Rai dynasty | ||||||||
راءِ | ||||||||
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Capital | Aror | |||||||
Religion |
Buddhism Hinduism |
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Government | Absolute Monarchy | |||||||
Emperor | Rai Diwa | |||||||
Rai Sahiras | ||||||||
Rai Sahasi I | ||||||||
Rai Sahasi II | ||||||||
Historical era | Classical India | |||||||
• | Established | 416 | ||||||
• | Disestablished | 644 | ||||||
Area | ||||||||
• | c. 600 | 1,553,993 km2 (600,000 sq mi) | ||||||
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The Rai Dynasty (c. 416–644 CE) was a power during the Classical period on the Indian subcontinent, which originated in the region of Sindh. The dynasty at its height of power ruled much of the Northwestern regions of the Indian subcontinent. The influence of the Rais extended from Kashmir in the east, Makran and Debal port (modern Karachi) in the west, Surat port in the south, and the Kandahar, Sulaiman, Ferdan and Kikanan hills in the north. It ruled an area of over 600,000 square miles (1,553,993 km2), and the dynasty reigned a period of 143 years.
The Battle of Rasil in 644 played a crucial role in their decline. The battle resulted in the Makran coast being annexed by Rashidun Caliphate. The book Chach Nama chronicles the final demise of the Rai dynasty and the ascent of the Hindu Chach of Alor to the throne.
The emperors of this dynasty were great patrons of Buddhism. They established a formidable temple of Shiva in present-day Sukkur, Pakistan, close to their capital in Al-ror. This is consistent with the historical accounts from the times of Ashoka and Harsha, as numerous monarchs from the Indian Subcontinent never sponsored a state religion and usually patronised more than one faith.
B. D. Mirchandani says, "Our knowledge of the Rai dynasty, which is not a great deal, is derived entirely from three Muslim chronicles of Sind." The history of the Rai and Brahman dynasties is almost entirely dependent on the Muslim chronicles, especially the Chachnama and Shahnama.