Maharashtra Board Class 7 History Chapter 2 India before the Times of Shivaji Maharaj PDF Download

India Before the Times of Shivaji Maharaj

We shall learn about the various ruling powers in India before the times of Shivaji Maharaj in this lesson. Various ruling powers existed in India during that period.

'Pal' in the eighth century was a famous dynasty in Bengal. In Central India, the Gurjar-Pratihar power spread up to Andhra, Kalinga, Vidarbha, West Kathewad, Kanauj and Gujarat.

Among the Rajput dynasties in North India, the Gahadwal and the Parmar dynasties were the important ones. Among Rajputs, Prithviraj Chauhan belonging to the Chauhan dynasty was a valiant King. In the first war at Tarai, Prithviraj Chauhan had defeated Muhammad Ghuri. But Muhammad Ghuri defeated Prithviraj Chauhan in the second war at Tarai.

Rajaraj I and Rajendra I belonging to the Chola dynasty in Tamil Nadu were eminent rulers. The Cholas conquered the Maldive Islands and Sri Lanka using their naval strength. King Vishnuvardhan belonging to the Hoysal dynasty in Karnataka had conquered the whole of Karnataka.

During the reign of Govind III of the Rashtrakuta dynasty in Maharashtra, the Rashtrakut power spread from Kanauj up to Rameshwar. Later, Krishna III conquered the region up to Allahabad.

Three dynasties of the Shilahars emerged in Western Maharashtra. One dynasty ruled over Thane and Raigad in North Konkan, the second in South Konkan, while the third dynasty ruled over some parts of the present day Kolhapur, Satara, Sangli and Belgaum districts.

The last prosperous power before the period of Shivaji Maharaj was that of the Yadavas. The capital of Bhillam V of the Yadava dynasty was at Deogiri near Aurangabad. He extended his rule beyond the river Krishna.

The Yadava period is considered to be the golden period of Marathi language and literature. It was in this period that the Mahanubhav Panth and the Varkari movement emerged.

Teacher's Note

The Yadava kings were very smart rulers. They made Marathi language very strong, just like how our grandparents kept our culture alive by speaking our own language at home.

Exam Trick

Remember: Yadavas = Golden period of Marathi. Think of gold = bright and shiny, just like Marathi language shined during Yadava time.

Points to Remember

Many kingdoms ruled India before Shivaji Maharaj.
Pal dynasty was in Bengal.
Chola kings were very strong sea traders.
Yadavas were the last big power before Shivaji.
Marathi language became strong during Yadava time.

Invasions From the North-West

Local dynasties like the Yadava and Rashtrakuta ruled in Maharashtra. But invaders from the north-west conquered the local dynasties there and established their own rule.

In the meanwhile, the Arab power had emerged in the Middle-east. Arab rulers turned towards India to expand their empire. The Arab General Muhammad-bin-Qasim, attacked the Sindh province in the eighth century. Notwithstanding the resistance of King Dahir, he conquered the province of Sindh. Due to this campaign, the Arabs came into political contact with India for the first time. In the period that followed, Turks, Afghans and Mughals from Central Asia came to India and established their power here.

In the eleventh century CE the Turks began to invade India. Expanding their territories they reached the north western frontier of India. Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni invaded India many times. He plundered the rich temples at Mathura, Vrindavan, Kanauj and Somnath and carried away enormous wealth with him.

Teacher's Note

Many invaders from outside came to India because India was very rich. It is like how thieves come to big shops because they have money and gold inside.

Exam Trick

Remember: Muhammad-bin-Qasim = first Arab invader. The name has "Qasim" which sounds like "Kasam" - take a promise to remember this first invader from Arabia.

Points to Remember

Arab General Muhammad-bin-Qasim attacked Sindh first.
Turks started invading in the eleventh century.
Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni invaded many times.
Invaders stole gold and wealth from temples.
These invaders came from Central Asia and Afghanistan.

Sultanate in the North

In 1175 CE and 1178 CE, Sultan Muhammad Ghuri of Ghur from Afghanistan invaded India. He appointed Qutubuddin Aibak to look after the governance of the conquered territories in India. Later, after the death of Muhammad Ghuri in 1206 CE, Aibak began to rule the Indian territories under his rule, independently. Aibak, who was initially a slave, became the ruler of Delhi. He died in 1210 CE.

After Qutubuddin Aibak, Iltutmish, Razia, Bulban, Alauddin Khalji, Muhammad-bin-Tughluque, Firuz Tughluque, Ibrahim Lodi and other Sultans ruled over India.

Ibrahim Lodi was the last Sultan. He made many enemies because of his peculiar temperament. Daulatkhan Lodi, Governor of Punjab, invited Babur, the ruler of Kabul to fight against Ibrahim Lodi. Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi in the battle and thus the Sultanate came to an end.

