Write a short note on the expansion of post-Gupta kingdoms in North India.

Several Kingdoms surfaced during the 6th century A.D. Although, these empires were not as large as the Gupta empire. Even though the regime of  several of such royal. Kingdoms lasted for merely a short duration yet this period marked the onset of the stable state structures of which these powers were made of.

Yashodharman : He emerged as a king in 528 A.D. and ruled till 532 A.D. He reigned on entire Gupta empire and also extended his territories to other areas.

The Mankharis : This kingdom emerged by the end of 5th century A.D. The names of first three Mankhari kings were :

• (a) Yagna Varman 
• (b) Sardul Varman
• (c) Anant Varman.

Some of the other Kings were Harivarman, Adityaverman, Isvarvarman, Isanavarman.

Isanavarman is known to have established an independent kingdom. Sarvavarman his son, restored the lost glory of the Mankhar is by defeating Damodargupta of the later Gupta period. The Mankhari Kingdom, declined after the attack of Devgupta on Kannauj and the King Grahvarman was killed in the battle. 

The Later Guptas : The later Guptas better known as Magadha. Guptas were the emperors who ruled Magadha from 600 to 675 A.D. They were engaged perpetually in wars with each other throughout their rule. Adityaseva, who ruled during 672 A.D. was the most powerful king among the later Guptas. He extended his empire till Bengal.

Besides the aforesaid dynasties some of the other empires also surfaced is the post-Gupta period. These were

• (i) Gaudas in Bengal
• (ii)     Gurjars in  Rajputana and Gujarat.
• (iii)   Varmans in Kamrup (Assam)
• (iv)    Families of Mana and sailobhava in Orissa. When Harshvardhan came to power the aforesaid powers began to lose their glory.

Harsha, Vardhana’s empire had a lose structure and after his death even that disintegrated.

In Kashmir Durlabhvardhan established Karakota dynasty. The attack of the Arabs was countered by his grandson Chandrapida.

King Bhaskarvarman ruled in Karnasuvarna in the Murshidabad district of Bengal and surrounding areas. Adityasena ruled in Magadha after the death of Harshavardhana.

Yashovarman came into power in Kannauj after 75 years of Harsha’s death. He subjugated Magadha and Gauda empires.

This period saw the emergence of stable state structure unlike the structure of the state during Harsha's region. In Bengal the rise of ‘Palas’ marked a new phase in the political history of the region whereas in Western India like Gujarat and Rajasthan many royal families like the Gurjara, the Chauhans, Pratiharas,  etc. emerged who too dominated political scenes for several years to come. After the decline of Gupta and Harsha dynasties the regional powers consolidated themselves and played significant roles in the history of medieval India.

Subcribe on Youtube - IGNOU SERVICE

For PDF copy of Solved Assignment

WhatsApp Us - 9113311883(Paid)