The Pratiharas

Lesson 7 of 13 • 1 upvotes • 12:41mins

Abhyudaya Kelkar

The north and central India was divided into numerous Rajput principalities scattered throughout this region. There were Suryavanshis and Chandravanshi, and a new clan Agnikula or Agnivanshis, born out of a yajna, according to the legends. These Agnivanshis included Chauhans, Solankis, Parmars and Pratihars. Out of these four, the Pratiharas went on to create a loose confederation of almost all Rajput states and create the ‘Gurjara – Pratihara Empire’. They held Kannauj for nearly three centuries, at least for two centuries of their imperial period. They had to face the Rashtrakutas from the south and the Palas from the east, and later, the Ghaznavids from the north, for having Kannauj in their hands. Why Kannauj was so important, we have already talked about that so many times already. Now we will discuss the Imperial Pratiharas and their contributions.