Following the disaggregation of the Gupta Empire during the sixth century, political confusion prevailed in part of the Indian subcontinent. Declining trade with Central Asia and the West, along with a decrease in the volume of internal as well as external trade, led to an impoverishment of northern India. The situation in South Asia has often been inappropriately compared to that of western Europe at the time, marked by social changes, diminishing resources, de-urbanization, decreasing monetization, and disrupted communications (Digby 1982a: 45). Invasions from Central Asia and the closing of the Silk Roads to northwestern India were partially responsible for this downturn, whose significance, however, has been greatly overestimated. The theses proposed by Sharma and other authors concerning India’s de-urbanization, demonetization, and general decline in trade have been challenged, particularly for the eighth century and the ensuing period (Subrahmanyam 1994a: 12ff.; Chakravarti 2001a; Stein 2002). The downturn in trade affected mostly inland regions, especially in northern India.