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Abhyudaya Kelkar

This part is Part –VII, dealing with the period between the Guptas and the end of the Ancient Period in India, i.e. roughly between 500 AD and 700 AD, a span of approximately 200 years. The course will cover the following: The Chalukyas, The Pallavas, The North Before Harsha, Harshavardhana, The North After Harsha, Post Gupta Economy, Art and Architecture, Post Gupta Religion and Society, The Birth of Islam and its arrival in India, The Expansion of the Caliphate , The South-east Asian Principalities, The Chinese Travellers, The End of the Ancient Period and conclusion. This part will be followed by the next course - The Medieval India.

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Ancient History: Post Gupta Period

Indian History

Northern-Western and Northern India 

Ancient History

History

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Overview of Part-VII Post-Gupta Period

As far as the southern India is concerned, the Badami Chalukyas had an extremely important role in shaping the politics, art and culture of the region.

After the collapse of the Gupta Empire, there was anarchy throughout the southern Asia. By early 500s, there was no political power in the region that could have influence over the whole region. Here began the era of numerous parallel empires.

The land lying to the south of Narmada, particularly the Deccan was ruled by the Chalukyas, one of the most powerful empires that India ever saw. These Chalukyas ruled from Vatapi (now known as Badami). That’s why they were called Badami Chalukyas.

One of their branches started ruling from Vengi. This is how the ‘Vengi Chalukyas’ or the ‘Eastern Chalukyas’ came into existence.

The Chalukyas

The Pallavas were yet another power in the southern India to be reckoned with. They constantly bickered with the Badami Chalukyas for the supremacy over the southern Deccan. The Pallavas even managed to capture Vatapi, the imperial capital of the Chalukya and led to a split in the empire, giving birth to the eastern branch, the Vengi Chalukyas.

Although this victory was short-lived, the see-saw war against the Chalukyas continued throughout the century and afterwards into the first century of the Medieval Period, until the existence of Badami Chalukyas.

Pallavas were great builders of monuments, particularly temples, just like the Badami Chalukyas. The Mahabalipuram monuments, including the Shore Temple, are credited to them. Moreover, they had a deep cultural influence over the ‘Indianized states’ of the south-eastern Asia.

The Pallavas

As the Gupta Empire declined, the northern India plunged into a long anarchy. Many small warring states came into being. 

In this lesson, we will be talking about these warring states with the aid of various maps. Before understanding the ‘Digvijaya’ of Harsha, it will be useful to understand the basics of the various states and principalities existing at that time.

So, we will also cover the ancestors of Harsha and the events before his coronation, i.e. the northern India between c.500 AD and 606 AD., a span of roughly one century.

The North before Harsha

Harshavardhana was undoubtedly the greatest personality of the Post-Gupta Period. He was the only person who tried to create a unified political entity during these two centuries. And to a large extent, he succeeded. Although his empire disappeared soon after his death, he managed to do the following the political arena :
1.	Making Kannyakubja (Kannauj) the seat of power of the northern India for next six centuries, that was to last well into the Medieval Period.
2.	Rejuvenating the declining Buddhism.
3.	Bringing the northern India under his political influence.

Huien Tsang, a Chinese traveller and scholar, came to India during the reign of Harsha and wrote a lot about him. Most of the knowledge about Harshavardhana are derived either from his writings or the biography of Harsha, Harshacharita, written by the court-poet of Harsha, Banabhatta.

So, in this lesson we will discuss those facts about Harshavardhana.

Harshavardhana

The empire of Harsha died with him. The following period is a very poorly documented one. But it is certain that there was a power vacuum throughout the northern India for at least one century, i.e. for the rest of the Ancient Period.

However, Kannauj remained the symbol of power and prosperity, a trend set by Harsha.
Many regional states and smaller principalities re-appeared after Harsha, which will be briefly discussed in this lesson. 

These were to remain warring against each other throughout the rest of the Ancient Period.

The most important element of this lesson is the rarely discussed matter of Sindh and the early Arab invasions of the seventh century. Many history text-books omit the case of Sindh, although it is the point from where the Medieval Period begins in India.

The North after Harsha

The general trend of the Gupta Period’s economy continued almost uninterrupted during the post-Gupta Period too.

However, there was a massive expansion in the foreign trade, particularly to the south-east Asia.

There some significant changes in religions during the Gupta Period, which continued during this period too. Also, Buddhism got revived, after the slowdown it faced during the Gupta Period, perhaps due to the patronage of Harsha.

The downward trend in the social structure due to social evils, like Sati and dowry system, which began at the end of the Gupta Period, continued during this period giving birth to many malpractices and superstitions. ‘Hinduism’ started getting its present shape. 
The rest has been explained in the lesson.

Post-Gupta Economy, Society and Religion

The post-Gupta Period can be best remembered for the contribution in two spheres, as far as art and architecture are concerned :
1.	Mathematics
2.	Temple Architecture

Although Takshashila vanished due to the Huna invasions, many centres of learning flowered in the sub-continent, especially in the eastern and central India.

India saw many great mathematicians in this period, viz. Brahmagupta, Bhaskara I, Varahamihir, etc. This trend continued into the medieval period too.

Regarding the architecture, both Nagara (the northern temple architecture) and Dravida (the southern temple architecture) styles, evolved through two different streams.

The details are available in this lesson.

