after the other Muslim invaders attacked India, which not only enslaved India but completely ruined it.

Finally, those anti-Buddhist kings along with a Muslim invader Bakhtiyar Khilji entered the Nalanda University and slaughtered the Buddhist monks and Brahmin teachers present there and then destroyed the university and finally set it on fire in which lakhs of people died. Indian texts were burnt. Complete information about Nalanda University has been provided to you in the book Tabaqat -e-Nasiri written by Minhaj Us Siraj or Minhajuddin Siraj and in Tabaqat-e-Nasiri, information has been provided about Nalanda University and the kings who destroyed Nalanda University. had done     

JAINISM

1. History of Jainism

First of all, let’s talk about Jainism or Jain Dhamma, if you study the ancient texts of Jainism, you will find the word Jain Dhamma written there, but as soon as you study the Sanskrit texts of Jainism, you will find Jainism there. The word Dharma is found written and the early history of Jainism is provided in the Kalpasutra text and information about Mahavir Swami in the Bhagwati Sutra.

2. Early History of Jainism

There were 24 Tirthankaras in Jainism 1. Rishabhdev or Adinath 2. Ajitnath 3. Sambhavnath 4. Abhinandan Nath 5. Sumatinath 6. Padram Prabhu 7. Suparshwa Nath 8. Chandra Prabhu 9. Suvidhinath or Pushpa Danta 10. Sheetal Nath 11. Shreyansh 12 .Vasupujya 13.Vimalnath 14.Anant Nath 15.Dharmanath 16.Shantinath 17.Kuntha Nath 18.Arha Nath 19.Malli Nath 20.Muni Subratnath 21.Neminath 22.Arishtanemi 23.Parshwanath and 24th Tirthankar Mahavir became Swami but history only Mahavir Swami’s has been written because the history of other Tirthankaras is neither found in history nor archaeological evidence is found.

3. Early history of Mahavir Swami

Mahavir Swami was born in 599 or 540 BC. I was born in Kundagrama (near Vaishali) Vihara. His childhood name was Vardhaman and Mahavir Swami was born at the place of Siddhartha, the head of the Gyatrik clan. Mahavir Swami’s mother’s name was Trishala or Videhadatta, who was the sister of Lichchavi king Chetak and Mahavir Swami was married to Yashoda and from Yashoda’s womb he gave birth to a daughter Anojya or Priyadarshini who was married to a person named Jamil.

At the age of 30, Mahavir Swami renounced his home after taking permission from his elder brother Nandivardhan and the prominent people of the state, and sitting in his Shivika, reached the garden named Shandavan, passing through Kundagram with pomp and show, and the Ashoka tree. Stopped below and took off all his ornaments and fasted for two and a half days and shaved his hair and became a monk (sanyasi).

According to the Jain text Achrang Sutra, Mahavir Swami first reached Kumbhahar village and started penance there and initially wore clothes for 13 months, later threw the clothes into the golden-sand river. Started roaming around naked with alms bowl in hand and thus started his harsh penance. After 6 years, when he went to Nalanda, he met a hermit named Makkhaliputra Gosala, and both of them did severe penance at a place called Panit Bhoomi near Kollag, but after some time there were differences between the two and they became critical of each other.

After this, Makkhaliputra Gosala established a sect which later became known as the Ajivaka-Sampradaya and its center was in Shravasti. Mahaveer Swami did severe penance for 12 years and the condition became so bad that small germs started crawling on his body and in the 13th year he was given Kaivalya (enlightenment) under the Shaal tree (Banyan tree) on the bank of Rijupalika river near Jambhika village. ) was attained and since then Mahavir was called Arhat (worshipable) Jin (victory) Nirgranth (free from bondage).

After attaining enlightenment, Mahavir Swami gave his first sermon in Prakrit (Ardhamagadhi) language on the bank of Varakar river on Vipulachal hill in Rajgir (modern Vihar). The first disciple and first opponent of Mahavir Swami was his son-in-law Jamil and King Chetak of Vaishali who was the maternal uncle of Mahavir Swami became a disciple and King Dadhivahan of Champa Nagar also became a disciple and his daughter Champa or Chandana also became a disciple of Mahavir Swami who became the first nun. were.

Mahavir Swami first converted 11 Brahmins to Jainism along with their disciples in Pava (modern Pavapuri, Vihar) and divided them into 11 Gandharas (groups) and appointed a Gandhara (president) in each Gana (group). Mahavir Swami’s association was divided into 4 categories 1. Monks 2. Monks 3. Shravak 4.   Shravika | The first 2 categories are for Jain monks and the remaining 2 categories are for householders .    

4. Principles of Jainism

1. There is no belief of God in Jainism.

2. There is belief of soul in Jainism.

3. Jainism believes in reincarnation.

4. Jainism believes in Karmaism.

5. Panch Mahavrat of Jainism

1. Non-violence – Mind, words and deeds should not do violence in any way.

2. Truth – Man should always speak the truth and sweetly.

3. Asteya – One should not accept or desire anything without permission.

4. Aparigraha – Should not collect any kind of property.

5. Celibacy – Should not see and talk to any woman.

6. Triratna of Jainism

1. Samyak Darshan – Seeing any object or woman in its real form is Samyak Darshan.

2. Samyak Gyan – True and complete knowledge.

3. Right Conduct – Keeping ethical behavior in daily life.

7. 4 education vows of Jainism (for householders)

1. Deshvirati – Vow not to go beyond the limits of any country/state.

2. Timely fasting – Meditating 3 times a day by being free from worldly worries.

3.Propoghopvas – Fasting fast.

4. Vaiya Vrat – Donation, worship etc. should be done.

8. 5 committees of Jainism (for monks)

1. Irya Committee – One should walk in such a way where insects and germs do not die.

2. Language Committee – Sweet and beloved language should be spoken while giving a speech.

3. Aishna Samiti – There should be no violence to any kind of living being through food.

4. Exchange Projection Committee – There should be no violence of any insect-kite.

5.Vyutsarga Committee – No insect-kite should be killed while excreting urine.

9. Writing method

The act of causing pain to the body by sallekhana (voluntary death) and destroying one’s body at one place without eating or drinking is called sallekhana in Jainism.

10. Death of Mahavir Swami

Mahavir Swami propagated Jainism for 30 years and at the age of 72, Mahavir Swami died in 468 BC. or 427 BC in the palace of Mallaraja Sristipala or Sristipala of Pava (modern Pavapuri, Vihara).

11. Division of Jainism

After the death of Mahaveer Swami, Sudharman became the first president of the Jain Sangh and after the death of Sudharman, Jambu remained the president of the Jain Sangh for 44 years. Sambhuti Vijay and Bhadravahu were the presidents of the Jain Sangha during the time of the last Nanda king and Sambhuti Vijay died at the time of Chandragupta Maurya’s accession and Sambhuti Vijay’s disciple was Sthulbhadra who became the president of the Jain Sangha.

Now there were two presidents of the Jain Sangh, Sthulbhadra and Bhadravahu, and at the same time there was a severe famine in Magadha for 12 years, due to which Bhadravahu along with his disciples went to Karnataka with Chandragupta Maurya, but Sthulbhadra stayed in Magadha along with his disciples. On Bhadravahu’s return, he had a difference of opinion with the sages of Magadha, due to which Jainism was divided into two sects named Svetambara and Digambara. The disciples of Sthulbhadra are called Svetambaras who wear white clothes and the disciples of Bhadravahu are called Digambaras who live in the naked state.  

12. Major Jain Sabhas

1. First Jain Assembly – This assembly was held during the reign of Chandragupta which was presided over by Sthulbhadra and in this assembly 12 parts of Jainism were compiled.

2. Second Jain Assembly – This assembly was held in Vallabhi Gujarat and it was presided over by Devardhigana or Kshamasramana and the final compilation of Jain texts was done in this assembly.

13. Literature of Jainism  

The ancient texts of Jainism are called Puvas and they are 14 in number. Jain literature is called Agamas (principles) and is written in Ardhamagadhi, Magadhi or Prakrit language and includes 12 Angas, 12 Upangas, 10 Prakirnas, 6 Chheda Sutras, 4 Mulasutras and Anuyoga Sutras.  

RISE OF MAGADHA EMPIRE

First of all, let’s talk about where the Magadha Empire was located, the Magadha Empire was located in Patna, Bodhgaya and its surrounding area of ​​modern Vihara. Although the history of Magadha is very old, but due to non-availability of historical facts, information about its ancient history is not available. The beginning of the history of Magadha is considered to be from Haryanka dynasty whose founder was Emperor Bimbisara who is considered contemporary of Mahatma Buddha. According to Buddhist texts, Emperor Bimbisara died in 544 BC. I was sitting on the throne of Magadha.

Haryanka dynasty – [544 to 412 BC]

1. Emperor Bimbisar – 544 to 492 BC. until

* Information about the reign of Emperor Bimbisara has been provided in the Buddhist text Mahavamsa.

*Emperor Bimbisara is also called Shrenik.

*Emperor Bimbisara was a follower of Buddhism.

*Emperor Bimbisara had many queens, the most important of which was Chellana, the daughter of Lichchavi king Chetak of Vaishali and Ajatashatru was born from her womb and the second queen was Kaushal Devi, the sister of King Prasenjit of Kosala and the third queen was the daughter of King Bhadra of Punjab. The daughter was Kshema who joined the association of Mahatma Buddha after the death of Bimbisara.

* During the reign of Emperor Bimbisara, the capital of Magadha was at Rajagriha.

*Emperor Bimbisara’s Rajvaidha was Jeevaka who was the son of Vaishali’s dancer or courtesan Amrapali. Jivaka studied law from Takshashila (in modern Pakistan) and at the end he joined the service of Mahatma Buddha at the behest of Emperor Bimbisara.  

*Emperor Bimbisara donated Venuvan Vihara to Mahatma Buddha which was located in Rajagriha.

*According to Buddhist texts, Bimbisara had made Anga Mahajanapada a part of Magadha Empire.

*According to the Buddhist text Mahavamsa, Bimbisara ruled Magadha for 52 years.

* In the Buddha Charitra book, Bimbisara has been described as the emperor of the Haryanka dynasty, but some Indian historians have told Bimbisara to belong to the Pitruhanta dynasty and the Naga dynasty.

*According to Buddhist texts, Ajatashatru imprisoned his father Bimbisara and died in 492 BC. Bimbisara died in prison.

2. Ajatashatru – 492 to 460 BC until

*According to Buddhist texts, Ajatshatru was born in 492 BC. I sat on the throne of Magadha and is also known as Kunik.

*According to Jain book Essential Sutra and Appang 1, Ajatshatru once went to meet Mahavir Swami and asked Mahavir Swami.. Bhante..! Where does Chakraborty Samrat go after death..? , Mahavir Swami answered and said – Chakravarti Samrat goes to 7th hell after death and you will go to 6th hell because you are not Chakravarti Samrat..! Ajatshatru asked again.. I am not Chakravarti Samrat..? , Mahavir Swami then replied – Yes.. You are not Chakravarti Samrat because there were only 12 Chakravarti Samrats in which the last Chakravarti Samrat was your father..! Emperor Ajatshatru got angry after hearing these words of Mahavir Swami and said.. Bhante..! I will change history and become the 13th Chakraborty Emperor .

* Ajatashatru had started attacking the kingdoms around him in his desire to become the Chakravarti emperor, in which Ajatashatru’s victory over the Kosala and Licchavi kings is considered the most important.

* Ajatashatru had declared war against King Prasenjit of Kosala but later there was an agreement between the two in which Prasenjit married his daughter Vajira to Ajatashatru.

* Ajatshatru had started the construction of a new fort on the banks of the Ganges to defeat the Licchavi kings of Vaishali and also started settling settlements of his soldiers around it and here Ajatshatru made his new capital and later This place came to be known as Patilputra.

*According to Buddhist texts, Ajatashatru fought against the Lichchavi republic based in Vaishali, in which Ajatashatru used stone-throwing weapons and a sword-like winged weapon on the chariot, which the Lichchavi kings were not familiar with, and in the end, Ajatashatru conquered the entire Lichchavi. The republic was destroyed.

* After winning all these wars, Ajatshatru’s mind became restless and he finally went to meet Mahatma Buddha and asked Mahatma Buddha… Buddha..! Why does this mind remain so restless..? Buddha replied – When we fail to achieve something our mind becomes restless.. You are trying to become Chakraborty Emperor in which thousands of humans are dying..! Ajatshatru again asked Buddha.. So can’t I become Chakraborty emperor..? Mahatma Buddha replied again.. Of course you can become Chakravarti Samrat.. But for that there is no need to fight and kill innocent humans.. You can become Chakravarti Samrat by public welfare and good deeds..|

Ajatashatru liked this advice of Mahatma Buddha very much and he had accepted Buddhism after some time.

* Ajatshatru’s reign only in 483 BC. Mahatma Buddha had received Mahaparinirvana (death) in 1500 Ajatashatru had built a stupa in Rajagriha after Mahatma Buddha’s Mahaparinirvana (death).

* Immediately after the death of Mahatma Buddha in 483 BC. In the same year, Ajatashatru organized the first Buddhist concert in the Saptaparni cave of Rajagriha and it was presided over by Mahakashyap and the main disciples of Mahatma Buddha, Ananda and Upali were also present in it and the main feature of this music was. In this the teachings of Mahatma Buddha were compiled and they were given the names of Suttapitaka and Vinayapitaka.

3. Udayan – 460 to 444 BC until

* After Ajatashatru, his son Udayana became the emperor of Magadha, who is also known as Udayabhadra.

* Udayana was the governor of Champa Nagar before becoming the emperor of Magadha.

Udayana converted Patilaputra , founded by his father Ajatashatru, into a city and made it his capital.

* The credit for establishing Kusumpur Nagar (in modern Vihar) is given to Emperor Udayan and there Udayan had constructed Vihar and Chaityas (Buddhist prayer places).

* After Udayan, Anuruddha, Munda and Nagadashaka became the kings of Magadha.

*According to the Buddhist text Mahavansh, the last king of the Haryanka dynasty was Nagadashak, whose 412 BC. By killing his own minister Shishunag, a new dynasty Shishunag dynasty was established on Magadha.

Shishunaga dynasty – [412 to 344 BC]

1. Shishunag – 412 to 394 BC. until

*Shishunag is also known as Nandivardhan and it was he who laid the foundation of the Shishunag dynasty in Magadha.

*Complete information about Shishunag has been provided in Buddhist texts.

* Shishunaga had made his capital Vaishali (in modern Vihar).

* Shishunaga was a powerful king, he made Avanti, Vatsa and Kosala a part of the Magadha Empire.

2. Kalashok – 394 to 366 BC. until 

*Complete information about Kalashok has been provided in the Buddhist texts Divyavadana and Mahavamsa.

*Kalashoka is also known as Kakavarna .

* Kalashok was a follower of Buddhism and his reign was in 383 BC. The second Buddhist council was held in Kusumpuri Vihara in Vaishali, which was presided over by Sabbakamira or Subukami , and after this council, the Buddhist Sangha was divided into two parts , Sthavira (association of enlightened Buddhist monks) and Mahasandhik (association of monks who believed in Mahatma Buddha as God ). Union of) was divided into | 

*According to the Buddhist book Mahavansh, Kalashok was killed in 366 BC. I was made for internal reasons of the state.

*According to the Buddhist text Mahavamsa, Kalashoka had 10 sons – 1. Bhadrasen 2. Korand Varna 3. Munger 4. Sarvanj 5. Jalik 6. Ubhaka 7. Sanjay 8. Kokhya 9. Nandivardhan 10. Panchanak |

*The last king of the Shishunag dynasty, Panchanak , was killed in 344 BC. I was done by his own minister Mahapadmanand and a new dynasty Nandavansh emerged on Magadha.

 

Nanda dynasty or Nava dynasty – [344 to 323 BC]

1. Mahapadmananda – 344 to 336 BC until

* The real name of Mahapadmananda was Ugrasen .

* Mahapadmanand used to call himself Ekrat, but in the Puranas, Ekchhatra is described as the king of the earth i.e. Parshuram.

* Mahapadmananda was the first king of Magadha who conquered Kalinga and got a canal constructed there and picked up a Jain idol from there and brought it to Magadha. It is mentioned by King Kharavela of Kalinga in his Hathigumpha inscription .

 *According to the Puranas, Mahapadmananda had subdued the kings of all the Kshatriya clans, Ikshvaku, Panchal, Haihay, Kalinga, Asmak, Kuru, Maithil, Shursen.

* Mahapadmananda’s friend was Panini , the teacher of grammar, and Mahapadmananda has been given the status of the first historical emperor.

*According to the Buddhist text Mahabodhi dynasty, there were 9 kings in the Nanda dynasty 1. Mahapadmananda or Ugrasen 2. Panduka 3. Pandugati 4. Bhootapala 5. Rashtrapala 6. Govishanaka 7. Dashsiddhak 8. Kaivarta 9. Ghanananda, that is why this dynasty is called Navamsa in Buddhist texts It has also been said.

* After Mahapadmananda, Panduka, Pandugati, Bhootpal, Rashtrapal, Govishanak, Dashsiddhak and Kaivart ruled for 2 years and finally Ghananand became the king.

2. Ghanananda – 334 to 323 BC until

* Ghanananda is considered the most powerful of all the preceding kings of Magadha.

* When Alexander 326 E. Pooh. When I invaded India, at that time the king of Magadha was Ghananand, but Alexander did not enter his territory because he knew that if there was a war with Ghananand, it would be difficult to survive.

*Ghananand had the most powerful army which had 20 thousand cavalry soldiers, 2 lakh foot soldiers, 2 thousand chariot soldiers and 4 thousand elephant army, which was considered the most powerful army among all the kings of that time.

*Ghananand has been called Agramej and Jaindramej (skillful and powerful king) by Greek writers.

*Ghanananda is described as the king of wealth and opulence in Buddhist texts because Magadha became the richest state during his reign.

* Due to greed for money, 323 BC. In 1500 CE, Moriya king Chandragut Moriya of Pipplivan lured some of Ghananand’s ministers and joined his side and formed a strong alliance of kings around him, but Chandragut Moriya did not need to fight with Ghananand, because later he The ministers treacherously killed Ghananand and Chandragut Maurya took over Magadha. 

 

HISTORY OF ALEXANDER

* Sikandar’s reign from 336 to 323 BC. was in the middle of

* Alexander was born on 20 or 21 July 356 BC. I was born in Macedonia (modern Macedonia, Greek) of Greece.

* Alexander’s real name was Alexander III , which is also called Alexander the Great by English historians .

* Alexander’s father’s name was Philip II , who was the king of Macedonia and his reign was from 359 to 336 BC. was in the middle of

Alexander’s mother’s name was Olympias and wife’s name was Rukhsana .

Alexander’s teacher was Aristotle , who was a famous Greek philosopher.

* Alexander 336 BC. Became the ruler of Macedonia (modern Macedonia) and built a strong army within the first 2 years.

* Alexander first attacked Asia Minor (the central part of modern Turkey) and conquered it.

* Sikandar did the second attack on Egypt (between the continent of Asia and Africa) and took it under his control.

* Alexander’s third attack was against Iraq in which Alexander had captured Babylon.

* Alexander’s fourth attack was against Darius, the ruler of Iran, Darius fled from the battlefield and Sikandar had easily captured Parsipolis , the capital of Iran.

* Alexander’s next target was Jambudweep (modern India) but before that Alexander had to fight with many hill tribes and in 326 BC. Alexander reached Takshashila (in modern Pakistan), at that time the king of Taxila was Ambhi, but Ambhi had surrendered to Alexander.

* Alexander’s last fight was with King Porus of Punjab, who was the ultimate enemy of King Ambhi of Taxila, that is why Ambhi supported Alexander to defeat Porus. Porus decided to fight with Alexander and reached in front of Alexander with a huge army. Seeing the huge army of Porus, Alexander said – After all, that fear is standing in front of me and challenging me, today I have faced extraordinary people like wild animals .

* There was a war between the forces of Alexander and Porus, in the beginning Porus defeated Alexander strongly but in the end he started getting heirs, due to which Porus’s weapons stopped working and the way for Alexander’s victory was cleared. Within no time, Alexander defeated Porus’s army, after losing the battle, Porus was  presented before Alexander, Alexander asked Porus, how to treat you, Porus replied – as it is done with kings. is |

* After listening to this talk of Porus, Alexander had returned the entire kingdom of Porus. Alexander stayed in Jambudweep (modern India) for 19 months and during that time Alexander had subdued all the kings of Sindh (in modern Pakistan). After this, Alexander decided to move forward, but the local kings there had already told Alexander’s army that it is just the beginning, Magadha is far away, before that you will have to fight with many kings and Magadha has a bigger army than us. There is an army that you cannot defeat.

* Alexander greatly encouraged his army to move forward but Alexander’s army refused to enter Magadha’s border and in the end Alexander was forced to return to Macedonia but on 10 or 11 June 323 BC. Alexander died due to fever in Babylon  .

HISTORY OF MAURYA DYNASTY

1. Sources of Maurya History

Arthashastra – This is a book written on politics and administration and this book was written by a person named Chanakya, Vishnu Gupta or Kautilya, but no solid evidence has been found about when it was composed. This book is divided into 15 parts and 180 subsections and it neither mentions the name of any Maurya king nor provides information about the Mauryan administration. This book was first mentioned in 1909 by a person named Dr. Sham Shastri, but he did not discuss which ancient book Sham Shastri took support of to write this book.

Indika – Megasthenes composed this book from 304 to 299 BC. in the court of Chandragupta Maurya and Megasthenes was the ambassador of Alexander’s successor and Babylonian ruler Seleucus Nicator.   In the Indika Granth , complete information has been provided about Chandragupta Maurya’s administration, capital Polibrotha (Patilputra) and land revenue. Megasthenes has mentioned a huge unpaved road in Indica itself and the same road was converted into a paved road by Sher Shah Suri and given the name of Sher Shah Suri Marg, then the same road was given the name of Sher Shah Suri Marg by British Governor General Lord Auckland. Named T. Road (Grand Trunk Road).

Junagarh inscription – This inscription was made by the Saka king Rudradaman and the names of Chandragupta Maurya and Emperor Ashoka have been mentioned in it.

Mudrarakshasa – This book was composed in Sanskrit language by Visakhadatta around the fourth century and it has been composed in a dramatic form. There is more mention of air-air things in Mudrarakshas, ​​like Chandragupta Maurya has been called the son of Shudra and Ghanananda.     

Divyavadana – This is a Buddhist text and Chandragupta Maurya has been described as a Kshatriya but no mention has been made of the names of Chanakya, Kautilya or Vishnu Gupta.

Appendix Parvan – This is a Jain text and in this Chandragupta Maurya has been described as a Kshatriya and the Maurya (peacock-rearing) king of Pippalivan. Complete information was provided about Chandragupta Maurya in Parishishta Parvan Granth, but no mention of the names of Chanakya, Kautilya or Vishnu Gupta has been made in it. 

Records – The oldest records in India are considered to be of Emperor Ashoka and their number has been mentioned as 84000 in Buddhist texts, but only a few records have been discovered so far. The history of the Maurya dynasty is found in these records.

2. Introduction to Mauryan Dynasty

Maurya dynasty or Maurya dynasty, its real name is Maurya dynasty and it was established in Pippalivan before the time of Mahatma Buddha because the Buddhist text Mahaparinirvana Sutra mentions the Maurya kings of Pippalivan and says that Mahatma Buddha died After his body metal (ash) was divided into 8 parts which included the Maurya king of Pipplivan and the Maurya king of Pipplivan also got a stupa constructed in his kingdom.

Maurya dynasty was established on Magadha by Chandragupta Maurya in 323 BC. I got the last king of the Nanda dynasty, Ghanananda killed, and the dynastic symbol of the kings of the Maurya dynasty was peacock (peacock), that is why the word Maurya or Maurya is attached to Chandragupta’s name. The first king of the Maurya dynasty was Chandragupta Maurya and the last king was Brahmadratha, but the most powerful king is considered to be Ashoka.

3. History of Chandragupta Maurya

* Reign of Chandragupta Maurya from 322 to 298 BC. was in the middle of

* In Buddhist texts and Jain texts, Chandragupta Maurya has been described as a Kshatriya and originally the king of Pippalivan.

Most mention of Chandragupta Maurya is found in texts like Parishishta Parvan, Rajavali Katha and Indika.

* Chandragupta Maurya had taken initiation of Jainism from Jain Guru Bhadravahu.

* Greek writers have written Chandragupta Maurya in their books by the names of Sandrokotes and Androkotes.

*According to Buddhist text Mahabodhi Vansh and Jain text Appendix Parvan, Chandragupta Maurya initially made many attacks on Magadha but did not get success. After this, Chandragupta Maurya attacked Punjab and Sindh and achieved success, and then Chandragupta Maurya started attacking the states around Magadha and subdued all the kings.

*323 BC Chandragupta Maurya formed a strong union of kings around him and planned to attack Magadha, but before the attack, Chandragupta Maurya got some ministers of King Ghanananda of Magadha killed by deceit by luring them with money. At the same time Bhaddasal, the commander of Ghananand attacked Chandragupta Maurya but Chandragupta Maurya was already ready for war. There was a war between the two in which Chandragupta Maurya won and after that Chandragupta Maurya   took over the throne of Magadha, in this war Chandragupta Maurya was supported by a king named Pavartak.

*304 or 305 B.C. There was a war between King Chandragupta Maurya of Magadha and Alexander’s successor and Seleucus Nicator, the ruler of Babylon, in which Chandragupta Maurya won. This war is described by Appianus in his writings and then Seleucus Nicator married his daughter Helena or Cornelia with Chandragupta Maurya and gave the kingdoms of Herat, Kandahar, Makran and Kabul as dowry.

* After winning this war, Chandragupta Maurya attacked the entire Jambudweep (modern India) with a huge army and subdued most of the kings.

* Megasthenes composed his Indika Granth in the court of Chandragupta Maurya from 304 to 299 BC. was done in the middle of

*According to the Jain book Rajavali Katha, 298 E. Pooh. Chandragupta Maurya handed over the rule of Magadha to his son Bindusara and went to a place called Shravanabelagola in Karnataka and there he sacrificed his life by writing method.

4. History of Bindusara

* Bindusar’s reign from 298 to 273 BC. was in the middle of

* Bindusara is also known by the names of Amitraghat (destroyer of enemies) and Simhasen.

* In the Puranas, Bindusara has been called Bhadrasara.

*According to the Jain text Appendix Parvan, Bindusara’s mother’s name was Durdhara.

Ashoka was the administrator of Ujjain during the reign of Bindusara.

* Dimachus had come to the court of Bindusara, who was the ambassador of Antiochus I, the king of Syria.

* Bindusara was a follower of the Ajivaka sect and was the best friend of Pingalvatsa, the famous teacher of the Ajivaka sect.

