48-538: The Ayudha dynasty was the short-lived ruling dynasty of the Kingdom of Kannauj from the late 8th to the early 9th century. It ruled as a client kingdom of Dharmapala of Bengal during the reign of Chakrayudha. The dynasty was established when Vajrayudha deposed the Varmans and started ruling over Kannauj. The successors of Yashovarman , the powerful king of Kannauj , were all weak rulers who did not demonstrate
96-665: A region which lead to decades of conflict. According to the Epigraphist Dineschandra Sircar , the struggle between the Pratihara and the Rashtrakuta had begun earlier than the struggle over the Kingdom of Kannauj . These two powers shared a common frontier in the Gujarat and Malwa regions. The frontier was a shifting one and far from permanent, causing enmity between the two powers. Even before
144-838: A substantial amount of plunder. Ultimately, Rajyapala, after fleeing to Bari, decided to surrender to Mahmud, acknowledging the nominal suzerainty of the Ghaznavids. The seven forts of Kannauj fell in one day to the Ghaznavids. Following this development, Mahmud engaged in other campaigns within India after successfully asserting control over Kannauj. Rajyapala's surrender to the Ghaznavids had consequences, leading to some turn of events. The Bundelkhand king Vidyadhara , along with his allies, took matters into their own hands and killed Rajyapala. After Rajyapala's demise, his successors persisted in maintaining control over certain territories by relocating their capital to Bari, near Kannauj, until
192-510: A vast realm, even larger than that of Harshavardhana. The empire including its vassals extended from Gujarat to Magadha during its initial rule. Later, it was reduced to a small dominion around the capital city. Tripartite Struggle The Tripartite Struggle (785–816), also called the Kannauj Triangle Wars , were a series of wars in northern India fought over the control of the throne of Kannauj , which during that time
240-551: The Kannauj throne at that time, the Ayudha dynasty were weak rulers and the accession of Indrayudha triggered the first great war. The first move was made by Vatsaraja, soon after the ascension of the new king of Kannauj, Indrayudha . He swiftly invaded Kannauj and defeated the king. The weak king accepted the overlordship of Vatsaraja. Following this success, Vatsaraja proceeded to invade Bengal. His vassal, Durlabharaja I ,
288-451: The Kingdom of Lata around 840 but failed to conquer it. He led campaigns in other neighbouring regions and was successful in conquering included Travani, Valla, Mada, Arya, Gujarat, and Bundelkhand who acknowledged his suzerainty. He also managed to conquer Lata by the 870s. The territories of Bhoja extended up till Kashmir in the north after Bhoja conquered Punjab by defeating ruling Thakkiyaka dynasty. After Devapala's death, Bhoja defeated
336-859: The Pratiharas who ruled the Gurjara Kingdom and the Palas who ruled the Kingdom of Gauda (Bengal). While the Pratiharas gradually expanded their domain towards the east, the Palas expanded their domains towards the west. In the Deccan , the Rashtrakutas of Manyakheta reigned, who also sought to expand their domains north and control Aryavarta. This led to the formation of the Kannauj triangle,
384-742: The Tomaras of Delhi and the Kingdom of Dahala declared their independence during the tenth century as well. This reduced the Kingdom of Kannauj to the Ganga Yamuna Doab region. In January 1019, Mahmud of Ghazni reached Kannauj. Surprisingly, Rajyapala, the then king of Kannauj, offered no resistance and fled his capital by crossing the Ganga River , ultimately seeking refuge in Bari . In his absence, Ghaznavid forces ransacked Kannauj, seizing
432-524: The king of Sambhar pursued the forces of the king of Gauda and defeated Dharmapala. His men looted the royal treasury, and Vatsaraja set back on his way to his kingdom. Vatsaraja adopted the title Ranahastin following this victory. However, the ambitious king of the South, Dhruva (of the Rashtrakuta royal family) decided to intervene in the ongoing conflict of the northern kingdoms. While Vatsaraja
