Kings and Kingdoms PDF

2 KINGS AND KINGDOMS M any new dynasties emerged after the seventh century. Map 1 shows the major ruling dynasties in different parts of the subcontinent...

2 KINGS AND KINGDOMS M any new dynasties emerged after the seventh century. Map 1 shows the major ruling dynasties in different parts of the subcontinent between the seventh and twelfth centuries. Map 1 Major kingdoms, seventh-twelfth centuries ? Locate the Gurjara-Pratiharas, Rashtrakutas, Palas, Cholas and Chahamanas (Chauhans). Can you identify the present-day states over which they exercised control? 16 The Emergence of New Dynasties By the seventh century, there were big landlords or warrior chiefs in different regions of the subcontinent. Existing kings often acknowledged them as their subordinates or They were expected to bring gifts for their kings or overlords, be present at their courts and provide them with military support. As gained power and wealth, they declared themselves to be , (the great lord of a “circle” or region) and so independence from their overlords. One such instance was that of the Rashtrakutas in the Deccan. Initially they were subordinate to the Chalukyas of Karnataka. In the mid-eighth century, Dantidurga, a Rashtrakuta chief, overthrew his Chalukya overlord and Fig. 1 Wall relief from Cave performed a ritual called (literally, the 15, Ellora, showing golden womb). When this ritual was performed with Vishnu as Narasimha, the help of Brahmanas, it was thought to lead to the the man-lion. It is a work of the Rashtrakuta period. not one by birth. In other cases, men from enterprising families used their military skills to carve out kingdoms. For instance, the Kadamba Mayurasharman and the ? Do you think Gurjara-Pratihara Harichandra were Brahmanas who being born as gave up their traditional professions and took to arms, a Kshatriya was successfully establishing kingdoms in Karnataka and important in Rajasthan respectively. order to become a ruler during this period? Administration in the Kingdoms Many of these new kings adopted high-sounding titles such as (great king, overlord of kings), (lord of the three worlds) and so on. However, in spite of such claims, 17 KINGS AND KINGDOMS  they often shared power with their as well as with associations of peasants, traders and Brahmanas. In each of these states, resources were obtained from the producers – that is, peasants, cattle-keepers, artisans – who were often persuaded or compelled to these were claimed as “rent” due to a lord who asserted that he owned the land. Revenue was also collected from traders. Four hundred taxes! The inscriptions of the Cholas who ruled in Tamil Nadu refer to more than 400 terms for different kinds of taxes. The most frequently mentioned tax is vetti, taken not in cash but in the form of forced labour, and kadamai, or land revenue. There were also taxes on thatching the house, the use of a ladder to climb palm trees, a cess on succession to family property, etc. ? Are any such taxes collected today? ? In what ways establishment, as well as for the construction of temples was this form of administration turn expected to lead to the acquisition of wealth in the different from form of plunder, and access to land as well as trade routes. the present-day system? The functionaries for collecting revenue were generally recruited from influential families, and positions were often hereditary. This was true about the army as well. In many cases, close relatives of the king held these positions. Prashastis and Land Grants contain details that may not be literally true. But they tell us how rulers wanted to depict themselves – as valiant, victorious warriors, for example. These were composed by learned Brahmanas, who occasionally helped in the administration. 18  The “achievements” of Nagabhata Many rulers described their achievements in prashastis (you read about the prashasti of the Gupta ruler Samudragupta last year). One prashasti, written in Sanskrit and found in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, describes the exploits of ? Nagabhata, a Pratihara king, as follows: Also, see if you The kings of Andhra, Saindhava (Sind), Vidarbha (part of can find some Maharashtra) and Kalinga (part of Orissa) fell before him of the areas mentioned in the even as he was a prince … inscription on He won a victory over Chakrayudha (the ruler of Kanauj) … Map 1. He defeated the king of Vanga (part of Bengal), Anarta (part Other rulers made of Gujarat), Malava (part of Madhya Pradesh), Kirata (forest similar claims as peoples), Turushka (Turks), Vatsa, Matsya (both kingdoms well. Why do you think they made in north India) … these claims? Kings often rewarded Brahmanas by grants of land. These were recorded on copper plates, which were given to those who received the land. Fig. 2 This is a set of copper plates recording a grant of land made by a ruler in the ninth century, written partly in Sanskrit and partly in Tamil. The ring holding the plates together is secured with the royal seal, to indicate that this is an authentic document. 