After the demise of Harsha Vardhana, the Pratihar kings became active in the Western India. The foundations of this Kingdom were laid by Harichandra in sixth century AD. Among the most prominent rulers of this dynasty was Nagabhatta I (730-756). His empire centered on Ujjaini, and included parts of Gujarat, Malwa and Rajputana. He successfully resisted Arab invasions. Vatsaraja, a descendant of Nagabhatta, then became famous. He annexed Central Rajputana and captured Kanauj, which at that time was equivalent in importance to New Delhi of modern times. In one of the battles he defeated the Pala ruler of Bengal, Dharmapala. His period of reign was between 778-805 AD. Towards the end of his career, he was defeated by the Rashtrakuta king, Dhruva. Around 800 AD, his empire had shrunk to Rajputana area only. His son Nagabhatta II, who ascended the throne was very ambitious and extended his empire up to Kanauj, and as far as Monghyr in Bihar. Around 910 AD, Govinda III, a Rashtrakuta ruler defeated Nagabhatta II. after this battle, but the hold of Pratiharas weakened. Nagabhatta II ruled between the period 805-833 AD. Mihirbhoj who came to power in 836 AD revived the empire. He recaptured Kanauj and made it as his capital. He built an extensive empire that extended into Punjab, Malwa and Madhya Pradesh. His son Mahendrapala I came to power in 885 AD. He was a powerful king and extended the kingdom into Northern Bengal. He ruled Northern India between 885-910 AD. Mahipala then ascended the throne and ruled between 912-914 AD. He was defeated by the Rashtrakuta kings and Pala Kings of Bengal, several times and as a result his empire shrank. Feudatory rulers like Chandelas, Chedis and Paramars seceded. The successors of Mahipala were weak and could not retain the extensive Pratihar kingdom. Many smaller kingdoms that included Chalukyas in Gujarat, Chandels, Kalachuris, Paramars and Guhils broke out of the Pratihar empire. When Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni attacked Kanauj in 1018 AD, Rajyapala who was the Pratihar King, fled. Yasapala was the last Pratihar king, when the kingdom folded around 1036 AD.
