United Indian polity

Throughout most of history India has been home to any number of kingdoms, fiefdoms, and princely states, while rarely does a empire emerge conquering the entire subcontinent under one crown.

So how could it be possible if a united Indian polity becomes the norm, rather than the exception, similar to how the inertia keeps pulling China together under a single crown? For this to occur a sense of "Indian-ness" which transcends all kings must emerge over thousands of years.

Would each Indian Emperor profess to be the living avatar of, say, Ashoka, or a deity such as Vishnu, in order to use religious beliefs for themselves? How would foreign invaders get absorbed into the Indian culture?
 
I am told one dynasty or rajahs or maharajahs are claiming to be descending frim the Sun God Sorya(?), like the Japanese Emperor...

There is some timelines around with more united India...
 
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