19 KINGS AND KINGDOMS  What was given with the land This is a part of the Tamil section of a land grant given by the Cholas: We have demarcated the boundaries of the land by making earthen embankments, as well as by planting thorny bushes. This is what the land contains: fruit-bearing trees, water, land, gardens and orchards, trees, wells, open spaces, pasture-land, a village, anthills, platforms, canals, ditches, and deep lakes. He who receives the land can collect taxes from it. He can on betel-leaves, that on woven cloth, as well as on vehicles. He can build large rooms, with upper stories made of baked bricks, he can get large and small wells dug, he can plant trees and thorny bushes, if necessary, he can get canals constructed for irrigation. He should ensure that water is not wasted, and that embankments are built. List all the possible sources of irrigation mentioned ? in the inscription, and discuss how these might have been used. poem containing the history of kings who ruled over Kashmir. It was composed by an author named Kalhana. He used a variety of sources, including inscriptions, documents, eyewitness accounts and earlier histories, to write his account. Unlike the writers of , he was often critical about rulers and their policies. Warfare for Wealth You may have noticed that each of these ruling time, they tried to control other areas. One particularly 20 prized area was the city of Kanauj in the Ganga valley. For centuries, rulers belonging to the Gurjara- Pratihara, Rashtrakuta and Pala dynasties fought for ? Look at Map 1 and control over Kanauj. Because there were three “parties” suggest reasons why these rulers it as the “tripartite struggle”. wanted to control Rulers also tried to demonstrate their power and Kanauj and the resources by building large temples. So, when they Ganga valley. attacked one another’s kingdoms, they often chose to target temples, which were sometimes extremely rich. One such ruler is Mahmud of Ghazni, Afghanistan. He raided the subcontinent 17 times (1000–1025) with a religious motive. His targets were wealthy temples, including that of Somnath, Gujarat. Much of the wealth Mahmud carried away was used to create a splendid capital city at Ghazni. ? Other kings who engaged in warfare included the Look at Map 1 Chahamanas, later known as the Chauhans, who again and ruled over the region around Delhi and Ajmer. They discuss why the attempted to expand their control to the west and Chahamanas the east, where they were opposed by the Chalukyas may have wanted of Gujarat and the Gahadavalas of western Uttar to expand their Pradesh. The Chahamana ruler was Prithviraja III territories. (1168 –1192), who defeated a Turk ruler named Sultan Muhammad Ghori in 1191, but lost to him the very next year, in 1192. A Closer Look: The Cholas From Uraiyur to Thanjavur How did the Cholas ri se t o pow er ? A minor chiefly family known as the Muttaraiyar held power in the Kaveri delta. They were subordinate to the Pallava kings of Kanchipuram. Vijayalaya, Cholas from Uraiyur, captured the delta from the Muttaraiyar in the middle of the ninth century. He built the town of Thanjavur and a temple for goddess Nishumbhasudini there. 21 KINGS AND KINGDOMS Map 2 The Chola kingdom and its neighbours. The successors of Vijayalaya conquered neighbouring regions and the kingdom grew in size and power. The Pandyan and the Pallava territories to the south and north were made part of this kingdom. Rajaraja I, considered the most powerful Chola ruler, became areas. He also reorganised the administration of the empire. Rajaraja’s son Rajendra I continued his these expeditions. Splendid Temples and Bronze Sculpture The big temples of Thanjavur and Gangaikonda- cholapuram, built by Rajaraja and Rajendra, are architectural and sculptural marvels. 22  Fig. 3 The temple at Gangaikondacholapuram. Notice the way in which the roof tapers. Also look at the elaborate stone sculptures used to decorate the outer walls. Chola temples often became the nuclei of settlements which grew around them. These were centres of craft production. Temples were also endowed with land by rulers as well as by others. The produce of this land went into maintaining all the specialists who worked at the temple and very often lived near it – priests, garland makers, cooks, sweepers, musicians, dancers, etc. In other words, temples were not only places of worship; they were the centres of economic, social and cultural life. Amongst the crafts associated with temples, the making of bronze images was the most distinctive. Chola bronze images are considered amongst the sometimes images were made of devotees as well. 23 KINGS AND KINGDOMS  Agriculture and Irrigation Many of the achievements of the Cholas were made possible through new developments in the river Kaveri branches off into several small channels before emptying into the frequently, depositing fertile soil on their banks. Water from the channels also provides the necessary moisture for agriculture, particularly the cultivation of rice. Although agriculture had developed earlier in other parts of Tamil Nadu, it was century that this area was opened up for large-scale cultivation. Forests had to be cleared in some regions; land had to be levelled in other areas. In the delta region, embankments canals had to be constructed to carry crops were grown in a year. In many cases it was necessary to water crops artificially. A variety of methods were used for irrigation. In some areas wells were dug. In other places huge tanks were constructed to collect rainwater. Remember that irrigation works require planning – organising Fig. 4 A Chola bronze sculpture. Notice how carefully it is decorated. 