Page 13 - SST Class 07

Paramaras (Pawars) and finally overthrew the Chalukyas. Similarly, the
The Paramaras were the
rulers in Malwa. Earlier they
were small feudatories of the
Pratiharas or Rashtrakutas
who declared their
independence. They have
built the Nilkantheswar
Temple at Udaipur. Nilkantheswar Temple
Gahadavalas
The Gahadavalas ruled around Kannauj. Jaichand
was an important ruler of this clan. Prithviraj
Chauhan sought his help in 1192, but he did not
accede. Ultimately, he was defeated by
Muhammad Ghori in 1194.
Chandelas
The Chandelas, with their capital at Khajuraho,
ruled in Bundelkhand, the area between the
Yamuna and Narmada rivers. Kirtivarman was
their most influential king. They have built
beautiful temples at Khajuraho.
LIFE AND SOCIETY UNDER THE RAJPUTS
Administration
Like Europe, the political structure of the Rajputs
was based on the feudal system. In this system,
the king granted land to big zamindars, who paid
him annual grants, tax and military help when
needed. The king also gave pieces of land to the
ministers and other officials for their services in
place of cash payment as their salaries. These
lands were called jagirs . The feudal lord was
called the Zamindar , Thakur , Rai etc. The duty of
the feudal lord was to collect revenue for the king
and to obey him and to be present before the king
in times of war with his entire army.
This system was quite defective, because the
chiefs or feudal lords often quarrelled among
themselves due to jealous and rivalries. These
regular disputes brought unnecessary expenditure.
Sometimes a feudatory became so powerful, that
he would easily declare himself independent. For
example, the Rashtrakutas who were feudatories
of the Chalukyas, declared their independence
Chandelas declared themselves independent from
the Pratiharas. Sometimes a chief had been
defeated in the battle field but was allowed to
keep his land in the form of a grant. There were
many scholars and Brahmins in the state who
were given the land as well as the rights to collect
the revenue from the land. Such grants were
called agrahara or brahmadeya grants.
Society
The king was the supreme in all matters—civil,
political and military. He looked after the welfare
of his subjects. The king, his nobles and feudal
lords led a life of luxury. They live in beautiful
palaces, wore costly clothes and jewellery. The
architecture was beautiful and grand.
Info Bits
Info Bits
The Rajputs called the foreigners as mlechas or out
castes.
In Rajput age, Varna system was the basis of social
life. Brahmins and the Rajputs enjoyed highest
position in the social hierarchy. They possessed
the political powers. Brahmins were their main
advisors. They were given tax free lands. They
commanded powers because they conducted
religious ceremonies for the king. The third
position in society was enjoyed by the Vaishyas
who conducted trade and commerce. The shudras
lived a life of misery and were exploited. They
worked the hardest but got no returns. The
Shudras were the untouchables who did the lowly
work. Their condition was more precarious and
they had absolutely no rights.
The Rajputs were brave, courageous, loyal,
generous, hospitable, chivalrous and patriotic.
They respected women and sacrificed their lives
to protect them. The women were highly
respected but were considered inferior to men.
The girls of royal families had a right to choose
their husband in a swayamvara . The birth of a girl
was not considered auspicious. The custom of sati
and child marriage was common. Polygamy was
also in practice. On the other side, Rajput women
were very brave. They received high education.
New Kings and Kingdoms (AD 700 – AD 1200)
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