Class 7 Social Science Part 2 Chapter 3, Empires and Kingdoms: 6th to 10th Centuries, surveys early medieval India from Harshavardhana of Kannauj and the Tripartite Struggle among the Palas, Pratiharas and Rashtrakutas to the Chalukyas, Pallavas, Cholas, Kashmir, mathematicians and foreign invasions.
What Class 7 Social Science Chapter 3 Covers
Harshavardhana, Tripartite Struggle & Kashmir covers Harsha’s reign at Kannauj (Banabhatta’s Harshacharita and Xuanzang’s account), the contest for Kannauj among the Palas (Dharmapala, Vikramashila), Gurjara-Pratiharas (Mihira Bhoja) and Rashtrakutas (Kailasa temple at Ellora), and Lalitaditya of Kashmir (Rajatarangini).
The Deccan, South India & Cultural Flowering traces Pulakeshin II and the Badami Chalukyas, the Pallavas of Kanchi (Mamallapuram Shore Temple and Rathas), Early Pandyas/Cholas, Alvars and Nayanars (Bhakti movement), Adi Shankaracharya, and astronomers Brahmagupta, Bhaskara I and Mahavira.
Foreign Invasions: Hunas & Arabs examines how Indian rulers repelled the Hunas, the Arab conquest of Sindh under Muhammad bin Qasim (712 CE), and how Indian numerals (0–9) travelled via the Arab world to Europe.
Exercises in Chapter 3
- Before we move on… chapter takeaways and Questions and activities for revision and project work.
Read Class 7 Social Science Chapter 3 Online
More Chapters
- Previous: Chapter 2: India and Her Neighbours
- Next: Chapter 4: Turning Tides: 11th and 12th Centuries
- All Social Science chapters and the other Class 7 books: Class 7 NCERT books 2026-27
- All Class 1 to 12 NCERT Textbooks: NCERT Books PDF (Class 1–12)
FAQ
Which three dynasties fought the ‘Tripartite Struggle’ for control of Kannauj?
The Palas of Bengal and Bihar, the Gurjara-Pratiharas of western and northern India, and the Rashtrakutas of the Deccan.
What was Brahmagupta’s major contribution to mathematics?
In his treatise Brahmasphutasiddhanta (628 CE), Brahmagupta was the first mathematician to formulate clear rules for arithmetic operations using zero and negative numbers.