PRELIMS REVISION QUIZ (DAY-05)

Tripartite Struggle for Kannauj (ancient name 'Kanyakubja')

WHY KANNAUJ ?

To get control over the rich resources of the Gangetic valley.

Kannauj was centrally located on the Ganga trade route and also connected to the Silk Route. This made it strategically and commercially very important.

To control Gujarat and Malwa and benefit in trade from their proximity to the coast.

Booty gained from the conquest could be used to maintain the army.

Kannauj was the capital of Harshavardhan's Empire in North India.

To acquire supremacy over Kannauj was also a symbol of prestige.

TRIPARTITE STRUGGLE (750-1000 A.D.)

The conflict between three powers to capture and control Kannauj is known as the 'tripartite struggle' in the history of ancient India.

The three kingdoms involved in the tripartite struggle were –

Palas of Bengal, Gurjara-Pratiharas of Northern and Western India, Rashtrakutas of Northern Deccan.

Tripartite struggle lasted for two centuries, because the three kingdoms were almost equal in strength. So, the victory of one king over the other did not last very long.

In the end, Gurjara-Pratiharas emerged victorious in the tripartite struggle, but it made all three dynasties weak in the long run.

It resulted in the political disintegration of the country and benefitted the early islamic invaders who made inroads to India.

Alexander invaded India in 326 B.C.

Crossing the north west frontier of Indian subcontinent, he defeated Porus in the battle of Hydapses.

At the time of Alexander's invasion, the most powerful kingdom of India was Magadha, which was under the rule of Nanda dynasty.

Dhana Nanda was the ruler of Magadha at that time. He maintained a huge force of 2,00,000 infantry, 80,000 cavalry, 8,000 chariots and 6,000 war elephants.

The powerful Nanda dynasty ruled over Magadha from 467 B.C. to 312 B.C.

Dhana Nanda, the last ruler of the Nanda dynasty was overthrown by the Chandragupta Maurya, who founded Maurya dynasty with the help of Chanakya.

CHOLA CONQUEST OF SRI LANKA

Rajaraja Chola I conquered the northern half of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) during his reign.

His son Rajendra I invaded Ceylon in 1017 A.D. and annexed the entire island and later the Mali Tivu (Maldives) to Chola Empire.

EARLY HISTORY OF DELHI (BEFORE DELHI SULTANATE)

➤ Lal Kot (1060 A.D.) - Anangpal Tomar (Rajput) built fortress and declared it capital. This was the first time Delhi was made capital of a kingdom.

➤ Qila Rai Pithora (1180 A.D.) - Prithviraj Chauhan expanded the fortified area of Lalkot. It was termed as the "first city of Delhi".

➤ Lal Kot was Delhi’s original ‘red fort’.

➤ What we call Red Fort or Lal Qila today was originally called Qila-e-Mubarak built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan.

Question 693.

HISTORY OF PATALIPUTRA

Foundation of Pataliputra was laid by fortification of Pataligrama (village) by Ajatashatru, as a security measure against repeated attacks from the Lichhavis of Vaishali.

Situated at the confluence of the Ganga, Gandak and Son rivers, Pataliputra formed an impregnable "water fort or jal-durg".

Ajatashatru’s son and successor, Udayin, taking into account Pataliputra’s strategic location, shifted the Magadhan capital from Rajgir to Pataliputra.

Pataliputra was the capital city of major powers in ancient/medieval India, such as the –
● Nanda
● Maurya
● Sunga
● Gupta
● Pala

Afterwards, Sher Shah Suri (1538–1545 A.D.) revived Pataliputra, which had been in decline since the 7th century A.D., and renamed it Patna.

Remains of ancient city of Pataliputra have been excavated at Kumrahar and Bulandibagh, in the vicinity of Patna in Bihar.