Reference
A History of South India
The classic survey of the south, from prehistory to the fall of Vijayanagara.
Their world
Move along the chart to see their age in any year, who ruled and what happened; click anything to open it.
The map shows Chola Empire around their lifetime and where the events of their lifetime took place.
Hover a dot for the event; click it to open the full map in that year.
Rulers of the time
Kujula Kadphises
Emperor, Kushan Empire · c. 30 CE – c. 80 CE
Vima Taktu
Emperor, Kushan Empire · c. 80 CE – c. 95 CE
Vima Kadphises
Emperor, Kushan Empire · c. 95 CE – c. 127 CE
Gautamiputra Satakarni
King, Satavahana Empire · c. 106 CE – c. 130 CE
Kanishka I
Emperor, Kushan Empire · c. 127 CE – c. 150 CE
Vasishthiputra Pulumavi
King, Satavahana Empire · c. 130 CE – c. 159 CE
Huvishka
Emperor, Kushan Empire · c. 150 CE – c. 190 CE
Yajna Sri Satakarni
King, Satavahana Empire · c. 170 CE – c. 199 CE
Vasudeva I
Emperor, Kushan Empire · c. 190 CE – c. 230 CE
Sri Gupta
Maharaja, Gupta Empire · c. 240 CE – c. 280 CE
Mahasena
King, Anuradhapura Kingdom · c. 274 CE – c. 301 CE
Ghatotkacha
Maharaja, Gupta Empire · c. 280 CE – c. 319 CE
Chandragupta I
Maharajadhiraja, Gupta Empire · c. 319 CE – c. 335 CE
Samudragupta
Maharajadhiraja, Gupta Empire · c. 335 CE – c. 375 CE
Chandragupta II (Vikramaditya)
Maharajadhiraja, Gupta Empire · c. 375 CE – c. 415 CE
Kumaragupta I
Maharajadhiraja, Gupta Empire · c. 415 CE – c. 455 CE
Skandagupta
Maharajadhiraja, Gupta Empire · c. 455 CE – c. 467 CE
Dhatusena
King, Anuradhapura Kingdom · c. 455 CE – c. 473 CE
Budhagupta
Maharajadhiraja, Gupta Empire · c. 477 CE – c. 495 CE
Kashyapa I
King, Anuradhapura Kingdom · c. 477 CE – c. 495 CE
Pulakeshin I
King, Chalukyas of Badami · c. 543 CE – c. 566 CE
Kirtivarman I
King, Chalukyas of Badami · c. 566 CE – c. 597 CE
Simhavishnu
King, Pallava Dynasty · c. 575 CE – c. 600 CE
Prabhakaravardhana
King, Pushyabhuti (Vardhana) Dynasty · c. 580 CE – c. 605 CE
Events in their lifetime
| 1153 | The Maldives converts to Islam |
| 1153 | Parakramabahu I rules Sri Lanka |
| c. 1161 | End of the Pala dynasty The Senas became the leading power in Bengal. |
| 1175 | Muhammad of Ghor takes Multan |
| 1178 | Battle of Kasahrada: Ghurids defeated Muhammad of Ghor was repulsed from Gujarat. |
| 1186 | Ghurids take Lahore, ending the Ghaznavids The last Ghaznavid ruler, Khusrau Malik, was captured. |
| c. 1190 | Minaret of Jam built |
| 1191 | First Battle of Tarain Prithviraj Chauhan defeated Muhammad of Ghor, who retreated wounded. |
| 1192 | Second Battle of Tarain Prithviraj Chauhan was defeated and killed, opening north India to the Ghurids. |
| 1194 | Battle of Chandawar Jayachandra was killed and the Ghurids took Kannauj and Varanasi. |
| 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. |
| 1206 | Delhi Sultanate founded |
Contemporaries
Sorted by how long their lives overlapped. The bar shows when, within Kamban’s life.
Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti
Saint / religious leader · c. 1141 – c. 1236
Sufi saint who established the Chishti order in India at Ajmer
Overlap: 60 years
Jayadeva
Poet / writer · active c. 1180
Author of the Gita Govinda
Overlap: 60 years
Chand Bardai
Poet / writer · active c. 1190
Court poet credited with the Prithviraj Raso
Overlap: 50 years
Chinggis Khan
Invader / conqueror · c. 1162 – c. 1227
Mongol conqueror who reached the Indus in 1221
Overlap: 48 years
Basavanna
Social reformer · c. 1134 – c. 1196
Lingayat reformer who founded the Anubhava Mantapa
Overlap: 46 years
Bhaskaracharya (Bhaskara II)
Scientist / mathematician · c. 1114 – c. 1185
Mathematician who wrote the Lilavati
Overlap: 35 years
Kalhana
Scholar / historian · active c. 1148
Author of the Rajatarangini, the chronicle of Kashmir
Overlap: 28 years
Hemachandra
Scholar / historian · c. 1088 – c. 1173
Jain polymath at the court of Kumarapala
Overlap: 23 years
Sekkizhar
Poet / writer · active c. 1135
Author of the Periya Puranam on the Nayanar saints
Overlap: 15 years
📚 Recommended reading
Reference
The Colas
The definitive study of the Chola empire, its kings and administration.
Reference
A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India
The most complete modern textbook on ancient India, rich in sources, maps and archaeology.
We may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. See all recommended books →