notes on history of india

8/13/2019 Notes on History of India

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NOTES ON HISTORY OF INDIA______________________________________________

[Reproduced from the handwritten manuscriptsed.]

More important for the history of India were the conquests of the Sakas and

Yueh-chih, nomad tries of !entra" #sia simi"ar to the modern $urkomans%[f1]$he

former are first heard of in the asin of the ri&er 'i, and ein( dis"od(ed y the

ad&ance of the Yueh-chih mo&ed southwards reachin( north-western India aout

)*+ . !. 'ere they founded many sma"" principa"ities, the ru"ers of which appear to

ha&e admitted the suerainty of the arthians for sometime and to ha&e orne the

tit"e of Satraps. It is c"ear that western India was parce""ed out amon( forei(n princes

ca""ed Sakas, Ya&anas, or a""a&as whose frontiers and mutua" re"ations were

constant"y chan(in(. $he most important of these principa"ities was known as the

/reat Satrapy which inc"uded Surashtra 01athiawar2 with ad3acent parts of themain"and "asted unti" aout 45*#.6.

$he Yueh-chih started westwards from the frontiers of !hina aout )++ . !.

and, dri&in( the Sakas efore them, sett"ed in actria. 'ere 1adphises, the chief of

one of their tries, ca""ed the 1ushans, succeeded in imposin( his authority on the

others who coa"esced into one nation henceforth known y the tria" name. $he

chrono"o(y of the 1ushan 7mpire is one of the &e8ed questions of Indian history and

the dates (i&en e"ow are stated positi&e"y on"y ecause there is no space for

adequate discussion and are (i&en with some scepticism, that is desire for more

know"ed(e founded on facts. 1adphises I 0c. )*-9* #. 6.2 after conso"idatin( his7mpire "ed his armies southwards, conquerin( 1au" and perhaps 1ashmir. 'is

successor 1adphises II 0c. 9*-:; #. 6.2 anne8ed the who"e of north-western India,

inc"udin( northern Sind, the un3a and perhaps enares. $here was aconsidera"e

trade etween India and the Roman 7mpire at this period and an emassy was sent

to $ro3an, apparent"y y 1anishka 0c. :;-)


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?i(ht returns with the rise of the /upta dynasty, which rou(h"y marks the

e(innin( of modern 'induism and of a reaction a(ainst uddhism. $hou(h nothin(

is known of the fortunes of ata"i-putra, the ancient imperia" city of the Mauryas,

durin( the first three centuries of our era, it continued to e8ist. In 4


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6ra&idian countries as Dninhaited or ararius. 7&en the c"assica" writers of

7urope had some know"ed(e of them. 1in( andion 0andya2 sent a mission to

#u(ustus in rom an ear"y period

the e8treme south of the peninsu"a was di&ided into three states known as the

andya, !era and !o"a kin(doms[f7] $he first corresponded to the districts of

Madura and $inne&e""y. !era and 1era"a "ay on the west coast in the modern

$ra&ancore. $he !o"a country inc"uded $an3ore, $richinopo"y, Madras, with the

(reater part of Mysore. >rom the si8th to the ei(hth century #. 6. a fourth power was

important, name"y the a""a&as, who apparent"y came from the north of the Madras

presidency. $hey had their capita" at !an3ee&aram and were (enera""y at war with

the three kin(doms. $heir kin(, Aarasimha-=arman 0C


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dynasties known as !ande"s and 1a"acuris. $he former are thou(ht to ha&e een

ori(ina""y /onds. $hey were (reat ui"ders and constructed amon( other

monuments the temp"es of1ha3urao. 1ird&arman !hande" 0)+95-))++2 (reat"y

e8tended their territories. 'e was a patron of "earnin( and the a""e(orica" drama

raodhacandrodaya was produced at his !ourt.

9. $he aramara 0awar2 dynasty of Ma"wa were -"ikewise ce"erated as patrons

of "iterature and kin(s Mun3a 05:9-55*2 and ho3a 0)+);-)+C+2 were authors as we""

as successfu" warriors.

