Early Medieval North India (c. 700–1200 CE): The Age of Rajputs

After the death of Harshavardhana (647 CE) and the collapse of centralised rule in the north, India entered the "early medieval" period dominated by regional dynasties, several of which were later grouped under the broad (and somewhat later-constructed) identity of "Rajputs."

Tripartite Struggle for Kanauj: Kanauj, as the symbolic seat of imperial power in North India, became the object of a prolonged three-way contest among the Pratiharas (Gurjara-Pratiharas, based in Rajasthan/Malwa), the Palas (Bengal/Bihar), and the Rashtrakutas (Deccan), lasting roughly from the mid-8th to the 10th century CE.

• Gurjara-Pratiharas: Founded by Nagabhata I; greatest ruler was Mihira Bhoja; famous for successfully resisting early Arab incursions into western India for over two centuries, earning them a reputation as a "bulwark" against Arab expansion from Sindh. Capital eventually at Kanauj.
• Palas: Founded by Gopala (elected by regional chiefs, an unusual instance of elective kingship in this era); greatest ruler Dharmapala, who founded Vikramashila University; the Palas were significant patrons of Mahayana/Vajrayana Buddhism, and Pala-era art influenced Tibet and Southeast Asia.
• Rashtrakutas: Already covered in the Ancient India notes (builders of the Kailasa Temple, Ellora) — they remained a dominant Deccan power into this period, often intervening in the Kanauj struggle from the south.

Other Major Rajput Houses:

• Chauhans (Chahamanas) of Ajmer/Delhi: Greatest ruler Prithviraj Chauhan III, defeated Muhammad Ghori at the First Battle of Tarain (1191) but was himself defeated and killed at the Second Battle of Tarain (1192) — a watershed event opening the door to sustained Turkic rule in North India.
• Chandelas of Bundelkhand: Built the magnificent temple complex at Khajuraho, famous for intricate erotic and mythological sculpture representing the Nagara style at its artistic peak.
• Solankis (Chaulukyas) of Gujarat: Built the Sun Temple at Modhera and the Rani ki Vav (a stepwell, UNESCO World Heritage Site) at Patan; Siddharaja Jaisimha and Kumarapala were notable rulers.
• Paramaras of Malwa: King Bhoja (Raja Bhoj) was a great scholar-king, associated with the founding of Bhopal and with works on architecture, medicine, and poetics.
• Gahadavalas of Kanauj: Ruler Jaichand is traditionally (in later ballad literature, notably the Prithviraj Raso) depicted as a rival of Prithviraj Chauhan, though the historicity of many Raso episodes is debated by modern historians.

Rajput Polity and Society: Characterised by a strong feudal structure, clan loyalty, chivalric warrior ethos, and frequent inter-dynastic warfare — factors that historians have long debated as contributing to the region's vulnerability to unified external invasions from the northwest.