From the decline of Guptas until the rise of Harshavardhana in the early seventh century, which of the following kingdoms were holding power in Northern India?
- 1.The Guptas of Magadha
- 2.The Paramaras of Malwa
- 3.The Pushyabhutis of Thanesar
- 4.The Maukharis of Kanauj
- 5.The Yadavas of Devagiri
- 6.The Maitrakas of Valabhi
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Answer & explanation
Answer: (b) 1, 3, 4 and 6
When the imperial Guptas faded in the 6th century, northern India split among successor kingdoms: the later Guptas in Magadha, the Maukharis at Kanauj, the Pushyabhutis at Thanesar and the Maitrakas at Valabhi in Gujarat. The Paramaras of Malwa (10th century) and the Yadavas of Devagiri (12th–13th centuries) came much later, and Devagiri is in the Deccan.
- ✓ 1. A later line of Guptas ruled in Magadha after the imperial Guptas declined; Devagupta, a Later Gupta ruler, joined Shashanka of Bengal in attacking the Maukhari Grahavarman.
- ✗ 2. The Paramaras emerged as an independent power in Malwa only in the second half of the 10th century.
- ✓ 3. Harshavardhana's own family, the Pushyabhutis (Vardhanas), ruled from Sthaneshvara (Thanesar, Haryana) before he moved to Kannauj in 606.
- ✓ 4. The Maukharis, once subordinate rulers of the Guptas, ruled independently from Kanauj in the 6th century (c. 510–606 CE).
- ✗ 5. The Yadavas ruled Maharashtra from Devagiri (Daulatabad) in the 13th century, far later and outside northern India.
- ✓ 6. The Maitrakas were tributary chiefs of the Guptas who set up an independent kingdom in western India (Saurashtra), with Valabhi as their capital, from about 475 to 776 CE.
Remember · Post-Gupta, pre-Harsha powers: later Guptas (Magadha), Maukharis (Kannauj), Pushyabhutis (Thanesar), Maitrakas (Valabhi). Paramaras (10th c.) and Yadavas (13th c.) are later.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 9 Understanding Society: India and Beyond, Ch 5 (practise this chapter) · Class 7 Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 2), Ch 3 (practise this chapter) · Class 7 Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 2), Ch 4 (practise this chapter) · Class 8 Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 1), Ch 3 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- NCERT Class 9 · Understanding Society: India and Beyond, Chapter 5 “475–776 CE: Maitrakas 510–606 CE Maukharis 543 CE: Foundation of Chalukyan dynasty by Pulakeshin I”
- NCERT Class 7 · Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 2), Chapter 3 “He belonged to the Pushyabhuti (or Vardhana) dynasty, whose earlier capital was Sthaneshvara (present-day Thanesar in Haryana).”
- IGNOU eGyanKosh (Govt of India central university), History of India from c. 300 CE to 1206, Unit 3: The Pushyabhutis and the Rise of Harsha ↗ · reference work “Guptas of Magadha, Gaudas of West Bengal (Murshidabad Dist.), Maitrakas of Valabhi (Saurashtra peninsula), Pushyabhutis of Thaneswar, etc. Many of them were originally subordinates of the Guptas. But, with the decline of the political authority of the Guptas, they assumed independence.”
- NIOS (Ministry of Education), Senior Secondary History, Lesson 7: The Guptas and their Successors (Maitrakas) ↗ · reference work “The Maitrakas were tributary chiefs of the Guptas, who established an independent kingdom in western India. … Shashanka, the ruler of Bengal (Gaur), and Devgupta, the Later Gupta ruler jointly attacked Grihavarman and killed him.”
- NCERT Class 7 · Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 2), Chapter 4 “The Paramaras were originally vassals of the Pratiharas and the Rashtrakutas; in the second half of the 10th century, they emerged as an independent power in Malwa”
- NCERT Class 8 · Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 1), Chapter 3 “During the 13th century, most of Maharashtra was ruled by the Yadava dynasty with Devagiri (present-day Daulatabad) as its capital.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2021, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·