3. Medieval Era

The medieval era in India starts approximately with the rise of the Rajputs. The Rajputs were an image of feudalism and chivalry. Though they were devoted warriors, the Rajputs fought among themselves and weakened their empire. The medieval history of India is largely dominated by incidents of foreign rule and invasion due to lack of stability in Indian rulers. This was the main reason that attracted invaders from outside India to come here and establish their kingdoms. The Indian medeival history is full of such incidents where you find foreign rulers coming here and ruling India.

The weakening of the Rajputs attracted the Turks who invaded India on every given opportunity. The Turks were not just interested in India's wealth but also wanted to establish their empires and take over other kingdoms. The ruler of Delhi and one of the bravest Rajput soldiers Prithviraj Chauhan was defeated by the Turkish invader Mohammad Ghori. He captured Delhi and appointed one of the military slaves Qutub-ud-din Aibak as the in-charge. Qutub-ud-din Aibak started a series of new rulers and thus arose the Slave dynasty. This marked the beginning of the Delhi Sultanate.

After the Slave dynasty came the Khilji dynasty. The Khilji dynasty was marked by gruesome battles and capturing of power from one another. The last ruler of the Khilji dynasty was not an able ruler and was murdered which ended the Khilji dynasty. Then came the Tughlaqs, Sayyids and Lodhis who ruled Delhi one after the other in quick succession. After this, the first battle of Panipat took place which marked the end of the Lodhi dynasty and the start of the Mughal rule in India. Medieval India also saw the rise of a culture called Sikhism and was also influenced by Sufism. Medieval architecture was a blend of Hindu and Islamic styles of architectures.