Kingdom of Kannauj Kannauj Rājya (Shauraseni) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 510–1036 | |||||||||
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| Capital | Kannauj | ||||||||
| Official languages | Sanskrit | ||||||||
| Religion | Hinduism | ||||||||
| Government | Absolute monarchy | ||||||||
| King | |||||||||
• 510–520 | Harivarman (first) | ||||||||
• 1024–1036 | Yasahpala (last) | ||||||||
| Historical era | Early Mediaeval Era | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Today part of | India | ||||||||
The Kingdom of Kannauj was a kingdom in Northern India during the early medieval era. It was established by Harivarman in 510 as a vassal state of the Magadhan Empire.[1] The kingdom of Kannauj expanded into a vast realm that spanned across northern India during the reign of Harshavardhana in the early seventh century. In the early ninth century, the city was conquered by Nagabhata II of the Pratihara dynasty after the Tripartite Struggle who proclaimed himself King of Kannauj. His descendents ruled Kannauj until Ghaznavid invasions.
Kannauj became the most important city in North India during this period, and hence was contested by the three great powers of the subcontinent of the period — the Gurjara Empire under the Pratihara dynasty, the Bengal Empire under the Pala dynasty, and the Rashtrakutas of Manyakheta.[2][3] Following its victory the king of the Gurjaras, Nagabhata II declared himself the king of Kannauj. Following invasions of the Turko-Persian Ghaznavid Empire in the eleventh century, the kingdom came to an end and the prestige of Kannauj slowly dwindled and Delhi became the most important city of Hindustan (North India).
- ^ Tripathi, Rama S. (1989). History of Kanauj: To the Moslem Conquest. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. p. 36. ISBN 9788120804043.
- ^ Pratiyogita Darpan. Upkar Prakashan. p. 9. Archived from the original on 8 March 2024. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
- ^ R.C. Majumdar (1994). Ancient India. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 282–285. ISBN 978-81-208-0436-4.