HISTORY Subject : History (For under graduate student) Paper No. : Paper-I History of India Topic No. & Title : Topic-10 Gupta Empire Lecture No. & Title : Lecture-5 Later Gupta s & other emerging kingdoms FAQs 1. Name some dynasties that arose in northern India after the fall of the imperial Guptas. Some of the dynasties that arose after the fall of the Imperial Guptas are the later Guptas of Magadha, Maukharis of Kanauj, Pushyabhutis of Thaneswar, and the Maitrakas of Valabhi.
2. Which the two eastern powers were moving into the politics of Central India? The two powers from eastern India that were becoming involved in the politics of Central India during the time of Kumara Gupta III were the Kamrupas roughly corresponding to Assam and Gaudas of West Bengal. They had for long remained in the periphery but gradually realized the importance of the Gangetic region and started vying for control over that area. 3. What was the origin of the Maukharis? The Maukharis of Kanauj were originally feudatory generals in Magadha and Rajputana, who claimed their descent from the epic hero Asvapati. This was possibly an indirect allusion to the fact their original profession was that of cavalry officers or cavalry soldiers. 4. Why do the historians believe that the Vakatakas were of Brahmin origin? One school of historians believes that the Vakatakas were Brahmins in origin and their gothra name was
Vishnu-vriddhi because according to the Bazin plates a Vakataka king was known as Gautami-putra and that induces us to assume that the Vakatakas were of Brahmin origin. 5. What were the various branches of the Chalukyas? The various branches of the Chalukyas were the Chalukyas of Badami, the Chalukyas of Vengi, the Chalukyas of Vimulvada who were the feudatories of the Rashtrakutas, and the later Chalukyas of Kalyani. 6. Name some of the important Rashtrakuta kings. The Rashtrakutas assumed an independent status under Dantidurga. Other kings under whom the Rashtrakuta Empire expanded were Krishna I, Govinda III and Amoghavarsha. 7. What is Pattadakal in Karnataka famous for? Pattadakal is famous for the exquisite temples constructed during the time of the Western Chalukyas, and the developments in the sphere of architecture
and sculpture. The style is a combination of the Nagara (northern) and Dravida (southern) forms. The Virupaksha temple dedicated to Shiva is the finest among them. It was constructed to commemorate the conquest of Kanchipuram by Vikramaditya II. Another remarkable specimen is the Papanatha temple. 8. What do you know of the earliest history of the Vakatakas? Several early inscriptions and structural remains found at Nachna in the Panna district of Madhya Pradesh seem to indicate that the Vakatakas first established themselves in the Vindhyan region, which included a large part of the Bundelkhand and Baghelkhand tracts, from where they extended their power southwards, eventually becoming a major political power in the Deccan. The Ajanta inscription of the time of Harishena (court poet of Samudragupta) alludes in poetic terms to the achievements of Vindhyashakti I whose majesty is compared to that of the gods, Purandara (Indra) and Upendra (Vishnu).
9. What do we know about Orissa during this period? Orissa was divided into several small principalities some of which owed allegiance to the Guptas. Dynasties such as the Pitribhaktas, Matharas, and Vasishthas rose to power in southern Orissa. The fifth century AD saw the rise of the eastern Gangas in south Kalinga with their capital at Kalinganagara, identified with Mukhalingam in the Ganjam district. 10. In which region were the Pushyabhutis based? The Harshacharita of Banabhatta and the account of Hiuen Tsang form the two major sources for the Pushyabhuti dynasty. The Pushyabhutis initially had their base in the area around Sthanishvara (modern Thanesar in the Ambala district of Punjab). Little is known of the first three kings of this dynasty. The fourth king of this line was Prabhakaravardhana, whose daughter Rajyashri was married to the Maukhari ruler Grahavarman. Prabhakaravardhana was succeeded by his son Rajyavardhana.