480-589: The Bengal emperor Narayanapala and expanded his boundaries eastward into Bengal-held territories near Gorakhpur. Bhoja also defeated the Arab invasions from Sindh into Kutch in 838 in the Battle of Sindhan, and conquered a portion of Sindh. His reign was followed by that of his son Mahendrapala I (r. 890–910) who further expanded into the territories of the empire of Bengal. During the reign of Mahipala I (r. 913–944),
528-564: The Bengal kingdom under the Pala dynasty , and the Rashtrakutas of Manyakheta . Following his victory in 816 , the king of the Gurjaras, Nagabhata II declared himself the king of Kannauj. For nearly half a century, between 890 and 944, the kings of Kannauj also bore the imperial title of 'Emperor of Aryavarta '. However, after this period, the empire began to fragment as its vassals gradually declared their independence, eventually reducing
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#1732783461065576-584: The Doab. Dharmapala also submitted. With Govinda's death in 814, the Rashtrakuta terror was finally over. Nagabhata was careful not to waste any time at all. In 816, Nagabhata II invaded the Doab, and defeated king Chakrayudha and proclaimed himself the King of Kannauj , establishing Kannauj as the Pratiharan capital, and marking the end of Ayudha control over the throne of Kannauj . Dharmapala prepared for
624-753: The Gurjara Emperor invaded Kannauj, made Indrayudha his vassal. Indrayudha continued rule over Kannauj under the suzerainty of the Gurjara emperor. In response to this, Dharmapala , the Emperor of Bengal invaded Kannauj and deposed Indrayudha and replaced him with Indrayudha's brother, Chakrayudha whom he made his vassal at an imperial court at Kannauj attended by the rulers of Bhoja (possibly Vidarbha ), Matsya (Jaipur and north-east Rajasthan), Madra (East Punjab), Kuru (Haryana-Delhi-Western UP region), Yadu (possibly Mathura , Dwarka or Siṁhapura in
672-553: The Gurjara armies, and Nagabhatta retreated back to his empire. Dharmapala and Chakrayudha acknowledged Govinda III as their overlords to earn his friendship after which Govinda went back and Kannauj came back under Bengal rule in 800. Kannauj remained a vassal of the Bengal Empire until 816 when the Gurjara Emperor Nagabhata II invaded the Kingdom of Kannauj and conquered it and proclaimed himself as
720-560: The Kannauj throne, while "bowing down respectfully with their diadems trembling". Some historians have speculated that all these kingdoms might have been the vassal states of the Pala empire but maintained their autonomy. Vatsaraja was succeeded by his son Nagabhata II ( r. 795–833 ), who strived to rebuild the fallen empire of his father. In the Deccan, Dhruva was succeeded by his son Govinda III ( r. 793–814 ). Wary of
768-643: The Manyakheta Rashtrakutas sacked Kannauj in 916, causing a weakening of the imperial power. This was also the period during which they used the title King of Kings of Aryavarta (ancient name for northern India / Hindustan ). Mahipala was followed his son, Devapala I (r. 944–954), during whose decade-long reign the empire began to crumble away. Simharaja , the King of Sambhar , also declared his independence in 944 (in modern-day Rajasthan ). The Kingdom of Bundelkhand under Dhanga declared its independence in 950. Other kingdoms such as that of
816-665: The Punjab ( Katas Raj Temples ), Yavana , Avanti , Gandhara and Kira ( Kangra Valley ). This obviously led to war and the Gurjara Empire defeated Bengal and the Gurjara Emperor Vatsaraja occupied Kannauj. Rashtrakuta Emperor Dhruva defeated the Gurjara Empire and Vatsaraja fled his empire, while Dhruva returned to his empire. Bengal re-installed Chakrayudha as the King of Kannauj and its vassal. After
864-676: The Rajput Pratihara dynasty , the Bengal Empire under the House of Pala , and the Manyakheta empire under a Rashtrakuta branch. The Kingdom of Kannauj constituted a vast prosperous region to the centre of northern India and seeing the instability of the kingdom due to the recent coup, the three powers were hoping to succeed to the throne of Kannauj. Indrayudha succeeded to the throne of Kannauj in 770. In 785, Vatsaraja ,
912-424: The brothers, Indrayudha and Chakrayudha started fighting for the important city of Kannauj . Then the Rashtrakuta emperor Govinda III invaded the north and defeated and gained the submission of both Dharmapala and Chakrayudha. The invasion of Govinda III that defeated Chakrayudha and his overlord Dharmapala caused in anarchy and confusion in the region. The population was harassed by these invasions. Then
