Kingdoms in Eastern, Western and North India

In the north and east after Harsha, power fragmented into regional kingdoms such as the Gurjara-Pratiharas, the Palas and the Senas, while the west saw the Chalukyas of Gujarat and the Chahamanas of Rajasthan. A concrete example is the Pala king Dharmapala, who founded the Vikramashila monastery and supported Buddhist learning even as Brahmanical temples flourished nearby. These kingdoms competed for Kanauj, patronised rival religious traditions, and created the political map into which later Sultanate armies arrived.