The break-up of the
Gurjara-Pratihara empire led to a phase of
political uncertainty in north India. As a result,
little attention was paid to the emergence of the
aggressive and
expansionist Turks from north-west.
Rajputana StatesThe three most important of the Rajput states in north India were the
Gahrwals of Kanauj, the
Paramaras of Malwa and the
Chauhans of Ajmer.
There were
other smaller dynasties in different parts of the country, such as the
Kalachuris in the area around Jabalpur, the
Chandellas in Bundelkhand, the
Chalukyas of Gujarat, the
Tomars of Delhi, etc. Bengal remained under the control of the
Palas and later, the
Senas.
There was a
continuous struggle and warfare between the various Rajput states. It was these rivalries which made it impossible for the Rajput rulers to join hands to oust the
Ghaznavids from the Punjab. In fact, the Ghaznavids felt strong enough to make raids even up to Ujjain.
Most of the Rajput rulers of the time were
champions of Hinduism, though some of them also
patronized Jainism. The Rajput rulers protected the privileges of the brahmanas and of the
caste system. Between the tenth and the twelfth century,
temple-building activity in north India reached it''s climax.
The most representative
temples of this type are the group of temples at
Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh. Most of these temples were built by the Chandellas, who ruled in the area from the beginning of the ninth to the end of the thirteenth century. In Orissa, magnificent examples of temple architecture are the
Lingaraja temple (11th century) and the
Sun temple of Konark (13th century). The famous
Jagannath temple at Puri also belongs to this period.
Mahmud of Ghazni
Mahmud of Ghazni raided the country in 1000 AD, with his first great victory against the
Hindushahi kings of Peshawar. The
muslim rulers of Multan were the second targets. In a short period of 25 years, he is said to have made
17 raids into India. From the Punjab, Mahmud raided Nagarkot in the Punjab hills and Thanesar near Delhi.
His most daring raids, however, were against Kanauj in 1018 and against the fabulously rich
Somnath temple in Gujarat. No attempt was made to annex any of these areas. The rich spoils from the temples, which were
repositories of wealth, helped him to consolidate his rule and embellish Ghazni with
palaces and
mosques
Muhammad of Ghur
The second Turkish attack was led by Mu''izzu''d-Din Muhammad (also known as Muhammad Ghuri), who conquered Sindh and Lahore in 1182. Soon after, he commenced his attack on the Rajput kingdoms. Prithviraj Chauhan successfully led the Rajputs against Ghuri at the first battle of Tarain in 1191 AD. However, at the second battle of Tarain in 1192 AD, Prithviraj was defeated and the kingdom of Delhi fell to Muhammad Ghuri. Before Ghuri''s assassination in 1206, Turkish control had been established along the whole length of the Ganga. Bihar and Bengal were also overrun.
Ghuri''s conquests started a new era in Indian history... The Delhi Sultanate....