Lecture # 7-8

Early Medieval Period / South Indian

Empires
Course: History of South Asia
Instructor : MS Iram Qayyum
Early Empires and exchanges
: 4th to 2nd century BCE

▪ The medieval Era in the Indian history

begins with the decline of Vedic age
by the end of 16th century till 12th
century.
▪ Out of Hazy formative stage of
development ,sixteen powerful
kingdoms and oligarchies emerged. By
the end of this period, one will
dominate
▪ By the end of vedic era, India entered
a second stage of urbanization, as
towns and cities become a prominent
feature of northern India .
Main Trends :
Countervailing the trends that have been evident through out Indian political history are ;
❑ Political unification & fragmentation.
That fore leads new trends such as
❑ Formation of more centralized empire system/ Regional Dynasties
✓ E.g., Mauryan Dynasty , Gupta Dynasty , Rajput Dynasty ( In North ) etc
✓ Mughal Empire and
✓ British Empire
❑ Proliferation of Regional Kingdoms
❑ Inter-intra regional Relations
✓ Raged on Cooperation ---- co-existence –conflict
❑ Technological and Architectural Advancement
 EARLY MEDIEVAL INDIA (South Indian Empires)
▪ The Golden Age of Hinduism or the Classical age of Hindu civilization ; established enduring
norms in kingship, literature and religion .
▪ A large numbers of kingdoms flourished in the region : Mayuran empire , Gupta empire
,Rajputana empire (North India); : Warlike clans appear in Rajasthan, later Sikh empires / tamil
empires .
▪ The Religion ,politics and military formed the structural and geo-political basis of city-
states/empires or kingdom planning .
▪ Spread of Sanskrit culture and development of major Hindu text (Religious texts) and temples
also signal the rise of a powerful devotional Hinduism centered upon a few supreme deities (
GOD Shiv, vishu, krishna major figures. Stone temples were erected for the purpose of housing
representations of a god or goddess .
▪ Matured Hindu tradition expressed in poetry, drama [Kalidasa]; art, temple architecture;
philosophy [Vedanta]; new forms of devotional [bhakti] worship.
▪ The period saw major technological advances, including the adoption of gunpowder, the
invention of vertical windmills, spectacles, mechanical clocks, and greatly improved water mills,
building techniques (Gothic architecture, medieval castles, forts ), and agriculture in general
(three-field crop rotation).
Mauryan Empire
(324-185BC)
❑Statecraft : Centralized
bureaucracy
❑ Chandra Gupta & Ashoka the great
successor
✓ Policy of Religious Tolerance .
✓ Buddhism – Hinduism
✓ Spread of Sanskritic culture to South India
✓ Codification of laws ( especially Moral laws)
, literary development grammar, science,
arts etc.
Con……

▪ The empire is known for its sophisticated stagecraft.

▪ Its centralized bureaucracy and efforts to formulate moral laws . ( Expressed in the classical treaties
Arthashastra of Kautilya)
▪ The most famous emperor : Ashoka expanded his empire across subcontinent controlling both
strategically important northwest passages and indo-magnetic from its base in the Magadha region.
▪ He unified the govt , Built a palace of stone ,religious monuments
▪ Opted policy religious tolerance .
▪ Encouraged Buddhism , himself converted to Buddhism .
▪ During his a remarkable socio-economic and cultural exchange varied regional patterns and
expansion .(The bilingual coinage of kings Bactria and Parthia revels Indo-Greek & Persian
interactions.
▪ The successive migrations btw central asia and China & exchange/ trade of Pepper, textile , semi-
precious stones & other luxury goods have been done via trade routes connecting western India
and ports of Red Sea.

Decline : Invasions by Central Asian tribes: Bactrian Greeks; Sakas; Kushans, who establish a dynasty,
ca. 78 BCE-200 CE
 Gupta Empire :
320-500BCE
❑ Era of Unification
❑ Renaissance
❑ Development / Diffusion of Sanskritic
culture
❑ Major texts of Hindu tradition take shape:
Mahabharata, Ramayana, Gods Shiva,
Vishnu major figures.
❑ Decentralization
▪ The emperors of Guptta empire
expanded it in all four direction from
the Base ( the gagnatic plain) to entire
subcontinent .
▪ But it neither of them or their
successors acquired permanent
control over Southern India.
Main Trends & Reforms :
▪ The southern kingdoms gave Autonomy g to villages
▪ Decentralization ; Established district-based assemblies
▪ Extend role of Merchant guilds ( wholesale retailers) in public work e.g. ; clearing land , building &
clearing water tanks and in production of crops .
▪ Rulers : most of them were Hindu however both Hinduism & Buddhism had been practiced .
▪ Brahman Dominance ; Royal grants, free land, taxes were given to Brahmin individuals & Brahmin
settlements for developments and agricultural projects .
▪ Social welfare & infrastructure development : Construction of wells and reservoirs. Development of
temples , castle (mehals ) &forts, encouraged Artisans patronage and religious worship .
▪ Sanskrit was primary language
▪ Religious text earlier were graded to Priestley rituals and abstract philosophical commentaries
transformed into wider range of literary and political use .
▪ Developed famously great Sanskrit epics ; Mahabaharat and Ramayana both composed b/w 200bc-
200CE. ( based on heroic stories to explore religious and philosophical issues)
▪ Manusmiriti & Dharmashastra were also composed during early centuries prescribed legal and ethical
laws inspired by ; Dharma scriptures based on social norms and code of conduct .
▪ Inter-Regional Trade extended further with southeast Asian kingdoms and advanced the cultural
synthesis among dominant cultures of North and south India , while rising and cattle raiding
The End OF Golden Age Of Hinduism

❑ Invasion of Huns
▪ Successive invasions of Huns and other Central Asian tribes destroy Gupta empire.
▪ ca.
❑ Rajput Dynasties (North India) 650-1335 ; Regional Dynasties (South India)
▪ Warlike clans appear in Rajasthan
❑ Arabs take Sind
❑ Paliava dynasty dominates south; continuing conflict with Cholas, with Cheras,
Pandyas
Identify the reasons of the decline of Hinduism ?