The Gurjara-Pratiharas and the Tripartite Struggle for Kannauj

Kannauj is a city in today’s Uttar Pradesh. In old texts it is also called Kanyakubja. For a long time it stood for rule over north India.

What happened after Harsha?

King Harshavardhana ruled from Kannauj. He died in 647 CE, and his kingdom broke up. Many small powers rose and fell. Three big ones came to matter most.

Why was the city so valuable?

Whoever held Kannauj held the upper Ganga valley. That meant rich farmland and busy trade. The Ganga was the main road linking Bengal to the middle of India. So the city gave both money and prestige.

What is the memory hook?

Think “Kannauj = key to the Ganga valley”.

Each side ruled a different part of India. Each wanted the same city.

Who were they?

• The Gurjara-Pratiharas held the north and west, mainly Rajasthan and the lands around it.
• The Palas held the east, in Bengal.
• The Rashtrakutas held the south, in the Deccan.

Where did the name Pratihara come from?

Pratihara is a Sanskrit word for “doorkeeper”. The Pratiharas linked it to Lakshmana. In the Ramayana he once guarded the door for his brother Rama. Historians still debate where the Gurjaras came from.

What is the memory hook?

Think “north-west, east, south: Pratihara, Pala, Rashtrakuta”.

Source for the three sides: Vajiram & Ravi, Gurjara Pratihara Dynasty; also World History Encyclopedia, Gurjara-Pratihara Empire

The first round came in the late 700s. Each side won something and lost something.

What did Vatsaraja do?

Vatsaraja was a Pratihara king. He defeated the Palas and made his own choice of ruler sit on the Kannauj throne. That ruler belonged to the Ayudha family, who then held the city.

How did the Rashtrakutas answer?

The Rashtrakuta king Dhruva beat Vatsaraja. He took the royal symbols Vatsaraja had won from the Palas. Vatsaraja fled to the deserts of Rajasthan. The Palas then put their own man on the Kannauj throne.

What did Nagabhata II do?

Nagabhata II was Vatsaraja’s son. The Rashtrakuta king Govinda III beat him at first. He then regained his strength. He captured Kannauj and ended Ayudha rule. From then on, Kannauj was the Pratihara capital.

Why did the Rashtrakutas not stay?

They were far from their home in the south. They came north like raiders, took loot and glory, then went home. The Pratiharas rebuilt each time.

What is the memory hook?

Think “Vatsaraja wins, Dhruva beats him, Nagabhata II takes the city”.

Read the Rashtrakuta side at World History Encyclopedia, Rashtrakuta Dynasty; the Pratihara side at World History Encyclopedia, Gurjara-Pratihara Empire

Mihira Bhoja was the best-known Pratihara king. He ruled for nearly fifty years, from about 836 to 885 CE. He was the grandson of Nagabhata II.

How did he win back power?

Early in his reign he lost to the Palas, the Rashtrakutas and the Kalachuris. Then he rebuilt his army. With help from his Chedi and Guhila vassals, he beat the Palas. He took back Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

What was the Adivaraha title?

Bhoja took the title Adivaraha. It links a king to Varaha, the boar form of Vishnu. His coins show a boar. The symbol told people that the king was a protector.

What did visitors say?

The Arab traveller Suleiman wrote about Bhoja’s strength. He said no other Indian king had such fine cavalry. He also said the land was safe from robbers.

What did his son do?

Mahendrapala I ruled from about 885 to 910 CE. He kept his father’s empire and added land in the east. The poet Rajashekhara lived at his court.

What is the memory hook?

Think “Bhoja, boar coins, best cavalry”.

Sources for Bhoja: World History Encyclopedia, Gurjara-Pratihara Empire, and Vajiram & Ravi, Gurjara Pratihara Dynasty

After Bhoja, the Pratiharas kept losing battles. Their vassals also grew bold.

What did Indra III do?

Indra III was a Rashtrakuta king. Around 916 CE he beat the Pratihara king Mahipala. His army ruined Kannauj. The Pratiharas won the city back, but they never fully recovered. The Rashtrakutas hit again under Krishna III in 963 CE.

What is a vassal?

A vassal is a ruler who obeys a stronger king. He pays tribute and sends troops. A strong king keeps vassals loyal. A weak king loses them.

Which vassals broke away?

The Paramaras of Malwa and the Chandelas of Bundelkhand grew strong. Other families did the same. In time the empire shrank to a small kingdom around Kannauj.

What is the memory hook?

Think “raid, rebel, shrink”.

Further reading: World History Encyclopedia, Rashtrakuta Dynasty; World History Encyclopedia, Gurjara-Pratihara Empire

The end came from the north-west. A new power from Afghanistan reached the Ganga plain.

What happened in 1018?

Mahmud of Ghazni took Kannauj in 1018 CE. The Pratihara king Rajapala fled. The dynasty broke into small branches. One branch ruled Mandore, in Rajasthan, for centuries.

Who took over after that?

The Ghaznavid hold was short. Indian rulers took over the area. The best known were the Gahadavalas, who ruled from about 1080 to 1194 CE.

Why does the struggle matter?

Three strong kingdoms spent two centuries fighting for one city. Each lost men and money.

What is the memory hook?

Think “1018: Mahmud takes Kannauj”.

For the end of the dynasty, see Vajiram & Ravi, Gurjara Pratihara Dynasty and World History Encyclopedia, Gurjara-Pratihara Empire

Exams test which king belonged to which dynasty. This UPSC question mixes Pratiharas with other families.

How do you answer it?

Nannuka founded the Chandela line. Nagabhata II was a Gurjara-Pratihara king. Those two pairs are right. Jayashakti was a Chandela, not a Paramara. Bhoja was not a Rashtrakuta. So two pairs match, and the answer is (b).

What is the memory hook?

Think “Nannuka, Nagabhata: two right”.

For the question itself, see: World History Encyclopedia, Gurjara-Pratihara Empire; UPSC CSP 2022, General Studies Paper I, Q92