Explanation:

By the seventh century there were big landlords or warrior chiefs in different regions of the subcontinent.Existing kings often acknowledged them as their subordinates or samantas.They were expected to bring gifts for their kings or overlords, be present at their courts and provide them with military support.As samantas gained power and wealth, they declared themselves to be maha-samanta,mahamandaleshvara (the great lord of a “circle” or region) and so on.Sometimes they asserted their independence from their overlords.