Textbook
Our Pasts I, II & III (Classes 6–8)
The simplest possible start: short, illustrated and the base of countless exam questions.
Gauda Kingdom (Shashanka)
Kingdom
Level 2
c. 590 CE – c. 626 CE
Bengal kingdom of Shashanka, rival of Harsha.
- Capital
- Karnasuvarna
- Region
- East
- Duration
- 36 years
- Main period
- Post-Gupta / Early Medieval
Approximate extent.
At a glance
Move along the chart to read any year; click a ruler or event to open the map there.
590 CE600 CE610 CE620 CE626 CE
Rulers
- Shashanka Kingc. 590 CE – c. 626 CE
Selected rulers; gaps in the list are not gaps in the dynasty.
📚 Recommended reading on the Gauda Kingdom (Shashanka)
Textbook
Themes in Indian History, Parts I–III (Class 12)
Source-based chapters on Harappa, Vijayanagara, the Mughal court and 1857 — essential for UPSC.
Textbook
An Introduction to Indian Art, Part I (Class 11)
The standard base for art and architecture questions — stupas, temples and sculpture.
Textbook
India's Ancient Past
The expanded version of the classic old-NCERT ancient India text; clear and exam-friendly.
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📄 Research papers
Paper🏛 Library access
🇮🇳 Indian scholarship
How feudal was Indian feudalism?
The case for 'Indian feudalism' after the Guptas: land grants, decline of trade and dependent peasants.
Paper🏛 Library access
🇮🇳 Indian scholarship
Was there feudalism in Indian history?
The best-known critique of the feudalism model; read it alongside R. S. Sharma's reply.
Paper🏛 Library access
🇮🇳 Indian scholarship
Politics, violence and war in Kāmandaka's Nītisāra
Ideas of kingship, power and war in the Nītisāra, an early medieval text on statecraft.
Paper🏛 Library access
🇮🇳 Indian scholarship
Urbanisation in South India: The Role of Ideology and Polity
How temples and royal power drove the growth of towns in early medieval South India.
🕸 Connections 11 links
Explore connections full screen ↗Everything on YugMap linked to this page — and why. Hover a dot in the graph, or pick from the list.
🗂 Era 1
- Medieval IndiaPart of this era
⏳ Periods 1
- Post-Gupta / Early MedievalBelongs to this period
🏛 Kingdoms & empires 3
- Pallava Dynasty 275 CE – 897 CEExisted at the same time (36 years)
- Pushyabhuti (Vardhana) Dynasty 500 CE – 647 CEExisted at the same time (36 years)
- Chalukyas of Badami 543 CE – 753 CEExisted at the same time (36 years)
👑 Rulers 1
- Shashanka 590 CE – 626 CERuled it
📄 Research 3
- How feudal was Indian feudalism? R. S. Sharma · 1985Research on this topic
- Was there feudalism in Indian history? Harbans Mukhia · 1981Research on this topic
- Politics, violence and war in Kāmandaka's Nītisāra Upinder Singh · 2010Research on this topic
📚 Books 2
- Our Pasts I, II & III (Classes 6–8) NCERTRecommended reading
- Themes in Indian History, Parts I–III (Class 12) NCERTRecommended reading
Contemporaries
Powers that coexisted with the Gauda Kingdom (Shashanka) for a significant part of its history. The bar shows when, within its own span.
Anuradhapura Kingdom ★
Sri Lanka · c. 437 BCE – c. 1017
Overlap: 36 years
Pallava Dynasty ★
South · c. 275 CE – c. 897 CE
Overlap: 36 years
Pushyabhuti (Vardhana) Dynasty ★
North · c. 500 CE – c. 647 CE
Overlap: 36 years
Chalukyas of Badami ★
Deccan · c. 543 CE – c. 753 CE
Overlap: 36 years
Kalabhra Interregnum
South · c. 250 CE – c. 600 CE
Overlap: 10 years
Western Ganga Dynasty
South · c. 350 CE – c. 1000
Overlap: 36 years
Kamarupa
Northeast · c. 350 CE – c. 1140
Overlap: 36 years
Licchavi Kingdom of Nepal
Himalaya · c. 400 CE – c. 750 CE
Overlap: 36 years
Maitraka Dynasty
West · c. 475 CE – c. 776 CE
Overlap: 36 years
Rai Dynasty of Sindh
Northwest · c. 489 CE – c. 632 CE
Overlap: 36 years
Later Guptas of Magadha
East · c. 490 CE – c. 750 CE
Overlap: 36 years
Maukhari Dynasty
Gangetic Plain · c. 550 CE – c. 606 CE
Overlap: 16 years
Pandya Kingdom (First Empire)
South · c. 590 CE – c. 920 CE
Overlap: 36 years