History of Emperor Ashoka

* Emperor Ashoka’s reign 273 – 232 BC. was in the middle of

*Emperor Ashoka is considered as the Chakravarti Emperor, who has not been a king in Indian history till now.

*Emperor Ashoka is also known as Devanampriya (beloved of the gods), Priyadarshi (lovely looking) and Buddha Shakya.

Emperor Ashoka’s father’s name was Bindusara and grandfather’s name was Chandragupta Maurya.

* Emperor Ashoka’s mother’s name was Dhamma or Subhadrangi.

The names of the wives of Emperor Ashoka were Mahadevi and Karuvaki.

Emperor Ashoka’s sons were Kunala, Mahendra and Teevar and daughters were Sanghamitra and Charumati.

*The names of wife and children have been mentioned in the Prayag Pillar inscription of Emperor Ashoka.

* Emperor Ashoka 273 BC. I sat on the throne of Magadha but the coronation took place in 269 BC. happened in

Among all the kings of India, Emperor Ashoka was the only emperor whose empire was the largest.

*According to the Sri Lankan texts Dipavamsa and Mahavamsa, Emperor Ashoka had obtained the throne by killing his 99 brothers but this is not true as his family is mentioned in the fifth rock edict of Emperor Ashoka, in which his surviving brothers are also mentioned.

*According to Rajatarangini, Emperor Ashoka had established Srinagar in Kashmir and Devpattan city in Nepal.

*According to the Buddhist text Mahavansh, Emperor Ashoka used to feed 60,000 sadhus daily.

* One day Emperor Ashoka saw Nigrotha, the son of his elder brother Sushim, who was a Buddhist monk.

*261 BC Emperor Ashoka had invaded Kalinga (modern Odisha) and at that time the king of Kalinga was Chaitraraja, there was a war between the two armies on the banks of Daya river and Emperor Ashoka won and 1 lakh people were killed in this war and so People were taken prisoner.

* The Kalinga war is described by Emperor Ashoka in his 13th edict, which some historians have also called the Apology Edict of Emperor Ashoka because the houses of millions of people were destroyed in the Kalinga war and after the Kalinga war, Emperor Ashoka had a change of heart. was |

* After winning the Kalinga war, Emperor Ashoka had become a complete Buddhist by taking initiation of Buddhist Dhamma from a Buddhist monk named Upagupta and after that he started Dhamma Vijay instead of Digvijay.

*Emperor Ashoka was a follower of the Ajivaka sect before accepting Buddhism.

* Emperor Ashoka started his Dhamma Yatra in the 10th year of his coronation i.e. 259 BC. I was from Uruvela (modern Bodh Gaya, Vihara) which is mentioned by him in his 8th Edict.

*Emperor Ashoka had won Dhamma victory over South Chola, Chera, Pandya, Sri Lanka, Iraq, Egypt and Greece and all the kings had also accepted Emperor Ashoka’s Dhamma, which is mentioned by Emperor Ashoka in his 13th rock edict. Buddhist mausoleums of the Ptolemy II period found in the Egyptian city of Al-Iskandaria, on which the Dhamma Chakra of Emperor Ashoka is made, from which it can be inferred that Emperor Ashoka had conquered Dhamma till Egypt.

* Emperor Ashoka in the 12th year of his coronation i.e. 257 BC. I traveled to Nigliwa village or Nigali Sagar where he got the stupa of Kanak Muni, the 26th Buddha, rebuilt, which is mentioned by Emperor Ashoka in his Nigali Sagar (in the Terai of Nepal) pillar inscription.

* Emperor Ashoka in the 23rd year of his coronation i.e. 247 BC. The Third Buddhist Council (Third Buddhist Conference) was organized in Ashokaram Vihara of Patilaputra (modern Patna, Vihar) which was presided over by Mogliputta Tishya or Upagupta. Adhidhamma Pitaka, the third part of Tripitaka, was composed in the Third Buddhist Council, which was also composed at the same time to understand it easily.

Inscriptions of Emperor Ashoka

* The articles written on stone or any hard metal are called records and Indian historians have divided the records of Emperor Ashoka into inscriptions, column letters and cave letters.

*The inscriptions of Emperor Ashoka are written in Prakrit language (Pali language) while the script of these inscriptions is Brahi, Kharosthi, Aramaic and Greek.

* The oldest records in India are considered to be of Emperor Ashoka and according to Buddhist texts, their number is considered to be 84000, but till now only more than 40 records of Emperor Ashoka have been discovered.

* Emperor Ashoka’s inscription was first discovered by Tiffen Thaler in 1750, which is known as the Delhi-Meerut inscription.

*The Delhi-Topra inscription of Emperor Ashoka was first succeeded in reading by James Prinsep in 1837.

*The inscription is divided into 3 parts – inscriptions, pillar inscriptions and cave inscriptions.     

 

1. Inscription

first inscription

In this, Emperor Ashoka has ordered not to kill animals.

second inscription

In this, Emperor Ashoka has talked about the treatment of both humans and animals.

third inscription

In this, Emperor Ashoka has ordered his officials to visit the state every 5 years and to obey the orders of mother, father, Shraman and Bhaman.

fourth inscription

In this Dhamma Ghosh has been announced instead of Bherighosh.

the fifth inscription

In this, Emperor Ashoka has talked about appointing an officer named Dhamma Mahamatra and the task of Dhamma Mahamatra was to give knowledge of humanity to the knower.

Rock Edict 6

In this Emperor Ashoka has said that no matter where I live, I want the news of the public all the time.

the seventh inscription

In this, Emperor Ashoka has given permission to all people of all sects to reside everywhere.

the eighth inscription

In this, Emperor Ashoka started the Dhamma Yatra from Bodh Gaya in the 10th year of his coronation.

the ninth inscription

In this, Emperor Ashoka has ordered to show courtesy to the servants (workers).

tenth inscription

In this, Emperor Ashoka has talked about following Dhamma.

the eleventh inscription

Dhamma has been discussed in it like – there is no charity like Dhamma, no praise like Dhamma and no friendship like Dhamma.

the twelfth inscription

In this, Emperor Ashoka has ordered not to criticize other religions.

the thirteenth inscription

This inscription of Emperor Ashoka is the longest and describes the Kalinga war. It states that Priyadarshi (Emperor Ashoka) had conquered Dhamma by his Dhamma policy up to 600 yojanas (8640 KM) and the kings who accepted Dhamma were Ptolemy II of Egypt, Antigonus Gonetus of Macedonia, Sri Lanka and South Cholas, Cheras and Pandyas etc. of India.

the fourteenth inscription

In this, the records excavated across the country have been discussed.

other records

1. Maski inscription – This inscription is located in Raichur district of modern Karnataka and in this Emperor Ashoka has called himself Buddha-Shakya and in this inscription the name of Emperor Ashoka is also written. This record was discovered by Biden in 1915. 

2.Bhabru or Vairat inscription – This inscription of Emperor Ashoka is in Jaipur district of Rajasthan and the name of Emperor Ashoka is written as Priyadarshi (lovely looking) in it. This record mentions Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha and this record was discovered by Captain Burt in 1840.

3. Nettur inscription – This inscription of Emperor Ashoka is in Mysore, Karnataka and the name of Emperor Ashoka is written in it.

4. Gurjara inscription – This inscription of Emperor Ashoka is in Datia district of Madhya Pradesh and in this inscription also the name of Emperor Ashoka is written as Ashoka.

5. Erragudi inscription – This inscription of Emperor Ashoka is in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh and it is different from all other inscriptions because the writing style in this inscription is from left to right and right to left like the Harappan civilization.     

6. Sohgaura Copper Plate – This copper plate of Emperor Ashoka is in Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh   and it is the first copper record. In this copper plate, there is a description of the distribution of grains at the time of famine.

column article

* The articles written on the pillar or pillar are called pillar articles.

1. Delhi-Meerut Pillar Edict – This inscription of Emperor Ashoka was discovered by Tiefen Thaler in 1750 and this pillar article was originally in Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh but it was brought to Delhi by Firoz Shah Tughlaq.

2. Delhi-Topra Pillar Edict – This pillar edict of Emperor Ashoka was discovered by Captain Polier in 1785. Originally this pillar article was in Topra village of Ambala district of Haryana but it was also brought to Delhi by Firoz Shah Tughlaq. All the pillar articles of Emperor Ashoka have been engraved in this pillar article and it is also considered to be the last inscription of Emperor Ashoka.

3. Sanchi Pillar Edict – In this pillar article of Emperor Ashoka, Mahamatras have been ordered to stop fighting in the Sangh and this pillar article is located in Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh.

4. Sarnath Pillar Edict – This pillar article of Emperor Ashoka was discovered by Arel Stein in 1905 and this pillar article is located in Varanasi district of Uttar Pradesh. In this too, Dhamma Mahamatros have been ordered to stop fighting in the Sangh.

5. Kaushambi pillar article – This pillar article of Emperor Ashoka was discovered in 1834 by T.S. by Burt. Originally this pillar article was in Kaushambi but Mughal emperor Akbar had kept this pillar article from Kaushambi in Allahabad fort and this pillar article is also called the inscription of the queen because in this pillar article Emperor Ashoka’s queen Karuvaki Donation is mentioned and Tivar, the son of Emperor Ashoka is also mentioned in it.

6. Rummindei Pillar Edict – This pillar article of Emperor Ashoka was discovered by Fihrer in 1896 and this pillar article is located in the Terai of Nepal. In this article, Emperor Ashoka forgave religious tax wali and reduced the land tax to 1/8th part and this column article is also called economic record by historians.

7. Nigali Sagar Pillar Edict – This pillar article was discovered by Fihrer in 1895 and this pillar article is in Nigliwa village located in the Terai of Nepal and Emperor Ashoka had rebuilt the stupa of 26th Buddha Kanak Muni here.

Rock Edicts of Emperor Ashoka

* Cave inscriptions are those articles which are written inside the caves.

*Emperor Ashoka, in the 12th year and 19th year of his coronation, constructed Sudama Gufa, Karna Chaupar Gufa and Vishwa Jhopri Gufa on Barabar hill (modern name Khalvitak Parvat, Vihar) and donated it to the monks of Ajivaka sect because Emperor Ashoka was a Buddhist. He was a follower of the Ajivaka sect before adopting.

Alexander Cunningham, the father of Indian archaeology, published all the articles written in the inscriptions of Emperor Ashoka in the name of Corpus Escripsonum Indicarum in 1879.       

mauryan culture

1.Administration

1.Center   2.Prant   3.Mandal   4.Ahar   5.Local   6.Dronmukh   7.Kharvtik   8.Collector   9.Gram were in order.

*Prime Minister – who was called Agramatya in the Mauryan period, the prime minister was Radha Gupta during the time of Emperor Ashoka.

* Dhamma Mahamatra – He was the officer who provided information about Dhamma to the public.

* Regional – It was the chief officer of the state.

Rajjuk – He was the chief officer and judge of the district.

* Yukta – It used to be under Rajjuk.

* Reporter – It used to convey the orders given by the king to the public.

* Brajbhumi – He was the officer who took care of the animals.

Itizhakha Mahamatra – It was a female officer whose job was to look after the rights of women and all the problems related to them.

* Antamahamatya – He was the officer in charge of propagating Dhamma in the border (foreign) states.

* During the reign of Emperor Ashoka, his entire empire was divided into 5 parts Uttarapatha, Dakshinapatha, Avanti Rashtra, Eastern Pradesh or Prashi and Kalinga.

*The provinces in the Mauryan Empire were called Chak.

*According to Indika, Patilputra Nagar was administered by a Mahasamiti consisting of 30 members, which also had 6 committees and each committee had 5-5 members.

* In the Maurya period, the spies were called Gudhpurush and its chief officer was called Sarpamahamatya.

* During the reign of Emperor Ashoka, the chief justice of the district was called Rajjuk and the chief justice of the city was called practical.

* In the Maurya period, ¼   or 1/6 of the land tax   was taken, which was called Sita.

*The religious tax in the Maurya period was called Vali.

* The condition of women was very good in the Maurya period, neither the practice of sati nor the practice of child marriage was prevalent.

During the Mauryan period, women had the right to receive education and participate in religious activities.

* During the Maurya period, the work of spinning and weaving yarn was done.

*Pundranagar (modern Bengal) was world famous for muslin during the Maurya period.

* The state currency of the Maurya period was pan, which historians have called kasharpan.

* On the coins (coins) of the Maurya period, there are pictures of sun, moon, peepal, peacock, bull and snake etc. which are also called hurt coins.

* Under the state art of Maurya period – city construction, stupa, chaitya, pillar etc. come.

The 24-spoke wheel on the Indian flag (tricolor) is the Ashoka Chakra.

*The National Emblem of India is taken from the Ashoka Pillar of Sarnath.

Varanasi, Takshashila and Ujjain were the major centers of education during the Maurya period.

Emperor Ashoka’s successor

1. Kunal – 232 to 228 BC.

2. Dasharatha – 228 to 224 BC.

3. Samprati – 224 to 215 BC.

4. Shalisuk – 215 to 202 BC.

5. Dev Varman – 202 to 195 BC.

6. Shat Dhanvan – 195 to 187 BC.

7. Vrihadrath – 187 to 185 BC.

According to Buddhist and Jain texts

1. Kunala 2. Sampadi 3. Brihaspati 4. Vrishasena   5.   Pushyavardhana   6.   Pushyamitra

According to mythology

1. Kunal 2. Bandhupalit 3. Indrapalit 4. Dashon 5. Dasharatha 6. Samprati 7. Shalishuka 8. Dev   Dharman   9.   Shat   Dhanushya   10.   Vrihadratha |

* It is not written clearly in any book about who was the last Maurya emperor, that is why it is very difficult to say who was the last Maurya emperor, but according to the Puranas, Indian historians have considered Vrihadratha as the last Maurya emperor, who was killed in 185 AD  It was done by his own minister Pushyamitra Sunga and a new dynasty Sunga dynasty emerged on Magadha.

historical source

1. Divyavadana – This is a Buddhist text and in it Pushyamitra Sunga has been described as the last king of the Mauryan dynasty. A story has been provided in this book in which Pushyamitra Shung has been described as the killer of Buddhist monks and the destroyer of Buddhist monasteries.

2. Lalit Vistar Sutra – This book is a book of the Mahayana branch of Buddhism and historical information has been provided in post-Mauryan period. Edwin Arnold’s famous epic The Light Of Asia is inspired by the Lalit Vistar Sutra book.

3. Manjushree Mulakalp – This is also a Buddhist text and good information has been provided in it, which is an important source for historians to know Indian history.

4. Milindpanho – This is a famous Buddhist text based on the question of the Greek king Minander and the answers given by the Buddhist sage Nagasena and according to Indian historians, this text is also an important informational text because in this text the Greek language was used. The history of King Minander is found.

5. Mahabhashya – This is a commentary on Ashtadhyayi written by Panini, which was written by Patanjali and it mentions some incidents of Pushyamitra Shunga’s reign, so this book is also a good source for historians to know the history of Pushyamitra Shunga. |

6.Gargi Samhita – This is an astrological book written by Katyayan, but due to providing information about Yavan invasion in it, this book is also a good source to know the history of post-Mauryan period.

7.Malavikagnimitra – This is a love text written by Kalidas and it has the love story of Agnimitra, son of Pushyamitra Sunga and Malvika, the princess of Malwa. Agnimitra was the governor of Vidisha (in modern Madhya Pradesh) and some information about the lineage of Pushyamitra Sunga has been provided in this text, which is a good source of post-Mauryan history.

8. Ayodhya article – This article is of King Dhanadev of Ayodhya and it describes the Ashwamedh Yagya performed by Pushyamitra Sunga.

9. Periplus of the Erythrine Sea – This book was composed by an unknown Greek writer between 80 and 115 AD and information about the business history of India has been provided in it.

foreign invaders in india

1. Yavan

2. Doubt

3. Pahlav

4. Kushan

185 BC Pushyamitra Shung captured the throne of Magadha by killing Brihadratha, the last king of the Maurya dynasty, but he could not handle such a vast empire and after some time the entire empire disintegrated because many kings of Jambudweep (modern name India) had declared itself independent at the same time. Yavanas took advantage of this weakness and in 183 BC. In 1500, the Yavanas invaded India and took over large areas of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Punjab. Pushyamitra Shunga and his son Agnimitra defeated some Yavana kings in Punjab but the Yavanas remained in control of the territory of Afghanistan and Pakistan. After conquering the Yavanas, Pushyamitra Sunga organized two Ashwamedha Yagyas in Ayodhya (in modern U.P.), which are mentioned in the Ayodhya article of King Dhandeva.

1. Yavan

The first Yavan invader in India is considered to be Demetrius I, who in 183 BC. I invaded India, at that time the king of Magadha was Pushyamitra Sunga. Demetrius I made his capital Sakal (in modern Sialkot, Pakistan) after subduing Afghanistan, Pakistan and Punjab. After Demetrius I, Minander became the most powerful king of this dynasty, whose reign is believed to be between 165 – 145 AD. Minander has been mentioned in Buddhist texts by the name Milind because Minander was a follower of Buddhism. Information about Minander’s coins is provided in the text Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, written by an unknown Greek.

2. Second Yavan invasion

The second Yavana invader was Antialkids of Eucratides dynasty who made Taxila his capital and Antialkids himself sent one of his ambassadors Heliodorus to the court of Sunga dynasty king Bhagabhadra of Vidisha (modern name Bhilsa, MP). Holiodorus got a Garuda pillar installed in Vidisha and by inscribing the name of Vasudeva on it, he himself accepted the Bhagwat religion.

* The credit for bringing astrology to India is given to Greek-Yavans only, which is mentioned in Katyayana’s Gargi Samhita, which is a famous astrology book.

* In India, a new style of Holenistic art was born due to the contact of the Yavana kings, which is seen in the Gandhara art of the time of the famous king Kanishka of the Kushan dynasty.

3. Doubt

After the Greeks, India was invaded by the Shakas of Central Asia, in fact, the Shakas were a barbarian caste of Central Asia, which had a total of 5 branches and they first took possession of large areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Two branches of the Shakas are considered important in India, the first branch was the northern Kshatrapa and the second branch was the western Kshatrapa. Northern Kshatrapa was in Takshashila and Mathura and Western Kshatrapa was in Nasik and Ujjain and Saka kings called themselves Kshatrapa.

Shakas of Taxila

The famous kings of the Shakas at Taxila were Maus, Aegeus and Agelis.

Saka of Mathura

The first Saka king of Mathura was Rajul and after that his son Shodas became the king.

Shaq of Nashik

The name of Nahapana was the most famous among the Saka kings of Nasik, who ruled between 119 – 124 AD and was murdered by Gautamiputra Satakarni, the king of the Satavahana dynasty.

Saka of Ujjain

The most famous of the Saka kings of Ujjain was Rudradaman, whose reign is believed to be between 130 – 150 AD. Sudarshan lake was rebuilt by Rudradaman, which is mentioned by Rudradaman in his Junagadh inscription.

3. Pahlav

The Pahlavs, also known as the Parthians, were originally from Iran. The king of the Pahlava invaders in India was Mithridates whose capital was in Taxila. Gondophernes became the king after Mithridates who ruled between 20 – 41 AD. The first Christian preacher St. Thomas came to India during the reign of Gondofarnes but he was murdered in Tamil Nadu.

4. Kushan

Historians are not of one opinion on where the Kushans were originally from, but according to Chinese texts, the Kushans were a branch of the Yu-Chi caste who lived in the region called Kanas in northwestern China. The Kushan dynasty in India was founded by Kujul Kadphises and made Peshawar (in modern Pakistan) his capital. Kujul Kadphises, Vim Kadphises and Kanishka are considered to be the famous kings of the Kushan dynasty and the second capital of the Kushans was in Mathura. 

Introduction to Shunga Dynasty

The history of Sunga dynasty is found in Malavikagnimitra Granth, Garuda Stambh of Vidisha, Divyavadana, Ayodhya Lekha, Harshacharitra etc. Who was the king of Shung dynasty..? See, it is very difficult to answer this question because the history of Sunga dynasty is not found properly in any book, although some historians try to connect Pushyamitra Sunga with Hinduism because of anti-Buddhism and for performing Ashwamedha Yagya, but this is completely wrong. is not true Pushyamitra Sunga was described as non-Brahmin in Buddhist texts, Jain texts and Harshcharitra etc. and Banabhatta, the author of Harshacharitra, who himself was a Brahmin, has described Pushyamitra Sunga as Shudra, that is why it is very difficult to say which religion and which caste the king of Sunga dynasty was. were related to

1. Pushyamitra Sunga

* The reign of Pushyamitra Sunga probably from 185 to 149 BC. was in the middle of

* Pushyamitra Shung in 185 BC. While inspecting the army, the last king of the Mauryan dynasty, Vrihadratha was murdered and acquired the throne of Magadha.

* Pushyamitra Sunga made his capital at Ayodhya because Patilaputra was not a safe capital for Pushyamitra Sunga.

* When Pushyamitra Shung made Ayodhya his capital, at that time the name of Ayodhya was Saket, but it was Pushyamitra Shung who changed the name of Saket to Ayodhya.

* In the Buddhist text Divyavadana, Pushyamitra Shung has been described as the killer of Buddhist monks and the destroyer of Buddhist monasteries. Pushyamitra Shung had killed those Buddhist monks who worked under an officer named Dhamma Mahamatra during the time of Emperor Ashoka and had a direct relation with politics.

* According to the Buddhist text Divyavadana, Pushyamitra Sunga was anti-Buddhist, but this is not entirely true because Pushyamitra Sunga built and rebuilt many Buddhist stupas during his reign, in which the most prominent is the Stupa of Bharhut and the Stupa of Sanchi, and both these stupas are in modern Madhya Pradesh. 

*During the reign of Pushyamitra Sunga, the first Greek Yavana kings attacked Jambudweep (modern India) under the leadership of Demetrius I and captured Afghanistan, Pakistan and Punjab, but Pushyamitra Sunga, along with his son Agnimitra, captured some Yavanas from Punjab. The kings were driven out.

* Pushyamitra Shung had organized Ashwamedha Yajna in Ayodhya on the occasion of victory over the Yavanas, which is mentioned in the Ayodhya article of King Dhandev.

* Pushyamitra Sunga had built his second capital at Vidisha (in modern Madhya Pradesh) to stop the invasions of the Yavana kings and made his son Agnimitra the governor there.

*Patanjali was the priest of Pushyamitra Sunga who composed the commentary called Mahabhashya.

* It is very difficult to say which caste or religion Pushyamitra Sunga belonged to because Pushyamitra Sunga welcomed all religions equally. It is not appropriate because Pushyamitra Sunga did not build any temple during his reign, nor in any of his writings has he described himself as belonging to Brahmin or Sanatan Dharma.

2. Agnimitra

* Agnimitra was the son of Pushyamitra Shung, whose reign was 149 – 141 BC. was in the middle of

* Agnimitra had made Vidisha his capital.

* The love story of Agnimitra and Malvika, the princess of Malwa, is described in Kalidasa’s Malvikagnimitra book.

* Agnimitra’s first queen was Dharini, second queen Iravati and third queen Malvika.

3. Best

* Reign of Sujyeshtha 141 – 133 BC. was in the middle of

* Sujyeshtha was the third king of Shunga dynasty but much of his history is not available.

4.Vasumitra

*Vasumitra’s reign 133 – 123 BC. was in the middle of

*Vasumitra was a follower of Buddhism.

*Vasumitra had helped his father Agnimitra during the Yavana invasion.

5. Andhraka

*Andhraka’s reign 123 – 121 BC. was in the middle of

6. Sheaves

* Reign of Pulindak 121 – 118 BC. was in the middle of

7. Ghosh

* Ghosh’s reign 118 – 116 BC. was in the middle of

8. Vajramitra

* Reign of Vajramitra 116 – 114 BC. was in the middle of

9. Bhagabhadra

* Reign of Bhagabhadra 114 – 82 BC. was in the middle of

The real name of Bhagabhadra was Bhagavata.

* Bhagabhadra was a follower of Bhagwat religion.

* In the court of Bhagabhadra, the Yavana king Antialkids sent one of his ambassadors Heliodorus to Vidisha and Heliodorus got a Garuda pillar constructed in Vidisha.

10. Bhavabhuti   

* Reign of Bhavabhuti 82 – 73 BC. was in the middle of

* The real name of Bhavabhuti was Devbhuti.

* Bhavabhuti is considered to be the last king of the Sunga dynasty.

*73 BC Bhavabhuti was murdered by his own minister Vasudev and a new dynasty Kanva dynasty emerged.

HomeAncient historyHistory of the Kanva Dynasty | History of Kanva Dynasty |

 

Introduction to Kanva dynasty

The first king of the Kanva dynasty was Vasudev, but before that Vasudev’s ancestors were feudatories of the kings of the Shunga dynasty, although the history of the Kanva dynasty is not available, but some history of the Kanva dynasty is found in the Puranas and Banabhatta’s book Harshacharita. The information about where the kings of Kanva dynasty were originally from is neither in the Puranas nor in the Harshacharita book, therefore it is very difficult to say that which religion and which caste the kings of Kanva dynasty belonged to, but some Historians have described the kings of the Kanva dynasty as belonging to both Buddhism and Hinduism.

1. Vasudev  

*73 BC Vasudev established the Kanva dynasty in Magadha by killing Bhavabhuti, the last king of the Sunga dynasty.

*Vasudev’s reign 73 – 66 E. Pooh. was in the middle of

The first capital of the kings of Kanva dynasty was Patilputra and the second capital was in Vidisha.

2. Bhumimitra

* Bhumimitra’s reign 66 – 52 BC. was in the middle of

3. Narayan

* Narayan’s reign 52 – 40 BC. was in the middle of

4. Susharman

* Reign of Susharman 40 – 30 BC. was in the middle of

Susharman is considered to be the last king of the Kanva dynasty.

*Susharman’s murder in 30 BC. I was done by Simuka and a new dynasty Satavahana emerged on Magadha.

ntroduction to Kushan Dynasty

The history of the Kushan dynasty has not been written on the basis of Indian texts but on the basis of Chinese texts, and in Chinese texts, the Kushans have been considered a branch of the Yu-Chi race, whose residence was in the Kansu region of China. 100 BC Around AD the Yu-chi caste was divided into 5 branches and Kushans were also included in them but around 15 AD, the first king of the Kushan dynasty, Kujul Kadphises, conquered Bactria (modern Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan) and Kabul, Kandahar. , Peshawar, established the Kushan dynasty by taking over Sindh.

1. Kujul Kadphises 

* The reign of Kujul Kadphises is believed to be between 15 – 60 AD   .

* Kujul Kadphises established the Kushan dynasty in 15 AD by defeating the Yavana and Saka kings from Kabul, Kandahar, Peshawar and Sindh.

* Kujul Kadphises issued copper coins on which the Greek king Hermeus was engraved on one side and Kujul Kadphises himself on the other side.

* Kujul Kadphises assumed the title of Maharajadhiraja.