Teacher's Note

Qutubuddin Aibak started as a slave but became a king. This is like how a poor student can become a doctor through hard work and education.

Exam Trick

Remember: Aibak = A slave who became King. Think "A" = started from bottom, became King at top. Ibrahim Lodi = last Sultan, so he is "lost".

Points to Remember

Muhammad Ghuri invaded India from Afghanistan.
He chose Qutubuddin Aibak to rule for him.
Aibak was first a slave then became a king.
Many sultans ruled after Aibak in Delhi.
Ibrahim Lodi was the very last sultan of Delhi.

The Kingdom of Vijaynagar

During the reign of Sultan Muhammad-bin-Tughluque of Delhi, there were many revolts in the South against the central power of Delhi. From these revolts arose the formidable Vijaynagar and Bahamani kingdoms.

The brothers Harihar and Bukka, from South India were Sardars in the service of the Delhi Sultanate. Taking advantage of the instability in the South during the reign of Muhammad-bin-Tughluque, they founded the kingdom of Vijaynagar in the South in 1336 CE. Hampi in today's Karnataka was the capital of this kingdom. Harihar was the first king of Vijaynagar.

Harihar was succeeded by his brother Bukka. Bukka brought the region up to Rameshwar under his control.

Krishnadevaraya

Krishnadevaraya ascended the throne of Vijaynagar in 1509 CE. He conquered Vijaywada and Rajmahendri and annexed the regions to his kingdom. He defeated the combined forces of the armies of the Sultans who had united under the leadership of the Bahamani Sultan Mahmud Shah. During Krishnadevaraya's reign, the kingdom of Vijaynagar extended from Cuttak in the east up to Goa in the west and from the Raichur Doab in the north up to the Indian Ocean in the south. He died in 1530 CE.

Krishnadevaraya was a scholar. He wrote 'Amuktamalyada', a Telugu compendium on polity. The Hazar Ram temple and Vitthal temple were built in Vijaynagar during his reign.

The decline of the Vijaynagar kingdom began with the death of Krishnadevaraya. In 1565 CE, at Talikot in the present State of Karnataka, there was a battle between Adilshahi, Nizamshahi, Qutubshahi, Baridshahi on one side and Vijaynagar on the other side. Vijaynagar was defeated. Thereafter, the dominance of Vijaynagar came to an end.

Teacher's Note

Krishnadevaraya was a great king who studied books and built temples. Just like our principal who reads a lot and builds our school building.

Exam Trick

Remember: Krishnadevaraya = 1509. Think "1509" as "15-Oh-9" and remember he made Vijaynagar very strong and big - from east to west and north to south, like a big X on the map.

Points to Remember

Krishnadevaraya was a smart and learned king.
He wrote a book about how to rule a kingdom.
He built beautiful temples like Hazar Ram.
Vijaynagar became very big under him.
After his death, Vijaynagar became weak.

The Bahamani Kingdom

While Muhammad-bin-Tughluque was still reigning, some of his Sardars in the Deccan rose in rebellion against him. The leader of these Sardars, Hasan Gangu, defeated the army of the Sultan of Delhi. A new kingdom, known as the Bahamani kingdom, came into existence in 1347 CE. Hasan Gangu became the first Sultan of the Bahamani kingdom. He made the city of Gulburga in Karnataka his capital.

Mahmud Gawan

Mahmud Gawan was the Chief Wazir of the Bahamani kingdom. He was a good administrator. He strengthened the Bahamani kingdom. He started paying the soldiers their salaries in cash instead of through land grants. He brought discipline in the army. He introduced many reforms in the land revenue system. He opened a madarsa at Bidar for Arabic and Persian studies.

After the death of Mahmud Gawan, factionism increased among the Bahamani Sardars. The conflict with the Vijaynagar kingdom had an adverse effect on the Bahamani kingdom. The provincial Governors began to act more independently. This led to the disintegration of the Bahamani kingdom into five small powers—Imadshahi of Varhad, Baridshahi of Bidar, Adilshahi of Bijapur, Nizamshahi of Ahmadnagar and Qutubshahi of Golconda.

Teacher's Note

Mahmud Gawan paid soldiers with money instead of land. This is like paying your helper cash every month instead of giving them a field to work on - it is much better and fairer.

Exam Trick

Remember: Mahmud Gawan = Cash not land. Think "Gawan" = "Go with cash". After him, the kingdom broke into 5 pieces - so without a strong leader, things fall apart.

Points to Remember

Bahamani kingdom was made in 1347 CE by Hasan Gangu.
Mahmud Gawan was a very smart leader.
He paid soldiers cash money for their work.
He opened schools for Arabic and Persian learning.
After him, the kingdom broke into 5 smaller kingdoms.

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