24  Fig. 5 A ninth-century sluice gate in Tamil Nadu. It regulated the from a tank into the channels that irrigated A sluice gate is labour and resources, maintaining these works and traditionally a wood or metal barrier which deciding on how water is to be shared. Most of the is commonly used to new rulers, as well as people living in villages, took an control water levels active interest in these activities. rivers and canals. The Administration of the Empire of peasants, known as , became prosperous with the spread of irrigation agriculture. Groups of such villages formed larger units called. The village council and the performed several administrative functions including dispensing justice and collecting taxes. Rich peasants exercised considerable control over the affairs of the under the supervision of the central Chola government. The Chola kings gave some rich landowners titles like (a or peasant serving three kings), (chief), etc., as markers of respect, and entrusted them 25 KINGS AND KINGDOMS  Types of land Chola inscriptions mention several categories of land: vellanvagai land of non-Brahmana peasant proprietors brahmadeya land gifted to Brahmanas shalabhoga land for the maintenance of a school devadana, tirunamattukkani land gifted to temples pallichchhandam land donated to Jaina institutions We have seen that Brahmanas often received land grants or. As a result, a large number of Brahmana settlements emerged in the Kaveri valley as in other parts of south India. Each was looked after by an assembly or of prominent Brahmana landholders. These recorded in detail in inscriptions, often on the stone walls of temples. Associations of traders known as also occasionally performed administrative functions in towns. Inscriptions from Uttaramerur in Chingleput district, Tamil Nadu, provide details of the way in which the was organised. The had separate committees to look after irrigation works, gardens, temples, etc. Names of those eligible to be members of these committees were written on small tickets of palm leaf; these tickets were put into an earthenware pot, from which a young boy was asked to take out the tickets, one by one for each committee. 26 Inscriptions and texts Who could be a member of a sabha? The Uttaramerur inscription lays down: All those who wish to become members of the sabha should be owners of land from which land revenue is collected. ? Do you think They should have their own homes. women They should be between 35 and 70 years of age. participated in They should have knowledge of the Vedas. these assemblies? In your view are They should be well-versed in administrative matters lotteries useful and honest. in choosing If anyone has been a member of any committee in the last members of three years, he cannot become a member of another committee. committees? Anyone who has not submitted his accounts, and those of his relatives, cannot contest the elections. While inscriptions tell us about kings and powerful men, here is an excerpt from the Periyapuranam, a twelfth- century Tamil work, which informs us about the lives of ordinary men and women. On the outskirts of Adanur was a small hamlet of Pulaiyas (a name used for a social group considered “outcastes” by Brahmanas and Vellalas), studded with small huts under old thatches and inhabited by agrarian labourers engaged ? Were there any in menial occupations. In the thresholds of the huts covered Brahmanas in this with strips of leather, little chickens moved about in groups; hamlet? dark children who wore bracelets of black iron were prancing Describe all the about, carrying little puppies … In the shade of the marudu activities that were taking place (arjuna) trees, a female labourer put her baby to sleep on a in the village. sheet of leather; there were mango trees from whose branches Why do you drums were hanging; and under the coconut palms, in little think temple hollows on the ground, tiny-headed bitches lay after whelping. inscriptions The red-crested cocks crowed before dawn calling the brawny ignore these activities? Pulaiyar (plural) to their day’s work; and by day, under the shade of the kanji tree spread the voice of the wavy-haired Pulaiya women singing as they were husking paddy … 27 KINGS AND KINGDOMS  Imagine You are present in an election for a Describe what you see and hear. Let’s recall 1. Match the following: Gurjara-Pratiharas Western Deccan Rashtrakutas Bengal Palas Gujarat and Rajasthan Cholas Tamil Nadu 2. Who were the parties involved in the “tripartite struggle”? a member of a committee of the in the Chola empire? 4. What were the two major cities under the control of the Chahamanas? Let’s understand 5. How did the Rashtrakutas become powerful? 6. What did the new dynasties do to gain acceptance? 28 7. What kind of irrigation works were developed in the Tamil region? Let’s discuss KEYWORDS were any kingdoms in the state in which you live. 10. Contrast the “elections” in Uttaramerur with present- temple day panchayat elections. Let’s do 11. Compare the temple shown in this chapter with any present-day temple in your neighbourhood, highlighting any similarities and differences that you notice. 12. Find out more about taxes that are collected at present. Are these in cash, kind, or labour services? 29 KINGS AND KINGDOMS