* Kujul Kadphises died in 60 AD.

2.Wim Kadphises

* The reign of Vim Kadphises is believed to be between 60 – 78 AD.

Vim Kadphises was the son of Kujul Kadphises.

* Vim Kadphises had spread the Kushan Empire to Taxila, Punjab, Kashmir and Mathura during his reign.

Vim Kadphises is considered the real founder of the Kushan dynasty.

Vim Kadphises issued gold and copper coins which were in Greek script and Kharosthi script.

* Coins with the shape of Shiva, Bull and Trishul were issued by Vim Kadphises, from this it can be inferred that during the reign of Vim Kadphises, Kushans started adopting Indian culture.

Vim Kadphises assumed titles such as Maharaja, Rajadhiraja, Maheswara and Sarvalokeswara.

Vim Kadphises died in 78 AD and after Vim Kadphises Kanishka became the king of the great Kushan dynasty.  

3. Emperor Kanishka

*Emperor Kanishka was probably the son of Vima Kadphises.

* The reign of Emperor Kanishka was possibly between 78 – 102 AD, but some Indian historians do not agree with this, according to them, the reign of Emperor Kanishka was between 127 – 151 AD.

*Emperor Kanishka ascended the throne in 78 AD and at the same time he introduced the Shak Samvat.

*Emperor Kanishka made his first capital Purushpur (in modern Peshawar, Pakistan) and made the second capital Mathura (in U.P.)

*Emperor Kanishka has called himself the son of God and the king of kings in his writings.

*Emperor Kanishka is also called the second Ashoka because after Emperor Ashoka, Emperor Kanishka was the only king in India whose empire was the largest.

*According to Rajatarangini, Emperor Kanishka conquered Kashmir and established a beautiful city named Kanishkapur there and also built many viharas and stupas there.

*Emperor Kanishka had taken control of Patilaputra to expand his empire and received Lord Buddha’s alms bowl and Ashvaghosha, a Buddhist philosopher from there.

* Of all the victories of Emperor Kanishka, China victory is considered the most important because to stop the expansionist policy of China, Emperor Kanishka sent his ambassador to China and proposed marriage to the princess there, but the Hong dynasty king of China rejected it. Considered insulting and rejected the offer. Emperor Kanishka’s first attack against China was unsuccessful, but in the second attack, Emperor Kanishka defeated Chinese commander Pan Yang and subdued his entire Hong kingdom. 

*According to the Sarnath inscription, Emperor Kanishka had appointed Kharpallan as the Mahakshatrap of Mathura, Vanaspar as the Kshatrap of Magadha, Dhandev as the Kshatrap of Kaushambi and   Satyamitra as the Kshatrap  of Ayodhya.

*Emperor Kanishka had appointed officers named Mahakshatrapa and Kshatrapa in his entire empire.

*Emperor Kanishka was a follower of Buddhism. is | 

* During the reign of Emperor Kanishka, the fourth Buddhist Council was organized in Kundalvan, Kashmir, which was presided over by Vasumitra and vice-chaired by Ashvaghosh. Commentaries on Suttapitaka, Vinayapitaka and Adhidhamma Pitaka were composed in the fourth Buddhist council and the Mahavibhasha Sutra was composed in Sanskrit language, which is called the Encyclopaedia of Buddhism.   

* Emperor Kanishka’s official language was Sanskrit and most of the texts of Buddhism were rewritten in Sanskrit language during the reign of Emperor Kanishka.

*Pasarva, Vasumitra, Ashvaghosha, Sangharaksha, Charaka and Nagarjuna were prominent in the court of Emperor Kanishka. Charaka was the court physician of Emperor Kanishka who composed the book Charaka-samhita.

* During the reign of Emperor Kanishka, Buddha Charitra, Pragya Parimitrasutra, Suhallekha, Charaka Samhita, Soundarananda, Sariputra episode, Vajrasuchi, many commentaries etc. were composed in Sanskrit language.

*During the time of Emperor Kanishka, the famous centers of learning were Takshashila, Peshawar and Khotan, in which Takshashila was the most important place and students from all over the country/abroad used to come there to study.

*Emperor Kanishka was a follower of the Mahayana branch of Buddhism, whose main center was Gandhara province and the second center was Mathura, and in this period the idol of Lord Buddha was made for the first time.

*Emperor Kanishka probably died in 144 or 151 AD in Peshawar.

* After Emperor Kanishka,  Vasishka, Huvishka, Kanishka II, Vasudev, Kanishka III, Vasudev II etc. became the kings of Kushan dynasty, but due to non-availability of their history, there is not much information about them.  

Introduction to Satavahana Dynasty

There are differences among Indian historians on the early history of the Satavahana dynasty, that is why each historian has written the history of the Satavahana dynasty according to his own. The history of the Satavahana dynasty is found in the Puranas and records, but different history is found in the Puranas and in the records, because in the Puranas, the Satavahana dynasty has been called the Andhra dynasty, that is why some historians have called this dynasty Andhra-Satavahana dynasty. According to the Puranas, the beginning of the Satavahana dynasty dates back to 700 BC. But according to the records of the Satavahana dynasty, the Satavahana dynasty started after the Kanva dynasty. 

According to the inscriptions of the Satavahana dynasty   

30 BC Andhra king Simuka invaded Patilaputra and captured Patilaputra by killing Susharman, the last king of the Kanva dynasty, but the authority of the Satavahana kings over Patilaputra did not last long because later the Kushanas took over Patilaputra. The Satavahana kings were originally residents of Andhra Pradesh, that is why they are called Andhra kings in Puranas and their ancient capital was in Amaravati of Andhra Pradesh, then later some Satavahana kings made their capital in the establishment of Maharashtra and the official languages ​​of the Satavahana kings Prakrit, Sanskrit, Telugu and Tamil were there and their empire was spread over Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

Historical Sources of the Satavahana Dynasty

1. Aitareya Brahmin

2. Matsya Purana

3. Brahman Purana

4. Vayu Purana

5. Vishnu Purana

6. Nanaghat article in Pune district of Maharashtra

7. Nashik cave inscription of Gautami’s son Shatkarni

Simuk

Simuka is considered to be the first independent king of the Satavahana dynasty because it was Simuka who killed Susharman, the last king of the Kanva dynasty, and captured Patilaputra.

*Simuk is also known as Sindhuk.

Simuka was originally the king of Andhra whose capital was in Amaravati.

*Amravati is located in the Guntur district of modern Andhra Pradesh, which was the capital of the ancient Satavahana kings.

Krishna

*Krishna was the brother of Simuka, also known as Kanha.

*During the reign of Krishna, a cave was built in Nasik, Maharashtra.

*Krishna is also mentioned in Nashik article.

Shatkarni I

*Shatkarni I has been mentioned in the articles of Nashik.

* He was considered the most powerful king of Dakshinapatha during the reign of Shatakarni I.

*Shatkarni I was married to Naganika or Nayanika, a princess of Angiya dynasty.

* The Nanaghat articles located in Pune district of Maharashtra were engraved by Queen Naganika, in which the works of Shatkarni I have been discussed.

* There is also a mention of getting Ashwamedh Yagya performed by Shatkarni I.

Shatkarni I had made his capital in the establishment of Maharashtra.

*After the death of Shatakarni I, Queen Naganika took over the reins of the kingdom and ruled as a protector because at that time the sons of Shatakarni I, Devashree and Satashree were minors.

Condition

* A book named Gathasaptashati was composed in Prakrit language by King Hal, in which his love story is described.

* In the court of King Hall, the author of the book named Brihatkatha Kosh, Gunadhya and the author of the book called Matantra, Sarva Varman lived.

*The king was the recent commander Vijayananda who conquered Sri Lanka.

* King Hal was married to Sri Lankan princess Lilavati.

Gautamiputra Shatkarni

* The reign of Gautamiputra Shatkarni was in the middle of 106 – 130 AD.

Satakarni, the son of Gautami, defeated and killed the Saka king Nahapana.

* Gautamiputra Shatkarni assumed titles like Maharaja, Rajaraja and Swami.

* The city named Venkataka was established by Gautamiputra Shatkarni.

Gautamiputra Shatkarni had donated a tax-free area named Ajkalkia to the Buddhist Sangha.

* Gautamiputra Shatkarni had donated a tax-free village named Karjak to the Buddhist monk association of Karle.

Nagarjuna, the founder of Zeroism, was probably a contemporary of Gautamiputra Satakarni.

*About Gautamiputra Shatakarni it is said in the Nasik text that tri-samudra-toy-pita-vahan [drank the water of all the three oceans].

* Gautamiputra Shatkarni had started the practice of donating land to Buddhist sages and Sanatan sages.

* Gautamiputra Shatkarni has been called a Brahmin in the Nashik article.

*Probably Gautamiputra Shatkarni died in 130 AD.

Vashishthiputra Pulumavi

*Vashishthiputra Pulumavi’s reign was between 130 – 154 AD.

* Vashishthiputra Pulumavi was the son of Gautamiputra Shatakarni.

* Vashishthiputra Pulumavi was married to the daughter of Saka king Rudradaman of Ujjain, but Rudradaman’s Junagadh inscription mentions defeating Vashishthiputra Pulumavi.

* Vashishthiputra Pulumavi is also known as Dakshinapatheshwar.

* Vashishthiputra Pulumavi had rebuilt the Buddhist Stupa of Amaravati.

* The city named Nawalgarh was established by Vashishthiputra Pulumavi.

*Vashishthiputra Pulumavi assumed the title of Nagaraswami.

*Vashishthiputra Pulumavi is mentioned in the Puranas by the name of Puloma Shatkarni.

* Vashishthiputra Pulumavi had subdued the entire Andhra Pradesh, but before that all the kings of the Satavahana dynasty could not subdue the entire Andhra Pradesh.

* Vashishthiputra Pulumavi is also called the first Andhra emperor because of his victory over the whole of Andhra.

* After Vashishthiputra Pulumavi, there were many kings in the Satavahana dynasty, but their history is not available.

Yagyashree Shatkarni

  *The reign of Yagyashree Shatkarni was between 165 – 195 AD or 174 – 203 AD.

* Yagyashree Shatkarni is called the lover of water travel because there is a picture of a ship on her coins.

*The coins of Yagyashree Satakarni have been found in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

The downfall of the Satavahana dynasty started from the reign of Yajnashri Shatkarni.

*The history of Satavahana kings is not available after Yagyashree Shatkarni, that is why some historians have considered Yagyashree Shatkarni as the last king of the Satavahana dynasty, but this is not completely true.

The Vakataka dynasty was born after the Satavahana dynasty.

Culture of the Satavahana Dynasty

* The kings of the Satavahana dynasty were followers of both Buddhism and Sanatana, and they gave their patronage to both the religions.

* Karle Chaitya, Ajanta Caves, Amaravati Art and Ellora Caves were built during the reign of Satavahana kings only.

*The official languages ​​of the Satavahana kings were Prakrit, Sanskrit, Tamil and Telugu.

*In the time of Satavahana dynasty the society was divided into 4 varnas – 1 [Mahabhoja, Maharathi, Senapati] 2 [Amatya, Saudagar, Shresthin] 3 [Physician, Writer, Goldsmith] 4 [Agriculturist, Gardener, Carpenter, Blacksmith].

*In the Satavahana period, respect and honor were given to women.

Agriculture and animal husbandry were the main occupations of the Satavahana period.

*The copper/silver coins of the Satavahana period were called Kasharpana and the gold coins were called Suvarna.

* The Satavahana kings were brahmins because they are called brahmins in the Nasik text of Gautamiputra Satakarni.

* There was a lot of development of Buddhist art in the Satavahana period.

* The main center of Buddhism in the Satavahana period was Amaravati, located in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, which was the ancient capital of the Satavahana kings.

*Andhra Pradesh was famous for cotton during the Satavahana period.

Introduction to Vakataka Dynasty

The mention of the Vakataka dynasty is found in the Ajanta text and Vayupurana, although Indian historians have not written the history of the Vakataka dynasty in detail. According to the Ajanta text, the first king of the Vakataka dynasty was Vindhyashakti and historians have considered Vindhyashakti as the founder of the Vakataka dynasty. The Vakataka dynasty ruled part of central India for more than 200 years and had its capital at Nandivardhan, Nagardhan, Nagvardhan village which is located in Nagpur district of modern Maharashtra and Ajanta Caves 9 and 10 belong to the Vakataka dynasty. is related

The Vakataka dynasty was founded in 250 or 255 AD , by Vindhyashakti, the first king of the Vakataka dynasty, but the most powerful king of the Vakataka dynasty is considered to be Pravarasena I because during the reign of Pravarasena, 4 Ashwamedha yagyas were organized. The Vakataka dynasty was a Brahmin dynasty and the kings of the Vakataka dynasty had donated most of the land to the Brahmins and culturally the Vakataka kings were followers of Shaivism.

Queen Prabhavati Gupta of the Vakataka dynasty, who was the daughter of King Chandragupta II of the Gupta dynasty, was married to King Rudrasena II of the Vakataka dynasty. After the death of Rudrasen II, Prabhavati Gupta took over the reins of the Vakataka dynasty and ruled between 390 and 400 AD. Prabhavati Gupta was a very powerful woman, during her reign, the rule of the Vakataka dynasty was very influential, which still provides important information for historians.

1. Vindhyashakti   (255 – 275 AD)

* Vindhyashakti was the king of Malwa under the Satavahana dynasty, but after the fall of the Satavahana dynasty, Vindhyashakti  declared himself an independent king and took over the entire Vindhya mountain region.

* The real name of Vindhyashakti was Virudh and the name of Vansh Ketu is written in the Ajanta article.

* After conquering the Vindhya mountain region, Virudh assumed the title of Vindhyashakti.

* Vindhyashakti has been described as Indra in Ajanta article.

2. Pravarsen   (275 – 335 AD)

*Pravarsena was the son of Vindhyashakti and the real founder of the Vakataka dynasty.

* Pravarsen was the only king of the Vakataka dynasty who assumed the title of Emperor.

Pravarsen had extended the boundaries of the Vakataka kingdom to Bundelkhand.

* Pravarsen had organized 4 Ashwamedha and one Rajasuya Yagya during his reign.

3. Rudrasen I   (335 – 360 AD)

Rudrasen I was the grandson of Pravarsen and his father’s name was Gautamiputra.

*Rudrasena I was a contemporary of Samudra Gupta, the famous king of the Gupta dynasty.

4. Prithvi Sen I   (360 – 385 AD)

* In the Vakataka inscriptions, Prithvisena I has been described as Yudhishtra of the Mahabharata.

5. Rudrasen II   (385 – 390 AD)

Rudrasen II was the son of Prithvisen I.

Rudrasen II was married to Prabhavati Gupta, the daughter of the famous king Chandragupta II of the Gupta dynasty.

* Rudrasen II had two sons Diwakar Sen and Damodar Sen.

6. Prabhavati Gupta   (390 – 400 AD)

After Rudrasena II, Prabhavati Gupta became the regent of the Vakataka dynasty as both her sons Diwakar Sen and Damodar Sen were minors.

7. Pravarsen II   (400 – 440 AD)

*The real name of Pravarsen II was Damodar Sen who was the son of Prabhavati Gupta and Rudrasen II.

Most of the land was donated to Brahmins during the reign of Pravarsen II.

* Pravarsen II had composed a book called Setubandha.

8. Narendra Sen   (440 – 460 AD)

*Narendra Sen was the son of Pravarsen II.

*Narendra Sen was married to Ajit Bhattarika, a princess of the Kadam dynasty.

9. Prithvi Sen II   (460 – 480 AD)

*Prithvisen II assumed the title of Param Bhagwat.

* The history of the Vakataka kings after Prithvi Sen II is not available.

Introduction to Gupta Dynasty

The Gupta dynasty is considered to be the most powerful ancient dynasty of India after the Maurya dynasty because great kings like Samudra Gupta and Chandragupta II are credited with it and it was during their reign that the Gupta Empire was at its best but its early history is disputed by Indian historians. There is no consensus and each historian questions each other, which is like a blot on the history of the Gupta dynasty.

Opinions of Indian historians

1.Dr. According to Rama Shankar Tripathi, the Gupta kings were Vaishyas.

2.Dr. According to Jaiswal and Kaumudi Mahotsava texts, the Gupta kings were Shudras.

3.Dr. According to Rakhaldas Banerjee and Arya Manjushree Moolakalpa Granth, the Gupta kings were Kshatriyas.

4. According to Rai Chaudhary, the Gupta kings were Brahmins.

The early Gupta kings used to rule under the Kushan kings around Prayag and Kaushambi (in U.P.), but after the fall of the Kushan kings, the Gupta kings declared themselves independent and moved their capital to Patilputra (modern Patna, Vihar ) was made in The official languages ​​of the Gupta kings were Prakrit and Sanskrit and the Gupta kings were followers of all the religions Buddhist, Jain and Sanatan. The Gupta kings ruled the central part of India independently from 240 to 550 AD.

Historical Sources of the Gupta Dynasty

Although there are many sources to know the history of Gupta kings, but here I will talk about proven and reliable sources. The coins and records of the Gupta kings provide very good information for historians and the Gupta period is considered very important from the point of view of literature because most of the Indian texts were composed in the Gupta period only. The information of Gupta period is also found in some other texts Arya Manjushri Mulakalp, Harshacharitra, Rajatarangini and in the articles of Fahiyan and Hiuen Song.

History of Shri Gupta

* Historian has considered Shri Gupta as the first king of Gupta dynasty.

* The Gupta dynasty was established by Mr. Gupta in 240 AD, but according to the Puranas, there were kings in the Gupta dynasty even before Mr. Gupta.

* The reign of Shri Gupta was between 240 – 280 AD.

*Shri Gupta assumed the title of Maharaja and at that time the title of Maharaja was given to Samantas (subordinate kings) that is why it can be said that Shri Gupta was not an independent king.

*Probably Shri Gupta used to run his rule under the Kushan kings.

* According to the Puranas, the empire of Shri Gupta was spread around Magadha, Saket (modern Ayodhya) and Prayag.

Shri Gupta had built a beautiful Buddhist Vihara near Mrig Shikhavan in Magadha for Chinese travelers and donated 24 villages for its expenses.

* Two seals of Shri Gupta were received by the historians, on which Guptsya and Shri-ra-guptsya are written.

History of Ghatotkach

Ghatotkacha was the son of Shri Gupta and the second king of the Gupta dynasty.

* Ghatotkacha’s reign is believed to be between 280 – 320 AD.

Ghatotkacha also assumed the title of Maharaja, which proves that Ghatotkacha was also not an independent king of the Gupta dynasty.

* Ghatotkacha has been described as the first king of the Gupta dynasty in the Poona article of Vakataka queen Prabhavati Gupta and Mr. Gupta has been called Adiraj.

History of Chandragupta I

* The reign of Chandragupta I is believed to be between 320 – 335 AD.

* During the reign of Chandragupta I, the boundaries of the Gupta Empire had expanded to Bengal.

* Chandragupta I assumed the title of Maharajadhiraja, from which it can be inferred that Chandragupta I was the first independent king of the Gupta dynasty.

* Chandragupta I was married to Lichchavi princess Kumar Devi and from the womb of Kumar Devi a great king like Samudra Gupta was born.

The Gupta Samvat was introduced during the reign of Chandragupta I. 

History of Samudra Gupta

Samudra Gupta’s father’s name was Chandragupta I and mother’s name was Kumar Devi .

* The reign of Samudra Gupta is believed to be between 335 – 375 AD.

Samudra Gupta made his capital at Patilputra (modern Patna, Vihar).

*Datta Devi was the favorite queen of Samudra Gupta, from whose womb Chandragupta II and Ram Gupta were born.

* Historian Vincent Smith called Samudra Gupta the Napoleon of India.

* Samudra Gupta assumed the title of Parankramank and Shri Vikram.

Samudra Gupta started his Digvijay from Patilputra.

* The famous court poet of Samudra Gupta was Harishena, who was given the title of Kaviraj by Samudra Gupta and it was through Harishena that the bloody victories of Samudra Gupta were mentioned behind the Prayag pillar inscription of Emperor Ashoka.

*At the request of King Meghavarma of Sinhala (modern Sri Lanka), Samudra Gupta had built a beautiful monastery named Mahabodhi Sangharam in Bodh Gaya (modern Vihara), which is mentioned by Chinese travelers Fa Hien and Wen Tsang in their writings.

*According to Samudra Gupta’s Prayag pillar article, Samudra Gupta defeated all the kings of North India Rudradeva, Matil, Nag Dutt, Chandra Varma, Ganapati Nag, Nagsen, Achyut, Nandi and Balavarma and took their entire empire under their control.

After defeating all the kings by Samudra Gupta, assumed the title of Maharajadhiraja of India.

* Samudra Gupta is also considered the winner of hundred wars.

* Samudra Gupta had also organized the Ashwamedh Yagya.

Famous Buddhist scholar Vasubandhu lived in the court of Samudra Gupta.

*Samudra Gupta was very fond of playing the veena as his coins depict him playing the veena.

* During the reign of Samudra Gupta, many important works were done which have given the entire Gupta Empire an important place in Indian history.

History of Ramagupta

* Ramgupta was the son of Samudra Gupta and his reign is believed to be between 375 – 380 AD.

* The name of Ramagupta’s favorite queen was Dhruvaswamini, who is also known as Dhruva Devi.

* During the reign of Ramagupta, the Saka king attacked Patilputra, but Ramagupta got scared and sent a proposal to make a treaty to the Saka king. Saka king asked for queen Dhruv Devi in ​​the condition of treaty, Ramagupta got ready but Chandragupta II, brother of Ramagupta could not tolerate it, he killed Saka king by deceit and remarried Dhruv Devi and sat on the throne. After some time, Chandragupta II got his brother Ramagupta killed.

The history of Ramgupta is found in Visakhadatta’s book Devichandraguptam and Banabhatta’s book Harshacharita.

History of Chandragupta II

Chandragupta II’s father’s name was Samudra Gupta and mother’s name was Datta Devi.

* The reign of Chandragupta II is believed to be between 380 – 414 AD.

The name of the first queen of Chandragupta II was Dhruv Devi and Kumar Gupta and Govind Gupta were born from the womb of Dhruv Devi. It was Kumar Gupta who had established the world famous Nalanda University.

* Chandragupta II’s second queen was Kuber Nag from whose womb Prabhavati was born and Prabhavati was married to Vakataka king Rudrasen II.

*Chandragupta II is also known as Devraj, Chandra, Dhawa, Singh Vikram and Devagupta.

*The first capital of Chandragupta II was Patilputra and the second capital was in Ujjain (in modern MP).

* Chandragupta II defeated the Saka kings from Ujjain, Malwa, Gujarat, Kathiabad and Rajputana, took their empire under his control and assumed the title of Vikramaditya.

* Chandragupta II is also called Shakari due to defeating the Shakas.

* In the inscription of Udayagiri (in MP), it is mentioned that Chandragupta II defeated the Saka kings.

* Chandragupta II had first introduced silver currencies.

*According to the Mehrauli Iron Pillar of Delhi, Chandragupta II extended the boundaries of his empire to Assam by defeating the king of Assam.

* Nine gems – Kshepak, Dhanvantari, Varahmihir, Kalidas, Amar Singh, Vararuchi, Shanku, Vetalbhatta and Harishen lived in the court of Chandragupta II.

* The reign of Chandragupta II is called the Golden Age of the Gupta period because many texts were composed during his reign.

* During the reign of Chandragupta II, the Chinese traveler Fahiyan had traveled to India and Fahiyan’s real name was Kung and Fahiyan means Dharma Guru.     

History of Kumar Gupta

* The reign of Kumar Gupta is believed to be between 415 – 455 AD.

Kumar Gupta’s father’s name was Chandragupta II and mother’s name was Dhruv Devi.

Kumar Gupta assumed the title of Shri Mahendra and Mahendraditya.

Kumar Gupta has been called Gupta Kulamal and Gupta Kul Vyomshashi on his gold coins.

* Most records were engraved during the reign of Kumar Gupta as compared to the entire Gupta period.

Excavators found a hoard of Gupta coins from a place called Bayana in Bharatpur district of Rajasthan, in which Peacock style coins were the most.

Ashwameghamahendra: is written on some coins issued by Kumar Gupta, from which it can be inferred that Kumar Gupta had also organized the Ashwamegha Yagya.

The world-famous Nalanda University was built by Kumar Gupta, which was a Buddhist university, in which apart from Buddhism, Jain and Sanatan Dharma were also taught.

* Nalanda University was destroyed by a Muslim invader Bakhtiyar Khilji and all Brahmin teachers and Buddhist, Jain teachers were killed which is mentioned in the book Tabaqat e Nasiri written by Minhaj Us Siraj.

* According to Minhaj Us Siraj’s book Tabaqat-e-Nasiri, Bakhtiyar Khilji had burnt all the ancient texts of Buddhist, Jain and Sanatan Dharma.

* During Kumar Gupta’s reign around 450 AD, people of Pushyamitra caste attacked Magadha, to counter which Kumar Gupta sent his son Skanda Gupta.

Kumar Gupta died in 455 AD.

History of Skanda Gupta

* The reign of Skanda Gupta is believed to be between 455 – 467 AD.

Skanda Gupta was the son and successor of Kumar Gupta.

*According to the Kehom inscription located in Deoria district of Uttar Pradesh, Skanda Gupta assumed the title of Shakraditya.

* Sudarshan lake situated on Girnar mountain was rebuilt during the reign of Skanda Gupta.

* During the reign of Skanda Gupta, the Huns of Central Asia had invaded India and had also taken over some parts of the Gupta Empire, but Skanda Gupta defeated some Hun kings.

After defeating the Hunas, Skanda Gupta assumed the title of Vikramaditya.

*According to the inner pillar inscription located in Ghazipur district of Uttar Pradesh and the inscription located in Junagarh of Gujarat, Skanda Gupta had defeated the Hun kings.

Skanda Gupta had sent one of his ambassadors to the court of Song dynasty king of China.

Skanda Gupta died in 467 AD.

* The history of all the kings in the Gupta dynasty after Skanda Gupta has not been written in order, because some historians have written the history of the last Gupta kings according to the genealogy mentioned in the Sarnath article, but some historians have written the history of the last Gupta kings as told in the Nalanda article. According to the genealogy, the history of the last kings of the Gupta dynasty is written, that’s why no historian has the correct information about which king was the first after Skanda Gupta.

History of Puru Gupta

*Puru Gupta’s reign is believed to be between 467 – 472 AD.

*Puru Gupta was the half-brother and successor of Skanda Gupta.

* Puru Gupta’s mother’s name was Anant Devi.

*Puru Gupta assumed the title of Shri Vikram.

Kumar Gupta II

* The reign of Kumar Gupta II is believed to be between 472 – 476 AD.

* An inscription of Kumar Gupta II was received from Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh which was written under the statue of Lord Buddha.

