Medieval India

Medieval India refers to a long period of the Indian subcontinent's history between "ancient India" and "modern India". Definitions of the period itself vary widely, and partly for this reason, many historians now prefer to avoid the term completely.

One definition, used in the rest of this article, includes the period from the 6th century to the 16th century, essentially the same period as the Middle Ages of Europe. It may be divided into two periods: The 'early medieval period' which lasted from the 6th to the 13th century and the 'late medieval period' which lasted from the 13th to the 16th century, ending with the start of the Mughal Empire in 1526. The Mughal era, from the 16th century to the 18th century, is often referred to as the early modern period, but is sometimes also included in the 'late medieval' period.

An alternative definition, often seen in those more recent authors who still use the term at all, brings the start of the medieval period forward, either to about 1,000, or to the 12th century. The end may be pushed back to the 18th century, making the period in effect that between the start of Muslim domination (at least in north India) and British India. Or the "early medieval" period is begun in the 8th century, ending with the 11th.

The use of "medieval" at all as a term for periods in Indian history has often been objected to, and is probably becoming more rare (there is a similar discussion in terms of the history of China). It is argued that neither the start nor the end of the period really mark fundamental changes in Indian history, comparable to the European equivalents. Burton Stein still used the concept in his A History of India (1998, referring to the period from the Guptas to the Mughals), but most recent authors using it are Indian. Understandably, they often specify the period they cover within their titles.

Historiography of medieval India

According to critics, Muslim historiography on medieval India is often motivated by Islamic apologetics, which tries to justify "the life of medieval Muslims to the modern world".

Early medieval period

Main article: Middle kingdoms of India

The start of the period is typically taken to be the slow collapse of the Gupta Empire from about 480 to 550, ending the "classical" period, as well as "ancient India", although both these terms may be used for periods with widely different dates, especially in specialized fields such as the history of art or religion. At least in north India, there was no comparably large state until perhaps the Delhi Sultanate, or certainly the Mughal Empire, but there were several different dynasties ruling large areas for long periods, as well as many other dynasties ruling smaller areas, often paying some form of tribute to larger states. John Keay puts the typical number of dynasties within the subcontinent at any one time at between 20 and 40, not including local rajas.

• Rashtrakuta dynasty was a Kannada Royal Dynasty Ruling large parts Of the Indian subcontinent between the 6th and the 10th centuries and one who built World Heritage center Ellora, Maharashtra.
• Eastern Chalukyas, 7th to 12th centuries, a South Indian Telugu dynasty whose kingdom was located in the present day Andhra Pradesh
• Pallava dynasty Important rulers of Telugu and some Tamil areas from the 6th to 9th centuries.
• Pala Empire The last major Buddhist rulers, from the 8th to 12th centuries in Bengal. Briefly controlled most of north India in the 9th century.
• Chola Empire, a South Indian empire which ruled from Tamil Nadu and extended to include south east Asian territories at its height. From 9th century to 13th century.
• Empire of Harsha, a brief period of control of most of north India, from 601 to 647, under Harsha of the Pushyabhuti dynasty.
• Western Chalukya Empire The Western Chalukya Empire ruled most of the western Deccan and some of South India, between the 10th and 12th centuries. Kannada-speaking, with capital at Badami.
• Kalachuri dynasty The Kalachuri dynasty ruled areas in Central India during 10th-12th centuries.
• Western Ganga dynasty was an important ruling dynasty of ancient Karnataka, often under the overlordship of larger states, from about 350 to 1000 AD. The large monolithic Bahubali of Shravanabelagola was built during their rule.
• Eastern Ganga dynasty was a royal dynasty ruling Odisha region who are descendants of Kannada Western Ganga Dynasty and Tamil Chola empire. They have built famous Konark Sun Temple and Jagannath Temple, Puri.
• Hoysala Empire a prominent South Indian Kannadiga empire that ruled most of the modern day state of Karnataka between the 10th and the 14th centuries. The capital of the Hoysalas was initially located at Belur but was later moved to Halebidu.
• Kakatiya Kingdom a Telugu dynasty that ruled most of current day Andhra Pradesh, India from 1083 CE to 1323 CE
• The Sena dynasty was a Hindu dynasty that ruled from Bengal through the 11th and 12th centuries. The empire at its peak covered much of the north-eastern region of the Indian subcontinent. The rulers of the Sena Dynasty traced their origin to the south Indian region of Karnataka.