960-401: The daughter of Prabhakarvardhana , the King of Thanesar as a part of an alliance. Mahasenagupta's son Devagupta invaded the Kannauj and killed Grahavarman . Rajyavardhan the then king of Kannauj and brother of Rajyashri, defeated Devagupta but was himself killed by the king of Gauda . Following these events, Harshavardhana , the younger brother of the dead king of Thanesar, vowed to avenge
1008-483: The death of Dhruva in 793, the Rashtrakuta Empire fell into a war of succession. In the Gurjara Empire, the son of Vatsaraja, Nagabhata II , seeking revenge and taking advantage of the succession crisis in the Rashtrakuta Empire, invaded Kannauj and defeated Dharmapala and made Chakrayudha his vassal. Before he could invade Bengal however, the new Rashtrakuta Emperor Govinda III invaded Kannauj and defeated
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#17327834610651056-544: The death of his brother and rescue his sister. He repelled the invasion by the king of Gauda and rescued his widowed sister. He was then crowned the Emperor of Kannauj by the nobles of Kannauj in a grand ceremony at Kannauj attended by representatives of multiple principalities and kingdoms of North India. He carried out campaigns in Northern India to bring under his suzerainty the various kingdoms of northern India. He reigned until 647. As per Hsüan Tsang, Harsha divided
1104-402: The defeated king of Kannauj he defeated must instead have been Vajrayudha's successor, Indrayudha. Indrayudha succeeded his father Vajrayudha in 783. He was defeated by the powerful Rashtrakuta king Dhruva Dharavarsha , and the powerful king of the Palas , Dharmapala . Instead of annexing his territory, Dharmapala made Chakrayudha, his protégé, king of Kannauj as his vassal , and this
1152-471: The demise of the last ruler Yasahpala in 1036. The Kingdom of Kannauj dominated the upper Gangetic basin and parts of middle Gangetic basin during its early stages. Following the coronation of Harshavardhan , the Kingdom of Thanesar, i.e., eastern Punjab and the Trans-Gangetic Plain was merged into the Kingdom of Kannauj. Harshavardhan's campaigns expanded the empire of Kannauj to include
1200-407: The doab opposed his rule, but he eventually subdued them with military prowess and diplomacy, and soon assumed full control of his assigned provinces. His rule emphasised moral rightness and benevolence and he allied with other prominent families such as the later Guptas . His great-grandson, Ishanavarman , (550–560) was the first prominent king of Kannauj. He pursued a policy of aggression against
1248-543: The emperors of Magadha and thus declared his independence, proclaiming himself Maharajadhiraja of Kannauj. He invaded the Andhra country and defeated the king of Andhra , Madhava Varma IV who had conquered and held suzerainty over a large region including modern day western Maharashtra and Karnataka. The Emperor of Magadha, Kumargupta III defeated Ishanavarman in 554 AD, but shortly died thereafter in Prayag. Harivarman's reign
1296-607: The entirety of the Gangetic plain and eastern Punjab , as well as the Bundelkhand and Malwa . Under the Varmans , the Kingdom of Kannauj lost control over Malwa and later Bengal . Other territories were lost during the Kannauj Wars , and significant power and territory was lost as the kingdom transitioned into a vassal state under Bengal . Under the Pratiharas , the Kingdom of Kannauj transformed once again into
1344-499: The income of his kingdom into four — a quarter for government expenses, another for salaries of public servants, a third quarter for the reward of intellectual attainments, and the last quarter for gifts. Although it seems to be very idealistic, but historians argue that there was a decay in urbant centres at that time. Harsha's rule was succeeded by that of Arunasva who had previously been the governor of Tirabhukti (modern-day north Bihar ). Since Harsha had no heir, Arunasva usurped
1392-623: The inevitable and Nagabhata, along with his vassals — Kakka of the Jodhpur Pratihara family , Vahukadhavala, the Chalukya chief of southern Kathiawar and the Guhilot Sankaragana, began the final invasion of Bengal. In the Battle of Monghyr, Nagabhata's forces soundly defeated those of Dharmapala, finally resulting in a Pratiharan victory, and marking the end of the decades-long tripartite struggle. Nagabhata also assumed