History of Buddha Gupta

* The reign of Buddha Gupta is believed to be between 477 – 495 AD.

Buddha Gupta was the son of Puru Gupta and the successor of Kumaragupta II.

The titles of Sri Vikram, Parambhattaraka and Maharajadhiraja were assumed by Buddha Gupta.

Buddha Gupta’s mother’s name was Chandra Devi.

Buddha was a follower of Gupta Buddhism.

Buddha Gupta is considered to be the last Gupta powerful emperor.

Buddha Gupta had donated immense wealth for Nalanda Mahavihara.

History of Narasimha Gupta

* The reign of Narasimha Gupta is believed to be between 495 – 509 AD.

Narasimha Gupta was the younger brother and successor of Buddha Gupta.

* During the reign of Narasimha Gupta, the Gupta dynasty was divided into 3 states. The king of Magadha was Narasimha Gupta, the king of Bengal was Vainya Gupta and the king of Malwa was Bhanu Gupta.

* During the reign of Narasimha Gupta, the barbaric Huns of Central Asia invaded India again under the leadership of Mihirkul, but Narasimha Gupta defeated them and drove them out of India.

Narasimha Gupta assumed the title of Param Bhagwat and Baladitya.

History of Bhanugupta

* The history of Bhanugupta is found in the Airan inscription and the Aryamanjusrimulakalp book.

Airan inscription is considered to be the first epigraphic evidence of Sati-practice.

* Airan record located in Sagar district of Madhya Pradesh which is believed to be of 510 AD, in which after the death of Bhanugupta’s dear friend and commander Gopraj, his wife killed her soul by burning in the pyre and some historians consider her the first practice of Sati. accepted as evidence.

History of Vainya Gupta

* Some information about Vainyagupta is found in the Gunaidhar copper plate located in modern Bangladesh, in which the construction of a Buddhist monastery has been mentioned.

History of Kumaragupta III

* The history of Kumaragupta III is found in the Nalanda article, in which his mother’s name is written as Mahadevi and Mitradevi.

History of Vishnugupta

* The history of Vishnugupta is also found in the Nalanda article.

* After 550 AD, the history of Gupta dynasty is not available, but even after this there were many kings of Gupta dynasty, whose history is not found in any book of India.

Gupta Administration

* In the Gupta period, the entire power of governance was in the hands of the king and the kings were autocrats who used to do all the work at their own will.

In the Gupta period, the posts of ministers were hereditary and the Prime Minister was called Mantrin.

* In the Gupta period, there were small feudatories under the king and their title was Maharaj.

* In the Gupta period, the king’s son was called Kumar, which some historians have also written as Kumaramatya.

* In the Gupta period, the head of the army department was the general general.

* In the Gupta period, the guard of the palaces was Mahapratihar, whose title was Vinayamayur.

* In the Gupta period, the head of the foot and cavalry army was an officer named Bhatashwapati.

* In the Gupta period, the treasurer was called warehouse officer and the head of the women’s department was called sthapati.

* In the Gupta period, the officer who looked after the religious works was called Vinaystatisthapak.

In the Gupta period, the officer who collected land tax was called Shalkik and the head of the village was called Mahattar.                                                                                          

* During the Gupta period, the administration of the village was handled by an institution called Panchmandali, in which there were Mahatars, Ashtakuladhikari, Gramik and Kutumbin members.

In the Gupta period, the main source of income was land tax, which has been called Udrang and Bhagkar in the Gupta period records.

The main occupation of the Gupta period was cloth weaving.

*The items of export during the Gupta period were pearls, gems, coconut, ivory and the items of import were gold, silver, copper, tin, lead, silk, dates and horses.

Leading scholars of the Gupta period

*Buddhaghosh, Buddha Dutt, Vasubandhu, Aryadev, Asanga, Kalidas, Visakha Dutt, Bharavi, Shudrak, Subandha, Vishnu Sharma, Amar Singh, Arya Bhatt, Varahmihir etc.

Major texts of the Gupta period

*Kumarasambhavam, Raghuvansham, Meghdootam, Malavikagnimitram, Abhijnanashakuntala, Devi Chandraguptam, Mudrarakshasa, Kiratarjuniyam, Mrichchakatikam, Vasavadatta, Aryabhattiyam, Panchasiddhantika etc. |

Gupta architecture  

*Iron Pillar located in Mehrauli, Delhi, Dhamekh Stupa of Sarnath, Vihar of Nalanda, M.P. Udayagiri cave art works, Bhumra’s Shiva temple, Deogarh’s Dashavatara temple, Bhitar village temple, Airan inscription, Bodh Gaya Mahavihara, Ajanta, Ellora and Bagh caves are priceless heritage of Gupta period.

Mathura, Patilputra and Sarnath were famous centers of sculpture during the Gupta period.        

Fahiyan’s visit to India

When Fahiyan came to India during the reign of Chandragupta II, what did he see here? In this video , I am going to give you detailed information about the places Fahiyan visited in India and what Fahiyan wrote about those places in his travelogue . Faxian’s travelogue was originally in Chinese and was translated into English by Professor James Legi of Oxford University. Fahiyan’s travelogue has been translated into Hindi by Jaganmohan Varma.

Faxian’s early life

* First of all let’s understand the meaning of Fahiyan’s name. In Chinese, Fa means Dhamma and Hian means Guru. Fahiyan means Dharmaguru. Fahiyan was a resident of a place called Uyang in China and he was born there. Fahian’s childhood name was Kung. Faxian suffered from a serious illness in his childhood and for this reason his father sent him to the monkhood. Fahian lived in the Bhikkhu Sangha, learned the knowledge of Dhamma and became a Samana.

One day thieves raided the Bihar where Fahiyan lived , Fahiyan said to them ” Take away as much as you want , the result of not giving in charity in the previous life is that you have become poor in this life.” In this life you go around stealing from others , what greater sorrow will you get than this in the next life , I feel sad to think of this ” .

* After listening to Fahiyan’s words, the thieves returned without stealing , and the entire Bhikkhus Sangh praised Fahiyan’s work. Faxian was studying Tripitaka one day , in which Vinayapitaka was incomplete , which is directly related to the Bhikkhu Sangha. Faxian resolved in his mind that he would bring Vinayapitaka from India and propagate it all over the country.

* Faxian was in Chang’an’s Bihar , during which he met Tawching , Heqing , Heying and Hewei. The five bhikkhus together decided that all of us would go on a pilgrimage to India and from there bring copies of the Tripitaka to our country and propagate them throughout the country. The five monks in 399 AD . I started my journey from Chang’an to India.

Faxian’s visit to India

* Reached Changai from Changgan via Lung , Keenki , Navtan , where Faxian met Cheyen , Heqin , Songshao , Pavyun , Sangqing , who joined Faxian’s journey to India. From Changai, Fahian reached Tanhang , which lies to the west of the Great Wall of China. From Tanhang, Fahian along with his companions started towards the Gobi Desert , crossing which he had to face many difficulties. Faxian writes further, ” Neither a bird flies above nor an animal is seen below. Raise your eyes wherever you look ,Can’t figure out the way to go around somewhere. No way is found even after paying a lot of attention. Yes, the marks of the dry bones of the dead are definitely found .

* After crossing the Gobi desert, Fahian reached Shenshen district. From Shenshen reached Ouye country and from Ouye reached Khutan district. Regarding Khutan district, Fahiyan has written in his articles that this district is very luxurious. Rath Yatra is organized here and the idol of Lord Buddha is placed in the chariot. Two Bodhisattva idols are placed on either side. All idols are made of gold / silver. The king takes off his crown , wears new clothes and showers flowers from his hand.

* After Khutan , Fahian reached Gandhara after Jiho , Keecha , Tole , Udyan , Suhoto , where there was the rule of Ghamma Vadhan, a descendant of Emperor Ashoka. From Gandhara, Fahyan reached Taxila and from Taxila reached Purushpur i.e. today’s Peshawar district. Where Faxian saw the Dhamma Stupa built by King Kanishka, 400 cubits high and studded with many gems , which was considered the most beautiful Stupa of Jambudip. Lord Buddha’s beggar is also in this district. Some of Fahian’s companions worshiped Lord Buddha’s beggar and returned to their country.

* From Peshawar, Fahiyan reached Nagarhara district and from there went to the Himalayan hills , where extremely cold wind was blowing. Fa-hien’s companions were stunned and silent. Heking then fell ill and said to Fahian , I will not be able to live , you all run away from here immediately, lest all of them die here , saying this he died. Fahian started crying after beating his dead body that the main objective has been destroyed , what should we do ?

* After this , Fahian reached Punjab via Loi , Pona, Hindu , where there was a lot of propaganda of Buddhism. After Punjab, Fahian reached Mathura ( Mataula ) , where he saw many Bihars , in which more than three thousand monks lived and all the kings here were followers of Buddha. Fahian further writes that no resident of this country kills animals , does not drink alcohol and does not eat garlic and onions.

* After Mathura , Fahiyan reached Sankisa ( in Farrukhabad district ) , Fahiyan writes about Sankisa that there was a dispute between Jain Acharya and Saman Bhikkhus regarding the place. After Sankisa, Fahiyan reached Kannauj , where he spent his rainy season in Nag Bihar. After Kannauj, Fahian reached Saket ( Ayodhya ) , where he saw the stupas of Kashyapa Buddha , Kakuchhand Buddha , Kanak Muni Buddha , Gautam Buddha. After Saket, Fahiyan reached Shravasti ,Where he saw Jetavan Bihar. It was here that Fahiyan saw a big stupa of Lord Buddha and there was also a Jain temple near it. Faxian further says that ” when the sun was in the west, the shadow of Lord Buddha’s Bihar fell on the Jain temple , but when the sun was in the east, the shadow of the Jain temple did not fall on Lord Buddha’s Bihar ” . .

* Fahiyan further writes that here Devadatta’s followers also have associations , and they only worship Kashyapa Buddha , Kakuchhand Buddha , Kanak Muni Buddha , but do not worship Lord Buddha. After Shravasti, Fahiyan reached Kapilvastu , where there is no king , no people, only ruins and desolation. Fahiyan saw the palace of Lord Buddha here , in which the statue of him and his mother was made. Faxian further writes that 50 li to the east of the city is the king’s garden and the name of that garden is the Lumbini forest , where Kumar was born.

* After Kapilavastu, Fahiyan reached Kushinagar. In the north of the city, on the banks of the river Niranjana, between two sal trees , Lord Buddha attained Mahaparinirvana by turning his head towards the north. From Kushinagar, Fahiyan went to Vaishali , where he saw Mahavan Kutagar Bihar. Fahiyan reached Pataliputra from Kushinagar and at that time the name of Pataliputra was Pushpapur. Faxian saw the palace of Emperor Ashoka here and met a Buddhist monk named Baman Kumar , who was very rational and full of knowledge.

* From Pataliputra, Fahiyan went to Rajagriha , where Ajatashatru asked Lord Buddha 42 questions. To the north of the city lies Venuvan Vihar , which still exists. From Rajagriha, Fahyan went to Nalanda , where he saw the stupa of Sariputra. Faxian also went to Bodh Gaya. Fahiyan writes about Bodh Gaya that this city is deserted and desolate. Fahyan went to Kashi , Sarnath , Kaushambi , Champa and Tamralipti and saw many ports in Tamralipti. Fahiyan stayed in Tamralipti for two years and then went on a journey to Sinhala Island. Fahiyan saw a monastery in Sinhalese Island ,In which the teeth of Lord Buddha were present. Faxian stayed here for two years and obtained copies of the Vinaya Pitaka , the Long Nikaya , the Sanyukta Nikaya, etc. , which the bhikkhus of his country were not familiar with. Taking these copies, Fahian boarded a merchant’s big ship and reached Java from there , from Java he had gone to his country.

1. Who were the Huns..?

According to historians, the residence of the White Huns is considered to be Central Asia, where they lived like a nomadic caste, but they had good fighting ability and used to fight with each other continuously.

Around 440 AD, the Huns conquered Persia (modern Iran) and built their capital at Balkh (in modern Afghanistan) and gradually began to conquer areas of mainland India.

The White Huns were barbaric, merciless and ferocious, they had no mercy because when they conquered Persia, they killed the women and children of the native people mercilessly and tossed them in the air with their swords.

2. Invasion of Huns on India

According to the Junagadh inscription, the Huns had first invaded India under the leadership of Toramana during the reign of Gupta dynasty king Skandagupta and had taken control of Kandahar, Kabul and Peshawar, but attacked India till Punjab, but Skandagupta defeated from Punjab. had given

The Huns did the second invasion under the leadership of Mihirkul during the reign of King Narasimha Gupta of the Gupta dynasty and plundered India’s Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Mathura up to Uttar Pradesh and damaged all the religious places.

The invasion of the Huns caused a lot of damage to the original culture of India as many Buddhist viharas and temples in Mathura, Ayodhya and Kashi were destroyed and thousands of houses were set on fire, in which farmers and traders suffered a lot. When the Huns could not completely destroy the Indian culture, they finally adopted the Indian culture.

Introduction to Maukhiri dynasty   

The early kings of the Maukhiri dynasty were feudatories of the Gupta kings and originally belonged to the Gaya district of Vihar. The capital of Maukhiri dynasty was in Kannauj of Uttar Pradesh and at that time Kannauj was known as Mahodaya Nagar. The first king of Maukhiri dynasty was Hari Varma and the last king was Graha Varma because after the death of Graha Varma, the kingdom of Kannauj went under Harshavardhana.

Historical Sources of Maukhiri Dynasty

* The history of Maukhiri dynasty is found in both literature and archeology.

* The history of Maukhiri dynasty is also found in the Harshacharita book written by Banabhatta.

* Some kings of Maukhiri dynasty are also mentioned in the Harha article received from Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh.

* Excavators had received a pile of Maukhiri dynasty coins from Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh.

Harivarma

* Hari Varma was the first king of Maukhiri dynasty and probably he started his rule from 510 AD.

* The name of Hari Varma’s queen was Bhattarika Devi Jayaswamini.

* Hari Varma assumed the title of Maharaja, from which it can be inferred that Hari Varma was a feudatory of the Gupta kings.

* Hari Verma has been praised in the Harha article received from Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh.

Aditya Verma

*Aditya Varma was the son and successor of Hari Varma.

*According to the Asirgarh text, Aditya Varma’s mother’s name was Bhattarika Devi Jayaswamini.

* Aditya Verma was married to Gupta princess Harsha Gupta.

* Aditya Varma assumed the title of Maharaj.

Ishwar Verma

*Ishwar Varma was the son and successor of Aditya Varma.

* Ishwar Verma has been described as a lion in the Jaunpur article of Uttar Pradesh.

Ishwar Varma was married to the Gupta princess Upa Gupta.

*Ishwar Varma had conquered Malwa and Andhra.

*Ishwar Verma also assumed the title of Maharaj.

Ishaan Verma

*Ishan Verma was the son and successor of Ishwar Verma.

* The reign of Ishaan Verma is believed to be between 550 – 574 AD.

* Ishan Verma was the first independent king of Maukhiri dynasty.

*Ishaan Verma’s mother’s name was Upa Gupta.

* Ishan Verma assumed the title of Maharajadhiraj.

Ishaan Verma’s victories have been mentioned in Harha article received from Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh.

sarva verma

*Sarva Varma was the son and successor of Ishan Varma.

* The reign of Sarva Varma is believed to be between 574 – 586 AD.

*The real name of Sarva Verma was Surya Varma.

* Sarva Varma had conquered Magadha.

Sarva Varma assumed the title of Maharajadhiraj.

Avanti Verma

*Avanti Varma was the son and successor of Sarva Varma.

*The reign of Avanti Verma is believed to be between 586 – 600 AD.

* Avanti Varma has been praised in the Harshacharita text and Avanti Varma has been described as the most powerful king among all the Maukhiri kings.

* During the reign of Avanti Verma, the boundaries of the Maukhiri dynasty used to extend up to Vihar.

*Avanti Varma had possibly subdued the North Gupta kings.

Graha Verma

Graha Varma was the son and successor of Avanti Varma.

*Grah Varma’s reign is believed to be between 600 – 605 AD.

* Graha Varma is considered to be the last king of Maukhiri dynasty.

*Complete information about Graha Varma is found in Banabhatta’s Harshacharita Granth.

Graha Varma was married to Rajyashree, daughter of King Prabhakar Vardhan of Thaneshwar and sister of Harshavardhan.

King Devagupta of Malwa and King Shashank of Bengal attacked Kannauj and killed Graha Varma and took Rajyashri captive.

After the death of Graha Varma, Harshavardhana made Kannauj his capital and ruled from there along with his sister Rajyashree. 

 Historical sources of Pushyabhuti dynasty

The history of the Pushyabhuti dynasty is found in the Harshacharita written by Banabhatta, the court poet of Harshavardhana.

* Information about the reign of Harshvardhan is found in the writings of the Chinese traveler When Song.

* The history of Pushyabhuti dynasty is also found in the books Nagananda, Priyadarshika and Ratnavali written by Emperor Harsha.

The history of Pushyabhuti dynasty is also found in Aryamanjushri Mulakalp, a famous book of the Mahayana sect of Buddhism.

Introduction to Pushyabhuti dynasty

The Pushyabhuti dynasty, also known as the Vardhana dynasty, was founded by Pushyabhuti in the 6th century. The Pushyabhuti dynasty is considered to be the most powerful dynasty of the 6th century and its initial capital was at Sthaneshwar in modern Haryana. The early kings of the Pushyabhuti dynasty were feudatories of the Gupta kings, and in this dynasty, King Pushyabhuti was succeeded by Naravardhana, Rajyavardhana, Adityavardhana and Prabhakaravardhana.

Prabhakar Vardhan

Prabhakar Vardhan’s father’s name was Aditya Vardhan and mother’s name was Mahasen Gupta.

*Prabhakar Vardhan assumed the titles of Parambhattaraka and Maharajadhiraja.  

Prabhakarvardhan had two sons, Rajyavardhana and Harshavardhana, and one daughter, Rajyashri.

Rajyashree, daughter of Prabhakar Vardhan, was married to Grihavarma, the last king of Maukhiri dynasty.

kingdom expansion

Rajyavardhana was the elder son and successor of Prabhakarvardhana.

* During Rajyavardhana’s reign in 605 AD, Griha Varma, the last king of Maukhiri dynasty, was killed by King Devagupta of Malwa and King Shashanka of Bengal and Rajyashri, the queen of Griha Varma and Rajyavardhana’s sister, was taken prisoner when When Rajyavardhana got this news, he killed King Devagupta of Malwa and left for Kannauj, but on the way, King Shashanka of Bengal treacherously killed Rajyavardhana.

Emperor Harshavardhana

*Emperor Harsha was the son of Prabhakara and the successor of Rajyavardhana.

Emperor Harsha’s mother’s name was Yashomati.

Emperor Harsha was born in 590 AD in Thaneshwar, the initial capital of the Pushyabhuti dynasty.

*Emperor Harsh had obtained the throne in 606 AD.

* Emperor Harsha’s reign is believed to be between 606 to 647 AD.

Emperor Harsha shifted his capital from Thaneshwar to Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh.

*Emperor Harshavardhana assumed the eminent titles like Parambhattaraka, Parameshwara, Paramdevata, Sakalottarapathnath, Shiladitya and Maharajadhiraja.

Emperor Harsha was a follower of Buddhism.

*Emperor Harsha defeated King Dhruvsen II of Vallabhi but being impressed by his bravery later married his daughter to him.

*Emperor Harsha, along with King Bhaskar Verma of Assam, destroyed the entire empire of Gaur King Shashank of Bengal.

*According to the Aihole Meguti inscription of Karnataka, Emperor Harsha had fought with Pulakeshin II but had to face defeat.

* During the reign of Emperor Harsha, Kannauj was a famous center of Buddhism, hence it was known as Mahodaya Nagar.

* Famous Chinese traveler When Tsang came to visit India during the reign of Emperor Harsha.

* In 643 AD, a huge religious assembly was organized by Emperor Harsha in Kannauj in which 20 feudal lords, 3000 Buddhist monks, 3000 Jain monks, 1000 teachers of Nalanda University and 500 Brahmins were called and this meeting was presided over by Was done by Sang.

* In 644 AD, a huge Mahamoksha Parishad was organized by Emperor Harsha in Prayag (earlier name Allahabad) of Uttar Pradesh and this meeting was organized once in every 6 years.

*According to the texts written by Emperor Harsha, there were 3 major religions during his reign – first Buddhism, second Jainism and third Brahminism.

* During the reign of Emperor Harsha, one had to go to Buddhist Vihar and Gurukul to get education and for higher education one had to go to Nalanda University.

*Emperor Harsha donated 200 villages for Nalanda University so that all students could get free education.

* In the court of Emperor Harsha, Banabhatta, Mayura, Haridatta, Jayasena, Matanga and Diwakar were friends.

*Emperor Harsha himself was a scholar, he had composed books named Ratnavali, Priyadarshika and Nagananda in Sanskrit.

Harshacharita, the biography of Emperor Harsha, was composed by Banabhatta.

* During the reign of Emperor Harsha, the region was called Bhukti and its chief was called Uparik Maharaj.

* During the reign of Emperor Harsha, 1/6th of the produce was taken from the farmers.

History of Hiuen Tsang

* Hien Tsang was born in 602 or 605 AD at a place named Luoyang in Honan-Fu region of China.

*Hiuen Tsang’s other names were Hiuen Tsang, Yuvan Chwang, Xuan Chang, Sakya Muni and Prince of Travellers.

* Hien Tsang took the initiation of Buddhism in 622 AD and became a complete Buddhist monk.

* In 629 AD, Hien Tsang had decided to travel to India for the education of Buddhism.

* The articles of Hien Tsang are known as Si-U-Ki in which India has been addressed as these two.

* Seeing the Kushan period Mahavihara located in Peshawar, Pakistan, Hien Tsang reached Kashmir, where he received education for 2 years.

* Hiensang reached Thaneshwar, the initial capital of Pushyabhuti dynasty from Kashmir and then reached Kannauj, the capital of Emperor Harshvardhan via Mathura, where Emperor Harsha warmly welcomed Hiensang.

*Ven Tsang traveled to Kashmir, Thaneshwar, Mathura, Kannauj, Ayodhya, Prayag, Kaushambi, Shravasti, Kapilvastu, Kushinagar, Varanasi, Patilputra, Bodh Gaya, Rajagriha, Nalanda, Assam, Orissa, Amaravati and Kanchipuram etc., the major Buddhist sites of India.

* Hien Tsang had received the education of Buddhism, Mathematics, Astrology and Medicine at Nalanda University for 2 years.

* According to Vansang, 10 thousand students used to study in Nalanda University at that time and 1 thousand teachers were present to teach them.

Emperor Harshvardhan donated 200 villages to meet the expenses of Nalanda University and free education was provided to all the students.

*Shilbhadra was the principal of Nalanda University at the time of Hien Tsang.

* In 643 AD, the religious meeting organized by Emperor Harshvardhan in Kannauj was presided over by Hiuen Tsang.

* In 644 AD, Hiuen Tsang left for China and took many Buddhist texts with him.

* On reaching China, the king there welcomed him a lot.

* Hiuen Tsang died on 5 February 664.

* A part of the skull of Vansang was handed over to the Government of India by the Dalai Lama in 1956, which is still safe in the museum of Patna.

 History of Islam

* Muhammad Sahib is considered the ‘ founder of the religion of Islam ‘ .

* ‘ The birth of Muhammad Sahab ‘ was in 570 AD in the Quresh clan of Mecca city of Arabia .

* The birthday of Muhammad Sahib is known as ‘ Eid-e-Milad Un Navi ‘ .

* Muhammad’s father’s name was Abdullah and mother’s name was Amina or Amina .

* Due to the early demise of Muhammad Sahib’s mother / father, he was brought up by his uncle Abu Talib, who was a businessman .

* Muhammad used to work in business in the beginning, that’s why he had to go to other countries and during this he met people of other religions and he got the knowledge of Ekeshwarabad (one God) .

* Muhammad Sahab got the knowledge of truth at the age of 40 and at the same time he was given a message by an angel that there is no other God except Allah and you are its prophet .

* After gaining knowledge, Muhammad Sahib started propagating Islam and first of all his wife Khadija , son-in-law Hazrat Ali , friend Abu Bakr and another person Zaid Vin Haris had accepted Islam .

* Muhammad Sahab and his companions first propagated Islam in Mecca itself, but the people of Mecca opposed them a lot, that is why they had to move from Mecca to Medina .

* Muhammad Sahib traveled from Mecca to Medina in September 622 AD, which is known as Hijrat in Islam and from this time ‘ Hijri Samvat ‘ started .

* The thoughts of Muhammad Sahab got a lot of support in Madina and people also accepted Islam .

* The Quran was communicated to Muhammad by the angel Gabriel in Arabic language .

* Muhammad Sahab had conveyed the teachings of Quran to the people .

Teachings of Prophet Muhammad

* The teachings of Muhammad Sahab have been compiled in the Holy Quran and 5 principles have been mentioned in it for every Muslim .

1. Kalma : – It is considered to be the basic mantra of Islam ‘ Law Illah -Ill , Allah Muhammad ur   Rasool Allah ‘ meaning – ‘ Allah is One and there is no one else except Him and Hazrat Muhammad Sahib is His Prophet ‘

2. Namaz : – Every Muslim should offer Allah’s Namaz (prayer) 5 times a day facing Mecca .

3. Fasting : – It is necessary to keep fast (fast) in the holy month of Ramzan .

4. Zakat :- Every Muslim has to voluntarily donate 40th part of his annual income to the poor which is known as religious charity .

5. Hajj : – It is necessary for every Muslim to visit Mecca once in his entire life and it is known as Hajj Yatra .

* Quran is considered the holy book of Islam .

* 8 June 632 AD . Muhammad Sahib had died and he was buried in Madina itself .

* After the death of Muhammad Sahab, there were differences between Hazrat Ali and Abu Bakr regarding succession, that is why Islam was divided into Shia and Sunni .

* The followers of Abu Bakr are called Sunni and the followers of Hazrat Ali are called Shia and both have considered themselves as the real Khalifa (successor) of Muhammad .

* Hazrat Ali was murdered in 661 AD and his son Hussain in 680 AD and after this incident Shia gave a definite opinion .

* Ibn-Ishaq was the first to write the biography of Muhammad .

Muhammad bin Qasim

The history of ‘ Muhammad bin Qasim ‘ is found in the Chachnama book, which is also known as ‘ Fatehnama Hind ‘ . ‘ Chachnama Granth’ was composed by Ali Ahmed but some historians believe that ‘ Chachnama Granth ‘ was first composed in Arabic language by an unknown person . ‘ Chachnama’ was translated into Persian by Abu Bakr Ali Kufi , the first mention of Sindh victory by Muhammad bin Qasim is found in Chachnama only .

‘ Introduction to Muhammad bin Qasim ‘

* Muhammad bin Qasim is also known as ‘ Mir Qasim ‘ .

