Central India comprising of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh was a playground of political forces during the early medieval period on account of the rule of powerful dynasties like the Pratiharas, Rastrakutas, Paramaras, Kalachuris, Candellas, Kacchapaghatas, Yajvapalas, Nagas of Bastar, etc. Each of these dynasties played a dominant role in shaping the political history not only the region over which they ruled, but northern, eastern, western and southern India where they often carried on raids and established their supremacy. Their conquests were carried as far as Bengal and Orissa in the east, Gujarat in the west, Kashmir in the north and Karnataka in the south. Also their cultural achievements in the field of Art, Literature, Religion and Society were immense. All these were possible only on account of sound policies the rulers followed and achieved them through the thoughts of ancient Indian political thinkers. What was the nature of political thought and organisation of the ruling dynasties of central India during the post-Harsa period, till the rise of the Muslim rule in this part of the country is the subject matter of research in this book. No work on the lines suggested herein under has been attempted till date.
The primary source of the present study is inscriptions of the dynasties who were ruling over different parts of the region. These sources of information have further been supplemented by the contemporary literary works of the court-poets of the rulers concerned, in addition to other contemporary literary sources. Various smrtis, niti works and digests have been suitably employed to supplement the finding. Numismatics sources too have been harnessed to arrive at conclusions. Interpretations provided in Modern works have been utilized wherever necessary.
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