India Map 656 CE — Historical Map & Timeline

Who ruled India in 656 CE?

In 656 CE, power in the subcontinent was shared among 3 major states and dynasties. Dates are conventional estimates.

• 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

What happened in India around 656 CE?

• 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
• 712 CE: Arab forces conquer Sindh
• 750 CE: Pala and Rashtrakuta power expands