kingdom · South Asia

Rai dynasty

489 CE – 632 CE (approx.) · capital Aror

A dynasty of Sindh known from the Chach Nama, which ruled the lower Indus from Aror before the Brahman dynasty took power.

Origins

The Rai dynasty is known almost entirely from the Chach Nama, a Persian history of the Arab conquest of Sindh written in the 13th century from earlier Arabic sources. It describes a line of five kings ruling Sindh from Aror, near modern Sukkur, from around the end of the 5th century.

Rule and society

The Chach Nama portrays a large kingdom stretching from Kashmir's borders to the sea and from Makran to the edge of Rajasthan, divided into provinces under governors. Buddhism was widespread in Sindh in this period, as Xuanzang confirms, and the dynasty was reportedly Buddhist or tolerant of Buddhism. One king is said to have died fighting an army from Sasanian Persia.

Decline and legacy

According to the Chach Nama, after the death of the last king, Rai Sahasi II, his Brahmin chamberlain Chach married the widowed queen and seized the throne around 632, founding the Brahman dynasty of Sindh.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Lineage

Rai dynastyBrahman dynasty of Sindh 632 CE – 712 CE

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