B.A. Social Notes

  T he Rashtrakutas Kingdom Was Founded By Origin   The term RASHTRAKUTAS  denotes officers in charge of territorial divisions called Rashtra. In the Deccan charters of the 7th and 8th centuries, A.D . Rashtrakutas were exhorted not to disturb the peaceful enjoyment of the land grants. The Rashtrakutas originally belonged to Lattalura, the modern Latur of Maharashtra. They were of Kannada origin and Kannada was their mother tongue. Dantidurga: He began his career as a feudatory of the Chalukyas. He laid the foundations of Rashtrakutas. The victorious career of Dantidurga is known from the two records of this reign- the Samangad Plates and the Dasavatara Cave Inscription of  Ellora. Dantidurga's plan of expression was directed towards the east and west without disturbing Karnataka. The stronghold of Chalukyas is powerful. He invited Malwa, which was under the rule of the Gurjara Pradesh. Thus, by A.D. 75, he had become the master of the whole of Madhya Pradesh and ce...

                                          Pallavas Controversy about Origin Parthian Connection- According to one school, they were a branch of Parthians. But there is no evidence for the migration of the Parthians into the south. Vakataka Connection- Another school opines that the Pallavas were a branch of the Brahmin royal dynasty of the Vakatakas at the Deccan. But here again, there is no direct evidence of any connection between the Vakatakas and the Pallavas. Indigenous Origin- The third school maintains that it was an indigenous dynasty and rose to power after the dismemberment of the Ikshvaku kingdom. In other words, they were the indigenous Nagas. So, the Pallavas were possibly a local tribe who established their authority in the Tondainadu or the land of creepers. Political History Simhavishnu (560-590 A.D.)- He is considered the first important Pallava ruler, through Pall...

                                            Chalukya Pulakesin-I (543-66 A.D.)-- Founder of the Chalukya Dynasty, established a small kingdom with Badami-I (Vatapi) as its capital. Kirtivarman-I (560-597 A.D.)-- The son and successor of Pulakesin-I, expanded the kingdom by the war against the Kadambas of Banavasi and the Nalas of Bastar. Mangalesa (597-609 A.D.)-- On the death of Kirtivarman, his brother became the regent, since his son, Pulakesin-II was a minor. Mangalesa plundered the territories of Gujarat, Khandesh, and Malwa. Pulakesin-II (609-42 A.D.)-- Considered the greatest of the Chalukya rulers of Badami not only because of the problems he had to face while coming to the throne but also because of his subsequent military as well as diplomatic achievements. - He had to wage a civil war against his uncle, Mangalesa, who refused to hand over the power. - Though, Pul...

                                      Post Gupta Age  Harshavardhana Harsha was the second son of Prabhakara Vardhana , the first important king of the Pushyabhuti dynasty with its capital at Thaneswar . Pushyabhuti dynasty with its capital at Thaneshvar. Pushyabhuti were the feudataries of the Guptas but had assumed independence after the Huna invasions. Harsha was favored by his elder brother, Rajyavardhana, by both his father and the nobles, But Harsha expressed his reluctance to supersede his brother. Rajyavardhana who became the ruler had to face problems from the Makuhari ruler of Kannauj and husband of Rajyasri (daughter of Prabhakar), was murdered by Deva Gupta (the ruler of Malwa), who in alliance with Sasanka (ruler of Gauda or Bengal) now occupies Kanauj and imprisoned Rajyasri. Rajyavardhana, therefore, undertook a campaign against Deva Gupta and killed him but he was deceived...

                            Gupta Period It was, perhaps, sometimes late in the obscure period of the third century AD that the Gupta dynasty emerged. One Sri Gupta , who brought Magadha under his control, was the founder of the Gupta dynasty. Sri Gupta was succeeded by Ghatotkacha Gupta . The first two kings of the dynasty were described as Maharajas. It is generally believed that the first two rulers of the dynasty ruled before 320 AD. They were followed by some of the mighty rulers of Ancient Indian history. Chandragupta I (320AD-335AD) Chandragupta I, grandson of Sri Gupta and son of Ghatotkacha Gupta, was the line's first great ruler. He increased the power and prestige of the empire to a great extent by matrimonial alliance and conquests. He married Kumardevi, the Lichchavi princess. His empire included modern Bihar, Oudh, Allahabad, Tirhut, in addition to Magadha. He assumed the title of Maharajadhiraja. He st...

                                  Post Mauryan India There are multiple causes for the decline of the Mauryan empire such as weak successors, the partition of the empire, and administrative abuses after Ashoka's reign. After the death of Ashoka, his successors were not able to keep the vast Mauryan Empire intact. Kalinga declared its independence and in the farther south, the Satavahanas established their independent rule. Sunga and Kanvas The founder of the Sunga dynasty was Pushyamitra Sunga , who was the commander-in-chief under the Mauryas. He ascended the throne of Magadha in 185 B.C . Pushyamitra was a staunch follower of Brahmanism. He performed two ashawamedh sacrifices. After the death of Pushyamitra, his son Agnimitra was a great conqueror. He was also the hero of the play Malavikagnimitram written by Kalidasa. During their rule, there was a revival of Brahminical influence. The Bhagavata rel...

                          Buddhism Gautama Buddha : Gautama Buddha or Siddhartha was a contemporary of Mahavira. He was born in 563 BC in a Shakya (Kshatriya) family in Lumbini near Kapilvastu , which is situated on the foothills of Nepal. Gautama's father (Shudhodana) seems to have been the elected ruler of Kapilavastu, and headed the republican clan of the Shakyas. His mother (Mahamaya) was a princess from the Kosalan dynasty. From his early childhood, Gautama showed a meditative bent of mind. Alara Kama was his teacher of meditation. His charioteer was Channa , while his horse's name was Kanthaks . He was married early, but married life did not interest him. At the age of 29, he left home. He kept on, wandering for about seven years and then attained knowledge at the age of 35 at Both Gaya under a pipal tree. From this time onwards, he began to be called the Buddha or The Enlightened. Gautama Buddha delivered his ...

                         Rise of Heterodox Sects Numerous religious sects arose in the middle Gangetic basin in the sixth century B.C. We here of as many as 62 religious sects in this period. Jainism and Buddhism were very important. Causes of Rise of Religious Movement In post -Vedic times, society was clearly divided into four varnas- Brahmanas, vaishyas, and shudras . Each varna was assigned well-defined functions, although it was emphasized that varna was based on birth and two higher varnas were given some priviledges.  Naturally the varna-divided society seems to have generated tensions. The Kshatriyas, who acted as rulers, reacted against the domination of the priestly class called brahamanas , who claimed various priveges. It was one of the causes of the origin of new religions. Vardhamana Mahavira who founded Jainism, and Gautama Buddha, who founded Buddhism, belonged to the kshatriya clan, and both disputed ...