* Muhammad bin Qasim was born on 31 December 695 AD in Taif city of Saudi Arabia .

* Muhammad bin Qasim’s father’s name was Qasim bin Yusuf .

Muhammad bin Qasim’s childhood was spent with his paternal uncle Hajjaz bin Yusuf, who was the governor of Iraq .

* Hajjaz bin Yusuf taught Muhammad bin Qasim all the activities of administration and also made him his commander .

* Muhammad bin Qasim was married to Zubaydah, daughter of Hajjaz bin Yusuf .

* In 708 AD, an Iraqi ship was looted by some robbers at Deval port, when the news of this was received by Hajjaz bin Yusuf, the governor of Iraq, he sent a message to the king of Sindh , Dahir, demanding compensation, but King Dahir said ” Robbers are not my subjects , nor can I punish them .

* Hajjaj bin Yusuf did not like this answer of King Dahir and he sent an army under the leadership of Ubaidullah in 710 AD to punish King Dahir, but King Dahir defeated and killed him .

* Hajjaj bin Yusuf again sent an army under the leadership of Budail in 711 AD by sea, but that army was also defeated by King Dahir and driven back .

* Hajjaj bin Yusuf’s anger was on the seventh sky and he sent an army of 15000 skilled Syrian and Iraqi soldiers under the leadership of his nephew Muhammad bin Qasim in 712 AD .

* Muhammad bin Qasim first reached Deval via Makran , Raja Dahir’s opponents met Muhammad bin Qasim in Deval and King Dahir told all the secret information .

* There was a famous temple of Lord Bholenath in Deval, first of all it was demolished by Kasim . Muhammad bin Qasim carried out a massacre in Deval for 3 days in which most of the males above the age of 17 years were killed and the remaining people were imposed Jizya tax .

* After conquering Deval, Muhammad bin Qasim moved towards Aror, the capital of Sindh, but he was confronted by the army of King Dahir at a place called Rawar and on June 20, 712, there was a fierce battle between the two armies in which King Dahir died. Done |

* When the news of the death of Raja Dahir was received by the women present in the fort, Raja Dahir’s wife Ranibai tried to stop Kasim’s army by forming a union of some women but the women could not stand in front of the Syrian fighters and they were killed .

* Both the daughters of Raja Dahir, Surya Devi and Parimal Devi were taken prisoner and sent to the Khalifa .

* According to the Chachnama text, when the daughters of King Dahir were presented before the Caliph, they told the Caliph that their virginity (i.e. virginity) had been destroyed . Khalifa got angry and ordered the soldiers to tie Muhammad bin Qasim in the skin of a bull and bring him before me , Khalifa’s soldiers did the same but by the time he was brought in front of Khalifa, he had died of suffocation .

 * This view of Muhammad bin Qasim’s death was seen by both the daughters of King Dahir , their heart changed after seeing the view and they told the truth to the Khalifa ” I had told such a lie to avenge my father ” .

* Khalifa’s anger again reached the seventh sky, he ordered the soldiers to ” tie these girls to the tail of the horse and drag them till they die ” .

Death of Muhammad bin Qasim

* Many stories are prevalent regarding the death of Muhammad bin Qasim – according to Iraqi beliefs, in 715 AD, the new Caliph Suleiman was made, he tortured all the close ones of the old Caliph in prison, because of those tortures, Muhammad bin Qasim Had died..!

Origin of the word Rajput

* Talking about ancient texts, the word Rajput has not been mentioned in any of the ancient religious texts – Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda, but the word Kshatriya has definitely been used. The use of the word Rajput is neither found in the time of Lord Buddha nor in the Maurya period, Sunga period, Satavahana period, Kushan period and Gupta period. The word Rajput is first used after the reign of Harshavardhana and today it is used for a particular caste.

* You can get information about the rise of Rajputs in 3 ways – 1. Records 2.   Historical texts 3. Religious texts   .

archival evidence

*Gwalior and Aihole inscriptions mention some Rajput kings but do not provide much information about their origin.

*The Razor inscription of Rajasthan which is of 959 AD, Mathandev has been described as belonging to the Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty but his origin has not been told.

historical text

* 36 Rajput clans have been described in Kalhana’s Rajatarangini , Jyotirishwar Thakur’s Varna Ratnakar and Jain Acharya Hemchandra Suri’s Kumarpal Charit Granth, but in these different clans are described.

*According to Nayanchandra Suri’s Hammir epic, Padma Gupta’s Navasahsanka Charita and Chanderbardai’s Prithviraj Raso Granth, Rajputs originated from fire.

religious texts

*According to the Bhavishya Purana and Bhagavata Purana, when the terror of the demons increased, Maharishi Vashishtha, Gautam and Agastya organized a huge Yagya on Mount Abu in Rajasthan to destroy the demons and from that Yagya the Chauhans, Paramaras, Chalukyas and Pratihar kings were born and the same story is also written in the Prithvirajraso book, but historians Dr. Dashrath Sharma, Dr. Gaurishankar Ojha and C.V. Vaidya do not consider Rajputs to be born from fire or yagya.

opinion of historians

1. According to Colonel Tod, Rajputs are descendants of Kushans, Sakas and Hunas because most of the Rajputs eat meat which is against Sanatan religious texts, hence Rajputs are foreigners.

2. According to William Brooke, all Rajputs originated from Gurjars and Gurjars were a branch of Kushans because Kashana gotra is still found in Gurjars.

3.Dr. According to Smith, the Rajputs are foreigners because their way of life is similar to that of the Sakas and the Hunas, and they adopted Indian culture after the ninth century.

4.Dr. According to Ishwari Prasad and Dr. Bhandarkar, Rajputs are not Indians because their body is neither strong nor tall like Brahmins. The living conditions of Brahmins and Rajputs are different because Rajputs eat meat and Brahmins do not eat meat.

5.Dr. Dashrath Sharma, Dr. Gaurishankar Ojha and Dr. R.K. According to C. Majumdar, Rajputs are not originated from Agni or Yajna and all Rajputs are children of Indian Kshatriyas.

My vote                

I agree that in our country Yavanas, Kushans, Shakas and Huns all came from outside India and they later adopted Indian culture but some historians believe that all Rajputs are foreigners then a question arises that ancient Who are the descendants of Kshatriyas..?

I believe that no one can say with certainty which castes the Yavanas, Kushanas, Shakas and Hunas joined in the middle of the eighth to the twelfth century, but some historians have deliberately targeted only the Rajputs. All the historians who consider Rajputs to be foreign, they consider Rajputs to be foreign only on the basis of their lifestyle and physical appearance, they do not have any solid evidence, nor any written texts, nor any records, but still their mental Rajputs are considered foreigners on the basis of imagination.

Introduction to Pratihara Dynasty

*According to the Alwar records of Rajasthan, Pratihara was a branch of Gurjars, that is why some historians have also called this dynasty Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty. The Pratihara kings have been described as Suryavanshi Kshatriyas in their records and their original residence was in the central part of Rajasthan and Gujarat and this dynasty was founded by Harichandra in the 6th century. The initial capital of the Pratihara kings was in Ujjain or Avani.

Nagbhatta I

* The reign of Nagbhatta I is believed to be between 730 to 756 AD.

* Nagabhatta I is also considered the main founder of the Pratihara dynasty.

* Nagabhatta I has been called the destroyer of Mlechhas in the Gwalior article.

* Nagabhatta I was defeated by King Danti Durga of the Rashtrakuta dynasty.

* Nagabhatta I is mainly considered the Pratihara king of Malwa.

* In 725 AD, Arab commander Junaid, who destroyed the Somnath temple, was defeated by Nagabhatta I in the battle of Rajasthan.

* After Nagbhatta I, Kukkuk and Devraj ruled between 756 to 770 AD, but no special event happened during their reign.

Vatsaraj

* Vatsaraj was the son and successor of Devraj.

* The reign of Vatsaraj is believed to be between 770 to 805 AD.

* Information about the reign of Vatsaraj is obtained from the Gwalior article and the Jain text Kuvalyamala.

Some historians have also considered Vatsaraj as the real founder of the Pratihara dynasty.

* Vatsaraj was defeated by the Rashtrakuta king Dhruva.

Nagbhatta II

* Nagabhatta II was the son and successor of Vatsaraja.

* The reign of Nagabhatta II is believed to be between 805 to 833 AD.

* Nagabhatta II had captured Kannauj by defeating the King Chakrayudha of Kannauj.

* In 810 AD, Rashtrakuta king Govind III defeated Nagabhatta II in the battle of Bundelkhand.

* Nagbhatta II had rebuilt the Somnath temple in 815 AD.

Rambhadra

*Rambhadra was the son and successor of Nagabhatta II.

*Rambhadra’s reign is believed to be between 833 to 836 AD.

*Rambhadra was badly defeated by the Pal dynasty king Devpal of Bengal.

mihirbhoj

Mihirbhoj was the son and successor of Rambhadra.

* Mihirbhoj’s reign is believed to be between 836 to 885 AD.

Mihirbhoj made his capital at Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh.

*Mihirbhoj had also got the Teli temple constructed in Gwalior.

*Mihirbhoj was a devotee of Lord Vishnu.

Adivaraha is inscribed on the coins of Mihirbhoj, from which it can be inferred that Mihirbhoj had assumed the title of Adivaraha.

King Devpal of Pala dynasty and King Kokkal of Kalachuri dynasty had defeated Mihirbhoj.

*Mihirbhoj had to face many defeats in the beginning but in the end Mihirbhoj had re-established his empire.

Mahendrapal I

Mahendrapal I was the son and successor of Mihirbhoj.

* The reign of Mahendrapal I is believed to be between 885 to 910 AD.

* No important event happened during the reign of Mahendrapal I, but he kept his empire safe.

* After Mahendrapal I, Bhoj became the second king who ruled from 910 to 912 AD.

Mahipal

* Mahipal’s reign is believed to be between 912 to 944 AD.

In the court of Mahipala, the great Sanskrit poet and dramatist Rajasekhara lived, who composed the books Karpoormanjari, Bal Ramayana, Bal Bharat and Kavya Mimansa.

* After Mahipal, Mahendrapal II, Devpal, Vinaypal, Mahipal II and Vijaypal became kings but none of them became a worthy king.

Governor

* In 1018 AD during the governor’s reign, Mahmud Ghaznavi attacked Kannauj and looted a lot   , but the governor did not fight him and ran away leaving Kannauj, angry with which the Chandel dynasty king Ganddev of Bundelkhand sent his son Vidyadhar Dev. The governor was murdered. 

trilochanpal

Trilochanpal was the son and successor of the governor.

* The reign of Trilochanpal is believed to be probably between 1019 to 1027 AD.

* Mahmud Ghaznavi attacked and looted again during Trilochanpal’s reign but Trilochanpal did not face Mahmud Ghaznavi.

Yashpal

Yashpal was the son and successor of Trilochanpal.

* Yashpal’s reign is believed to be between 1027 to 1036 AD.

Yashpal is also considered to be the last king of Gurjara Pratihara dynasty.

* In 1036 AD, Yashpal was murdered by King Chandradev of Gahadwal dynasty and a new dynasty Gahadwal dynasty emerged at Kannauj.

Introduction to Gahadwal dynasty

The Gahadwal dynasty was founded by Chandradev by killing Yashpal, the last king of the Pratihara dynasty. Mahichandra and Yashovigraha became kings after Chandradev, but they were not independent kings and the first capital of the Gahadwal dynasty was in Kashi (modern Varanasi) of Uttar Pradesh, due to which they are also known as Kashi Naresh. The second capital of Gahadwal dynasty was in Kannauj and Gahadwal dynasty is also known as Rathor dynasty.

Historical sources of Gahadwal dynasty

1. Records

* Govindchandra’s Deoria and Sahet-Mahet’s Jetavan Vihar article

*Kumardevi’s Sarnath article

Kashi and Kannauj articles of Chandradev II

* Harichandra’s Jaunpur article

2. Literature

* Chintamani book of Merutung

* Kritakalpataru book of Lakshmidhar

*Hasan Nizam’s articles

Prithviraj Raso book of Chandrabardai

Chandradev II

* Chandradev II was the son and successor of King Mahichandra.

* The reign of Chandradev II is believed to be between 1080 – 1103 AD.

* Chandradev II is considered the first independent king of the Gahadwal dynasty.

* Information about Chandradev II is obtained from the Kannauj article.

*According to the Kannauj inscription engraved by Chandradev II, he had taken over Ayodhya and Delhi.

*Chandradeva II assumed the eminent titles like Parambhattaraka, Maharajadhiraja and Parameshwara.

*Madanchandra became the king after Chandradev II, who ruled between 1103 – 1114 AD, but no special event happened during his reign.

govindchandra

*Govindchandra was the son and successor of Madanchandra.

* Govindchandra’s reign is believed to be between 1114 – 1155 AD.

* Govindchandra is considered the most powerful and great king of the Gahadwal dynasty.

* In the writings of Govindchandra, he is called Vividhavidyavicharavachaspati, which means the knower of different types of education.

*Govindchandra was married to Kumaradevi, daughter of Chikkor dynasty king Devarrakshit of Gaya.

* A record of Kumardevi was received from Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh, in which it has been talked about building a Buddhist Vihar and considering Emperor Ashoka as his ideal and establishing a rule like him.

* A famous book named Kritkalpataru was composed by Govindchandra’s minister Lakshmidhar, in which some important events of Govindchandra’s reign have been mentioned.

* An article by Govindchandra was received from the Jetavana Vihara of Sahet-Mahet (formerly Shravasti) in Uttar Pradesh, which was issued on the full moon day of 1186, and in this article, Govindchandra considered the Buddhist Sangha of Jetavana as a guru in 6 villages. Giving to charity has been mentioned.

*Tamil Nadu had received an article of Govindachandra from Gangekodcholapuram, in which his genealogy has been told.

* During the reign of Govindchandra, Tomar Raja of Delhi was under him.                                                                  

* In the entire reign of the Gahadwal dynasty, Govindchandra’s is considered to be the biggest empire.

* Vijayachandra became the king after Govindchandra who ruled between 1155 to 1169 AD.

Jaychandra

Jayachandra was the son and successor of Vijayachandra.

* Jayachandra’s reign is believed to be between 1170 to 1194 AD.

* Information about the reign of Jayachandra is found in the Chintamani book of Merutung, the writings of Hasan Nizam and the Prithvirajraso book of Chanderbardai.

* Jayachandra’s Deekshaguru was the famous Buddhist scholar Jaganmitranand who was famous by the name Mitrayogi.

* Jayachandra’s commander is believed to be Dhanua, who belonged to the Teli Samaj.

* Jayachandra is considered the last powerful king of the Gahadwal dynasty.

* The main reason for the enmity between Jayachandra and Prithviraj Chauhan was the power of Delhi, which every king of that time wanted us to occupy Delhi, but the court poet of Prithviraj Chauhan, Chander Bardai, in his book Prithvirajraso, has said about Sanyogita Haran, which is absolutely baseless. is | No daughter named Sanyogita of Jayachandra is mentioned in the Chintamani Granth of Merutung, the Jaunpur articles of Harichandra and the articles of Hasan Nizami describing the Chandawar war.

Jayachandra is believed to be the main reason for the defeat of Prithviraj Chauhan in the second battle of Tarain in 1192 AD, but this is not completely true and some people consider Jayachandra as a traitor and a traitor, but it is not written in any of the books. If you study Prithviraj Raso, you will find the names of Pratap Singh Jain, Dharmayan Kayastha, Madhobhatta and Nityanand Khatri written in it, who told Muhammad Ghori the complete secret of Prithviraj Chauhan.

In 1194 CE, Muhammad Ghori had killed Jayachandra in the Chandawar war (between Etah and Etawah of U.P.) and looted the capital a lot.

*After the death of Jayachandra Chandra, his son Harichandra became the king of Kannauj, which is mentioned in the Jaunpur article of 1198 AD.

Akdamalla became the king after Harichandra and Kannauj was made a part of the Turkish Empire at the end of the 12th century.      

Introduction of Chandela dynasty

The Chandella dynasty, which is considered a branch of the ancient Chandra dynasty, was founded in 830 – 31 AD by Nannuk at a place called Khajraho in modern Madhya Pradesh. The capital of Chandella dynasty was in Khajraho, Kalinjar and Mahoba which used to change from time to time. The official language of the Chandela dynasty was Sanskrit and religion was both Sanatan and Jain.

Historical sources of Chandela dynasty

1. Records

Khajraho inscription of King Dhangdev

* Mahoba and Mau’s article

* Article of Ajaygarh

*Details of Hamirpur

2. Literature

Prabodh Chandrodaya Granth of Shri Krishna Mishra

* Jagnik’s Parmalraso book of which only the Alhakhand part is left.

*Hasan Nizami’s articles

Prithviraj Raso book of Chandrabardai

nunnuk

* Nannuk is considered the founder and first king of the Chandella dynasty.

* The reign of Nannuk was probably in the middle of 831 – 845 AD.

* Nannuk made his capital at Khajraho but at that time it was called Khajurvatika or Date Garden.

* Nannuk was not an independent king but a feudatory of the Pratihara kings.

* During the reign of Nannuk, the Chandela kingdom was limited to Khajraho.

eloquent

*Vakpati was the son and successor of Nannuk.

* The reign of Vakpati was probably in the middle of 845 – 870 AD.

*Vakpati was also a feudatory of the Pratihara kings like his father Nannuk.

* During the reign of Vakpati, the Chandella empire had expanded to the regions of Vindhya.

*Vakpati had two sons Jayashakti and Vijayashakti.

Jayshakti

Jayashakti was the son and successor of Vakpati.

* The reign of Jayashakti was probably in the middle of 870 – 885 AD.

*Jayashakti’s real name was Jejak and it was he who named the entire Chandela kingdom Jejakbhukti after himself, which is today known as Bundelkhand.

victory power

Vijayashakti was the son of Vakpati and the successor of Jayashakti.

*Vijayshakti’s reign was probably in the middle of 885 – 895 AD.

The real name of Vijayshakti was Vizzjak.

Chandela kingdom did not expand during Vijayshakti’s reign, but Vijayshakti kept his kingdom safe from external attacks.

Rahil

Rahil was the son and successor of Vijayashakti.

* Rahil’s reign was probably in the middle of 895 – 900 AD.

*Rahil’s real name was Rahej.

Mahoba was made a part of the Chandela kingdom during the reign of Rahil.

*Rahil had constructed a reservoir named Raheesagar near Mahoba and a beautiful temple near it.  

Harshdev 

Harshadeva was the son and successor of Raheya.

* The reign of Harshadeva was probably in the middle of 900 – 925 AD.

* Information about Harshdev is found in the Khajraho article.

* According to the Khajraho article, Harshdev was a powerful and independent king, but historians have not considered Harshdev as an independent king.

yashovarman

Yashovarman was the son and successor of King Harshadeva.

* Yashovarman’s reign was probably in the middle of 925 – 950 AD.

*Yashovarman’s real name was Laksha Varma.

*Yashovarman was probably an independent king because he had taken away the fort of Kalinjar from the Pratihara king Mahipala.

* During the reign of Yashovarman, the capital of Chandela dynasty was in Mahoba (U.P.).

*Yashovarman got the idol of Lord Vishnu from the king of Kannauj and got it installed in the Chaturbhuj temple of Khajraho.

dhangdev

* Dhangdev was the son and successor of Yashovarman.

* Dhangdev’s reign was probably in the middle of 950 – 1003 AD.

*Many temples were built in Khajraho by Dhangdev.

* Indian historians have considered Dhangdev as the real independent king of Chandela dynasty because Pratihara king of Kannauj was Trilochanpal under him.

* Information about Dhangdev is obtained from Khajraho articles.

* Dhangdev had made Kalinjar his second capital.

*Dhangadeva assumed the eminent titles like Parambhattaraka, Maharajadhiraja, Parameshwara, Paramaheshwara, Kalinjaradhipati.

Ganddev

Ganddev was the son and successor of King Dhangdev.

* The reign of Ganddev was probably in the middle of 1003 – 1017 AD.

* Ganddev had killed the Pratihar king Yashpal of Kannauj by his son Vidyadhar Dev because Yashpal did not face Mahmud Ghaznavi.

* Some Indian historians believe that Mahmud Ghaznavi defeated King Ganddev and accepted his submission.

Vidyadhar Dev

Vidyadhar Dev was the son and successor of King Ganddev.

* The reign of Vidyadhar Dev was probably in the middle of 1017 – 1029 AD.

* During the reign of Vidyadhar Dev, there was special progress in Chandela art and architecture.

* Kandariya Mahadev, Lakshmana Temple, Vishwanath Temple and Parshavnath Temple were built in Nagara style by Yashovarman, Dhangdev and Vidyadhar Dev.

* During the reign of Vidyadhar Dev, the Kalachuri kings had conquered the eastern part of the Chandella kingdom and brought it under their control.

*Vijaypal (1030 – 1045 AD) and Devvarman (1045 – 1060 AD) became kings after Vidyadhar Dev, but no special events happened during their reign.

Kirti Singh

Kirti Singh’s reign was probably in the middle of 1060 – 1100 AD.

Kirti Singh’s real name was Kirti Varman.

Kirti Singh’s father’s name was   Vijaypal and mother’s name was Bhuvan Devi.

*Kirtsagar in Mahoba was built by Raja Kirti Singh only.

*After Kirti Singh, Sulakshana Varman (1100 – 1115 AD), Jayavarman (1115 – 1120 AD), Prithvi Varman (1120 – 1129 AD), Madan Varman (1129 – 1162) Yashovarman II (1162 – 1166 AD) became the king.

Paramardi

*The reign of Paramardi was probably in the middle of 1166 – 1203 AD.

* The real name of Paramardiwas Parmal.

*The court poet of Paramardi was Jagnik, who composed the book Parmalraso in Hindi language, but at present only a part of this book, Alhakhand, is available, in which there is a heroic story of two generals of Paramardi, Alha and Udal.

* Paramardi’s best friend was King Jayachandra of Kannauj.

* In 1203 AD, Paramardi had accepted the subordination of Qutbuddin Aibak and after that Qutbuddin Aibak had authority over most of the areas of the Chandela kingdom.      

Introduction to Pala Dynasty

According to the Khalimpur article of West Bengal, disorder spread in Bengal after the destruction of the entire Gaud dynasty by Emperor Harshavardhana of Kannauj and King Bhaskara Varma of Assam. In 750 AD, Gopal was made king by the consensus of the feudatories and people of Bengal, and after becoming the king, Gopal established the Pala dynasty, but Indian historians do not consider the Pala dynasty to be a Kshatriya dynasty, but in the records of the Pala dynasty, the Pala kings are referred to as Surya. The branch of the dynasty has been told.

Historical Sources of Pala Dynasty

record

*Khalimpur article of Dharmapala

* Devpal’s Munger article

* Mahipal’s Muzaffarpur and Vaggarh articles

Deoghar article of Narayanapal

Literature

* Udayasundari Katha of Gujarati poet Sodthal

* Sandhyakar Nandi’s Ramcharit book

*Writings of Tibetan Buddhist master Taranatha

*Writings of the Arab traveler Sulaiman

Gopal

Gopal is considered the founder of the Pala dynasty and the first independent king.

* Gopal’s reign was probably in the middle of 750 – 770 AD.

Information about Gopal’s reign is found in the Khalimpur article of Bengal engraved by Dharmapala.

*According to Tibetan Buddhist Guru Taranath, Gopal was born in an ordinary Kshatriya family in Bogra district of Bengal, but Indian historians consider Gopal not a Kshatriya but a Rajput.

* Gopal was a follower of Buddhism and Odantapuri University was established by him only.

*Buddhist education was imparted in Odantapuri University (Mahavihara).

*Odantapuri University (Mahavihara) was located in the modern Vihara.

Dharampal

* Dharmapala was the son and successor of Gopala.

* Dharmapala’s reign was probably in the middle of 770 – 810 AD.

* Dharmapala assumed the titles of Parameshwara, Parambhattaraka and Maharajadhiraja.

* In the writings of Dharmapal, he has been called the ultimate gift.

* The famous Buddhist teacher and writer Haribhadra Suri lived in the court of Dharmapala.

* Gujarati poet Sodthal has called Dharmapala the master of Uttarapath in his Udayasundari Katha.

* Dharmapala is considered the first powerful and great king of the Pala dynasty because during his reign the boundaries of the Pala Empire extended up to Bengal, Vihar, Jharkhand and Kannauj of Uttar Pradesh.

*Dharmapala defeated the king Chakrayudha of Kannauj and subdued him.

* Kannauj’s tripartite struggle took place between Pala king Dharmapala, Pratihara king Vatsaraja and Rashtrakuta king Dhruva, in which Indian historians differ on which king won, because in the writings of Gujarati poet Sodthal and Arab traveler Sulaiman, Dharmapala has been described as a victory. |

* The tripartite struggle of Kannauj lasted for 2 years but Indian historians have written 200 years.

* After a tripartite struggle, the Rashtrakuta king married his daughter to Dharmapala and Devpala was born from her womb.

* Dharmapala was a lover of literature and fine arts because Buddhism had developed a lot during his reign.

Vikramshila University and Sompuri University were built by Dharmapala, which were the main centers of Buddhist education.

*Vikramshila University is located in Bhagalpur district of modern Vihar and famous Buddhist scholar Atis Dipankar lived in this university.

*Sompuri University is located in the Navagaon district of modern Bangladesh and it was also a Buddhist university which was a major center of Buddhist education. In 1985, this site was included in the World Heritage List by UNESCO.

* The heroic saga of Dharmapala is still safe in the books of Nepal.

Devpal

*Devpal was the son and successor of Dharmapala.

*Devpal’s reign was probably between 810 – 850 AD.

*Devpal made his capital at Munger (in modern Vihar).

* Devpal had assumed the title of Param Saugat.

* In the court of Devpal, the famous Buddhist scholar Vajradatta lived, who composed the book named Lokeshwar Shatak.

The name of Devpal’s commander was Lavasen.

*According to the Nalanda text, Devpal was a follower of Buddhism and during his reign Buddhism was propagated in countries other than India.

* Devpal had defeated the Pratihara king Mihirbhoj.

Devapala’s general Lavasen completely exterminated the Utkala caste of Orissa and made their kingdom a part of the Pala Empire.

* During the reign of Devpal, the Pala Empire was the largest, whose boundaries were beyond Bengal, Vihar, Uttar Pradesh, Malwa, Delhi, Rajputana, Jharkhand, Orissa and Assam.

* Arab traveler Suleman has described Devpal as the most powerful king of India in his writings.

*After Devapala Mahendrapala (850 – 854 AD) Vigrahapala (854 – 855 AD) Narayan Pal (855 – 908 AD) Governor (908 – 940 AD) Gopala II (940 – 960 AD) Vigrahapala II (960 – 988 AD) became king but the information about his reign is not available.

Mahipal I

Mahipala I was the son and successor of Vigrahapala II.

