UPSC Prelims 2023 Q45: Early Medieval Dynasties Chronology

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

Answer: (d) None

Statement-wise explanation

  • 1: incorrect — The Hoysalas ruled the southern Deccan from about 1006 to about 1346 CE. They began as hill chiefs and feudatories of the Chalukyas of Kalyani, and made Dorasamudra (Halebid) their capital around 1060. Their peak came under Ballala II (1173–1220), so their rise falls in the 11th century, not the 8th.
  • 2: incorrect — The Gahadavalas came to power in north India in the late 11th century. Their power took shape under the first three rulers, Yashovigraha, Mahichandra and Chandradeva (c. 1089–1103), who took Varanasi, Ayodhya and Kannauj. Jayachandra, the last major king, died fighting Muhammad of Ghur at Chandawar in 1194.
  • 3: incorrect — The Kakatiyas started as feudatories of the Chalukyas of Kalyani. They became independent under Prola II and Rudradeva in the 12th century and ruled from Hanumakonda–Warangal from c. 1163 to c. 1323. Rudradeva built the Thousand Pillar temple in 1163, and Warangal fell to the Delhi Sultanate in 1323.
  • 4: incorrect — The Yadavas (Seunas) of Devagiri were also feudatories of the Chalukyas of Kalyani. They became the leading power in the Deccan under Bhillama (c. 1187–91), who founded Devagiri as his capital. Alauddin Khalji made them pay tribute in 1294, and the kingdom was annexed in 1317.

How to eliminate

This question mostly needs the facts, but one anchor cuts down the work. Remember who held power in the 8th century: the Gurjara-Pratiharas, Palas and Rashtrakutas, the three sides of the tripartite struggle over Kannauj. All four dynasties in the question came later. Three of them (Hoysala, Kakatiya, Yadava) were feudatories of the Chalukyas of Kalyani and broke free only as that power weakened in the 11th–12th centuries. The Gahadavalas filled the gap left at Kannauj after the Pratiharas collapsed. A second check: the Yadavas, Kakatiyas and Hoysalas were all still standing when the Khalji and Tughluq armies attacked them between 1294 and the 1340s. A kingdom founded in the 8th century would rarely survive 550–600 years. So place all four in the 11th–12th centuries, which makes 'None' the answer. Fact to remember: 8th century = Pratihara, Pala, Rashtrakuta. 11th–12th century = Hoysala, Gahadavala, Kakatiya, Yadava.

Know more

Two waves of early medieval dynasties

Early medieval Indian politics came in two broad waves.

Wave 1 (8th century): big regional empires rose after the Gupta and Harsha periods. Three of them fought for Kannauj in the tripartite struggle: the Gurjara-Pratiharas (west and north), the Palas (Bengal–Bihar) and the Rashtrakutas (Deccan; Dantidurga overthrew the Badami Chalukyas around the mid-8th century).

Wave 2 (11th–12th centuries): these empires broke into smaller successor states. In the Deccan, the Chalukyas of Kalyani declined in the 12th century, and three of their feudatories took over their lands. In the north, the Gahadavalas took Kannauj after the Pratiharas fell.

Dynasty Region / capital Rise to power End
Hoysala Southern Karnataka; Dorasamudra (Halebid) c. 1006; capital c. 1060 c. 1346 (succeeded by Vijayanagara)
Gahadavala Kannauj–Varanasi c. 1089 (Chandradeva) 1194 (Jayachandra killed at Chandawar)
Kakatiya Telangana–Andhra; Warangal c. 1163 (Rudradeva) 1323 (fall of Warangal)
Yadava (Seuna) Maharashtra; Devagiri c. 1187 (Bhillama) 1317 (annexed by the Khaljis)

Links worth remembering

  • The three Deccan states fought one another. Ballala II (Hoysala) defeated the Yadavas, and Singhana (Yadava, c. 1210–47) campaigned against both the Hoysalas and the Kakatiyas.
  • The Delhi Sultanate ended all three. Alauddin Khalji's armies, many led by Malik Kafur, attacked Devagiri, Warangal and Dwarasamudra.
  • Well-known monuments: the Belur, Halebid and Somnathapura temples (Hoysala; UNESCO World Heritage Site, 2023) and the Ramappa temple, built in 1213 under the Kakatiya king Ganapatideva (UNESCO World Heritage Site, 2021).
  • Rudramadevi was one of the few women in medieval India to rule in her own right (Kakatiya, 13th century).

NCERT Concepts to Revise

  • Hoysalas: Statement 1 depends on the century in which the Hoysalas rose to power in southern Karnataka.
  • Gahadavala dynasty: Statement 2 depends on when the Gahadavalas took Kannauj and Varanasi.
  • Kakatiyas: Statement 3 depends on when the Kakatiyas stopped being feudatories and set up their own kingdom.
  • Yadava dynasty: Statement 4 depends on when the Yadavas of Devagiri became a sovereign Deccan power.
  • Alauddin Khalji: His Deccan campaigns give a closing date for several of these kingdoms, which helps you work back to when they began.

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