India Map 550 CE — Historical Map & Timeline

Who ruled India in 550 CE?

In 550 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
• Chalukyas of Badami
  Karnataka and the Deccan. Deccan dynasty whose king Pulakeshin II checked Harsha's southward advance. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica — Chalukya dynasty
• Maukhari dynasty
  Ganga plain; capital Kannauj. Rulers of Kannauj after the decline of the Guptas. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica — Maukhari dynasty

What happened in India around 550 CE?

• 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
• c. 8th–10th century: Palas, Pratiharas and Rashtrakutas contest Kannauj. Three powerful dynasties competed for prestige and access to the central Ganga plain without producing a permanent victor. Their rivalry tied eastern, western and Deccan politics into one shifting arena. Source: Britannica: India—Regional states, c. 750–1200