Reference
A History of Nepal
A concise, reliable history of Nepal from the Gorkha unification to the republic.
Regional Kingdoms & Ghaznavid/Ghurid Expansion
c. 1000 – 1206
Map layer: Regional Dynasties
Rajput-era regional dynasties while the Ghaznavids and Ghurids push in from the northwest.
Who ruled when
Move along the chart to see which powers existed in any year; click a bar for its page, or empty space to open the map.
Main polities of this period
| Name | Type | Span | Region | Capital |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chahamanas (Chauhans) of Shakambhari ★ | Dynasty | c. 650 CE – c. 1194 | West | Shakambhari / Ajmer |
| Ghaznavid Empire ★ | Empire | c. 977 CE – c. 1186 | Northwest | Ghazni, later Lahore |
| Sultanate of the Maldives ★ | Sultanate | c. 1153 – 1968 | Islands | Malé |
| Kalachuris of Tripuri | Dynasty | c. 675 CE – 1212 | Central | Tripuri |
| Guhilas of Medapata | Dynasty | c. 728 CE – 1303 | West | Nagda / Chittor |
| Tomaras of Delhi | Dynasty | c. 736 CE – c. 1152 | North | Dhillika (Delhi) |
| Paramara Dynasty | Dynasty | c. 800 CE – 1305 | Central | Dhara (Dhar) |
| Chandela Dynasty | Dynasty | c. 831 CE – 1315 | Central | Khajuraho / Mahoba |
| Chaulukyas (Solankis) of Gujarat | Dynasty | c. 940 CE – 1244 | West | Anahilapataka (Patan) |
| Lohara Dynasty of Kashmir | Dynasty | c. 1003 – c. 1171 | North | Srinagar |
| Soomra Dynasty | Dynasty | c. 1026 – 1351 | Northwest | Thatta region |
| Sena Dynasty | Dynasty | c. 1070 – 1230 | East | Nabadwip / Lakhnauti |
| Gahadavala Dynasty | Dynasty | c. 1089 – c. 1197 | Gangetic Plain | Kannauj / Varanasi |
| Khasa Malla Kingdom | Kingdom | c. 1100 – c. 1400 | Himalaya | Sinja |
| Kachwahas of Amber (Jaipur) | Dynasty | c. 1128 – 1949 | West | Amber, later Jaipur |
| Ghurid Empire | Empire | c. 1175 – 1206 | Northwest | Firozkoh / Ghazni |
| Manipur Kingdom | Kingdom | c. 1110 – 1949 | Northeast | Kangla (Imphal) |
| Vaghela Dynasty | Dynasty | 1244 – 1304 | West | Dholka / Patan |
Also existing during this period
Eastern Chalukyas of Vengi
Deccan · c. 624 CE – c. 1075
Western Chalukyas of Kalyani
Deccan · c. 973 CE – c. 1189
Kakatiya Dynasty
Deccan · c. 1163 – 1323
Seuna (Yadava) Dynasty
Deccan · c. 1187 – 1317
Pala Empire
East · c. 750 CE – c. 1161
Eastern Ganga Dynasty
East · c. 1078 – 1434
Thakuri Kingdom of Nepal
Himalaya · c. 750 CE – 1200
Malla Dynasty of Nepal
Himalaya · 1201 – 1769
Gurjara-Pratihara Empire
North · c. 730 CE – c. 1036
Utpala Dynasty of Kashmir
North · c. 855 CE – c. 1003
Delhi Sultanate
North · 1206 – 1526
Kamarupa
Northeast · c. 350 CE – c. 1140
Hindu Shahis
Northwest · c. 822 CE – c. 1026
Habbarid Emirate
Northwest · c. 854 CE – c. 1011
Western Ganga Dynasty
South · c. 350 CE – c. 1000
Chera Perumals of Makotai
South · c. 800 CE – c. 1124
Chola Empire
South · c. 848 CE – 1279
Hoysala Empire
South · c. 1026 – 1343
Zamorins of Calicut
South · c. 1124 – 1766
Pandya Empire (Second Empire)
South · c. 1190 – 1345
Anuradhapura Kingdom
Sri Lanka · c. 437 BCE – c. 1017
Polonnaruwa Kingdom