* The reign of Mahipal I was between 988 – 1038 AD.

* During the reign of Mahipala I, the Chola dynasty king Rajendra Chola invaded Bengal.

* Mahipal I is considered the second founder of the Pala dynasty because after Devpal all the kings were very weak and the Pala dynasty was in decline during his reign but Mahipal I had strengthened the Pala dynasty again.

* Mahipal I had settled many ponds and cities.

*Buddhist scholar Acharya Dharmapal lived in the court of Mahipal I and Mahipal I sent him to Tibet for the propagation of Buddhism.

* During the reign of Mahipal I, many Buddhist Viharas were rebuilt in Sarnath, Nalanda and Kashi.

Nayapal

Nayapala was the son and successor of Mahipala I.

* Nayapala’s reign was between 1038 – 1055 AD.

*During the reign of Nayapala, there was a fierce war between Kalachuri king Lakshmikarna of Chedi (modern name Bundelkhand) and Nayapala, in which Acharya Dipankar Srigyan of Sompuri University made a treaty between the two kings and according to the terms of the treaty, Nayapala’s son Vigrahapala III The marriage was done with Yuvanashree, the daughter of Kalachuri king Lakshmikarna.

*After Nayapala, Vigrahapala III (1055 – 1070 AD), Mahipala II (1070 – 1074 AD), Shurapala (1074 – 1077 AD) became the king, but no special work or event took place during his reign.

Rampal

*Rampala was the brother of Mahipala II and the successor of Shurapala.

* Rampal’s reign was probably between 1077 – 1120 AD.

* Rampal had conquered Assam and Kalinga.

* Rampal’s best friend was Yadav Varman, the king of East Bengal (modern Bangladesh).

*After Rampal, Kumarpal (1120 – 1140 AD), Gopal III (1140 – 1144 AD), Madan Pal (1144 – 1162 AD), Govind Pal (1162 – 1174 AD) became king but none of these kings became powerful and The fall of the Pala dynasty.

Govind Pal is considered to be the last king of Pal dynasty.

1. Introduction to Parmar dynasty

There are many opinions about the origin of the Parmar dynasty, some historians consider them Agnivanshi and some historians consider them the children of ancient Kshatriyas, but in the record of Parmar kings found in Ahmedabad, they have been described as feudatories of Rashtrakuta kings. Parmar dynasty is called Pawar or Panwar dynasty and this dynasty was probably founded by Upendra Krishnaraja around 800 AD.

2. Historical sources of Parmar dynasty

1. Records

*Ahmedabad Records

*Ujjain Records

* Ujjain donation letter

*Udaipur inscription

2. Literature

*Prabhandchintamani Granth

* Neo-Sahasancharit Granth

* Catering

* Tilakmanjari

*Writings of Alberuni and Firishta

3. Upendra Krishnaraj

* Upendra Krishnaraj is considered the founder of the Parmar dynasty.

* The reign of Upendra Krishnaraja was probably in the middle of 800 – 818 AD.

*Upendra Krishnaraj was not an independent king but was a feudatory of Rashtrakuta kings Dhruv and Govind III.

* Upendra Krishnaraj had made his capital in Dhar (in modern Madhya Pradesh).

*Upendra Krishnaraja was followed by Vairisimha I [818 – 843 AD], Siyak I [843 – 893 AD], Vakpati [893 – 918 AD], Vairisimha II [918 – 948 AD], Siyak II or Harshasimha [948 – 974 AD] became king but no clear information is available about his reign.

4.Vakpatiraj Munj

*Vakpatiraj Munj was the adopted son and successor of Siyak II.

* The reign of Vakpatiraj Munj was probably in the middle of 974 – 995 AD.

*Vakpatiraj Munj assumed the titles of Utpalraj, Shrivallabh and Amoghavarsha.

* Scholars like Padma Gupta, Dhananjay, Halayudh, Amitgati etc lived in the court of Vakpatiraj Munj.

*Vakpatiraj Munj had constructed a Munjsagar lake near Dhar.

*According to the Ujjain article, Vakpatiraj Munj had defeated the Hun kings.

*According to the Udaipur article, Vakpatiraj Munj had captured the Kalchuri dynasty’s capital Tripuri (near Jabalpur in modern Madhya Pradesh).

*According to Prabandhachintamani Granth, Vakpatiraj Munj had defeated Chalukya King Tailap 6 times but in the 7th time Vakpatiraj Munj was defeated by Tailap and was killed. 

* After Vakpatiraj Munj, his brother Sindhuraj became the king who probably ruled between 995 – 1010 AD.

5. Raja Bhoj I

* The reign of Raja Bhoj was probably in the middle of 1010 – 1055 AD.

* Raja Bhoj is considered to be the most powerful and great king of Parmar dynasty.

* Raja Bhoj has been called Kaviraj in the records because 23 texts were composed during his reign, in which texts like Saraswati Kantabharan, Champu Ramayana, Prakrit Grammar, Patanjaliyog Sutravriti are considered important.

The Chauhan kings of Shakambhari probably ruled under Raja Bhoj.

* In 1042 AD, the Chalukya king Someshwar I had created a lot of loot in Dhar, Ujjain and Mandu including the capital of Raja Bhoj.

* Raja Bhoj had built a Sanskrit school named Bhojshala in his capital Dhar.

* Raja Bhoj was a follower of Shaivism but some historians consider him to be related to Jainism.

*According to the Udaipur article, Raja Bhoj had built many temples.

* The city named Bhojpur near Bhopal was established by Raja Bhoj.

*According to some historians, Raja Bhoj had composed many texts, in which Samrangan Sutradhar Granth was the most famous.

* After Raja Bhoj, there were many kings in Parmar dynasty but their real history is not available like – Jaisingh I [1055 – 1060 AD], Udayaditya [1060 – 1087 AD], Lakshmandev [1087 – 1097 AD], Narvarman [ 1097 – 1134 AD], Yashovarman [1134 – 1142 AD], Jayavarman I [1142   – 1160 AD], Vindhyavarman [1160 – 1193 AD], Subhatvarman [1193 – 1210 AD], Arjunavarman I [1210 – 1218] AD], Devapala [1218 – 1239 AD], Jayatugideva [1239 – 1256 AD], Jayavarman II [1256 – 1269 AD], Jayasimha II [1269 – 1274 AD], Arjunavarman II [1274 – 1283 AD] ], Bhoj II [1283 – 1295 AD], Mahalak Dev 1295 – 1305 AD] Sanjiv Singh Parmar [1305 – 1327 AD] became king. Alauddin Khilji’s general Ain-ul-Mulk defeated Sanjiv Singh Parmar and made entire Malwa a part of the Delhi Sultanate. 

6. All the kings of Parmar dynasty and their reign

1. Upendra Krishnaraja [800 – 818 AD]

2.Vairi Singh I [818 – 843 AD]

3. Siyak I [843 – 893 AD]

4.Vakpati [893 – 918 AD]

5.Vairi Singh II [918 – 948 AD]

6. Siyak II or Harsh Singh [948 – 974 AD]

7. Vakpatiraj Munj [974 – 995 AD]

8.Sindhuraj [995 – 1010 AD]

9. King Bhoj [1010 – 1055 AD]

10.Jaisingh I [1055 – 1060 AD]

11. Udayaditya [1060 – 1087 AD]

12. Lakshmanadeva [1087 – 1097 AD]

13. Naravarman [1097 – 1134 AD]

14. Yashovarman [1134 – 1142 AD]

15. Jayavarman I [1142   – 1160 AD]

16. Vindhyavarman [1160 – 1193 AD]

17. Subhatvarman [1193 – 1210 AD]

18. Arjunavarman I [1210 – 1218 AD]

19.Devpal [1218 – 1239 AD]

20. Jayatugideva [1239 – 1256 AD]

21. Jayavarman II [1256 – 1269 AD]

22.Jaisingh II [1269 – 1274 AD]

23. Arjunavarman II [1274 – 1283 AD]

24. Bhoja II [1283 – 1295 AD]

25. Mahalak Dev 1295 – 1305 AD]

26.Sanjeev Singh Parmar [1305 – 1327 AD]

INTRODUCTION TO SEN DYNASTY

The Sena dynasty whose kings ruled over Bengal and its surrounding areas and according to the records of the Sena dynasty, the kings of the Sena dynasty were originally from Karnataka. The Sena dynasty was founded by Samanta Sen at a place called Raad in Bengal and the official language of the Sena dynasty was Sanskrit and the capitals were at Gaur (in Malda district of West Bengal), Vikrampur (in Munshiganj district of Bangladesh) and Navadweep (in modern West Bengal). in Nadia district).

Historical Sources of Sen Dynasty

1. Records

* In the records of Sena dynasty, Vijaysen’s Devpada record is considered the most important and reliable in which his victories are mentioned.

2. Literature

*Laghu Bharat Granth

* Vallacharita Granth

* Smriti Dansagar Granth

* Amazing Sagar Granth

*Gitgovind Granth

*Pawandoot Granth

*Brahmin Sarvasva Granth

Samant Sen

* The reign of Samant Sen was probably in the middle of 1070 – 1095 AD.

Samanta Sen is considered the founder of the Sen dynasty.

* A small state was established by Samant Sen at a place called Raad in modern West Bengal.

* After Samant Sen, his son Hemant Sen became the king who ruled between 1095 – 1096 AD.

Vijay Sen   

*Vijay Sen’s reign was probably in the middle of 1096 – 1158 AD.

*Vijay Sen was the son and successor of Hemant Sen.

*Vijay Sen is considered the real founder of the Sena dynasty.

*Vijay Sen assumed the titles of Param Maheshwar and Ariraj Vrishshankar.

*Vijay Sen was a follower of Shaivism.

* Pradyumneshwar Shiva temple and a lake were built in Devpada by Vijay Sen.

* An inscription was engraved in Devpada by Vijay Sen, which was composed by a poet named Umapatidhar and in this inscription the victories of Vijay Sen have been mentioned.

Umapati Dhar was the court poet of Vijay Sen.

*Kanaktulapurushamahadan Yagya was organized by Vijay Sen’s queen.

*Vijay Sen had captured Gaur, the capital of Pala dynasty king Madanpal and Madanpal had to take refuge in Magadha.

The first capital of Vijay Sen was in Vijaypur and the second capital was in Vikrampur.

Vallal Sen

*Vallal Sen’s reign was probably in the middle of 1158 – 1179 AD.

*Vallal Sen was the son and successor of Vijay Sen.

*The title of Gaudeswara was assumed by Vallal Sen.

*Vallal Sen was a scholar of high order and with the help of his guru, he composed texts like Vallacharita, Danasagar and Adbhut Sagar.

* The elite system was started by Vallal Sen, in which only Brahmins, Vaishyas and Kayasthas were considered to be the best, the rest Kshatriyas and Shudras were considered to be of low caste.

Laxman Sen 

*The reign of Laxman Sen was probably in the middle of 1179 – 1205 AD.

*Laxman Sen was the son and successor of Vallal Sen.

*Laxman Sen had assumed the title of Param Bhagwat.

*Laxman Sen was a follower of Vaishnavism.

*Laxman Sen’s capital was in Laxmanvati, which is called Lakhnauti in medieval times and Nadia in modern times.

In the court of Laxman Sen, Jayadeva, the author of Gitagovinda, Dhiyi, the author of Pawandoot, Halayudh, the author of Brahmansarvasva and Sridhardas, the compiler of Sudakti Karnabhrit, lived in which Jayadeva’s position was the highest.

* In 1202 AD, Qutbuddin Aiwak defeated Laxman Sen and captured his capital Nadia by General Mohammad Bakhtiyar Khilji and Laxman Sen took refuge in East Bengal (modern Bangladesh) and after Laxman Sen, all other Sen kings had run his rule from East Bengal itself.

* After Laxman Sen, Keshavsen [1205 – 1225 AD] and Vishwaroop Sen [1225 – 1230 AD] became kings, but after defeating Vishwaroop Sen’s successor Surya Sen, Dashrath Dev established the Deva dynasty in East Bengal.  

Sena dynasty kings and their reign

1. Samanta Sen [1070 -1095 AD]

2. Hemant Sen [1095 -1096 AD]

3.Vijay Sen [1096 -1158 AD]

4. Vallal Sen [1158 -1179 AD]

5.Laxman Sen [1179 -1204 AD]

6. Keshav Sen [1205 -1225 AD]

7. Vishwaroop Sen [1225 -1230 AD]

INTRODUCTION TO KALACHURI DYNASTY

There were many dynasties named Kalachuri in our country, but here I am talking about the Kalachuri dynasty of Chedi i.e. Bundelkhand and all the kings of Kalachuri dynasty have described themselves as descendants of Arjuna in their records. The Kalachuri dynasty of Chedi was founded in the 9th century by Kokkal I in the southern part of Bundelkhand with its capital at Tripuri in Jabalpur district of modern Madhya Pradesh and the royal symbol of this dynasty was Nandi (bull). The information about the Kalachuri dynasty of Chedi is less available in any other book other than the Baroda records and Udaipur records, but the information about the Kalachuri kings of Chedi is definitely found in the records and literature of the contemporary kings of that time.

Kokkal I

*Kokkal I is considered the founder of the Kalachuri dynasty of Chedi.

*The reign of Kokkal I was probably between 875 – 925 AD, but some historians believe his reign to be between 845 – 878 AD.

The capital of Kokkal I was in Tripuri (near Jabalpur).

Kokkal I was married to Chandela princess Natta.

* There were many kings after Kokkal I but their history is not available.

galactic god

* The reign of Gangey Dev was probably in the middle of 1019 – 1041 AD.

* Ganga Dev had assumed the title of Vikramaditya.

* Gangey Dev defeated the kings of Banaras and Bhagalpur and took their empire under his control.

laxmikarna

Lakshmikarna was the son and successor of Gangey Dev.

* The reign of Lakshmikarna was probably in the middle of 1041 – 1072 AD.

*Laxmikarna’s real name was Karna.

*Laxmikarna had conquered Malwa along with Chalukya King Bhima I.

* There was a fierce war between Lakshmikarna and Pala dynasty king Nayapala of Bengal, but a treaty was made between the two kings by the Buddhist philosopher Dipankar Srigyan of Vikramshila University, according to which Lakshmikarna married his daughter Yauvanshri to Nayapala’s son Vigrahapala. did with the second.

* After Lakshmikarna, Yashkarna (1073 – 1123 AD), Gayakarna (1123 – 1151 AD), Narasimha (1151 – 1161 AD) etc. became kings but no one became a powerful king and according to some historians, Yadav kings of Devagiri By defeating the last king of the Kalchuri dynasty, the entire state was brought under his control.

The Kalachuri kings of Chedi and their reign

1. Kokkal I [875 – 925 AD]

2. Gangey Dev [1019 – 1041 AD]

3. Lakshmi Karna [1041 – 1072 AD]

4. Yashkarna [1073 – 1123 AD]

5. Gayakarna [1123 – 1151 AD]

6. Narasimha  [1151 – 1161 AD]

INTRODUCTION TO SOLANKI DYNASTY

The Solanki dynasty of Gujarat, which is considered a branch of the Solanki dynasty of South India because some Indian historians believe that a feudatory of the Solanki dynasty of South India came to Gujarat and established an independent state, that is why some historians called the Solankis of Gujarat The dynasty has also been written as the Chalukya dynasty, but historians are not of the same opinion on this. Historians present many views about the origin of the Solanki dynasty, some historians consider them as Agnivanshi, while some historians consider them as the children of ancient Kshatriya kings, but in the Vadnagar article of King Kumarpal of the Solanki dynasty, they have been described as Agnivanshi. The Solanki dynasty of Gujarat was founded by Mulraj in the 10th century and Mulraj made his capital at Anhilwad (modern Patan). Although the kings of the Solanki dynasty were basically followers of Shaivism, but they also had faith in Jainism.

Historical Sources of Solanki Dynasty

1. Records

*Vadnagar article – Kumarpal’s article

* Ujjain article – Jaisingh Siddharaj’s article

* Udaipur article – Jaisingh Siddharaj’s article

*Chittorgarh article – Kumarpal’s article

2. Literature

* Prabandhachintamani book written by Merutung.

Kirti Kaumudi book written by Someshwar.

*Kumarpal Charit Granth written by Hemchandra Suri.

*Hasan Nizami’s articles

Mulraj

Moolraj is considered the founder of the Solanki dynasty of Gujarat.

*The reign of Mulraj was probably in the middle of 940 – 995 or 975 – 995 AD.

* Mulraj made his capital at Anhilwad (modern Patan).

* Mulraj had defeated Laksharaj, the king of Kutch and Griharipu, the king of Saurashtra.

* After Mulraj, Chamundaraj, Vallabhraj and Durlabhraj ruled between 995-1022 AD, but none of them was a  powerful king.

Bhima Pratham

* The reign of Bhima I was probably  in the middle of 1022 – 1064 AD.

*Bhima I was the nephew and successor of Durlabhraj.

* During Bhima I’s reign in 1024-25 AD, Mahmud Ghaznavi looted the temple of Somnath but Bhima I did not fight him and ran away from Gujarat.

* Bhima Pratham’s best friend was Kalachuri king Lakshmikarna of Chedi and together they attacked Malwa but Bhima Pratham died during this attack.

Ear

*Karna’s reign was probably between 1064 – 1093 AD.

Karna was the son and successor of Bhima I.

* Information about Karna is found in Kumarpal’s Chittorgarh article.

* Karna had settled the city named Karnavati and had also built the Karneshwar temple and the Karnasagar lake there.

Karna had also built a beautiful temple named Karnameru in his capital Anhilwad (modern Patan).

Jaisingh Siddharaj

* The reign of Jaisingh Siddharaj was probably in the middle of 1093 – 1143 AD.

*Jaisingh Siddharaj was the son and successor of Karna.

*Jaisingh Siddharaj defeated the Parmars of Malwa, the Chauhans of Shakambhari, the Chandelas of Bundelkhand and the Chalukyas of Kalyani.

*Jaisingh Siddharaj assumed the title of Avantinath.

*Jaisingh Siddharaj was a follower of Shaivism but also had faith in Jainism.

*Jaisingh Siddharaj had got Rudramahakal in Siddhpur and Sahastralinga temple constructed in Anhilwad.

*Jaisingh Siddharaj had built 108 temples during his reign.

*Jaisingh Siddharaj is considered to be the most powerful and great king of the Solanki dynasty.

kumarpal

*Kumarpal was the son of Udayan, the minister of Jayasimha Siddharaj because Jayasimha Siddharaj had no children.

*Kumarpal’s reign was probably between 1143 – 1172 AD.

*Kumarpal had defeated the Chauhans of Shakambhari, the Parmars of Malwa and the kings of Konkan.

* Information about the reign of Kumarapala is found in the Kumarapala Charita Granth written by Hemchandra Suri.

*Kumarpal was a follower of Jainism but some historians consider him to be related to Shaivism.

*Kumarpal was married to Jalhana Devi, a Chauhan dynasty princess.

ajaypal

* Ajaypal’s reign was probably in the middle of 1172 – 1176 AD.

Ajayapala was the nephew and successor of Kumarapala.

* Ajaypal had assumed the title of Param Maheshwar.

* Ajaypal had made Kapardin, a staunch Vedic religious Brahmin, his Prime Minister and at his behest, Ajaypal’s famous Jain Acharya Ramchandra was killed.

*According to the famous book Prabandhachintamani written by Hemachandra, Ajayapala had destroyed many Jain temples at the behest of Kapardin.

* Ajaypal was murdered by the Pratihara king.

Mulraj II

Mularaja II was the son and successor of Ajayapala.

* The reign of Mulraj II was probably in the middle of 1176 – 1178 AD.

* During the reign of Mulraj II, the reins of governance were in the hands of his mother Nayika Devi.

*Mulraj II defeated Muhammad Ghori in 1178 AD near Mount Abu.

Bheem II

*Bhima II was the brother and successor of Mulraj II.

* The reign of Bhima II was probably in the middle of 1178 – 1239 AD.

* Bhim II was also called Bhola Bhim because during his reign, his own minister Lavan Prasad had established an independent state in the south of Gujarat in the name of Baghel dynasty.

* Bhim II is considered to be the last king of Solanki dynasty but some historians believe that there were many kings even after Bhim II but their history is not available.

* In 1197 AD, Qutubuddin Aiwak did a lot of looting in Anhilwad, the capital of Bhima II.

* Between 1297 and 1299 AD, Nusrat Khan and Ulugh Khan, generals of Alauddin Khilji, invaded Gujarat and at that time Gujarat was ruled by King Karna of the Baghel dynasty, but Karna fled Gujarat and made the entire Gujarat a part of the Delhi Sultanate. was taken

INTRODUCTION TO THE CHALUKYA DYNASTY OF VATAPI

Vatapi, which is currently known as Badami, is in Bijapur or Bagalkot district of Karnataka and the kings who ruled there between 500 – 753 AD are called Chalukya kings of Vatapi. The Chalukya dynasty of Vatapi was founded by Jai Singh in the 6th century and the kings of this dynasty were followers of both Sanatana and Jainism. The state symbol of the Chalukya dynasty of Vatapi was Varaha (boar) which is believed to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

historical source

1. Records

* Mahakoot Pillar Edict – This pillar article of King Manglesh was received from Bagalkot district of Karnataka.

* Badami inscription – This inscription belongs to Pulakeshin I.

* Aihole inscription – This inscription of Pulakeshin II is in Bijapur district.

2. Literature

Vikramank Abhyudaya Granth – It was composed by Someshwar.

Gadayudha Granth – It was composed by Kannada poet Ranna.

Jaisingh

*Jaisingh is considered the founder of the Chalukya dynasty of Vatapi.

*Jaisingh’s reign was probably between 500 – 520 AD.

*Jaisingh is mentioned in the Mahakoot pillar inscription engraved by King Manglesh in 602 AD.

*Jaisingh’s father’s name was Satyashray and its information is found in the book named Vikramank Abhyudayai of Someshwar.

*Jaisingh assumed the titles of Vallabh, Shrivallabh and Vallabhendra.

Ranrag Singh

Ranrag Singh was the son and successor of Jaisingh.

* The reign of Ranrag Singh was probably in the middle of 520 – 543 AD.

* Ranrag Singh has been mentioned in Aihole inscription and Yebur inscription.

* Ranrag Singh was a courageous and mighty king as he has been praised in the Yebur inscription.

Pulakeshin I

*Pulakeshin which means great lion.

*The reign of Pulakeshin I was probably in the middle of 543 – 566 AD.

*Pulakeshin I is considered to be the real founder of the Chalukya dynasty of Vatapi because Jayasimha and Ranaragasimha were not independent kings but feudatories of the Kadamba kings.

Pulakeshin I assumed the titles of Satyashraya, Vallabha, Srivallabha, Sriprithvivallabha and Ranvikram.

Pulakeshin I is mentioned in the Mahakoot inscription of King Manglesh.

* Pulakeshin I got an inscription made at Vallabheshwar in Badami.

* Pulakeshin was the knower of the first scriptures.

* Pulakeshin I had built the fort of Badami.

* Pulakeshin I was married to Bappur dynasty princess Durlabha Devi and its information is found in the Mahakoot pillar article.

*Kirtivarman I and Mangalesha were the two sons of Pulakeshin I.

Kirtivarman I

* The reign of Kirtivarman I was probably in the middle of 566 – 597 AD.

*Kirtivarman I is described as the real builder of Vatapi in the Chiplun inscription of Pulakeshin II.

The credit for developing Vatapi as a city is given to Kirtivarman I only.

The victories of Kirtivarman I are mentioned in the Mahakoot pillar inscription of Mangalesh and the Aihole inscription of Pulakeshin II.

*Kirtivarman I assumed the titles of Vallabh, Shriprithvivallabh, Kirtiraj, Satyashraya, Maharaj, Pur-Ranparakram.

Kirtivarman I had built many temples in Badami.

*Kirtivarman I died in 597 AD.

Manglesh

* Mangalesh was the younger brother and successor of Kirtivarman I.

* Mangalesh’s reign was probably in the middle of 597 – 610 AD.

*Manglesh is called Mangalapati, Mangalraj, Ranvikrant and Ururanvikrant in the inscriptions.

Mangalesh assumed the titles of Prithvi Vallabh, Shri Prithvi Vallabh, Maharaj and Param Bhagwat.

*The Mahakoot Pillar Inscription, Badami Cave 3 Inscription and Nerur Donation Inscription were engraved by Manglesh.

Pulakeshin II

Pulakeshin II was the son of Kirtivarman I and the successor of Mangalesha.

*Pulakeshin II got the throne by killing his uncle Mangalesha in 610 AD.

*The reign of Pulakeshin II was probably in the middle of 610 – 642 AD.

Pulakeshin II assumed the titles of Satyashraya, Sriprithvivallabha, Maharaja, Dakshinapatheshvara, Parambhattaraka, Maharajadhiraja, Vallabha and Parameshwara.

Important events of his reign are mentioned in the Aihole inscription of Pulakeshin II and this inscription was composed by Ravikirti Jain.

* There was a war between Pulakeshin II and Harshavardhan, the emperor of Kannauj, but who won this war, it cannot be said with certainty, but the victory of Pulakeshin II has been told in the Aihole inscription, which is not completely correct because the articles of Harshvardhan, The accounts of the Chinese traveler Wen Tsang and Tabrez who visited the court of Pulakeshin II do not mention the defeat or victory of any king.

*In the court of Pulakeshin II, Iranian ruler Khusrau Parvez sent his ambassador Tabrez and Pulakeshin II is shown in Badami cave paintings welcoming him.

* Pulakeshin II conquered the eastern regions of his empire and made his younger brother Vishnuvardhana the king there and Vishnuvardhana established an independent kingdom there which is known as the Chalukya dynasty of Vengi and initially the capital of this dynasty was Pishtapur. was made in

Pulakeshin II is considered to be the most powerful king of the Chalukya dynasty of Vatapi.

* In 642 AD, King Narasimha Varman of the Pallava dynasty attacked and captured Vatapi, the capital of Pulakeshin II, possibly Pulakeshin II died at this time.

Vikramaditya I

* After the death of Pulakeshin II, the Pallava kings got the authority over Vatapi, but Vikramaditya I defeated the Pallava kings from Vatapi with the help of Gang Naresh and re-established his empire, but in the middle of 642 – 655 AD, the Pallavas on Vatapi was having rights.

*The reign of Vikramaditya I was probably in the middle of 655 – 680 AD.

*Vikramaditya I assumed the titles of Satyashraya, Shriprithvivallabh, Bhattarak, Parameshwara, Maharajadhiraja and Parameshwara.

Vinayaditya

Vinayaditya was the son and successor of Vikramaditya I.

* Vinayaditya’s reign was probably in the middle of 680 – 696 AD.

Vinayaditya assumed the titles of Satyasraya, Vallabha, Srivallabha, Sriprithvivallabha, Rajasraya, Yuddhamalla, Maharajadhiraja, Parameshwara and Parambhattaraka.

