It is believed that the Gupta dynasty belonged to a caste which comprised of merchants and farmers. Sri Gupta founded Gupta Empire in 240 CE and continued ruling it until 280 CE. Some historians believe that Sri Gupta was a Kushan vassal; others claim that he was a ruler under the Kushan Empire who later formed his independent territory. The next king Ghatotkacha ruled from 280 CE to 319 CE and his son Chandragupta ruled from 319 CE to 335 CE. He was the first influential ruler in the history of Gupta dynasty. Chandragupta and Samudragupta
Chandragupta married Kumaradevi, the princess of Magadha and received several regions as dowry. He later expanded his kingdom to include Magadha, Prayaga, and Saketa by 321 CE. Samudragupta became the next king and ruled from 335 CE to 380 CE. He captured Ahichchhatra and Padmavati first and later attacked Malwas, Yaudheyas, Arjunayanas, Maduras, and Abhiras. He managed to build a kingdom from Himalayas to the Narmada River and from the Brahmaputra River to Yamuna. He performed the Vedic ritual of horse sacrifice called Ashwamedha to celebrate his victories. This is considered as a major event in the history of Gupta Empire. Beautiful commemorative coins were minted for this occasion as well. Samudragupta earned the title Maharajadhiraja or “King of Kings” for his outstanding achievements. Rise of Chandragupta II Even though Prince Chandragupta II, born of Queen Dattadevi was chosen as the successor of Samudragupta, his eldest son, Ramagupta ruled for a short period of time. He was finally taken over by Chandragupta II in 380 CE who ruled until 413 CE. With the help of conquests and alliances, Chandragupta managed to expand his kingdom even more. He also established a second capital at Ujjain which turned into an important political, commercial, and cultural centre. It is believed that Chandragupta II protected the Indian Subcontinent from foreign invaders like Sakas and Scythians. He also defeated Western Kshatrapas to capture Malwa region and drove away the Kushans from Mathura. It is also believed that the legends of Vikramaditya are based on his life events. The Golden Age Chandragupta II’s court contained the Navaratnas, a group of nine scholars who promoted various fields of literature, art, science, medicine etc. Aryabhata was a great scientist of Gupta period who invented zero and presented a theory that the Earth moves round the Sun. He also discovered that the earth is not flat and rotates on its own axis. Varahamihira was an astronomer, astrologer, and mathematician who studied mathematical astronomy. Sushruta wrote the Samhita which defined various aspects about Ayurvedic medicine and surgery. Some scholars invented the number system with a base of ten. Chaturanga invented the earliest form of Chess. The greatest poet and writer of the Sanskrit language Kalidasa belonged to this period. Vatsyayana who authored Kama Sutra and Vishnu Sharma who wrote Panchatantra fables were the most popular exponents of Gupta literature. An iron pillar from the 4th century CE in memory of Chandragupta II was made of 98% wrought iron. The fact that it has not decomposed yet, suggests that Indian metallurgy was at its peak during the Gupta Age. Gupta period was called as the Golden Age of Indian history because the kingdom flourished and excelled in various fields such as architecture, art, culture, literature, science and more. Some of the sculptures, temples, Buddhist monasteries and paintings are the greatest examples of Gupta empire art and architecture. The Gupta dynasty rulers majorly followed Hinduism but respected other religions like Buddhism and Jainism as well. As trade relations with eastern and south-east Asian regions improved, Gupta art also started getting influenced by these new cultures. Classical art forms of music and dance that originated during the Gupta period exists even today! Several Chinese travellers like Fa Xian visited the Indian subcontinent during the reign of Chandragupta II. He also went on pilgrimages to Mathura, Kanauj, Kapilavastu, Kushinagar, Vaishali, etc. and published writings about his wonderful experiences. The glories of this empire are almost endless, but like everything else in life, it started declining and finally collapsed in 550 AD.
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AuthorPassionate collector of coins, banknotes & stamps who loves researching about ancient, medieval & modern Indian history! Archives
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