Umayyad campaigns in India facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Umayyad campaigns in India
Part of Early Muslim conquests and Muslim conquests in the Indian subcontinent
Sindh and neighbouring kingdoms in 700 AD
Date 711–776 CE Location First: Sindh and Punjab Later: Rajasthan, Gujarat & Kashmir Result Indian Confederation victory Territorial changes Arab expansion checked and contained to Sindh.
Belligerents
Brahmin dynasty Karkota Dynasty Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty, Varman dynasty Chalukya dynasty Mori Kingdom Rashtrakuta Chavda dynasty Maitraka dynasty Bhatis of Jaisalmer Guhila dynasty Gurjaras of Lata Saindhava	Umayyad Caliphate Vilayet Al-Sind
Commanders and leaders
Raja Dahir  † Lalitaditya Muktapida Nagabhata I Bappa Rawal Dantidurga< Avanijanashraya Pulakeshin Agguka I	Muhammad bin Qasim Junayd ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Murri Tamim ibn Zaid al-Utbi Al Hakam ibn Awana  †

The Umayyad Dynasty was a powerful empire that ruled a large area, including parts of the Middle East and North Africa. From 711 to 776 CE, their armies fought many battles in the Indian subcontinent. These fights happened east of the Indus river, after the Arabs had taken over Sindh (which is now part of Pakistan) between 711 and 713 CE.

Before the Umayyads, during the Rashidun Caliphate (632–661 CE), there were a few small raids into India. But no lasting conquests happened then. The Umayyad Caliphate had a big period of expansion from 692 to 718 CE. During the rule of Al-Walid I (705–715 CE), the Umayyads conquered many new lands. In just ten years, they took over North Africa, Spain, and Sindh.

Sindh was ruled by King Raja Dahir of the Brahmin dynasty. The Umayyad general Muhammad bin Qasim captured Sindh. It became an important base for further trips into India. However, after bin Qasim left in 715 CE, many of the areas he had conquered were taken back by Indian kings.

Later, under Yazid II (720–724 CE), the Umayyads tried to expand again, including into India. This led to many battles between 724 and 750 CE. Arab forces fought against Indian rulers like Silluka, Nagabhata I, Siladitta IV, and Vikramaditya II. Junayd ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Murri (723–726 CE) recaptured Sindh and took parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan.

Another Umayyad campaign started after the Arabs lost control of Sindh and other areas. Al-Hakam ibn Awana helped bring peace to Sindh and built new cities. He then campaigned in Punjab, Rajasthan, and Gujarat. However, Indian rulers like Lalitaditya Muktapida and Yashovarman stopped the Arabs in Punjab. Even though Al-Hakam conquered parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan, the Arabs were strongly defeated at Navsari in 739 CE. This defeat was by Avanijanashraya Pulakeshin, a general of Vikramaditya II. By 743 CE, the Arabs had lost their conquests in Rajasthan and Gujarat.

These events happened during the rule of Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik (691–743 CE). The Arab defeats stopped their expansion into India. This also led to local Muslim rulers taking over in Sindh later on.

Early Arab Raids in India

The first time Arabs entered India was around 636/7 AD. This was during the Rashidun Caliphate, long before any Arab army reached India by land. Uthman ibn Abi al-As, the governor of Bahrain and Oman, sent ships to attack ports. These ports were part of the Sasanian Empire and further east, near India.

The ports raided in India were Thane, Bharuch, and Debal (in Sindh). These attacks were not approved by the Caliph Umar. Uthman avoided punishment because no one was killed. The reason for these raids might have been to find treasure or to stop pirates. This would protect Arabian trade in the Arabian Sea. It was not meant to start a conquest of India.

Later, Arab forces defeated a Sindhi army in the Battle of Rasil in 644 CE. They reached the Indus River. But Caliph Umar ibn Al-Khattab did not let them cross the river. So, the Arabs went back home.

Muhammad bin Qasim's Campaigns (711–715 CE)

Extent and expansion of Umayyad rule under Muhammad bin Qasim in medieval India (modern state boundaries shown in red).

After conquering Sindh, Muhammad bin Qasim sent letters to the kings of India. He asked them to surrender and accept Islam. He sent an army to al-Baylaman (Bhinmal), which is said to have surrendered. The people of Surast (Maitrakas of Vallabhi) also made peace.

Bin Qasim then sent 10,000 horsemen to Kannauj. He also sent a message from the Caliph. He himself went with an army to the border of Kashmir, in western Punjab. The Arabs were successful in the Kannauj trip. The Kashmir border might be what was called al-Kiraj later. This was the Kira Kingdom in Kangra Valley, Himachal Pradesh, which was also taken over.

Bin Qasim was called back in 715 CE and died on the way. It is said that after he left, the kings of India took back their kingdoms. The time of Caliph Umar II (717–720 CE) was peaceful. Umar invited the kings of India to become Muslim. If they did, they could remain kings. Hullishah of Sindh and other kings accepted this offer.

Al Junayd's Campaigns (723–726 CE)

Arab Campaigns in Indian Sub Continent.      Desert areas (Thar Desert)      Zunbils      Turk Shahis      Kingdom of Kashmir      Kingdom of Sindh (c. 632– 711 CE)
then, Caliphal province of Sind (712-854 CE)      Maitraka Kingdom (c.475–c.776 CE)

During the rule of Yazid II (720–724 CE) and Hisham (724–743 CE), the Umayyads continued their expansion. Junayd ibn Abd ar-Rahman al-Murri (Al Junayd) became the governor of Sindh in 723 CE.

