Middle kingdoms of India

The regional kingdoms and empires that ruled much of India from the decline of the Maurya Empire around 200 BCE to the rise of the Delhi Sultanate in the 13th century.

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Shunga Empire: A dynasty that ruled much of northern India after the Maurya Empire, from about 185 to 73 BCE. It was among the first major powers to follow Mauryan rule.
Samanta: A subordinate ruler or chief who owed allegiance, tribute, or military service to a more powerful king. Such subordinate powers helped rulers extend authority across dispersed territories.
Nalanda: A major Buddhist monastic and educational institution in ancient and early medieval Bihar. Its growth under regional dynasties made it a prominent center of learning.
Maurya Empire: An empire that unified much of the Indian subcontinent from the fourth to second centuries BCE. Its broad imperial integration contrasts with the period’s shifting regional centers.
Kushan Empire: A Central Asian dynasty that ruled parts of northern India and Central Asia, reaching its height in the second century CE. Its northern Indian territories linked regional rule to Central Asian trade and culture.
Land grant: A formal transfer of land rights, often made by a ruler to religious institutions or officials. Grants linked royal authority to local elites and religious institutions.
Ajanta Caves: A complex of Buddhist rock-cut monasteries and shrines in Maharashtra, decorated across several centuries. Its successive phases reflect changing patronage under regional rulers.
Delhi Sultanate: A succession of Muslim-ruled dynasties that governed large parts of northern India from the thirteenth to sixteenth centuries. Its rise brought new ruling institutions after the conventional end of this period.
Gupta Empire: An empire that dominated much of northern India from the fourth to sixth centuries CE. Its expansion created one of the period’s largest northern Indian empires.
Tripartite struggle: A prolonged contest among the Palas, Gurjara-Pratiharas, and Rashtrakutas for control of Kannauj. This rivalry illustrates how competing empires sought influence in northern India.