Devanam at 08:46, 24 July 2026

2026-07-24T08:46:32Z

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	{{Short description\|Ninth-century struggle for control in Northern India}}{{Use dmy dates\|date=November 2019}}		{{Short description\|Ninth-century struggle for control in Northern India}}{{Use dmy dates\|date=November 2019}}
	{{More citations needed\|date=January 2017}}		{{More citations needed\|date=January 2017}}
	[[File:~~Indian Kanauj triangle map~~.~~svg~~\|thumbnail\|300px\|~~Kanauj Triangle~~]]		[[File:The Tripartite struggle between Rashtrakuta, Gurjara-Pratihara and Pala Empire.jpg\|thumbnail\|300px\|Tripartite struggle]]

	The '''Tripartite Struggle''' for control of northern India took place in the ninth century, among the [[Pratihara dynasty\|Pratihara Empire]], the [[Pala Empire]] and the [[Rashtrakuta dynasty\|Rashtrakuta Empire]].<ref name=Sen>Sen, S.N., 2013, A Textbook of Medieval Indian History, Delhi: Primus Books, {{ISBN\|9789380607344}}</ref>{{rp\|20}}		The '''Tripartite Struggle''' for control of northern India took place in the ninth century, among the [[Pratihara dynasty\|Pratihara Empire]], the [[Pala Empire]] and the [[Rashtrakuta dynasty\|Rashtrakuta Empire]].<ref name=Sen>Sen, S.N., 2013, A Textbook of Medieval Indian History, Delhi: Primus Books, {{ISBN\|9789380607344}}</ref>{{rp\|20}}

2402:8100:386F:2063:1:1:E380:B7E9 at 18:53, 25 December 2021

2021-12-25T18:53:19Z

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{{Short description|Ninth-century struggle for control in Northern India}}{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{More citations needed|date=January 2017}}
[[File:Indian Kanauj triangle map.svg|thumbnail|300px|Kanauj Triangle]]

The '''Tripartite Struggle''' for control of northern India took place in the ninth century, among the [[Pratihara dynasty|Pratihara Empire]], the [[Pala Empire]] and the [[Rashtrakuta dynasty|Rashtrakuta Empire]].<ref name=Sen>Sen, S.N., 2013, A Textbook of Medieval Indian History, Delhi: Primus Books, {{ISBN|9789380607344}}</ref>{{rp|20}}

Epigraphist [[Dineschandra Sircar]], however, added a different perspective to this struggle. According to Sircar, the struggle between the [[Pratihara Empire]] and the [[Rashtrakuta]] Empire had begun earlier than the struggle over [[Kannauj]] (Kanyakubja). These two powers shared a common frontier in the [[Gujarat]] and [[Malwa]] regions. The frontier was a shifting one and far from permanent, causing enmity between the two powers. Even before the struggle over [[Kannauj]] started, [[Dantidurga]], the founder of the [[Rashtrakuta]] Empire, had defeated [[Nagabhata I]] of the [[Pratihara]] dynasty, as evident from the Dashavatara Temple inscription of [[Dantidurga]] at [[Ellora]] and the [[Sanjan inscription]] of [[Amoghavarsha I]], both belonging to the [[Rashtrakuta]] dynasty. On the other hand, the conflict between the [[Palas]] of [[Bengal]] and [[Bihar]] and the [[Ayudha dynasty]] of north India was the continuation of an old power struggle that had started between [[Harshavardhana]] of the [[Pushyabhuti]] dynasty and [[Sasanka]] of [[Gauda Kingdom|Gauda]] in the seventh century and would continue till the twelfth century. These regional struggles were escalated to a greater pitch over the issue of succession of the Ayudha dynasty. Also, the involvement of the four powers, i.e. the [[Pratihara Empire]], the [[Pala Empire]], the [[Rashtrakuta Empire]], and the Ayudha dynasty meant that it was actually a four-power.

{{Part of History of India}}

Towards the end of the successor of [[Nagabhata II]] (of the [[Pratihara dynasty]]), he successfully attacked [[Kanauj]] and established control there. This was short-lived as he was soon after defeated by the Rastrakuta ruler, [[Govinda III]]. However, the Rastrakutas also formed a matrimonial relationship with the Gangas and defeated the kingdom of [[Vengi]]. By the end of the 9th Century, the power of the Rastrakutas started to decline along with the Palas. This was seen as an ideal opportunity by the feudal king [[Tailapa II|Taila II]] who defeated the Rastrakuta ruler and declared his kingdom there. This came to be known as the [[Western Chalukyas|Later Chalukya dynasty]]. Their kingdom included the states of Karnataka, Konkan, and the northern Godavari. By the end of the tripartite struggle, the Pratiharas emerged victoriously and established themselves as the rulers of central India.

== History ==
Not much is known about the kingdom of the Kannauj after [[Harshavardhan|Emperor Harsha]]'s death in 647 AD resulting in great confusion due to the absence of his heirs. Kannauj came for a short period under the hands of [[Arunasva]] who attacked Wang Hstian-tse who came to the court of king Harsha as an ambassador of the Chinese emperor Tai-Tsung. However, Wang Hstian-tse succeeded in capturing Arunasva who was taken back to China to spend his days in attendance on the Tang Emperor.

About AD 730, [[Yashovarman]] established a kingdom at Kannauj. His invasion of Gauda formed the subject of the [[Prakrit]] poem ''Gaudavaho'' (Slaying of the king of Gauda), composed by his courtier [[Vakapatiraja]] in the 8th century.

After Yashovarman, three kings — Vijrayudha, Indrayudha, and Chakrayudha — ruled over Kannauj between the close of the 8th century until the 820s. Taking advantage of the weakness of these Ayudha rulers and attracted by the immense strategic and economic potentialities of the kingdom of Kannauj, the rajput Pratiharas of Bhinmal (Rajasthan), the Palas of Bengal and Bihar and the Rashtrakutas of the Manyakheta (Karnataka) fought against each other. This tripartite struggle for Kannauj lingered for almost two centuries and ultimately ended in favour of the rajput Pratihara ruler Nagabhata II who made the city the capital of the Pratihara state, which ruled for nearly three centuries.

== References ==
{{reflist}}
*{{citation |title=Ancient India |first=Ramesh Chandra |last=Majumdar |author-link=R. C. Majumdar |edition=Reprinted |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |year=1977 |orig-year=1952 |isbn=9788120804364 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XNxiN5tzKOgC&pg=PA282}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tripartite Struggle}}
[[Category:Military history of India]]
[[Category:8th-century conflicts]]
[[Category:Natural resource conflicts]]
[[Category:9th-century conflicts]]
[[Category:10th-century conflicts]]
[[Category:Conflicts in India]]
[[Category:8th-century establishments in India]]
[[Category:Geopolitical rivalry]]

Tripartite Struggle - Revision history

Devanam at 08:46, 24 July 2026

2402:8100:386F:2063:1:1:E380:B7E9 at 18:53, 25 December 2021