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VOL. 13, ISSUE 1 (2026)
The tripartite struggle for Kannauj: Pāla, Pratihāra and Rāṣṭrakūṭa rivalries and the reshaping of early medieval Indian polity
Authors
Dr. Preeti Prabhat
Abstract
This paper examines the prolonged conflict commonly
known as the Tripartite Struggle, a sequence of military confrontations and
diplomatic contests among the Pāla dynasty of eastern India, the
Gurjara-Pratihāra polity of the north-west, and the Rāshṭrakūṭa sovereigns of
the Deccan for the symbolic and strategic prize of Kannauj and the larger
control of the Indo-Gangetic heartland between the late eighth and early tenth
centuries CE. Drawing on inscriptional evidence, contemporary and later
chronicles, and modern scholarship, the study reconstructs the chronology and
principal phases of the struggle, outlines the political aims and capacities of
each contender, and argues that the conflict produced multiple long-term
effects on the political geography, state formation processes, military
structures, religious patronage, and cultural exchanges of early medieval South
Asia. The analysis foregrounds two linked claims, first, that the Tripartite
Struggle must be interpreted as both a contest for immediate political hegemony
(the control of Kannauj as an emblematic kingship) and as a structural interaction
that reshaped regional alignments; second, that its outcomes (including the
temporary ascendancies and mutual check on each competitor) facilitated
processes of regionalisation and elite fragmentation that defined Indian polity
and society for two centuries. The paper concludes by assessing
historiographical debates about the nature, chronology and significance of the
struggle and by suggesting avenues for future research based on inscriptional
re-readings and comparative regional studies.
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Pages:377-380
How to cite this article:
Dr. Preeti Prabhat "The tripartite struggle for Kannauj: Pāla, Pratihāra and Rāṣṭrakūṭa rivalries and the reshaping of early medieval Indian polity". International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Development, Vol 13, Issue 1, 2026, Pages 377-380
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