Warfare for wealth

Warfare for wealth

Tripartite struggle

The city in the Ganga valley was an important city of that time.For centuries, rulers belonging to the Gurjar Pratihara, Rashtrakutas and Pala dynasty fought for control over areas.Because there were 3 parties in the long drawn conflict, historians describe it as the tripartite struggle.

Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni from Afghanistan ruled from 997 to 1030.He raided the subcontinent almost every year and targeted wealthy temples including Somnath in Gujarat.Much of the wealth Mahmood carried away was used to create a splendid capital city of Ghazni. 

Sultans

Chahamanas or the chauhans

The chahamanas or the chauhans,who ruled around Delhi and Ajmer attempted to expand their control to the West and the east.Where they were opposed by the Chalukyas of Gujarat and Gahadavalas of western Uttar Pradesh.The best known Chahamanas ruler was Prithviraj III (1168-1192) who defeated an Afghan ruler name Sultan Muhammad Gauri In 1191.

The Cholas

Cholas were from a small family of ‘uraiyar’. The successor of Vijayalaya conquered neighbouring regions such as the Pandian and Pallava territories to South and north, the most powerful Chola ruler was Rajaraja I.To reorganise the administration of the empire, Rajaraja’s son Rajendra I continued his policies.