1440-479: The king of Gurjara-desha (Gurjara country) acted as his door-keeper ( pratihara ), suggesting that the Rashtrakuta king had subdued the Pratihara king who was ruling Avanti at that time. On the other hand, the conflict between the Palas of Gauda / Bengal and the Ayudhas of Kannauj was the continuation of an old power struggle that had started between Harshavardhana of Kannauj and Sasanka of Gauda in
1488-485: The king of Kannauj after deposing the Ayudhas. Following the deposition of the Ayudhas, and proclamation of Nagabhata II as king of Kannauj, the Pratiharas became the rulers of the Kingdom of Kannauj to which they added their dominions of Gurjaradesa as well. Nagabhata II was succeeded by Ramabhadra (r. 833–836). Rambhadra was followed by his son, Bhoja I (r. 836–885), one of the greatest rulers of Kannauj. He invaded
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1536-631: The king of the Gurjara-Pratiharas , Nagabhata II , took advantage of the situation, invaded Kannauj , defeated Chakrayudha, and then made Kannauj his capital. This marked the end of the Ayudhas. Kingdom of Kannauj The Kingdom of Kannauj was a medieval kingdom in northern India from 510, when it was established as a vassal state of the Magadhan Empire , and as an independent sovereign state after 550, until 1036, when it collapsed after Ghaznavid invasions . During
1584-616: The kingdom to the Doab region by the late tenth century. Following invasions of the Ghaznavid Empire in the early eleventh century, the kingdom came to an end and the prestige of Kannauj slowly dwindled, and Delhi became the most important city of Hindustan ( North India ). The kingdom was also referred to as Middle Country or Middle India during diplomatic exchanges with Tang China , as well as Madhyadesha in Sanskrit within India. Magadhan emperor Budhagupta met
1632-417: The opportunity and invading the kingdom of Kannauj around 791, defeated Indrayudha and installed his brother Chakrayudha as his vassal, clearly avoiding annexation. He then held an imperial court at Kannauj to crown Chakrayudha, which was attended by the rulers of Bhoja, Matsya , Madra , Kuru , Yadu , Yavana , Avanti , Gandhara and Kira. These kings accepted the installation of Chakrayudha on
1680-587: The reign of Harsha , and later under the Pratiharas , the Kingdom of Kannauj stood as the most powerful state in India , flourishing in the seventh century, and again in the ninth and tenth centuries. Kannauj became the most important city in North India during this period, and hence was contested by the three great powers of the subcontinent of the period — the Gurjara kingdom under the Pratihara dynasty ,
1728-488: The rising might of Nagabhata, he decided to crush Nagabhata's power before he became too powerful. After securing the Vindhya passes under his loyal brother Indra, he invaded the Gurjara kingdom though Bhopal and Jhansi and defeated Nagabhata near Gwalior. Govinda conquered Malwa , Lata and Mahakoshal from the Gurjaras. Chakrayudha made an unconditional surrender to Govinda, and thus, Govinda made no effort to conquer
1776-655: The seventh century and would continue till the twelfth century. These regional struggles were escalated to a greater pitch over the issue of succession of the Ayudha dynasty. Also, the involvement of the four powers, i.e. the Pratihara Empire, the Pala Empire, the Rashtrakuta Empire, and the Kingdom of Kannauj meant that it was actually a four-power. By the eighth century, the Kingdom of Kannauj which had controlled much of northern India under Harshavardhana in
1824-497: The seventh century had greatly diminished in power under a succession of weak kings, and was replaced by two new great powers in North India — the Kingdom of Gurjara to the west and the Kingdom of Bengal to the east. In southern India, the Rashtrakuta royal family reigned, whose king Dhruva too had imperial ambitions to rule northern India. The king of the Gurjaras, Vatsaraja , the grand-nephew of Nagabhata I , expanded
