Major dynasties, prominent rulers and medieval history of Rajasthan

For LDC Rajasthan GK, the Gurjara-Pratiharas should be remembered as the early medieval power that linked Rajasthan, Malwa and the Gangetic plain. Nagabhata I is linked with western-frontier resistance after the Arab conquest of Sindh in 712, while Vatsaraja and Nagabhata II appear in the tripartite struggle with the Palas and Rashtrakutas. Mihir Bhoja, ruling about 836 to 885, made Kannauj the prestige centre of a strong Pratihara monarchy. Mandore, Jalore and Osian help place Pratihara influence inside Rajasthan; Osian is especially useful for Hindu and Jain temple art of the 8th to 11th centuries. The MCQ value is the chain frontier defence, Kannauj prestige and temple patronage, not a long royal genealogy.

The Chauhans developed from the Sakambhari-Sambhar base and later made Ajmer the key centre. Ajayadeva is connected with Ajmer, Taragarh guarded the town, and Arnoraja is associated with Anasagar. Vigraharaja IV, or Visaladeva, expanded Chauhan influence towards Delhi. Prithviraja Chauhan III is the main exam anchor: he defeated Muhammad Ghori at the First Battle of Tarain in 1191 but lost the Second Battle of Tarain in 1192. Tarain, or Taraori, is near present-day Karnal in Haryana, so it is a geography trap even in a Rajasthan-history question. After Prithviraja, the Ranthambhor Chauhan branch survived until Alauddin Khalji's victory in 1301.