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Questions and Answers
What were the main uses of the resources collected by the king?
The main uses of the resources collected by the king were to finance his establishment, construct temples and forts, and fight wars.
Who were primarily recruited to collect revenue in early medieval India?
Members of influential families and close relatives of the king were primarily recruited to collect revenue.
Were revenue collection positions in early medieval India hereditary?
Yes, revenue collection positions were often hereditary.
How did hereditary positions in the army benefit the king?
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Why was the construction of temples and forts significant in early medieval India?
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What role did influential families play in the administration of early medieval India?
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What was one major responsibility of those recruited to collect revenue?
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In addition to revenue collection, what other responsibility did influential families have in early medieval India?
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What was one way the king used the collected resources to maintain power?
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Explain how hereditary positions could potentially weaken the regional kingdoms of early medieval India.
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Study Notes
The Early Medieval Period
- Rise of new kingdoms due to decentralised political authority and increasing land grants from the 7th century onwards
- Land grants were given to Brahmin priests, Buddhist monks, and petty lords for religious purposes
- These grants were recorded on copper plates and handed over to the recipients
- Big landlords or chieftains known as samanta or subordinates emerged, who brought valuable gifts for their kings or overlords, attended royal courts, and provided military assistance
Rashtrakutas
- Rashtrakutas were subordinate to the Chalukyas of Karnataka
- Dantidurga, a Rashtrakuta chief, overthrew the Chalukyan king Kirtivarman and established the Rashtrakuta kingdom in Deccan
- Dantidurga performed the hiranya-garbha ritual to seek a separate caste identity as a Kshatriya
- Krishna I, a great conqueror, established Rashtrakuta dominance in the Deccan
- Govinda II succeeded Krishna I
The Ellora Inscription
- Dantidurga assumed the titles Rajadhiraja and Parmeshvara after his victory over the Chalukyas
The Rashtrakuta Dynasty
- Dhruva was the greatest of the Rashtrakuta rulers, who reached the zenith of power during his reign
- Dhruva earned victories against the Pallavas, Eastern Chalukyas, Palas, and Pratiharas
- Dhruva became the first ruler from the Deccan to conquer Kanauj
- Amoghavarsha I was an exceptional king who ruled for 64 years, was inclined towards peace, religion, and literature, and founded the Rashtrakuta capital, Manyakhet or Malkhed
- The Rashtrakutas dominated the Deccan for almost 200 years, leaving their mark in politics, administration, art, and culture
The Pala Empire
- Gopala established the Pala Empire in Eastern India, probably in 750 CE
- Gopala unified Bengal and established its supremacy by annexing Magadha (Bihar)
- Devapala was the last powerful Pala ruler, who extended his dominions by conquering Pragjyotishpur (Assam), parts of Odisha, and parts of modern Nepal
- The Palas played a significant role in reviving cultural and religious traditions
- Pala rulers were great patrons of Buddhist learning and religion
- Somapura Mahavira, or the Great Monastery, was a renowned intellectual centre built and patronised by the Palas
Pratiharas
- The Gurjara-Pratiharas rose to prominence in Rajasthan through their military prowess
- Nagabhatta I was the first prominent Pratihara king
- Mihira Bhoja was the real founder of the Pratihara Empire, who rebuilt the empire and recovered Kanauj
- The Pratiharas were great patrons of learning and literature and ruled North India from the early 9th to the middle of the 10th centuries
- Repeated defeats at the hands of the Rashtrakutas led to the downfall of the Pratiharas
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Description
Learn about the early medieval period characterized by decentralised political authority, increase in land grants, and donations to Brahmin priests and Buddhist monks.
