Consider the following dynasties:

1. Hoysala
2. Gahadavala
3. Kakatiya
4. Yadava

How many of the above dynasties established their kingdoms in early eighth century AD?

1. Only one
2. Only two
3. Only three
4. None

Explanation

Hoysala is incorrect

• The Hoysalas ruled over parts of the present Karnataka and most of the Tamil region. The kingdom achieved independent status by the close of the 12^th century, but its end came at the beginning of the 14^th century. The capital of the Hoysalas was initially located at Belur but was later moved to Halebidu.
• In the 12^th century, taking advantage of the internecine warfare between the Western Chalukya Empire and Kalachuris of Kalyani, they annexed areas of present-day Karnataka and the fertile areas north of the Kaveri delta in present-day Tamil Nadu. By the 13^th century, they governed most of Karnataka, minor parts of Tamil Nadu and parts of western Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in the Deccan Plateau. The first independent ruler of the kingdom was Ballala II (1173-1220). In the early part of the 14^th century, Alauddin Khalji sent a large army commanded by Malik Kafur to control southern India. In 1310, the last ruler of Hoysala, Vira Ballala III, surrendered all his treasures to the Delhi forces after the siege of Dwarasamudra. In 1343 CE, Vira Ballala III was captured and killed while fighting the independent sultanate of Madurai. The sovereign territories of the Hoysala Kingdom were merged with the areas administered by Harihara I in the Tungabhadra River region.

Image Source: Wikipedia

Gahadavala is incorrect

• Following the decline of the Gurjara-Pratiharas, the Middle Ganga Valley experienced instability, which was ended when King Chandradeva established the Gahadavala dynasty in c. CE 1089. From Kanauj, the Gahadawalas ruled over the major portions of the Gangetic doab from 1089 to 1194 CE. They gradually squeezed the Palas out of Bihar and made Banaras a second capital. The Gahadawalas had a bitter struggle and enmity with the Chahamanas. Govindachandra (c. 1114 – 1155 CE), the grandson of Chandradeva, was the most powerful ruler of his dynasty. The kingdom reached its zenith under his reign.
  • As a prince, he defeated the Ghaznavids and the Palas.
  • As a sovereign, he defeated the Kalachuris of Tripuri and annexed some of their territories.
• Jaichandra (c. 1170 – 1194 CE), the grandson of Govindachandra, was the last great ruler of the Gahadawala dynasty. In 1194, he was defeated by the Ghurid army under Qutb-ud-Din Aibak, effectively ending the dynasty’s imperial power. The kingdom completely ceased to exist when Jayachandra’s successors were defeated by the Delhi Sultanate Mamluk dynasty ruler Iltutmish. After the sacking of Kanauj by Muhammad of Ghor in 1194 and its subsequent capture by the Delhi Sultanate in the early 13th century, some survivors of the Gahadavala dynasty, led by Jaichandra’s son and grandson Siyaji (Shiv Ji), fled west to the Marwar region of Rajasthan. They founded the Rathore clan and ruled the state of Marwar (Jodhpur state).

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Kakatiya is incorrect

• The Kakatiyas (c. 1110 – 1326 CE) were a Telugu dynasty that ruled from Warangal from the 12^th and 14^th centuries. They ruled over much of present-day Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, as well as parts of eastern Karnataka, northern Tamil Nadu, and southern Odisha. The Telugu Kakatiyas were initially subordinate to the Western Chalukyas. The Kakatiya ruler, Prola II (c. 1110 – 1158 CE), declared independence and started the sovereign Kakatiya Dynasty.
• Ganapathi Deva (r. 1199-1262 CE) was the greatest Kakatiya ruler. He brought the entire Telugu region under his rule. He was succeeded by his daughter, Rudramma Devi (c. 1262-89 CE), who was one of the few women rulers of India. Marco Polo, a Venetian merchant who visited India around 1289–1293, noted Rudrama Devi’s rule. Rani Rudramma Devi was succeeded by her grandson, Prataparudra. In 1309, he was defeated by Malik Kafur but managed to save the kingdom by agreeing to pay an annual tribute to Delhi. In 1320, the Khalji dynasty was replaced by the Tughluq dynasty in Delhi. Taking advantage of this, Prataparudra asserted his independence. Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq sent his son, who defeated the Kakatiyas. After the end of the Kakatiya dynasty, new kingdoms emerged and were finally united under the Musunuri Nayakas.

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Yadava is incorrect

• The Yadavas (Seuna or Sevuna) of Devagiri (c. 1187 – 1317) was a medieval Indian dynasty ruled from its capital Devagiri (present-day Daulatabad, in the Sambhajinagar district, Maharashtra). Initially, Yadavas ruled as feudatories of the Western Chalukyas and Rashtrakutas. By the end of the twelfth century, as the Chalukya power declined, the Yadava king Bhillama V declared independence. In the thirteenth century, the dynasty reached its height under King Singhana and ruled an area stretching from the Narmada River in the north to the Tungabhadra River in the south in the western Deccan. Its territory included present-day Maharashtra, northern Karnataka and parts of Madhya Pradesh. In 1307, the Delhi Sultanate ruler Alauddin Khalji sent a large army, commanded by Malik Kafur, to capture the Devagiri fort. Malik Kafur overran the kingdom and took Ramachandra a prisoner to Delhi. However, Ramachandra was released after six months and allowed to rule his kingdom as a vassal under the Sultanate army. Finally, the kingdom was annexed by the Khalji sultanate in 1317.

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Answer: (d) None; Difficulty Level: Hard