kingdom · Central Asia and the Steppe

Hindu Shahis

822 CE – 1026 CE (approx.) · capital Udabhandapura

The last Hindu dynasty of Kabul and Gandhara, which held the north-western gateway of India until Mahmud of Ghazni's invasions.

Origins

Around 822 Kallar, a Brahmin minister of the last Turk Shahis, overthrew his master and founded a new dynasty. The Hindu Shahis ruled from Kabul and, after its loss to the Saffarids around 870, from Udabhandapura (Hund) on the Indus.

Rule and society

The Shahis ruled a Hindu and Buddhist population from the Kabul valley to the Punjab. Their silver 'bull and horseman' coins, showing Shiva's bull Nandi and a mounted warrior, were imitated widely across northern India and Central Asia. They maintained alliances with Kashmir and built temples in the Salt Range, and al-Biruni later praised their noble conduct.

Decline and legacy

The Ghaznavid Empire launched repeated invasions: Jayapala was defeated by Sabuktigin and then by Mahmud of Ghazni in 1001 at Peshawar, after which he committed suicide. His successors Anandapala and Trilochanapala lost further battles, and the dynasty ended by 1026 with the last Shahi kings in exile in Kashmir.

Lineage

Turk Shahis 665 CE – 822 CEHindu Shahis

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Hindu Shahis. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/hindu-shahis
MLA
“Hindu Shahis.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/hindu-shahis. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Hindu Shahis.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/hindu-shahis.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Hindu Shahis’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/hindu-shahis (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