Post-Gupta Art and Culture

The Islamic culture had a deep influence on India in the Medieval Period. But it was born when the Ancient Period was about to end in India. Apart from that, the political rise of Arabs shook the whole of the then known-world. India felt it much later, in the Medieval Period. But the 7th century was undoubtedly the century of Islam for the western world and the Mid-east. 
Unless we understand its origin, the rise of Arab polity, its impact on the western world and the Mod-east, it will not be possible for us to correlate with the events of the Medieval Period, that’s why these two lessons.

In this lesson, we will discuss Prophet Mohammed, his life and family, the new religion, the beginning of Islamic Era and the schism between Sunni and Shia sects.

The Birth of Islam

This lesson is a sequel to the previous one, dealing with Islam. Here in this lesson, the events that took place during the Rashidun Caliphate will be discussed.

The immediate successors of Mohammed got divided as Sunnis and Shias. They followed different political streams. Sunnis had their ‘Caliphs’, while Shias had their ‘Imams’.

After the first three caliphs, Abu bakr, Umar and Uthman (Usman), the first Imam of the Shias, Ali, also became the fourth Caliph of the Sunnis. 

At the same time, the first Muslim Civil War (the First Fitna) started and Ali was assassinated ending the Rashidun Caliphate.

Umayyads succeeded them who were tyrants, according to the chroniclers. How the confrontation between them and the successors of Ali culminated into the Karbala Incident, has been explained in the lesson.

The Early Expansion of Islam

India had a strong trade relation with south-eastern Asia. It expanded greatly during the Post-Gupta period. As a result, that region came into the cultural ‘sphere of influence’ of India, or ‘Indosphere’, according to some historians.

This was largely due to the spread of Hinduism and Buddhism in that region.

Many Hindu-Buddhist states came into existence, both on the mainland and the archipelago the south-eastern Asia. Although their languages were altogether different from the Indic languages, the cultural impact of India in that region was absolute.

Therefore, modern scholars call these entities, ‘Indianized States’.

This lesson contains a brief description and list of those Indianized states, many of which remained in existence during the Medieval Period of India.

The South-eastern Asia

There were some Chinese travellers who came to India in search of Buddhist texts and scriptures and perhaps pilgrimage. Some of them influenced China and the east very deeply.  This trend began from the appearance of the Silk Road from China to the West via northern India. These travellers not only visited 

Fa-Hien came during the Gupta Period, while Song Yun, Huien Tsang and I-tsing, during the post-Gupta Period. 

Fa-Hien wrote mostly about the social conditions of the ‘Middle Kingdom’, as he called the Indian empire existing at that time, i.e. the Gupta Empire.

Huien Tsang, a Chinese traveller came to India during his reign and wrote highly of Harsha and his reign as well as the socio-cultural and political conditions of India during that time. 

I-tsing, on the other hand, was the person through which we got most of the information we have about the ‘Indianized States’ of the south-eastern Asia, up to that period.

The Chinese Travellers

We studied a lot of things throughout the 74 lessons. Let us have a quick revision about how things changed and how the various aspects of human life evolved, from the early man to the imperial man.

There were many shifts in technology and sea-changes in situations and scenarios. The preferences and choices too evolved from basic necessities to luxuries, which went on to become essential and unavoidable.

Similarly there was thorough development in philosophy, language, script, art, architecture, in a nutshell, the culture. 

Many occupations and professions evolved.

The sequences and conclusions are explained in the lesson.

Finally we finish the Ancient Period with this last lesson. Now the next course – ‘Medieval Period’ will be available shortly.

End of the Ancient Period

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Shubham Kumar

This course is all about the founders, culture, art, religion, science and technology during 'Post Mauryan Period'.

(Hindi) Ancient Indian History: Post Mauryan Period

This part is part 5 dealing with the period between the Mauryas and the Guptas, i.e. roughly between 200 BC and 300 AD, a span of approximately 500 years. The course will cover the following: The Sangam Period, Indo-Greeks and Kharavela, The Shungas and Magadh, The Shakas, The Indo-Parthians, The Satvahanas, The Kushanas, Religion in the post-Mauryan Period, Art, culture and Coinage during the post-Mauryan Period, Economy during the post-Mauryan Period, The arrival of Judaism and Christianity in India, This part will be followed by part 6, The Gupta Period.

(Hindi) Ancient History: The Post Mauryan Period

Ancient History: The Post Mauryan Period

B.Tech(CSE)  2013-17  batch from JMIT Radaur. Teaching Since 2013 . Follow me just for knowledge.

Aman Bathla

In this course, Aman Bathla discusses the list of battles in Medieval India from 1000 to 1757 that changed the direction of the Indian Economy. The course will be beneficial for UPSC CSE aspirants.

Important Battles in India: UPSC CSE

I am in teaching formally since 2011, Prepared students for competitive examinations.
I also gave UPSC (CS-mains) in 2011 and in 2013.

Balwinder Singh

This lesson give the details about the Successors of mauryas and the Guptas period

Post Mauryan Period for SSC and UPSC

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Lokendra Mishra

This course will be discussing socio- cultural reforms done by Brahmo samaj, foundation of Brahmo samaj, efforts of Raja Rammohan Roy, Debendranath Tagore and Keshabchandra Sen. Significance of Brahmo Samaj is also discussed in this course.

Lessons

13 lessons • 2h 29m