Sri Lanka · c. 1070 – 1232
Events
| Year | Event | Polity |
|---|---|---|
| 1000 | Mahmud of Ghazni begins his raids on India About seventeen raids followed over 25 years. |
Ghaznavid Empire |
| 1001 | Mahmud defeats Jayapala at Peshawar Jayapala was captured and later abdicated. |
Ghaznavid Empire |
| 1008 | Battle of Chach Anandapala's coalition was defeated, opening Punjab to Mahmud. |
Ghaznavid Empire |
| 1010 | Brihadisvara Temple completed | Chola Empire |
| 1014 | Rajendra I becomes Chola king | Chola Empire |
| 1017 | Chola conquest of Sri Lanka completed Northern Sri Lanka became the Chola province of Mummudi-chola-mandalam. |
Chola Empire |
| 1018 | Mahmud sacks Mathura and Kannauj The Pratihara capital was plundered. |
Ghaznavid Empire |
| c. 1023 | Rajendra's Ganga expedition; Gangaikonda Cholapuram founded Chola armies reached the Ganga and a new capital commemorated the victory. |
Chola Empire |
| 1025 | Chola naval expedition to Srivijaya Srivijaya's ports were raided, securing Chola trade routes to China. |
Chola Empire |
| 1026 | Mahmud of Ghazni raids Somnath The Somnath temple was plundered and Mahmud carried vast treasure to Ghazni. |
Ghaznavid Empire |
| 1030 | Al-Biruni writes the Kitab al-Hind | Ghaznavid Empire |
| c. 1055 | Death of Raja Bhoja Paramara power declined under attack from the Chaulukyas and Kalachuris. |
Paramara Dynasty |
| 1070 | Vijayabahu I expels the Cholas from Sri Lanka Sinhalese rule was restored with its capital at Polonnaruwa. |
Polonnaruwa Kingdom |
| 1076 | Chalukya-Vikrama era of Vikramaditya VI | Western Chalukyas of Kalyani |
| c. 1135 | Jagannath temple at Puri begun | Eastern Ganga Dynasty |
| 1148 | Kalhana begins the Rajatarangini | Lohara Dynasty of Kashmir |
| 1153 | The Maldives converts to Islam | Sultanate of the Maldives |
| 1153 | Parakramabahu I rules Sri Lanka | Polonnaruwa Kingdom |
| c. 1161 | End of the Pala dynasty The Senas became the leading power in Bengal. |
Pala Empire |
| 1175 | Muhammad of Ghor takes Multan | Ghurid Empire |
| 1178 | Battle of Kasahrada: Ghurids defeated Muhammad of Ghor was repulsed from Gujarat. |
Chaulukyas (Solankis) of Gujarat |
| 1186 | Ghurids take Lahore, ending the Ghaznavids The last Ghaznavid ruler, Khusrau Malik, was captured. |
Ghurid Empire |
| c. 1190 | Minaret of Jam built | Ghurid Empire |
| 1191 | First Battle of Tarain Prithviraj Chauhan defeated Muhammad of Ghor, who retreated wounded. |
Chahamanas (Chauhans) of Shakambhari |
| 1192 | Second Battle of Tarain Prithviraj Chauhan was defeated and killed, opening north India to the Ghurids. |
Ghurid Empire |
| 1194 | Battle of Chandawar Jayachandra was killed and the Ghurids took Kannauj and Varanasi. |
Ghurid Empire |
| c. 1200 | Destruction of Nalanda | |
| c. 1203 | Destruction of Vikramashila | |
| c. 1204 | Bakhtiyar Khalji takes Nadia Lakshmana Sena fled to east Bengal and Turkish rule began in Bengal. |
Ghurid Empire |
| 1206 | Delhi Sultanate founded | Mamluk (Slave) Dynasty |
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