Who Were the Gurjaras?

The Gurjaras refers to the Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty who ruled swathes of land across northern India from the 8th Century and the successor kingdoms that followed their collapse 300 years later.

With their proximity to the Umayyad Caliphate the early Gurjara-Pratihara rulers spent their reigns fighting to repel Arabic invaders in the north. They were largely successful in this and able to retain control and expand throughout the north of the Indian subcontinent. These defensive capabilities are depicted in the Gurjaras’ tech tree via access to Masonry, Hoardings and Architecture.

The castle age unique tech for the Gurjaras is the Kshatriyas, the Sanskrit term meaning ‘warrior’. The Gurjaras had a prominent role as the defenders of India from the Muslim incurssions and were one of the few nations able to prevent the Caliphate from spreading their empire.

The Gurjaras are severely lacking in infantry though. The unique unit of the Gurjaras is the Chakram thrower which gives them an option of ranged? infantry. These warriors would carry multiple Chakrams which are effectively sharp, metal frisbees and twirl them around one finger before flicking them at their enemy. They are said to have been able to cut through all in their path and this is where the Chakram has its strength, in fighting massed units.

“The ruler of Gurjara maintains numerous forces and no other Indian prince has so fine a cavalry”. This quote from the 9th Century gives us a hint about the true nature of the Gurjaras in game. They have a strong stable tech tree with access to Hussar and Heavy Camel (but missing the final attack upgrade), as well as another of their unique units: the Shrivamsha Rider - a light cavalry unit with an ability to temporarily avoid arrow fire.

Their bonuses lend themselves well to a cavalry focused play style, with 50% extra bonus damage from mounted units as well as camels and elephants being created 25% faster. Their imperial age unique technology, aptly named Frontier Guards, gives an additional +4 melee armour to their camels (and elephant archers), with their fully upgraded Heavy Camels having 7 melee armour, making them a formidable opponent! They remain vulnerable to ranged units, but these features reflect the Gurjaras cavalry focused military.