Vinayaditya has been called Durdharamalla in Kannada poet Ranna’s Gadayudha book.

Vijayaditya

*Vijayaditya was the son and successor of Vinayaditya.

*Vijayaditya’s reign was probably in the middle of 696 – 733 AD   .

*Vijayaditya assumed the titles of Satyashraya, Samastabhuvanasraya, Shriprithvivallabh, Parambhattaraka.

* Among all the kings of Vatapi, the most peaceful reign is considered to be that of Vijayaditya.

*Vijayaditya had built a beautiful Shiva temple at Pattadakal.

*Laxmishwar temple was built by Vijayaditya’s sister Mahalakshmi.

*Vijayaditya was a tolerant king, he gave shelter to both Sanatan and Jainism.

Vikramaditya II

Vikramaditya II was the son and successor of Vijayaditya.

*The reign of Vikramaditya II was probably in the middle of 734 – 745 AD.

Vikramaditya II was married to the Kalchuri princess Lokamaha Devi and Trailokya Devi, both sisters.

Lokamaha Devi, the queen of Vikramaditya II, had built the Lokeshwar temple at Pattadakal, which is today known as the Virupaksha temple.

*Trailokya Devi, the second queen of Vikramaditya II, had got the Trailokeshwar temple constructed.

Kirtivarman II

*The reign of Kirtivarman II was probably in the middle of 745 – 753 AD.

Kirtivarman II’s father’s name was Vikramaditya II and mother’s name was Trailokya Devi.

Kirtivarman II assumed the titles of Maharajadhiraja, Parameshwara, Rajadhiraja, Bhattarak, Sarvabhauma, Beloved of the Earth, King of Kings, Nripasimha and Anivarit.

* An inscription of Kirtivarman II was found from a place called Vakkaleri in Karnataka.

The Pattadakal inscription of Kirtivarman II is considered the most important because it contains the names of Queen Lokamaha Devi and Trailokya Devi.

* In 753 AD, the Rashtrakuta king Dantidurga defeated Kirtivarman II and captured most of his territories, but a few years later, the Rashtrakuta king Krishna I defeated Kirtivarman II and ended the entire Chalukya dynasty of Vatapi and its entire Information is found in the Ellora inscription of Dantidurga.   

 

INTRODUCTION TO THE CHALUKYA DYNASTY OF VENGI

Vengi was situated near the town of Eluru in present-day Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. The kings who ruled in Vengi between 7th to 12th century are known as Chalukyas of Vengi or Eastern Chalukyas. The Chalukya king Pulakesin II of Badami had conquered and subjugated some parts of Andhra Pradesh and handed over the rule there to his younger brother Vishnuvardhana. Vishnuvardhana had declared himself independent after some time, the initial capital of the Chalukya dynasty of Vengi was Pishtapur (modern name Pithapuram, Andhra Pradesh), after that the capital was made at Vengi and finally Rajamahendri (Andhra Pradesh) was made the capital. | The Chalukya kings of Vengi patronized both Sanatan and Jainism, their official languages ​​were Telugu, Kannada and Sanskrit.

Historical Sources of the Chalukya Dynasty of Vengi

1. Records

*Satara donation letter – mention of Pulakeshin II making him the prince of Pishtpur.

*Pishtapur text – modern name Pithapuram, in Andhra Pradesh.

2. Literature

* Avantisundari Katha – Some historians consider poet Dandi as its author, but it cannot be said for sure.

Kiratarjuniyam Granth – Its author was Bharavi Kavi.

Vishnuvardhan

*Vishnuvardhana is considered the founder of the Chalukya dynasty of Vengi.

*Vishnuvardhan’s reign was probably between 615 – 633 or   624 – 641 AD.

*Vishnuvardhana is called Kubja Vishnuvardhana in Chalukya texts.

* Poet Bharavi lived in the court of Vishnuvardhan.

* The titles of Prince of the Earth, Prithvi Vallabh, Makardhwaj, Vishmasiddhi were assumed by Vishnu Vardhan.

* Immense donation was made to the famous Jain temple of Bezwada (modern name Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh) by Vishnuvardhana’s queen Ayyana Mahadevi.

* After Vishnuvardhan, Jai Singh I , Indravarman , Vishnuvardhan II , Sarvalokashraya or Vijay Singh , Jai Singh II , Kokul Vikramaditya , Vishnuvardhan III , Vijayaditya I and Vishnuvardhan IV became kings.

*Vishnuvardhan IV ruled between 764-799 AD, but in 769 AD the Rashtrakuta kings defeated Vishnuvardhan IV and took him under their control and from 769 AD to 799 AD, Vishnuvardhan IV was only a nominal king. But the real power remained in the hands of the Rashtrakuta kings.

* After Vishnuvardhan, Vijayaditya II and Vishnuvardhan became the fifth king.

Vijayaditya III

* The reign of Vijayaditya III was probably in the middle of 848 – 892 AD.

* Vijayaditya III is considered the most powerful and great king of the Chalukya dynasty of Vengi.

* Vijayaditya III defeated the Pallava, Pandya, Southern Kosala, Kalinga, Kalachuri and Rashtrakuta kings and made his entire empire independent again.

* After Vijayaditya III , Bhima I, Vijayaditya IV, Amma I, Vijayaditya V, Tala I, Vikramaditya II , Bhima II and Yuddhamalla II became kings.

*The Rashtrakuta kings had become completely powerful during the reign of Yudhamalla II and after Yudhamalla II, Bhima III , Amma II , Badapa , Tala II , again Amma II , Danaranava and Chauda Bhima became kings.

 * With the help of Chola king Rajpal , Shaktivarman I (son of Danaranav) took over Vengi in 999 AD and started running his rule under Chola kings. After some time, due to internal dissension, the Chalukyas of Vengi ceased to exist at the end of the 10th century .

INTRODUCTION TO CHALUKYA DYNASTY OF KALYANI

In our country there were 4 dynasties named Chalukyas – Chalukyas of Gujarat, Chalukyas of Vatapi, Chalukyas of Vengi and Chalukyas of Kalyani . The oldest of these is considered to be the Chalukya dynasty of Vatapi. Tailapa II was initially a feudatory of the Rashtrakuta king Karka II and Tailapa II defeated him and established the Chalukya dynasty of Kalyani. Tailapa II had his capital at Manyakheta (modern Malkheda, Karnataka) and the Chalukya kings of Kalyani are also known as Western Chalukyas.  

historical source

record

• Chiplun inscription – This inscription is of Satyashraya which was received from Ratnagiri in Maharashtra and it has been mentioned to give donation to a sage-saint.
• Nilgund inscription – The initial history of the Chalukya dynasty of Kalyani is found in this inscription.
• Kauthem inscription – This inscription belongs to Vikramaditya V and the events of his reign are mentioned in it.
• Terdal inscription – This inscription is of Vikramaditya VI and it tells about the origin of Chalukya dynasty.

Literature

• Vikramankadeva Charita – This book was composed by Vilhana.
• Gadayudha – This is the text of Kannada poet Ranna and information about the reign of Satyasraya has been provided in it.
• Mitakshara – This book was composed by Vigyaneshwar.
• Mansollas – It was composed by Someshwar III.
• Prabandhachintamani – It was composed by Merutunga.

Tailap II

• Tailapa II is considered the founder of the Chalukya dynasty of Kalyani.
• The reign of Tailap II was probably in the middle of 973 – 997 AD.
• Tailapa II’s father’s name was Vikramaditya IV and mother’s name was Bontha Devi.
• Tailap II made his capital at Manyakhet.
• Tailapa II assumed the title of Ashwamala.
• Merutunga, the author of Prabandhachintamani, lived in the court of Tailapa II.

Satyashraya

• Satyashraya was the son and successor of Tailapa II.
• The reign of Satyashraya was probably in the middle of 997 – 1006 AD.
• Satyashray had defeated the Pratihara king Chamundaraj.
• Satyashraya was a weak king.

Vikramaditya V

• Vikramaditya V was the nephew and successor of Satyashraya.
• The reign of Vikramaditya V was probably in the middle of 1006 – 1015 AD.
• Vikramaditya V has been described as a charitable king in his writings.
• Vikramaditya V had defeated the Paramara king Bhoja I.

Jaisingh II

• Jaisingh II was the brother and successor of Vikramaditya V.
• The reign of Jaisingh II was probably in the middle of 1015 – 1043 AD.
• Jaisingh II was defeated by Paramara king Bhoj and took over the territory of Konkan.

Someshwar I

• Someshwar I was the son and successor of Jaisingh II.
• The reign of Someshwar I was probably in the middle of 1043 – 1068 AD.
• According to the Naded inscription, Someshwar I had defeated the kings of Magadha and Kalyani.
• Someshwar I shifted his capital from Manyakhet to Kalyani.
• Someshwara I committed suicide by jumping into the river after being defeated by the Chola king.

Someshwar II

• The reign of Someshwar II was probably in the middle of 1068 – 1076 AD.
• Someshwar II was defeated by the Chola king Virarajendra but had made his daughter the king of the southern part of Kalyani after marrying his daughter to Vikramaditya VI, brother of Someshwar II.
• In 1076 AD, Vikramaditya VI imprisoned Someshwar II and himself became the king of the entire Kalyani kingdom.

Vikramaditya VI

• The reign of Vikramaditya VI was probably in the middle of 1076 – 1126 AD.
• Vikramaditya VI is considered the most powerful and great king of the Chalukya dynasty of Kalyani.
• Vikramaditya VI established a city named Vikrampur and built a temple of Lord Vishnu and a lake there.
• Vikramaditya VI assumed the titles of Vikramanka and Tribhuvanamal.
• Vigyaneshwar, the author of the Mitakshara text, lived in the court of Vikramaditya VI.
• After Vikramaditya VI, Someshvara III (1126 – 1138 AD), Jagedaka Malla II (1138 – 1155 AD), Tailapa III (1155 – 1163 AD) and Jagadek Malla III (1163 – 1183 AD) became the kings but out of these No king could handle his empire and the empire was starting to weaken.

Someshwar IV

• Someshvara IV was the son of Tailapa III and the successor of Jagadek Malla III.
• The reign of Someshwar IV was probably in the middle of 1184 – 1200 AD.
• Someshvara IV was considered to be the last king of the Chalukya dynasty of Kalyani.
• Someshwar IV assumed the title of Kalachurya Kul Nirmulata.
• In 1189 AD, the Yadava dynasty king defeated Someshwar IV and forced him to leave Kalyani and Someshwar IV spent the rest of his life as a vassal in Goa.  

INTRODUCTION TO RASHTRAKUTA DYNASTY

Historians are not of one opinion regarding the ‘origin of the Rashtrakuta dynasty’, but in the ‘Nausari inscription’ of the Rashtrakuta king Indra III, he has been described as belonging to the Ratath clan . The early Rashtrakuta kings were feudatories of the Chalukya kings of Vatapi/Badami and Dantidurga was appointed as a feudatory by the Chalukya king Vikramaditya II in AD 735 . In 753 AD, Dantidurga defeated Kirtivarman II, the last king of the Chalukya dynasty, and declared himself an independent king .

Rashtrakuta dynasty was ‘established’ by Dantidurga whose initial capital was in Mayurkhidi but later Amoghavarsha I made Manyakhet (modern name Malkheda, Karnataka) the capital . The kings of Rashtrakuta dynasty were Sanatan Jains and Buddhists, followers of all the three religions, whose direct evidence is seen in the caves of Ellora and the ‘official language of Rashtrakuta dynasty’ was Kannada and Sanskrit . There were a total of 15 kings in the Rashtrakuta dynasty who ruled between 735 – 982 AD .

Historical sources of Rashtrakuta dynasty

record

1. Ellora inscription – This inscription is from Dantidurga, in which information regarding the establishment of the Rashtrakuta dynasty has been given .

2. Samantgarh inscription – This inscription is also of Dantidurga, in which the initial information about the reign of Dantidurga has been given .

3. Baroda inscription – This inscription belongs to Krishna I and it discusses the beauty of the Kailash temple at Ellora .

4. Nausari inscription – This inscription is of Indra III, in which the Rashtrakuta kings have been described as belonging to the Ratath clan .

Literature

1. Kaviraj Marg – This book was composed by the Rashtrakuta king Amoghavarsha .

2. Prashnottar Malika – This book was also composed by the Rashtrakuta king Amoghavarsha .

3. Amoghavritti – This book was composed by Saktayana .

4. Shanti Purana – This book was composed by poet Ponna .

5. Adi Purana – This book was composed by Jain Acharya Jinsen .

6. Rajvartika – This book was composed by Jain Acharya Aklank Bhatt .

7. Ganitsara Sangrah – This book was composed by Mahaviracharya .    

Dantidurg

* Dantidurga is considered to be the first independent king of the Rashtrakuta dynasty .

* Dantidurga’s reign as a feudatory was in the middle of 735 – 753 AD .

*Dantidurga’s reign as an independent king was between 753 – 758 AD .

Rashtrakuta dynasty was established by defeating the last Chalukya king Kirtivarman II of Vatapi/Badami through Dantidurga , that is why Dantidurga is considered the founder of Rashtrakuta dynasty .

* Dantidurga was given the title of Prithvivallabha by the Chalukya king Kirtivarman II .

* Dantidurga assumed the titles of Parambhattaraka, Maharajadhiraja and Parameshwara .

*Dantidurga made his capital at Mayurkhidi (in Maharashtra) .

* Dantidurga had organized Hiranyagarbha Daan Mahayagya in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh which is also known as Mahadan .

krishna first

Krishna I was the successor of Dantidurga .

* The reign of Krishna I was probably in the middle of 758 – 773 AD .

*Krishna I had completely abolished the Chalukya dynasty of Vatapi / Badami and took over the entire Chalukya dynasty .

*Krishna I had also subdued the Ganga kingdom of Mysore .

*Krishna I is considered the first powerful and great king of the Rashtrakuta dynasty .

* ‘Silver coins’ were introduced by Krishna I.

*Krishna I assumed the title of Rajadhiraj Parmeshwar .

Jain Acharya Aklank Bhatt, the author of ‘Rajvartik Granth’ lived in the court of Krishna I.

* The famous ‘Kailash Temple ‘ of Ellora was built by Krishna I.

* ‘Caves of Ellora’ are in Aurangabad district of modern Maharashtra, which has a total of 34 caves . Caves 1-12 are Buddhist, 13-29 are Hindu and 30-34 are Jain caves and they have been considered as ‘World Heritage Site’ by UNESCO .

Govind II

*Govind II was the son and successor of Krishna I.

* ‘The reign of Govind II’ was probably in the middle of 773 – 780 AD .

*Govind II defeated the Chalukya kings of Vengi .

According to the Dhulia donation letter, Govind II had handed over the rule of Nashik and Khandesh to his younger brother Dhruva .

Dhruv Nirupam

* ‘Dhruv’s reign’ was probably in the middle of 780 – 793 AD .

* Dhruva is mentioned in the ‘Dhulia donation letter’ .

* Dhruva is also known as ‘Dharavarsha’ .

Dhruva had defeated King Dantivarman of Pallava dynasty, Chalukya king Vishnuvardhana IV of Vengi, King Vatsaraja of Pratihara dynasty and Pala dynasty king Dharmapala of Bengal .

* Dhruva had participated in the tripartite struggle of Kannauj but historians are not of the same opinion on who had won the ‘tripartite struggle’ because some historians believe that Dhruva had won in the tripartite struggle but this is not completely true .

* After the tripartite struggle, neither Dhruva nor Pratihar King Vatsaraj had the right over Kannauj, that is why it cannot be said with certainty who won in the tripartite struggle .

*According to the Radhenpur copper plate article, Dhruv had 4 sons Stambha, Karka, Govind and Indra .

Govind III

* ‘The reign of Govind III’ was probably in the middle of 793 – 814 AD .

* Govind III also participated in the tripartite struggle of Kannauj like his father and Govind III was victorious in this .

  * Govind III had expanded the boundaries of his empire by defeating the Pallava, Pandya, Kerala and Gang dynasty kings .

* Govind III is considered a powerful and great king of the Rashtrakuta dynasty .

Amoghavarsha first

* ‘The reign of Amoghavarsha I’ was probably in the middle of 814 – 878 AD .

* ‘Manyakhet’ (modern name Malkheda , Karnataka) was settled by Amoghavarsha I.

* Amoghavarsha I had made his ‘capital’ in Manyakhet .

Amoghavarsha was the first follower of Jainism .

*The Guru of Amoghavarsha I was Jain Acharya Jinsen .

* ‘Kaviraj Marga ‘ and Prashnottar Malika Granth were composed in Kannada language by Amoghavarsha I.

*In the court of Amoghavarsha I lived Jinsen, the author of Adi Purana, Saktayana, the author of Amoghavritti and Mahaviracharya, the author of Ganitasar collection .

* Amoghavarsha I had sacrificed his life through water samadhi .

Krishna II

Krishna II was the son and successor of Amoghavarsha I.

* The reign of Krishna II was probably in the middle of 878 – 914 AD .

The entire reign of Krishna II was spent in conflict with the Chalukya dynasty kings .

*Krishna II had conquered Malwa and Kathiawar .

*Krishna II is considered the weak king of the Rashtrakuta dynasty .

Indra III

* The reign of Indra III was probably in the middle of 914 – 927 AD .

* Indra III attacked Kannauj and created a lot of loot .

* During the reign of Indra III, the famous ‘Arab traveler Alamsudi’ had traveled to India and he has described Indra III as the best king of India in his writings .

* After Indra III, Amoghavarsha II, Govind IV and Amoghavarsha III became kings, but none of these kings became powerful .

Krishna III

* The reign of Krishna III was probably in the middle of 939 – 967 AD .

*The title of Akal Varsha was assumed by Krishna III .

Krishna III assumed the title of ‘Tanjayakonda’ after conquering Kanchi and Tanjore .

*Krishna III defeated the Chola dynasty king Parantaka I and got a beautiful temple and a ‘Victory Pillar’ constructed at Rameshwaram .

Ponna, the author of ‘Shanti Purana’ lived in the court of Krishna III .

*Krishna III is considered to be the last powerful and great king of the Rashtrakuta dynasty .

* After Krishna III, Khottiga or Amoghavarsha became the fourth king, whose reign was probably in the middle of 967 – 972 AD .

Karka II

* The reign of Karka II was probably in the middle of 972 – 975 AD .

* Karka II was a weak king and during his reign the Rashtrakuta Empire had become very weak, Tailapa II took advantage of this and   by defeating Karka II had ‘established the Chalukya dynasty of Kalyani’ .

* ‘The last king of the Rashtrakuta dynasty’ is considered to be Indra IV, whose reign was probably in the middle of 975 – 982 AD .

INTRODUCTION TO PALLAVA DYNASTY

Historians are not of the same opinion regarding the origin of Pallava dynasty because some historians consider them as Brahmins and some historians consider them as Kshatriyas, but in the Guntur inscription of King Shivaskanda Varman of Pallava dynasty, they have been described as Kshatriyas . The ‘ early kings ‘ of the Pallava dynasty were feudatories of the Gupta kings, but after the fall of the Gupta dynasty, the Pallava kings declared themselves independent . Due to the non-availability of the history of the early kings of the Pallava dynasty, historians have started the history of this dynasty from the reign of Singhvishnu and have also given the credit of ‘ establishing the Pallava dynasty ‘ to Singhvishnu . ‘ Capital of the Pallava dynasty ‘ Kanchi (Kanchipuram ,Tamil Nadu) and the kings of this dynasty gave their shelter to both Sanatana Dharma and Buddhism . The word Tondiar of Tamil language is called Pallava in Sanskrit, hence this dynasty is known as Pallava dynasty and the ‘ official language of Pallava dynasty ‘ was Tamil , Telugu and Sanskrit .

Historical Sources of the Pallava Dynasty

record

1. Guntur inscription – This inscription belongs to King Sivaskanda Varman , in this he has been described as a Kshatriya king .

2. Valur inscription – This inscription belongs to Simhavishnu and his victories are mentioned in it .

3. Mandagupyal inscription – This inscription belongs to Mahendra Varman , the construction of the temple has been mentioned in it .

4. Talgund inscription – The initial history of Pallava dynasty is found in this inscription .

Literature

1. Matvilas Prahasana – This book was composed by Mahendra Varman .

2. Bhagavadajjukiyam – This book was also composed by Mahendra Varman .

3. Kudmimalay – This book was also composed by Mahendra Varman .

4. Dashakumarcharit – Poet Dandin was the creator of this book .

5. Katyadarsh ​​- It was composed by poet Dandin only .

5. Kiratarjuniyam – This book was composed by poet Bharavi .

Singhvishnu

* Simhavishnu is considered to be the ‘ real founder of the Pallava dynasty ‘ .

* The reign of Singhvishnu was probably in the middle of 575 – 600 AD .

* Singh Vishnu was also known as Avani Singh and Vishnuyottar .

* Bharavi, the creator of ‘ Kiratarjuniyam Granth ‘ lived in the court of Singhvishnu .

* During the reign of Simhavishnu, the famous center of art was in Mamallapuram (modern name Mahabalipuram , Tamil Nadu) .

* Adivaraha Guha temples in Mamallapuram were built by Simhavishnu .

Mahendravarman I

* Mahendravarman I was the son and successor of Simhavishnu .

* The reign of Mahendravarman I was probably in the middle of 600 – 630 AD .

* Mahendravarman I assumed the titles of Matavilas , Gunabhar , Shatrumalla and Liltankur .

* Mahendravarman was also the first poet and singer and it was by him that the texts named ‘ Matavilas Prahasana ‘ , ‘ Bhagavadajjukiyam ‘ and ‘ Kudmimalay ‘ were composed .

* Many temples were built by Mahendravarman I in Tiruchirappalli , Chingilput and Arcot .

* Mahendravarman I is considered to be the ‘ birther of Mahendra style ‘ .

* Mahendravarman I had built a city named Mahendravarman and had also built a beautiful lake there .

A fierce battle took place near Kanchipuram between Mahendravarman I and the Chalukya king Pulakeshin II of Vatapi in which neither king had a clear victory but Pulakeshin II had conquered the northern regions of the Pallava kingdom and ruled there. Handed over to his younger brother Vishnuvardhana but after a few years   Vishnuvardhana established an independent kingdom there which is known as ‘ Chalukya Dynasty of Vengi ‘ .

Narasimhavarman I

* Narasimhavarman I was the son and successor of Mahendravarman I.

* The reign of Narasimhavarman I was probably in the middle of 630 – 668 AD .

* Narasimhavarman I assumed the title of Mamalla .

* The city named Mamallapuram was established by Narasimhavarman I, which is today known as Mahabalipuram .

* Narasimhavarman I had built many temples in Mamallapuram, which are today known as ‘ Ratha Temple of Mahabalipuram ‘ .

* Narasimhavarman I is considered to be the ‘ father of Mamalla style ‘ .

* During the reign of Narasimhavarman I, Chinese traveler Hiuen Tsang had visited Kanchipuram .

* In 642 AD by Narasimhavarman I, the Chalukya capital Badami was attacked and there was a fierce battle with Pulakeshin II in which Pulakeshin II probably died .

* Narasimhavarman I assumed the title of ‘ Vatapikonda ‘ after defeating Pulakeshin II .

* Narasimhavarman I had also defeated Chola , Chera and Pandya kings .

* Narasimhavarman I is considered ‘ the most powerful king of the Pallava dynasty ‘ .

Mahendravarman II

Mahendravarman II was the son and successor of Narasimhavarman I.          

* The reign of Mahendravarman II was probably in the middle of 668 – 670 AD .

* The entire reign of Mahendravarman II was spent in war with Chalukya kings and in the end Mahendravarman II died in the war with Chalukya king Vikramaditya I.

Parmeshwarvarman I

* Parameshwaravarman I was the son and successor of Mahendravarman II .

* The reign of Parmeshwarvarman I was probably in the middle of 670 – 695 AD .

* Parameshwaravarman I had assumed the titles of a Malla and Lokadityu .

* Historians have not written much due to lack of clear information about the reign of Parmeshwarvarman I.

Narasimhavarman II

Narasimhavarman II was the son and successor of Parameshwaravarman I.

* The reign of Narasimhavarman II was probably in the middle of 695 – 722 AD .

* Narasimhavarman II assumed the titles of Rajasimha , Agamapriya and Shankarabhakt .

* Narasimhavarman II had ‘ built the Kailasanatha temple of Kanchipuram ‘ which is today known as ‘ Rajasiddheswara Temple ‘ and this was the ‘ beginning of Dravidian architecture ‘ .

* Narasimhavarman II also got ‘ Airavateswara Temple ‘ and ‘ Shor Temple constructed ‘ in Mamallapuram .

* Narasimhavarman II is also considered as the ‘ father of Rajasimha style ‘ .

* Dandin, the creator of Dashakumarcharit lived in the court of Narasimhavarman II .

* After Narasimhavarman II, Mahendravarman III (722 – 728 AD ) , Paramesvaravarman II (728 – 30 AD) , Nandivarman II (730 – 795 AD) , Dantivarman (795 – 847 AD) , Nandivarman III (847 – 872 ) E.) and Nripatanga Varman (872 – 882 AD) became kings but none of these kings became powerful and the Pallava empire was on its way to decline .

Aparajit Verman

* The reign of Aparajit Varman was probably in the middle of 882 – 897 AD .

* Aparajit Varman is considered to be the ‘ last king of the Pallava dynasty ‘ .

* Aparajit Varman is considered to be the ‘ father of the Aparajit style ‘ .

* Aparajit Varman was defeated by Chola king Aditya I to ‘ end the Pallava dynasty ‘ .

INTRODUCTION TO CHOLA DYNASTY

The Chola dynasty was established in very ancient times as this dynasty has been mentioned in the inscriptions of Emperor Ashoka . Due to non-availability of ‘ ancient history of Chola dynasty ‘ , historians have started the history of Chola dynasty from 9th century . The ‘ Chola dynasty ‘ was established by Vijayalaya in the 9th century, but even before Vijayalaya, there were many kings in the Chola dynasty, in which the name of Karikal is notable . The ‘ early capital ‘ of the Chola dynasty was at Puhar, now known as Pumpuhar, in the Mayiladuthurai district of Tamil Nadu .

After Puhar, Uraiyur was made the capital which is today known as Vorayyur which is near Trichurpalli district of Tamil Nadu . After Uraiyur, Tanjore was made the capital, which is today known as Thanjabur, which is located on the east coast of Tamil Nadu . After Tanjore, Gangekondacholapuram was made the capital which is in Trichurapalli district of Tamil Nadu . The tiger is the official symbol of the Chola dynasty, which can still be seen on their flag . The official language of the ‘ Chola dynasty ‘ was Tamil and Sanskrit, but the ‘ records of the Chola kings ‘ have been received in Tamil , Telugu and Sanskrit languages .

