Editing History of Asia (section)

===South Asia/Indian Subcontinent===
====India====
{{main|Medieval India}}
[[File:Delhi Sultanate map.png|thumb|right|320px|The [[Delhi Sultanate]].]]

The Indian early medieval age, 600 to 1200, is defined by regional kingdoms and cultural diversity. When [[Harsha]] of [[Kannauj]], who ruled much of the Indo-Gangetic Plain from 606 to 647, attempted to expand southwards, he was defeated by the [[Chalukya dynasty|Chalukya]] ruler of the Deccan. When his successor attempted to expand eastwards, he was defeated by the [[Pala Empire|Pala]] king of [[Bengal]]. When the Chalukyas attempted to expand southwards, they were defeated by the [[Pallava]]s from farther south, who in turn were opposed by the [[Pandyas]] and the [[Cholas]] from still farther south. The Cholas could under the rule of [[Raja Raja Chola]] defeat their rivals and rise to a regional power. Cholas expanded northward and defeated [[Eastern Chalukya]], [[Eastern Ganga dynasty|Kalinga]] and the [[Pala Empire|Pala]]. Under [[Rajendra Chola]] the Cholas created the first notable navy of Indian subcontinent. The [[Chola navy]] extended the influence of Chola empire to [[southeast asia]]. During this time, pastoral peoples whose land had been cleared to make way for the growing agricultural economy were accommodated within caste society, as were new non-traditional ruling classes.<ref>{{citation|last=Stein|first=B.|author-link=Burton Stein|date=1998|title=A History of India|edition=1st|publisher=Wiley-Blackwell|place=Oxford|isbn=978-0-631-20546-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SXdVS0SzQSAC|pages=119–122}}</ref>
The [[Muslim conquest in the Indian subcontinent]] mainly took place from the 12th century onwards, though earlier Muslim conquests include the limited inroads into modern Afghanistan and Pakistan and the Umayyad campaigns in India, during the time of the Rajput kingdoms in the 8th century.

Major economic and military powers like the [[Delhi Sultanate]] and [[Bengal Sultanate]], were seen to be established. The search of their wealth led the [[Voyages of Christopher Columbus]].

[[Sher Shah Suri]] of the [[Sur Empire]] of [[Indian subcontinent|India]] introduced the standardised [[rupee|rūpya]] coin in the 16th century now used as the currency of [[Indonesia]], [[India]], [[Pakistan]], [[Bangladesh]], [[Sri Lanka]] and [[Nepal]]. 

The Vijayanagara Empire based in the Deccan Plateau region of South India, was established in 1336 by the brothers Harihara I and Bukka Raya I of the Sangama dynasty, patronized by saint Vidyaranya, the 12th Shankaracharya of Sringeri in Karnataka.<ref>{Dhere, Ramchandra (2011). Rise of a Folk God: Vitthal of Pandharpur South Asia Research. Oxford University Press, 2011. ISBN 9780199777648. Sewell, Robert (2011). A Forgotten Empire (Vijayanagar). New Delhi: Asian Educational Services. ISBN 978-8120601253.}</ref> The empire rose to prominence as a result of attempts by the southern powers to resist and ward off Turkic Islamic invasions by the end of the 13th century. At its peak, it subjugated almost all of South India's rulers and pushed the sultans of the Deccan beyond the Tungabhadra-Krishna river region. After annexing modern day Odisha (ancient Kalinga) from the Gajapati Empire, became a notable power.<ref>{/ Stein, Burton (1989). The New Cambridge History of India: Vijayanagara. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-26693-2.}</ref> The empire lasted until 1646 after a major military defeat in the [[Battle of Talikota]] in 1565 by the combined armies of the [[Deccan sultanates]].