IGNOU HISTORY NOTES : India History From 8th to 15th Century - Regional Powers in South India and Deccan

IGNOU HISTORY Study Notes for IAS, UPSC Exams

History India From 8th to 15th Century

Regional Powers in South India and Deccan

Structure

26.0 bjectives
26.1 Introduction
26.2 The Four Kingdoms
26.2.1 The Yadavas and the Kakatiyas
26.2.2 The Pandyas and the Hoysalas
26.2.3 Conflict between the Four Kingdoms
26.3 Southern ~in~doms andDelhi Sultanate .
26.3.1 First Phase: Alauddin Khalji's Ingasion of South
26.3.2 Second Phase
26.4 Administration and Economy
26.4.1 Administration
26.4.2 Economy
26.5 Rise of Independent Kingdoms
26.6 Let Us Sum Up
26.7 Key Words
26.8 Answers to Check Your Progress Exercises

26.0 OBJECTIVES

This unit deals with the polity of South lndia from the 13th century to mid-14th
century. After reading this unit you would learn about:

the political set-up in Scuth India,
the,conflicts among the Sauthern kingdoms,
the relations of the Southern kingdoms with the Delhi Sultanate,
their administration and economy, and
the emergence of new independent kingdoms in the South.

26.1 INTRODUCTION

In Block 3, we have already discussed the polity. society and economy of the Indian
subcontinent till the beginning of thirteenth century. Now we would discuss the
history of the region in the subsequent period. For our purpose, South India
includes the region to the south of the Vindhyas which includes the Deccan and
peninsular south. In Units 1.l and 12, we have already discussed the physical
geography of the region in general.
The hisrory of South India from the 13th to the 15th centuries presents two distinct
phases :
i) The beginning of the 13th century is marked by the disintegration of the'chola
and the Chalukya empires. On their ruins emerged four independent kingdoms
in this region. There were the Pandyas and the Hoysalas in the south, the
Kakatiyas and the Yadavas in the north of this region. These kingdoms lasted
for more than a century.
ii) 'In the >econd phase, beginning from the 2nd quarter of the 14th century, there
emerged two powerful states: the Bahmani and the Vijaynagar. These two
controlled almost the whole of South lndia for about two hundred years.
Our discussions for the first phase will centre on the history of the four kingdoms;
tt.eir relationship with each other; their polity, society and economy. In the 2nd
pilase, we will discuss their relations with the Delhi Sultanate.