Gupta dynasty, considered to be the golden age in Indian history, flourished in India from 280 AD to 550 AD. The Guptas belonged to the Vaishya caste. The Guptas ruled from the cities of Pataliputra and Ujjain as their capitals. The first king of the Gupta dynasty, Sri Gupta, is called the founder of the kingdom. Their royal symbol was ‘Garuda’, their royal emblem was ‘Varaham’, and their official language was ‘Sanskrit’.
Kings who ruled the Gupta empire:
- Sri Gupta
- Ghatotkacha
- Chandragupta I
- Samudra Gupta
- Rama Gupta
- Chandragupta II
- Kumaragupta
- Skandagupta
- Vishnugupta
Srigupta :
Srigupta built a temple called Mriga Shikhavanam for Buddhist monks. He had the title of ‘Maharaja’. He continued to rule as a vassal of the Kushans. Srigupta’s next son Ghatotkacha took over the kingdom.
Ghatotkacha :
Srigupta’s son Ghatotkacha continued to rule as a vassal king. He married his son Chandragupta I to Kumaradevi, a princess of the Lichchhavi dynasty. His son Chandragupta I ascended the throne after him.
Chandragupta I :
Chandragupta I, the son of Ghatotkachu, was given the title of ‘Maharajadhi Raja’. He was the first independent king of the Gupta dynasty. The Gupta empire expanded during his reign. He ruled from Pataliputra city as his capital. After acquiring the kingdom of Magadha from his wife Kumaradevi, he minted gold coins with the image of his wife Kumaradevi as a symbol of this. The book ‘Kaumudi Mahotsavam’ written by Vajjiku tells about the events leading up to Chandragupta I’s accession to the throne. It was during his reign that Kamandaka wrote the book ‘Neethisaram’. The ‘Allahabad Stambhashasana’ written by Harisena, the general of the army, was written about his victories.
Samudragupta:
He has the titles of ‘Maharajadhiraja’, ‘World Conqueror’, ‘Heaven Conqueror’, ‘Unrivaled Warrior’, ‘Poet King’, ‘Indian Napoleon’, ‘Ashwamedhaparakrama’, ‘King of the Shatarajas’, ‘Vyaghrahparakrama’, ‘Dauhitra’. He expanded his kingdom by defeating kings Chandravarma, Nagasena, Ganapatinagu, and Achyuta Nandin. He defeated 12 kings and conquered their kingdoms. He conquered 9 Gana kingdoms, 5 northeastern kingdoms, and 18 Atavika kingdoms and expanded the Gupta empire across the country. Samudragupta performed the Ashwamedha Yagya to mark his victories. He minted coins with symbols of hunting a tiger and playing the veena. His military victories are mentioned in the ‘Allahabad Inscription’ written by Harisena.
Chandragupta II :
It is known from the book ‘Devi Chandragupta’ that Chandragupta II killed his elder brother Ramagupta and ascended the throne. He merged the Saurashtra and Gujarat regions and trade expanded. He issued a ‘Mehroli’ iron pillar inscription ‘Chandra’ to commemorate his military victories. He minted coins showing him killing a lion and holding a flower. It is said that there were poets called Navaratna during his time.
Kumaragupta :
He ruled the Gupta Empire for about 40 years. Coins issued by Kumaragupta have been found in the Samand region of Maharashtra. He minted gold coins with the image of Kartikeya on a peacock.
Skandagupta :
He had the title ‘Vikramaditya’. Skandagupta mentions his enemies in the Junagadh and Bhitari Prashastus. He defeated the Hunas.
Budhagupta :
The decline of the Gupta Empire began during his reign. After him, Bhanu Gupta, Narasimha Gupta, Baladitya, Kumaragupta III, and Vishnugupta ruled. The Gupta Empire ended in 550 AD.
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