Consider the following dynasties:

1. Hoysala

2. Gahadavala

3. Kakatiya

4. Yadava

How many of the above dynasties established their kingdoms in the early eighth century AD? [Medieval India]

(a) Only one                                        

(b) Only two

(c) Only three                                   

(d) None

Answer: d

Explanation:

The dynasties mentioned above established themselves during the 11th and 12th centuries but not in the 8th century. Hence, none of the above is correct.

A brief description of the above dynasties :

Gahadvalas of Kannauj: After Mohammad Ghazni’s attack in Kannauj in 1019 AD Gurjara Pratiharas got a death blow and with its last king Trilochanapala the imperial line of Pratiharas ended.

After Pratiharars, Kannauj was ruled by Rashtrakutas for 50 years. In the third quarter of the 11th century, Kannauj was invaded by Chalukyan king Someshvara I and Chola King Vira Rajendra. Mohammad Ghazni had an ally in Kannauj named Chandradeva of the Gahadvala clan (who took care of the sultan’s elephants) and carved a kingdom for himself with capital at Kannauj in 1090 AD. Other Kings of the Gahadvala clan are

At the Battle of Chandawar(1194) Ghori defeated Jayachandra, this victory gave Ghori control of much of North India.

Hoysalas of Dvarsamudra: In the early 12th Century, Hoysala chief Ballala I (1102-1108 AD) ruled over a small principality as feudatory of Chalukyas. The capital was Belur, and Dvarsamudra (modern Halebid- Karnataka) was an alternative capital.

Other important rulers:

Vira Ballala III (1292- 1342 AD)- He was defeated in 1310 by Malik Kafur and then by Mohammad Bin Tughlaq. He died fighting the Sultans of Madurai in 1342. He was succeeded by his son Harihara Raya, who ruled for a short while, and then Hoysalas disappeared from history.

Yadavas of Devagir: They were feudatories of Rashtrakutas and Western Chalukyas. They were contemporaries of Hoysalas.

Bhillama (1185-1193 AD) was the founder who made himself master of most parts of Deccan after defeating Western Chalukyas. He established his capital at Devagiri (modern Dulatabad- Maharastra).

Other Kings were:

Ramachandra- He was the last independent King of the dynasty, he was defeated by Allaudin Khilji in 1295 and by Malik Kafur in 1307, later he ruled as a vassal of Khilji.

Singhana II/ Sankara was son of Ramchandra. He was defeated by Malik Kafur in 1313. The last king was Harapala, the son-in-law of Ramchandra raised a revolt but was taken, prisoner. Thus the Yadavas territory of Deccan became part of the Delhi Sultanate.

Kakatiyas of Warangal: Kakatiyas trace their descent to Karikala Chola, a sudra by caste belonging to Durjaya family. The earliest known king of this family was Beta I (1000-1052 AD), who carved a small kingdom for himself in the Nalgonda district of Telangana.

Beta- I son Prola- I (1052-1076 AD) received Hanamkonda Warangal’s vishaya (province) for his services to his suzerain Kalyani Chalukyan King Someshvara-I (1042-1068 AD). Next king Beta- II(1079-1090) established capital at Anamkonda/ Hanamkonda.

Other important kings are

Ganapati, son of Mahadeva, was the most powerful ruler of this family. He conquered the whole of Andhra and Kanchi in Tamil Nadu. He shifted the capital to Orungallu (Warangal).

At its peak, Kakatiyas territory included present Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and part of Tamil Nadu.

Rudramba (daughter of Ganapati) succeeded him. Marcopolo visited Motupalli, an important Kakatiya port, during her period and praised her administrative abilities.

Rudramba was succeeded by her daughter’s son Prataprudra. He was defeated by Malik Kafur in 1309-1310 A.D.

In 1323 A.D. Ulugh Khan (Mohammad Bin Tughlaq) defeated Prataprudra and took him as a prisoner, from then the Kakatiya kingdom formed part of the Delhi Sultanate.

Hence, option d is correct.

Read: Previous Year UPSC History Questions (PYQs) With Explanation 2023