Gurjar Pratihara Dynasty has a great importance in ancient Indian history. This dynasty made a successful effort to re-establish the political unity of northern India which was shattered after the death of Harsha. Its mighty kings kept most of northern India under their control for a long time. Not only this, for a long time it stopped the Muslim power advancing from Sindh Pradesh and did not allow its expansion in northern India. Along with being a great conqueror, the Pratihara kings were great literature lovers, art lovers and religious people. As a result, Indian culture progressed greatly during their rule.

1. Rise of Partiharas
By
Dr. Ravi Shankar

2.  Gurjar Pratihara Dynasty has a great
importance in ancient Indian history.
 This dynasty made a successful effort to
re-establish the political unity of northern
India which was shattered after the death
of Harsha.

3.  For a long time it stopped the Muslim
power advancing from Sindh Pradesh
and did not allow its expansion in
northern India.
 Great conqueror
 Pratihara kings were great literature
lovers, art lovers and religious people.

4. Rise of Pratihars
There is a big
difference of
opinion about the
origin of the
Pratihara dynasty.

5. Kennedy
• Said that the Pratiharas were of Iranian origin.
• The main basis of his opinion is that like the Iranians,
some Pratihara kings were sun-worshippers.
• This opinion is completely inconsistent.
• Sun-worship was not only the worship system of Iran
• nor were all the Pratihara kings sun-worshippers.

6. A. Cunningham
The Pratiharas were
descendants of the
Shakas and the
Yuezhis.
But this view is also
basically based on
conjecture.

7. V. S. Smith Johann Georg Bühler Rudolf Hoernlé
Said that Pratiharas are descendants of
Huns.

8. Xuanzang
Hiuen Tsang
describes the Gurjar
king as Indian
Kshatriya.
The entire Indian
literature considers
Huns as foreigners.

9. Say that Khajars attacked India along with
Huns. Gurjars (Pratiharas) are descendants of
Khajars.
Sir George Campbell Arthur Mason Tippetts Jackson Ramkrishna Gopal Bhandarkar

10. • There are many references to Huns in Indian inscriptions
and literature.
• But nowhere are they said to be related to Gurjars.
• Not only this, Bana describes Huns and Gurjars as
separate castes as enemies of Prabhakarvardhan.
• Again, this also does not prove that Gurjars and Khajaras
were the same.
• It is not right to equate them on the basis of only partial
similarity of names.

11. Said, there was no attack by Gurjars on
Punjab. Secondly, there was no relation
between Huns and Gurjars. Hence Gurjar-
Pratiharas cannot be considered as
descendants of Huns.
Ramesh Chandra Majumdar

12. INSCRIPTIONS
As far as the inscriptions and texts of
the Pratihara period are concerned,
they describe the Pratiharas as
Kshatriyas.

13. Gurjara Pratiharas
consider
themselves as the
descendants of
Lakshmana
(younger brother
of Rama from
Ramayana).

14. Gwalior inscription
Pratihara dynasty has been originated from
Saumitri (Lakshmana).
According to this, Lakshmana had chased
away Meghnad's army. Hence, his dynasty
came to be known as Pratihara.

15. The court poet of Pratihara king
Mahendrapal, calls him
"Raghukulatilak" in his book
Viddhashalabhanjika.
He calls Mahendrapal's son Mahipal I
as "Raghuvanshmukutmani" in his
other book Balbharat.
Rajshekhar

16. • Arab writers Abu Zaid and Al Masoodi call
the Pratiharas of Kanyakubj as Juj (Gurjar).
• Kannada poet Ampa also calls the Pratihara
king Mahipal of Kannauj as Gurjarraj.

17. Consider the
Gurjar
Pratiharas as
Indian
Kshatriyas.
Dr. Gaurishankar
Hirachand Ojha
Ram Shankar Tripathi

18. • Chines accout has been equated with Gurjar Pradesh.
• According to some scholars, Gurjar Pratiharas started
their rule in Bhinmal city of this region.
• Bhillamlakaracharya has mentioned Bhillamlaka in his
book Brahmasphuta Siddhanta. The date of this
incident is Shaka Samvat 550 i.e. 628 AD.
• Therefore, it can be assumed that Gurjar Pratiharas
must have established their power in Bhinmal only
after this date.
• Jodhpur and Ghatiyaala inscriptions of Pratihara kings
reveal that the original place of residence of Gurjar
Pratiharas was Gurjaratra (a part of Rajputana).

19. • H.S. Ray is of the opinion that the initial centre of power
of Gurjar Pratiharas was Mandavpura which is in
Rajasthan.
• But according to scholars like Dashrath Sharma, the initial
centre of power of Gurjar Pratiharas was Avanti or Ujjain.
• Jain text Harivansh calls Pratihara King Vatsaraja as
"Avantibhubhrt" (King of Avanti).
• Sanjan copper plate of Rashtrakuta King Amodhvarsha
states that one of his ancestors Dantidurga had
performed a Mahadaan Yagna. On that occasion, he had
made Gurjar-raja as Pratihara (gatekeeper) in Ujjain.
• On the basis of this mention, it can be assumed that
Gurjar Pratiharas were the rulers of Ujjain or Avanti.

20. Thank you