India Map 481 CE — Historical Map & Timeline

Who ruled India in 481 CE?

In 481 CE, power in the subcontinent was shared among 5 major states and dynasties. Dates are conventional estimates.

• Gupta Empire
  Northern India; capital Pataliputra. The dynasty of Chandragupta I, Samudragupta and Chandragupta II. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica — Gupta dynasty · Read: The Gupta Empire
• Pallava dynasty
  Tamil Nadu and southern Andhra; capital Kanchipuram. Builders of the Shore Temple and rock-cut monuments of Mamallapuram. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica — Pallava dynasty
• Maitraka dynasty
  Gujarat; capital Valabhi. Rulers of Saurashtra whose capital Valabhi was a noted centre of learning. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica — Maitraka dynasty
• Vakataka dynasty
  Vidarbha and the northern Deccan. Deccan dynasty allied by marriage to the Guptas; patrons associated with Ajanta. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica — Vakataka dynasty
• Kadamba dynasty
  Karnataka and Goa; capital Banavasi. Early Kannada-speaking dynasty of the western Deccan. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica — Kadamba family

What happened in India around 481 CE?

• 375 CE: Gupta influence broadens
• c. 399–414 CE: Faxian records a pilgrim’s India. The Chinese Buddhist monk Faxian travelled through northern India seeking monastic texts and observing sacred sites. His account is invaluable but selective, shaped by the interests of a pilgrim rather than a complete survey of society. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica: Faxian
• 405 CE: Faxian travels through northern India
• Around 500 CE: A changing northern landscape. The museum’s chronology presents Gupta control as a period with changing regional relationships, rather than an enduring uniform state. Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art — South Asia, 1–500 CE
• 606 CE: Harsha takes power at Thanesar
• 630 CE: Harsha and Pulakeshin II clash