Historical Sources of the Chola Dynasty

record

1. Second and seventh record of Emperor Ashoka –

2. Tanjore Temple article – This article belongs to Rajaraja I and some incidents of his reign have been mentioned in it .

3. Thiruvendipuram inscription – This inscription belongs to Rajaraja III and mentions the rise of the Chola dynasty in it .

4. Manimangalam inscription – This inscription belongs to Rajadhiraja I and it mentions the conquest of Sri Lanka .   

 Literature

1. Periyapuranam – This text was composed by the poet Shekkilar and describes some incidents during the reign of the Chola king Kulotunga II .

2. Veerasheliam – This text was composed by Buddhist scholar Buddhamitra and Tamil grammar has been mentioned in it .

3. Jeevan Chintamani – This book was composed by Jain scholar Tirutkadevar .

4. Mahavamsam – This is a Buddhist one and it also mentions the Chola kings .

Vijayalaya

* Vijayalaya is considered the ‘ founder of the Chola dynasty ‘ .

* The reign of Vijayalaya was probably in the middle of 850 – 871 AD .

* Vijayalaya had assumed the title of ‘ Narkesari ‘ .

Vijayalaya shifted the capital from Uraiyur to Tanjore .

* ‘ The temple of Nishambhasudini Devi ‘ was built by Vijayalaya .

Aditya I  

Aditya I was the son and successor of Vijayalaya .

* The reign of Aditya I was probably in the middle of 871 – 907 AD .

Aditya I ended the entire Pallava dynasty by defeating Aparajit Varman, the last king of the Pallava dynasty .

* Aditya I is considered the ‘ real founder of the Chola dynasty ‘ .

* Aditya I was the first independent king of the Chola dynasty as his father Vijayalaya was a feudatory of the Pallava kings .

* Aditya I had assumed the title of ‘ Kodandarama ‘ .

* Many temples were built in Tanjore by Aditya I.

parantak first

Parantaka I was the son and successor of Aditya I.

* The reign of Parantak I was probably in the middle of 907 – 953 AD .

* Parantaka I had assumed the title of ‘ Maduraikonda ‘ after defeating the Pandya king .

* The Chidambaram temple at Tanjore was built by Parantaka I and the gold roof over the ‘ Nataraja idol ‘ was also built at the same time .

* Parantak I had assumed the title of ‘ Tanjeyakonda ‘ .

* During the reign of Parantaka I, ‘ Rashtrakuta King Krishna III ‘ along with Ganga Raja attacked the ‘ Chola Empire ‘ and there was a fierce battle between the two armies at a place called Takkolam, but Parantaka I was badly defeated in this war .

* After Parantaka I, Sundar Chola (953 – 957 AD) , Parantaka II (957 – 985 AD) became king .

Rajaraja I

* The reign of Rajaraja I was probably in the middle of 985 – 1014 AD .

* Rajaraja I defeated the Ganga dynasty , the Chalukya dynasty of Vengi , the Pandyas of Madura and the Chera kings of Kerala .

* Rajaraja I had taken control of Sri Lanka and its surrounding countries by building a navy .

* Rajaraja I had assumed the title of ‘ Shivpad Shekhar ‘ .

* Rajaraja I is considered the ‘ first great king of the Chola dynasty ‘ because during his reign the boundaries of the Chola Empire extended to Sri Lankan regions .

* Rajaraja I is considered the first king to ‘ build a navy in South India ‘ .

* The construction of ‘ Rajarajeswara Temple ‘ in Tanjore was done by Rajaraja I, which is today known as Brihadeswara Temple, which is considered to be the best example of Tamil architecture .

* Rajaraj was the first religiously tolerant king, he had also built Buddhist monasteries .

Rajendra I

* Rajendra I was the son and successor of Rajaraja I.

* The reign of Rajendra I was probably in the middle of 1014 – 1044 AD .

* Rajendra I had built a bigger empire than his father Rajaraja I by taking over Pandya , Chera , Sri Lanka and its surrounding countries .

* Rajendra I is considered the most powerful and great king of the Chola dynasty .

* Guru of Rajendra I was ‘ Shaivite Ishanshiv ‘ .

Rajendra I is considered to be the first king to establish the supremacy of the Navy in the Arabian Sea .

* Rajendra I made it his capital by establishing a city called Gangaikondacholapuram, but before that the capital was in Tanjore .

* Many temples in Gangeikondacholapuram were built by Rajendra I.

* The titles of Veer Rajendra , Parakeshari Varman , Mundigonda Chola , Pandit Chola , Kadar Kond , Gangeikonda Chola etc. were held by Rajendra I.

Rajadhiraja I

* Rajadhiraja I was the son and successor of Rajendra I.

* The reign of Rajadhiraj I was probably in the middle of 1044 – 1052 AD .

* Rajadhiraja I assumed the title of Vijayarajendra .

* 1052 AD Rajadhiraja I was killed in a battle with the Chalukya king Someshvara of Kalyani .

Rajendra II

Rajendra II was the brother and successor of Rajadhiraja I.

* The reign of Rajendra II was probably between 1052 – 1062 .

* Rajendra II had got ‘ Jaystambha’ built in Kolhapur .

* Rajendra II had assumed the title of ‘ Prakesari ‘ .

Veer Rajendra

* The reign of Veer Rajendra was probably between 1062 – 1067 .

* Veer Rajendra was the brother and successor of Rajendra II .

* Veer Rajendra had assumed the title of ‘ Rajkesari ‘ .

* Veer Rajendra married his daughter to the Chalukya dynasty king of Kalyani .

* After Veer Rajendra, Adhirajendra became the king, whose reign was probably in the middle of 1067-1070 .

Kulottunga I

Kulottunga I was the brother-in-law and successor of Adhirajendra .

* The reign of Kulottunga I was probably in the middle of 1070 – 1120 AD .

* Kulottunga I married his daughter to the prince of Sri Lanka .

* Kulottunga I assumed the title of Shungmatartit .

* After Kulottunga I, Vikrama Chola (1120 – 1133 AD) , Kulottunga II (1133 – 1150 AD) , Rajaraja II (1150 – 1173 AD) , Rajadhiraja II (1173 – 1182 AD) , Kulottunga III (1182 – 1216 AD) and Rajadhiraja III (1216 – 1250 AD) became kings but none of them became powerful kings .

Rajendra III

* The reign of Rajendra III was probably in the middle of 1250 – 1279 AD .

* Rajendra III is considered to be the ‘ last king of the Chola dynasty ‘ .

* After defeating Rajendra III, the Pandya king had taken over the entire Chola empire .

Chola administration and culture

* In the Chola period, the position of the king was hereditary and only the eldest son was chosen as the crown prince .

* In the Chola period, the officer who did the administrative work of the king was called Aule .

During the Chola period, higher officials were called Pesandaram and lower officials were called Sherutaram .

* The king’s bodyguards in the Chola period were called Velaik Kara .

Land tax was the main source of income of the state during the Chola period .

* The entire Chola kingdom was divided into 6 provinces (mandalas) and the provinces were divided into mandals , mandals into kottams , kottams into nadus and nadus into kurrams .

* In the Chola period, 1/3rd of the land tax produce was taken, but in the reign of Rajaraja I, 1/2th was taken .

* During the Chola period both ‘ Devdasi ‘ and ‘ Das Pratha ‘ were prevalent .  

* The main feature of Chola sculpture was the making of bronze sculptures , in which the bronze statue of Nataraja is considered the best .

* The tax-free land given to Brahmins during the Chola period was known as ‘ Chaturvedi Mangalam ‘ .

* The creator of the Kalingatuparni book was ‘ Jaygondar ‘ who lived in the court of Kulottunga I.

Pugalendi , Oottakkuttan and Kamban are considered as Triratna of Tamil literature .

* The style of architecture adopted during the Chola period is known as ‘ Dravidian style ‘ .

 HISTORY OF MAHMUD GHAZNAVI

tarikh e yamini

The ‘ Tarikh- e-Yamini ‘ was composed in Arabic by Al-Utbi, the court poet of Mahmud Ghaznavi . In the book Tarikh-e-Yamini, the early history of Mahmud Ghaznavi’s father Subuktagin and Mahmud Ghaznavi has been mentioned .

tarikh e masoodi

The book ‘ Tariq-e-Masudi’ was composed by ‘Abul Fazl Muhammad bin Hussain al Baihaqi’ , the court poet of Mahmud Ghaznavi . The details of Mahmood Ghaznavi’s court have been mentioned in detail in the book Tarikh-e-Masoodi .

Shahnama

The ‘ Shahnama’ was composed in the Persian language by the court poet of Mahmud Ghaznavi, Firdaus, and in this book the goodness and evils of Mahmud Ghaznavi have been mentioned . First of all, the Persian language was used in the Shahnama book itself, that is why Firdaus, the creator of this book, is also considered as the ‘ poet who laid the foundation of the Persian language ‘ .

tehkeek e hind

‘ Tahqiq-e-Hind’ was composed by Alberuni in Arabic language and ‘ Alberuni’s real name ‘ was Abu Rayhan . Tehqiq-e-Hind is also known as Kitab-ul-Hind and it gives a good description of the society and culture of India . The translation of ‘ Tahkeek-e-Hind’ in English was done by Sachau and the translation in Hindi was done by Rajnikant Sharma .

 Introduction to Mahmud Ghaznavi

* ‘ Mahmud Ghaznavi was born ‘ on 1 or 2 November 971 AD in Ghazni, Afghanistan .

Mahmud Ghaznavi’s father’s name was Subuktagin who was the ruler of Ghazni .

* The full name of Mahmud Ghaznavi was ‘ Yameen ud Daulah Abdul Qasim Mahmud ibn Subuktgin ‘ .

* Mahmud Ghaznavi was also called ‘Mahmud of Jabuli’ because his mother was the daughter of the ruler of Jabulistan .

* The religion of Mahmud Ghaznavi was Sunni Islam .

* ‘ The reign of Mahmud Ghaznavi ‘ was in the middle of 997 – 1030 AD .

* Mahmud Ghaznavi had assumed the titles of Sultan and Yameen ul Millat .

* ‘ Coronation of Mahmud Ghaznavi ‘ probably took place in 1002 AD because he was not happy with the empire divided by his father . Mahmud Ghaznavi defeated his younger brother Ismail and took his entire empire under his control .

History of Mahmud Ghaznavi

* After becoming the ruler, Mahmud Ghaznavi first defeated Khalp bin Ahmad, the ruler of Sistan and took over his entire empire .

Mahmud Ghaznavi assumed the title of Sultan after the Sistan victory .

* Mahmud Ghaznavi is considered the first Muslim ruler to hold the title of Sultan .

* Mahmud Ghaznavi had conquered Herat , Balkh , Sistan and Khorasan .

* Khalifa Al Qadir Billah of Baghdad had given Mahmood Ghaznavi the title of ‘ Yamin ul Millat ‘ (protector of religion) .

* ‘ Amir Mahmud ‘ is written on the initial coins issued by Mahmud Ghaznavi .

* Historians have described Mahmood Ghaznavi’s attacks on India as greed for money but Mahmood Ghaznavi’s court poet Al Utbi has given the name of Jihad (religious war) .

* According to Henry Elliot, ‘ Mahmood Ghaznavi had invaded India 17 times ‘ but some historians do not agree with this opinion .

Mahmud Ghaznavi’s invasion of India

first attack

Mahmud Ghaznavi first attacked the states around his empire in 1000 AD, in which some states were also conquered .

second attack

Mahmud Ghaznavi made the second attack in 1001 AD against the Hindushahi king Jaipal of Punjab . The war between the two armies near Peshawar in which Jaipal was defeated and Jaipal committed suicide due to not being able to bear the humiliation of the defeat .

third attack

Mahmud Ghaznavi’s third attack was against Raja Bajra (real name Bajiram) of Bhera (present name Uchch) in 1003-4 AD

fourth attack

Mahmood Ghaznavi’s fourth attack was against Fateh Daud, the Shia ruler of Multan in 1005 AD .

fifth attack

Mahmud Ghaznavi’s fifth attack was against Anandpal’s son Sukhpal or Sevakpal in 1005-6 AD .

sixth attack

Mahmood Ghaznavi had made the sixth attack against the Hindushahi king Anandpal in 1008 AD, in which Anandpal had formed a union of the combined forces of Delhi , Ajmer , Ujjain , Gwalior , Kannauj , Kalinjar, but Mahmud Ghaznavi had defeated all of them .

seventh attack

Mahmud Ghaznavi’s seventh attack was against the Jwala Devi temple of Nagarkot in 1009-10 AD, in which Jwala Devi’s temple   was badly looted by Mahmud Ghaznavi .

eighth attack

Mahmud Ghaznavi made the eighth attack against Multan again in 1011 AD .

ninth attack

Mahmud Ghaznavi’s ninth attack was in 1012 AD against the Chakraswamy temple located in Thaneshwar, Haryana, in which Mahmud Ghaznavi looted the temple .

the tenth attack

Mahmud Ghaznavi made the tenth attack against Hindushahi king Trilochanpal of Lahore and at that time the capital of Hindushahi dynasty was in Nandanpur .

the eleventh attack

Mahmud Ghaznavi made the eleventh attack against Kashmir in 1015 AD, which was an unsuccessful attack .

twelfth attack

Mahmud Ghaznavi’s twelfth attack was against the Pratihar king Trilochanpal of Kannauj in 1018 AD, but before that Mahmud had looted Bulandshahr , Mathura and Vrindavan .

the thirteenth attack

Mahmud Ghaznavi’s thirteenth attack was in 1019 AD against King Vidyadhar Rao of Kalinjar .

the fourteenth attack

Mahmud Ghaznavi made the fourteenth attack against Punjab in 1020 AD because at that time there was no king in Punjab and disorder was spread there . Mahmud Ghaznavi issued coins in Punjab on which the image of a horse rider and Nandi was drawn . Mahmud Ghaznavi was the first to issue Indian style coins, which are also known as Dilliwala .

the fifteenth attack

Mahmud Ghaznavi’s fifteenth attack was against Gwalior and then Kalinjar in 1022 AD .

the sixteenth invasion

Mahmud Ghaznavi made the sixteenth attack against the Somnath temple located in Gujarat in 1025 AD, in which the Somnath temple was badly looted by Mahmud and finally the idol was broken . The sandalwood door in the Somnath temple was also uprooted by Mahmud, but was brought back from Afghanistan during the British rule, which is today kept in the Red Fort of Agra .

the seventeenth attack

Mahmud Ghaznavi had made the seventeenth attack against the Jat kings of Sindh in 1027 AD, in which Mahmud Ghaznavi had badly driven the Jat kings out of Sindh .

Court poet of Mahmud Ghaznavi

Alberuni , Firdaus , Unsuri , Al-Utbi , Baihaqi and Farukhi lived in the court of Mahmud Ghaznavi, but only Al-Utbi was given the royal status .

Death of Mahmud Ghaznavi

Mahmud Ghaznavi died on 30 April 1030 AD in Ghazni, Afghanistan and was also buried there . The tomb of Mahmud Ghaznavi is in Ghazni itself . 

INTRODUCTION OF CHAUHAN DYNASTY

Chauhan dynasty is considered ‘ India’s most famous dynasty ‘ but historians are not of one opinion regarding its origin . According to famous texts like Hammir Mahakavya , Vansh Bhaskar , Prithviraj Raso , ‘ Chauhan dynasty’ originated from ‘Agnikund’ but according to ‘ Sevdi copper plate article ‘ and ‘ Baral inscription ‘ , ‘ Chauhan dynasty was established by a person named Chahamana . In the book ‘ History of Rajasthan ‘ written by historian James TodVasudev has been considered the ‘ founder of the Chauhan dynasty ‘ . There were many branches of the Chauhan dynasty, in which the branch of Shakambhari is considered the most prominent . The history of the early kings of the Chauhan dynasty is not available, hence not much information is available about their reign.

Historical Sources of Chauhan Dynasty

record

1. Sevdi copper plate article – This article is of Raja Ratanpal Singh which is believed to be around 1119 AD and mentions the origin of the Chauhan dynasty . In this, a king named Chahamana has been described as the founder of the Chauhan dynasty .

2. Ajmer inscription – In this inscription engraved by Vigraharaj IV, the origin of the Chauhan dynasty was told from the Ikshvaku dynasty of Shriram .

3. Bijolia inscription – This inscription , engraved by Someshwar Dev in 1170 AD , also tells about the origin of the Chauhan dynasty .

4. Baral inscription – In this inscription engraved by Prithviraj Chauhan in 1178 AD , the founder of the dynasty of Chauhan dynasty has been told to a king named Chahamana and Chahamana has been called Surya dynasty king .

Material

1. Vansh Bhaskar – This book was composed by the poet Suryamall and in it the origin of the Chauhan dynasty has been told from Agnikund .

2. Hammir Mahakavya – This book was composed by Nayanchandra Suri and in this also the origin of Chauhan dynasty has been told from Agnikund .

3. Prithvirajraso – This book was composed by Chandrabardai and in this also the origin of the Chauhan dynasty has been told from Agnikund .

4. History of Rajasthan – In this book written by historian James Tod, the history of Rajputs is written and Vasudev, the founder of the Chauhan dynasty, has been told in it .

king of chauhan dynasty

* According to the Bijaulia inscription, the Chauhan dynasty was founded by Vasudev around 551 AD .

* According to the Sevdi and Baral records, the Chauhan dynasty was founded by Chahamana .

The ‘ early king of the Chauhan dynasty ‘ was a feudatory of the Pratihara dynasty .

* Ajmer city was ‘set up’ by Chauhan king Ajayraj .

* Ajayraj’s reign was probably in the middle of 1113 – 1133 AD .

* Arnoraj probably got the privilege of becoming Ajmer king in 1133 AD .

* Arnoraja assumed the titles of Maharajadhiraja , Parameshwara and Parambhattaraka .

* In Ajmer, ‘ Anasagar lake ‘ was built by Arnoraj, but later Mughal emperor Jahangir got ‘ Daulat Bagh built ‘ near this lake .

* Arnoraj was murdered by his son Jagdev .

Vigraharaja IV

* Vigraharaja IV is also known as Bisaldev .

* Vigraharaj IV had snatched Delhi from the kings of Tomar dynasty and made it his capital .

* The reign of Vigraharaja IV is considered to be the ‘ Golden Age of the Chauhan Dynasty ‘ .

* Vigraharaja IV was a scholar of Sanskrit and it was by him that the play named ‘ Harikeli ‘ was composed .

Narpati Nalha, the creator of ‘Bisaldevraso’ and Somdev, the creator of ‘ Lalitavigraharaja ‘ , lived in the court of Vigraharaja IV .

* Vigraharaj IV had built a Sanskrit school in Ajmer, which was later demolished by Qutbuddin Aiwak and built a mosque named ‘ Dhai Din Ka Jhopra ‘ , which is considered to be the ‘ first mosque of Rajasthan ‘ .

Prithvi Raj Chauhan

* ‘ Prithviraj Chauhan’s reign ‘ was probably in the middle of 1178 – 1192 AD .

* Prithviraj Chauhan is also known as Raipithora .

* Prithviraj Chauhan is considered to be the last powerful king of the Chauhan dynasty .

* Prithviraj Chauhan had defeated Paramardidev, the last king of Chandel dynasty  in 1182 AD and in this war, Paramardidev’s famous 2 generals Alha/Udal had died .

Prithviraj Chauhan’s court poet was Chandrabardai who composed a book named Prithvirajraso based on the life of Prithviraj Chauhan which mentions the special events of his reign .

* 1191 AD The ‘ First Battle of Tarain ‘ took place between Prithviraj Chauhan and Muhamad Ghori  in which Muhamad Ghori  was defeated .

* 1192 AD . In ‘ Second War of Tarain ‘ took place between Prithviraj Chauhan and Muhamad Ghori  in which Prithviraj Chauhan was defeated and he was taken prisoner .

HISTORY OF MOHAMMAD GHORI

historical facts

1. Tabaqat-e-Nasiri

‘Tabaqat-e-Nasiri‘ was composed by Minhaj Us Siraj in Persian language and important information related to India’s conquest of Mohammad Ghori has been provided in it .

2. Prithviraj Raso

‘ Prithvirajraso ‘ was composed by Prithviraj Chauhan’s court poet ‘ Chanderbardai ‘ and in that too , some history of Mohammad Ghori is found, that is why Prithvirajraso book is an important source to know the history of Mohammad Ghori .

Introduction of Mohammad Ghori

* The real name of Mohammad Ghori was ‘ Shahabuddin Mohammad Ghori ‘ .

* Mohammad Ghori was born in 1149/50 AD in Ghor province of Afghanistan .

* The reign of Mohammad Ghori was between 1173 – 1206 AD .

 * Mohammad Ghori’s reign as an independent ruler was between 1202 – 1206 AD .

* Mohammad Ghori was a follower of ‘ Sunni Islam ‘ religion .

* The official language of Mohammad Ghori was Persian .

History of Mohammad Ghori

* Mohammad Ghori was the ruler of Ghor province located in modern Afghanistan .

* Mohammad Ghori had received the throne of Ghazni in 1173 by holding the title of ‘ Muizzuddin ‘ .

* In 1173 itself, Mohammad Ghori’s elder brother Ghiyasuddin became the ruler of Ghor province .

* Mohammad Ghori was the ruler of Ghazni from 1173 to 1202 under his elder brother Ghiyasuddin .

* Mohammad Ghori was the ruler of Ghor province as an independent ruler from 1202 to 1206 .

* Mohammad Ghori assumed the title of ‘ Sultan ‘ in 1202 after the death of Ghiyasuddin .

* Mohammad Ghori was the ruler of ‘ Shanswani dynasty ‘ but some historians have considered him as the ruler of ‘ Ghor dynasty ‘ .

* Order of the capitals of Muhammad Ghori 1. Firozkoh 2. Herat   3. Ghazni   4. Lahore .

The conquest of India by Muhammad Ghori

* Mohammad Ghori made the first attack against Multan in 1175, in which he defeated the Shia ruler there and won and at the same time some areas of Sindh were also captured .

* Mohammad Ghori did the second attack against Bhera (modern Uchch) in 1176 and the queen herself   poisoned her king and killed him .

* In 1178 AD, Mohammad Ghori had attacked against Mulraj II , the Solanki king of Anhilwada, in which Bhima II, under the leadership of his mother Nayika Devi, badly defeated Mohammad Ghori near Mount Abu .

* Among all the Indian kings, Mulraj II was the first king who defeated Mohammad Ghori .

* In 1179 AD, Mohammad Ghori conquered Peshawar and at that time Peshawar was under the king of Punjab .

* In 1186 AD, Mohammad Ghori attacked against Khusro Malik, the ruler of Lahore, in which Khusro Malik was taken prisoner .

* Khusro Malik was the ‘ last ruler of the Ghaznavid dynasty ‘ and from here the Ghaznavid dynasty ended completely .

* In 1189 , the forts of Tabarhind (Bhatinda) were captured by Mohammad Ghori .

* In 1191 , the ‘ First War of Tarain ‘ took place between Mohammad Ghori and Prithviraj Chauhan , in which Prithviraj Chauhan defeated Mohammad Ghori badly and chased him away .

* After being defeated in the first battle of Tarain, Mohammad Ghori along with his generals trained in war skills for one year .  

* In 1192 , the ‘ second war of Tarain ‘ again took place between Mohammad Ghori and Prithviraj Chauhan , in which Prithviraj was accompanied by Govind Rai , Khande Rai , Badmasha Rawal etc. Mohammad Ghori was accompanied by Kharbak , Elah , Kharmel , Mukalba , Qutubuddin Aiwak , Qubacha , Tajuddin Yalduz etc. There was a war between the two armies in which Prithviraj Chauhan’s army could not stand in front of Mohammad Ghori’s trained army and he was defeated in the war . Prithviraj Chauhan was taken prisoner near Sirsa, located in modern Haryana .

* Historians are not of one opinion regarding what happened to Prithviraj Chauhan after this .

* The Tarain war has been described by Minhaj Us Siraj in his book Tabaqat -e-Nasiri .

* After winning the second battle of Tarain, Mohammad Ghori made Qutubuddin Aibak his representative and entrusted him with the responsibility of governing India .

* In 1194 , Mohammad Ghori attacked Kannauj and there was a war between King Jaichand of Kannauj and Mohammad Ghori at a place called Chandabar in which Jayachandra died and Mohammad Ghori looted Kannauj badly .

* In 1196 Mohammad Ghori attacked against King Kumarpal of Bayana in which Kumarpal had surrendered .

* In 1196 itself, Gwalior was attacked by Mohammad Ghori, in which King Sulakshanpal of Gwalior had accepted submission .

* After the victory of Bayana and Gwalior, Mohammad Ghori went back to Ghazni by giving the responsibility of governance to  Qutubuddin Aibak and took a lot of money with him .

* Qutbuddin Aibak first forcefully crushed the rebellions in Rajasthan in which many villages were set on fire .

* In 1197 ,  Qutubuddin Aibak attacked Anhilwada but Solanki king Bhima II was badly defeated and Anhilwada was badly looted .

* In 1198 ,  Qutubuddin Aibak looted Badayun and Kannauj again .

* In 1202 ,  Qutubuddin Aibak attacked against King Paramardidev of Kalinjar, in which eventually Aibak won and Hasan Arnal was entrusted with the responsibility of ruling there .

* In 1202 itself , Bakhtiyar Khilji , the commander of  Qutubuddin Aibak , attacked Bihar, in which King Induman Bhiru of Bihar was defeated and Bakhtiyar Khilji destroyed Nalanda , Vikramshila universities .

* After conquering Bihar, Bakhtiyar Khilji invaded Bengal, at that time the king of Bengal was Laxman Sen. Bakhtiyar Khilji fearfully called the country’s famous Brahmins and started performing ‘ Andri Mahashanti Yagya ‘ , but till then Bakhtiyar Khilji had not defeated Laxman Sen. attacked Nadia, the capital of

* Laxman Sen fled from Bengal, Bakhtiyar Khilji looted a lot in Nadia and had taken over Bengal .

* Bakhtiyar Khilji had made Lakhnauti his capital .

* After conquering Bihar and Bengal, Bakhtiyar Khilji invaded Tibet in 1205, but the people there along with the king repulsed Bakhtiyar Khilji’s army badly .

* In 1206 , a Sardar named Ali Mardan had ‘ killed Bakhtiyar Khilji ‘ .

* In 1206 itself, Mohammad Ghori did his last attack against the Khokhar caste of Punjab, in which Khokhars were badly suppressed by Mohammad Ghori .

Death of Mohammad Ghori

* Mohammad Ghori was going back to Ghazni after suppressing the Khokhras, but on March 15, 1206, at a place called Damyak on the banks of the Indus river, ‘ Mohammad Ghori ‘ was killed while offering Namaz .

* After the death of Mohammad Ghori, Qutbuddin Aibak ‘ established the slave dynasty ‘ in Delhi and started his rule

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