Regional kingdoms: Rajputs, Solankis, Senas and Eastern Gangas
Many strong regional kingdoms built magnificent temples while raids from the north-west grew, ending with the battles of Tarain.
How it was ruled
Rajput clans such as the Chauhans, Paramaras and Chandelas, the Chaulukyas (Solankis) of Gujarat, the Senas of Bengal and the Eastern Gangas of Odisha each ruled their own kingdoms.
How people lived
A golden age of temple building; the Paramara king Bhoja was a famous scholar-king; Ramanuja and Basavanna taught in the south.
What people did
Farming, temple and stepwell building, textile weaving, and trade.
What people ate
Regional diets much like today's: wheat and millets in the west, rice and fish in the east.
Trade
Gujarat's ports traded across the Arabian Sea; Mahmud of Ghazni raided temples, including Somnath in 1025.
Region by region
- Madhya Pradesh: The Chandela temples of Khajuraho (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and Bhoja's city of Dhar.
- Gujarat: The Modhera Sun Temple (1026) and Rani-ki-Vav stepwell at Patan.
- Rajasthan and Delhi: The Chauhan king Prithviraj III won at Tarain in 1191 and lost there in 1192 to Muhammad of Ghor.
- Odisha: The Eastern Ganga king Anantavarman Chodaganga built the Jagannath temple at Puri.
- West Bengal and Bangladesh: The Sena kings ruled Bengal until Bakhtiyar Khalji's raid around 1204.
- Assam: The Kamarupa kingdom under the Pala dynasty.
Key events
- 1025: Mahmud of Ghazni raids Somnath
- 1192: Second battle of Tarain
- c. 1200: Nalanda and Vikramashila destroyed in raids
Legacy
Khajuraho, Modhera, Rani-ki-Vav and the Jagannath temple at Puri.