II

Saka Period

#ccordin( to =incent Smith, after first adoptin( #. 6. :; which appeared the most

proa"e, fina""y chose )


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annihi"ated y the Satakarni and it was the former which arran(ed it, when

Rodraman, the Satrap of D33ayni conquered the #ndhra 1in(. $he anta(onism

etween the eastern western states seems to ha&e een accompanied y a

difference of idea"s. $he Sakas, "ike a"" the Scythians of India or Serindia, such as

the $horkhans, retained from their forei(n ori(in a sympathy for uddhism, whereas

the #ndhras were keen supporters of rahmanism.

The Guptas

$he e&ents of the third century are unknown to history and we ha&e &ery, "itt"e

information aout the 1ushan empire.

6ay "i(ht returns in 4);-)5, when there arises in the o"d country of Ma(adha a

new dynasty-/upta.

$he /uptas-!handra(upta II conquered the country of Ma"&as, /u3rathand

Surashtra 01athiwar2 o&erthrowin( the )st (reat Satrap of the Saka dynasty of D33ain.

#s an e8tension of his territory westward he made #yodhya and 1ausami his

capita"s instead ofata"iputra. #out )** 0.!.2 he conquered the who"e of the "ower

Indus and 1athewar, wa(ed war in Ra3putana, and Gudh ut took Mathura 0Muttra2

on the @umna, and e&en reached ata"iputra. .

'e was se&ere"y defeated y ushyamitra 0J2. actriana was at "east in the

north, a arrier etween arthia and India. India was therefore "ess e8posed to

attack from arthia. Ae&erthe"ess, there was at "east one arthian ru"er, Mithradates

)0):)-)4C2 who anne8ed the country of $a8i"a for a few years, aout )4;.

End o the independen!e o Parthia and "a!tria

$he e&ent that put an end to the independence of arthia and actria was a new

in&asion, resu"tin( from a mo&ement of tries, which had taken p"ace far away from

India in the Mon(o"ian steppes.

#out ):+ 0.!.2 a horde of nomadic Scythians, the Yuch-chi or $okharians,

ein( dri&en from /oi, the present 1ansu, y the 'ian(-nu or 'uns, started on a

wi"d mi(ration which upset the who"e a"ance of #sia.

$hey fe"" on the Sakas, who were Iranianised Scythians dwe""in( north of the

ersion empire and sett"ed in their (rain( (rounds north of the @aartes. $he

e8pe""ed Sakas fe"" on arthia and actriana, o"iteratin( the "ast &esti(es of /reek

ru"e, etween )9+ and )


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uncertain dates etween *: . !. and #. 6.


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#tti"a. #fter a ha"t in the &a""ey of the G8us they took possession of ersia and 1au".

Skanda(upta had dri&en them off for a few years 09** #. 6.2 ut after they had s"ain

>iro the Sassanid in 9;9, no Indian state cou"d stop them. Gne of them, named

$oramana, esta"ished himse"f amon( theMa"a&as in *++ and his son Mihir(u"a set

up his capita" at Sako"0Sia"kot2 in the un3a.

# nati&e prince Yeshodharman shook off the yoke of Mihir(u"a. $he e8pu"sion of

the 'uns was not quite comp"ete e&erywhere. # (reat many resided in the asin of

the Indus.

#t the e(innin( of the :th century a power arose from the chaos in the sma""

principa"ity of Sthan&is&ara 0$haneshwar, near 6e"hi2. 'ere a coura(eous Ra3a

rahakar =ardhan or(anised a kin(dom, which showed its mett"e a(ainst the

/ur3ars, the Ma"was and other nei(hourin( princes. Short"y after his death in C+9 or

C+* his e"dest son was murdered y the orders of the kin( of/auda in en(a". $he

power fe"" to his youn(er rother 'arsha.

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