Late medieval era

• Delhi Sultanate five short-lived dynasties, based in Delhi, from 1206 to 1526, when it fell to the Mughal Empire.
• Bengal Sultanate 1352 to 1576 ruled over Bengal and much of Burma
• Ahom Kingdom 1228–1826, Brahmaputra valley in Assam, resisted the Mughals, eventually taken by the British
• Reddy Kingdom 1325 to 1448 in Andrya Pradesh.
• Seuna (Yadava) dynasty 1190-1315 as independent rulers, an old Kannada-Maratha dynasty, which at its peak ruled a kingdom stretching from the Tungabhadra to the Narmada rivers, including present-day Maharashtra, north Karnataka and parts of Madhya Pradesh, from its capital at Devagiri.
• Rajput States - a group of Rajput Hindu states that ruled present day Rajasthan, and at times much of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttaranchal, Himachal Pradesh, Western Uttar Pradesh and Central Uttar Pradesh. Many Rajput kingdoms continued under the Mughals and as Princely States in British India until Indian independence.
• Vijayanagara Empire 1336–1646, a Hindu-Telugu empire based in South India, in the Deccan Plateau region. World heritage center Hampi was their capital city.
• Gajapati Kingdom was a medieval Hindu dynasty that ruled over Kalinga (the present day Orissa)

Early modern era

The start of the Mughal Empire in 1526 marked the beginning of the early modern period of Indian history, often referred to as the Mughal era. Sometimes, the Mughal era is also referred to as the 'late medieval' period.

• Mughal Empire was an imperial state founded by Babar, who had Turco-Mongol origin from Central Asia. The empire ruled most of the Indian subcontinent from 16th to 18th century, though it lingered for another century, formally ending in 1857.
• Maratha Empire was an imperial power based in modern-day Maharashtra in western India. Marathas replaced the Mughal rule over large parts of India in the 18th century, but lost the Anglo-Maratha Wars in the early 19th century, and became rulers of Princely States.
• Kingdom of Mysore was a Kannada kingdom have been founded in 1399 in the vicinity of the modern city of Mysore. Fully independent after the fall of the Vijayanagara Empire in 1646, reduced in size by the British, but ruled until 1947.
• Nayak dynasty group of Kannada, Telugu, Tamil kings ruled parts of south India after the fall of the Vijayanagara Empire in 1646. Their contribution can be seen in Ikkeri, Sri ranga, Madurai, Chitradurga.
• Sikh Empire was a major power in the Northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, which arose under the leadership of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in the Punjab region. They were usurped by the British East India Company between early and mid 19th century, following the British victory in the Anglo-Sikh wars.

References

• Avari, Burjor, India: The Ancient Past: A History of the Indian Subcontinent from C. 7000 BCE to CE 1200, 2016 (2nd edn), Routledge, ISBN 1317236734, 9781317236733, google books ^[archive]
• Farooqui, Salma Ahmed, A Comprehensive History of Medieval India: From Twelfth to the Mid-Eighteenth Century, 2011, Pearson Education India, ISBN 8131732029, 9788131732021, google books ^[archive]
• Harle, J.C., The Art and Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent, 2nd edn. 1994, Yale University Press Pelican History of Art, ISBN 0300062176
• Keay, John, India, a History, 2000, HarperCollins, ISBN 0002557177
• Michell, George, (1977) The Hindu Temple: An Introduction to its Meaning and Forms, 1977, University of Chicago Press, ISBN 978-0-226-53230-1
• Rowland, Benjamin, The Art and Architecture of India: Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, 1967 (3rd edn.), Pelican History of Art, Penguin, ISBN 0140561021

• https://www.dharmadispatch.in/history/the-far-reaching-implications-of-the-medieval-muslim-chroniclers-psyche-on-the-history-of-the-future ^[archive]
• https://www.dharmadispatch.in/history/a-deep-dive-into-the-mindset-of-medieval-muslim-chroniclers-preface ^[archive]
• https://www.dharmadispatch.in/history/the-qualifications-of-a-medieval-muslim-chronicler-and-the-nature-of-muslim-histories ^[archive]
• https://www.dharmadispatch.in/history/the-depraved-annals-of-the-muslim-aristocracy-in-medieval-india ^[archive]