Uttar Pradesh: Medieval history: dynasties, rulers and forts

Medieval Uttar Pradesh saw the rule of Rajput houses such as the Gahadavalas of Kannauj and the Chandellas of Mahoba, invasions by Mahmud of Ghazni and Mohammad Ghauri, the Sharqi kingdom of Jaunpur, and the rise of Agra as a Mughal capital. Later, Bundela and Maratha power shaped Bundelkhand and Jhansi.

Kannauj

• Its ancient name was Kanyakubja or Mahodya (Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranas).
• Hiuen Tsang visited in 643 A.D. and found 100 Buddhist Monasteries with more than 10000 priests; Harsha held a religious assembly here.
• Rajyapala ruled Kannauj when Mahmud of Ghazni attacked; Mahmud marched on Kannauj in 1018 A.D. after sacking Mathura and captured all its seven forts in 1019 A.D.
• Chandradeva, the first Gahadavala king of Kannauj, ruled in 1089-90 A.D.; Kannauj regained much of its old importance in 1114 A.D. to 1154.
• Kannauj was Jaichandra's capital and the scene of the Svayamvara of his daughter Samyogita, who was carried off by Prithviraj III.
• Mohammad Ghauri killed Jaichandra in 1193 A.D.; his son Harichandra still held Kannauj after that.
• In 1233-34, Iltutmish ordered the Kannauj garrison to join an expedition against Kalinjar.

Ballia and the East

• The second battle of Tarain (1192 A.D.) did not bring Ballia under immediate Muslim rule.
• Jaichandra was defeated and killed by Shihab-ud-din Ghuri in the battle of Chandawar.
• The tract east of the Saryu stayed largely with Rajput clans such as the Sengars, Dikhits and Kinwars.
• Qutb-ud-din Aibak is believed to have built a fort at Qutbganj on the Ghaghra; by 1202, Ballia was counted in the territory of Bengal and Bihar under Ikhtiyar-ud-din Muhammad.

Jaunpur and the Sharqi Dynasty

• In the eleventh century, the Gaharwar rajputs of Kannauj built up Jafrabad and Jaunpur; Vijaychand built mansions and forts.
• In 1194 A.D., Qutubuddin Aibak attacked Mandev (Jafrabad), defeated king Udaypal and handed power to Dewanjeet Singh.
• In 1389 A.D., Mahmood Shah, son of Feroze Shah, took the throne. In 1393 A.D. he gave his minister Sarbar Khwaja the title Malik-ul-Sharq and the area from Kannauj to Bihar.
• Malik-ul-Sharq, founder of the Sharqi Dynasty, made Jaunpur his capital and ruled from Etawah to Bengal and Vindhyachal to Nepal; he died in 1398 A.D.
• His foster son Saayed Murakshah succeeded him, followed by his younger brother Ibrahimshah, who followed a policy of goodwill towards Hindus.
• The Atala Mosque, begun by Ferozeshah in 1393 A.D., was completed by Ibrahimshah in 1408 A.D.; the Jama Masjid and Bari Masjid he began were completed by Husainshah.
• The Lodhy Dynasty held Jaunpur from 1484 A.D. to 1525 A.D. After Babar killed Ibrahim Lodhi at Panipat in 1526 A.D., Humayun conquered Jaunpur.
• Akbar put down Ali Kuli Khan's revolt in 1567 A.D.; the Shahi Pul of Jaunpur was built in his reign.

Agra and the Mughals

• Sultan Sikandar Lodī founded Agra in 1504; his son Ibrāhīm Lodī ruled from it until the First battle of Panipat in 1526.
• As Akbarabād, it was the Mughal capital under Akbar, Jahāngīr and Shāh Jahān, and the seat of one of Akbar's twelve subahs.
• Babar laid out the first formal Persian garden, the Arām Bāgh, on the Yamuna. Akbar raised the ramparts of the Great Red Fort and built Fatehpūr Sikrī in the form of a Mughal military camp in stone.
• Shāh Jahān built the Tāj Mahal for Mumtāz Mahal, completed in 1653, and shifted his capital to Shāhjahānabād in 1649.
• Agra is the birthplace of Dīn-i Ilāhī, which flourished under Akbar.

Mahoba and the Chandellas

• Mahoba's name comes from Mahotsav Nagar, linked with Chandra-Verman (Nannuka), traditional founder of the Chandella Dynasty.
• Vijai-pal (1035-1045 AD) built Vijai-sagar; Keerti-Verman (1060-1100 AD) built Keerat sagar; Madan-Verman (1128-1164 AD) built Madan Sagar.
• Under Parmardi-deva (Parmal), generals Alha and Udala became famous through Jagnik Rao's ballad Alha-Khand.
• After the 1182 A.D. dispute, Prithvi Raj captured Mahoba and Parmala retreated to Kalinjar. Qutubuddin Aibek took Mahoba and Kalinjar in 1203 A.D.
• Sher Shah Suri captured Kalinjar fort from Keerat Pal Singh in 1545 A.D. but was killed in an explosion during the final assault.
• Keerat Pal's daughter Rani Durga Wati of Garh Mandla resisted Akbar's general Asif Khan in 1564 A.D. and died in battle.

Jhansi, Bundelas and Marathas

• Raja Bir Singh Deo of Orchha built the Jhansi fort in 1613; he died in 1627 and was succeeded by Jujhar Singh.
• In 1729, Mohammed Khan Bangash attacked Chattrasal Bundela; Peshwa Baji Rao (I) helped him, and Chattrasal gave the Peshwa part of his state, including Jhansi.
• Naroshanker, subedar from 1742, extended the fort; the new part is Shankergarh. Raghunath Rao (II) built the MahaLakshmi and Raghunath temples and the Rani Mahal.