After taking control of Sindh, Junayd sent armies to different parts of India. He said these areas had stopped paying tribute to Bin Qasim. The first target was al-Kiraj (possibly Kangra valley), which was conquered. A large campaign went into Rajasthan, including Mermad (Maru-Mada, in Jaisalmer and Jodhpur) and al-Baylaman (Bhinmal). Another force went towards Uzayn (Ujjain), destroying some parts. Ujjain itself was not conquered.

A separate force was sent to al-Malibah (Malwa). The Arabs tried to expand their rule into central India. They conquered most of western India, including Bhinmal, Juzr, Marmad, Mandal, Dahnaz, Burwas, and Malibah. This meant the new Arab area included western and southern Rajasthan, almost all of Gujarat, and a small part of Madhya Pradesh.

To the North, the Umayyads tried to expand into Punjab. But they were defeated by Lalitaditya Muktapida of Kashmir. Another force went south. It conquered Qassa (Kutch), al-Mandal (perhaps Okha), Dahnaj, Surast (Saurashtra), and Barus or Barwas (Bharuch).

Many kingdoms were weakened or destroyed. These included the Bhattis of Jaisalmer, the Gurjaras of Bhinmal, the Moris of Chittor, and the Maitrakas of Saurashtra. Al-Junayd conquered all of Gujarat, a large part of Rajasthan, and some parts of Madhya Pradesh. This was a full-scale invasion to create a new province for the Caliphate.

In 726 CE, the Caliphate replaced Al-Junayd with Tamim ibn Zaid al-Utbi (Tamim) as governor of Sindh. Over the next few years, all the gains made by Junayd were lost. Arab records do not say why. They only mention that the Caliphate troops, from far-off places like Syria and Yemen, left their posts in India. They refused to go back. It is possible that the Indians revolted.

Governor Tamim is said to have fled Sindh and died on the way. The Caliphate then appointed al-Hakam ibn Awana al-Kalbi (Al-Hakam) in 731 CE. He governed until 740 CE.

Al-Hakam and Indian Resistance (731–740 CE)

Al-Hakam brought order back to Sindh and Kutch. He built strong forts at Al-Mahfuzah and Al-Mansur. Then, he tried to take back Indian kingdoms that Al-Junayd had conquered earlier. Arab sources do not give many details about these campaigns. However, several Indian records show victories over the Arab forces.

The King of Nandipuri, Jayabhata IV, wrote in 736 CE that he helped the King of Vallabhi. He defeated a large Tājika (Arab) army. The Arabs then took over Jayabhata's own kingdom. They moved on to Navsari in southern Gujarat.

The Arabs might have wanted to enter South India. But south of the Mahi River was the strong Chalukya Kingdom. In the Battle of Navsari, the Chalukyan leader Avanijanashraya Pulakeshin strongly defeated the invading Arab forces. This is recorded in a grant from Navsari in 739 CE. The Arab army had attacked kings of "Kacchella, Saindhava, Saurashtra, Cavotaka, Maurya and Gurjara." Pulakeshin was given titles like "Solid Pillar of Deccan" and "Repeller of the Unrepellable." The Rashtrakuta prince Dantidurga also played a key role in this battle.

The kingdoms mentioned in the Navsari grant were: Kacchelas from Kutch. The Saindhavas were likely people from Sindh who moved to Kathiawar after the Arab takeover in 712 CE. The Cavotakas were also linked to Kathiawar. Saurashtra is southern Kathiawar. The Mauryas and Gurjaras are thought to be the Moris of Chittor and Gurjaras of Bhinmal. This Arab invasion was likely limited to southern Gujarat and was stopped by the Chalukyan Kingdom.

It seems Al-Hakam's forces were spread too thin. He asked for more soldiers from the Caliphate in 737 CE. Only 3000 men were sent, and even they were used to stop a local rebellion in Iraq. The defeat by the Chalukyas was a big blow to the Arab forces.

The weakened Arab forces were driven out by the local Indian kings. The Guhilot king Bappa Rawal (734–753 CE) drove out the Arabs who had ended the Mori dynasty at Chittor. A Jain text mentions a King Nahada, who was the first ruler of his family at Jalore. He fought and defeated a Muslim ruler. Nahada is believed to be Nagabhata I (730–760 CE), who founded the Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty. This dynasty started in the Jalore-Bhinmal area and spread to Ujjain.

The Arab campaigns east of the Indus were not successful. However, they had an unexpected effect. They brought the Indian kingdoms in Rajasthan and Gujarat closer together. The Chalukyas expanded their kingdom north after fighting off the Arabs. Nagabhata I became strong and started a new dynasty. This dynasty would become the main force against Arab expansion. Al-Hakam died in battle in 740 CE while fighting the Meds of north Saurashtra.

Aftermath

Al-Hakam's death effectively ended the Arab presence east of Sindh. In the years that followed, the Arabs focused on controlling Sindh. They sometimes raided seaports in Kathiawar to protect their trade routes. But they did not go further inland into Indian kingdoms.

Dantidurga, the Rashtrakuta chief, became independent from his Chalukya overlords in 753 CE. The Gurjara-Pratiharas to his north became his enemies. The Arabs became his allies because of trade interests. The Pratiharas spread their influence across Gujarat and Rajasthan. But their efforts to become the main power in north India were often stopped by the Rashtrakutas. This balance of power between the three groups lasted until the end of the Caliphate.

Later, in 776 CE, an Arab naval expedition was defeated by the Saindhava naval fleet led by Agguka I.

Major Battles

This table shows some of the main battles during the Arab expeditions in Gujarat and Rajasthan.

See also

• Muslim conquest in the Indian subcontinent
• List of early Hindu Muslim military conflicts in the Indian subcontinent