1872-478: The skills to run and defend the kingdom. Kannauj was taken over by Ayudhas, probably during the reign of Bhoja of Kannauj (not to be confused with Mihira Bhoja or Bhoja ). Vajrayudha, who ascended to the throne in 770 CE, was the first ruler of the dynasty. He was probably defeated by the Karkota king of Kashmir , Jayapida . But if Jayapida carried out this campaign in the later years of his career, however
1920-456: The small principality founded by his ancestor into a powerful kingdom in northwestern India. His ambitions matched those of Dharmapala , the king of Bengal who too wanted glory for himself and wanted to extend his power beyond his ancestral domain in eastern India. The throne of Kannauj was equivalent to having imperial status over all of northern India and thus, Vatsaraja , Dharmapala , and Dhruva , all sought to control it. The incumbents of
1968-523: The struggle over Kannauj started, Dantidurga , the founder of the Rashtrakuta Empire, had defeated Nagabhata I of the Pratihara dynasty, as evident from the Dashavatara Temple inscription of Dantidurga at Ellora and the Sanjan inscription of Amoghavarsha I , both belonging to the Rashtrakuta dynasty which states that Dantidurga (r. 735–756) performed a religious ceremony at Ujjayani, and
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2016-685: The throne. Arunavasa repelled an invasion by the Arab Rashidun Caliphate . He had attacked the envoy of the Chinese emperor who had came earlier during the reign of Harsha . Arunasva was succeeded by Yashovarman who established the Varman dynasty . Yashovarman led military campaigns in Bengal , Indus Valley , the Deccan and Kashmir . Conflicting records exist regarding his war with Kashmir . Though Kannauj records claim that he
2064-473: The young Harivarman in 487 AD, when he was choosing men for his public service. Harivarman, a warrior from Baghelkhand , had a well-built physique, excellent archery skill, and a fierce face but a great calmness inside, a strict moral code and sensitivity to public sufferings. Impressed by him, the emperor gave him the title Maharaja and granted him rule over the regions around Ayodhya , Kannauj and Antarvedi ( Ganga-Yamuna Doab . The nobles and elites of
2112-433: Was approved by the rulers of all the neighbouring territories. But then the two brothers, Indrayudha and Chakrayudha , started fighting for the important city of Kannauj . When Dharmapala defeated Indrayudha, he appointed Indrayudha's brother, Chakrayudha, his protégé as the king of Kannauj , but as a vassal under Dharmapala . This arrangement was approved by the rulers of all the neighbouring territories. But then both
2160-499: Was equivalent to having imperial status over all of Aryavarta . It involved the three powerful rulers of the era – the King of the Gurjaras , the King of Gauda (Bengal) and the King of the South . The war ultimately resulted in Nagabhata II , King of the Gurjaras, winning the crown of Kannauj in 816, and proclaiming himself King of Kannauj . In the eighth century, the two major powers of Aryavarta (northern India) were
2208-450: Was followed by that of Adityavarman and Ishvavarman. Ishvavarman's son, Sharvavarman (560–575) invaded and conquered eastern portion of the Magadhan Empire , i.e., Magadha and Bundelkhand from Mahasenagupta who fled to Malwa (the remaining western portion of the empire) and established a rump state. His reign was followed by that of Avantivarman. Avantivarman's reign was followed by Grahavarman (r. 600–605) who married Rajyashri,
2256-430: Was on his return journey with the spoils of war, he was defeated by Dhruva's forces, and was thus forced to flee and hide in the deserts of Maru . Following this, Dhruva met and defeated Dharmapala in the Doab. Dhruva however, had no intentions for any permanent territorial conquests and only intended to raid the invaded regions. He thus returned to the South in 790. Following the departure of Dhruva, Dharmapala grabbed
2304-538: Was victorious over Kashmir, Kashimri records claim that Yashovarman was defeated by the Kashmir king. He was succeeded by Ama , Dunduka and Bhoja who were weak rulers. In 770, Bhoja was deposed by Vajrayudha founding the Ayudha dynasty . This destabilised the political climate of eighth century northern India. Much of India at that time was under the rule of three great powers — the Gurjara Empire under
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