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The Gupta Empire – Kings and Rulers
Introduction
The Gupta Age was one of an influx of innovation and progress in the arts, architecture, technology, and other fields of development. It spanned from the early 4th Century AD to the late 6th Century AD.
This empire encompassed a majority of the Indian subcontinent, with its expansionist ideologies. There were several rulers of prominence in the Gupta Empire.
Sri Gupta I founded the dynasty, and his reign lasted until the late 3rd Century CE. He was followed by Ghatotkacha, his successor, who was followed by Chandra-Gupta I, perhaps the first well known Gupta Ruler.
Most Prominent Gupta Rulers
Gupta Genealogy
Sri-Gupta I − Sri-Gupta I was behind for the inception of the Gupta Empire. His reign lasted for a solid 40 years, from 240 AD to 280 AD. The Pune Copper inscription of Prabhavati Gupta (daughter of Chandra Gupta II) details Sri-Gupta I as the Adhiraja of the Gupta dynasty.
At the time of his reign, part of Northern and Central Bengal could have been included into the Gupta Empire. One of Sri Gupta’s standout accomplishments is the building of a temple at Mr. Gasikhavana for the comfort of the Buddhist pilgrim influx.
Ghatotkacha − The 2nd ruler of the Gupta Empire, and succeeded his father Sri Gupta. His reign prevailed during 280 AD to 319 AD. Ghatotkacha and his father Sri Gupta were viewed as pre-imperial Gupta Kings. He was followed by Chandragupta I, thought of as the first Gupta emperor.
Chandragupta I − Chandragupta, the first king of the Gupta Empire while his predecessor Ghatotkacha and grandfather Sri Gupta was emperors of the pre- imperial Gupta Empire. Chandragupta thrust the Gupta Empire into the imperial era. His reign prevailed between 319 AD and 335 AD.
He eventually wed, a Licchavi princess. Licchavi were the emperors of Nepal and North Bihar during the time. With the help of this strategic alliance, he came into the spotlight and obtained the title of Maharajadiraja. He put out gold coins displaying the images of Kumara Devi in tandem with him.
The general belief is that the Gupta Empire of the Indian History began from the reign of Chandragupta the first. It started with ascension of Chandragupta to the throne in the year 319-320 A.D. His successor was Samudragupta, the Warrior.
Samudragupta, the Warrior − Arguably the greatest ruler of the empire, he was a great expansionist and initiated the samanta system in the Gupta Empire. His name is believed to have come from the expansion of his empire up till the extent of the ocean, hence, the name Samudagupta. He was a great warrior who had scars all over his body, and paradoxically, played the Veena.
Kachagupta − Kacha was a Gupta Emperor of India, a member of the Gupta lineage. The only remnants from history are his gold coins issued by him, which are a lot like the coins published by Samudragupta. Kacha’s identity is a contentious issue among modern history’s record keepers, there are two streams of thought that he was probably the same ruler referred to as Samudragupta the Warrior. There are other theories that he was a sibling of Samudragupta. Based on the first theory, Kacha might have adopted the regal name of Samudra-Gupta, upon expansion of imperial borders to the extents of the ocean, which is samudra, in Sanskrit.
The 2nd theory posits that Kacha was a competitor for Samudragupta’s claim to the throne, and he was the king for a short period. Other theories state that he was a non-Gupta usurper of power.
Rama-Gupta − Rama-Gupta I was the heir of Samudragupta the Warrior, who was followed by his younger sibling, Chandragupta the 2nd. A trio of inscriptions on Jain Tirthankara imagery was found at Durjanpur in close proximity to Vidisha, which talk about him as the “Maharajaadhiraja.” A huge number of his copper coins have also been discovered near the Eran-Vidisha region.
Literature like Natyadarpan, and the historical drama “Devichandraguptam” spoke about Rama Gupta as the son and successor of Samudragupta. According to the latter, Rama Gupta suffers a humiliating loss in battle with a Saka King. In order to ensure the security of his populace, Rama Gupta concurs to surrendering his Queen to the Sakas which infuriates his brother Chandragupta-II.
Chandragupta-II sneaks into the enemy camp to rescue Dhruvadevi and vanquishes the Saka king, earning great respect from the people and Dhruvadevi. However, Chandragupta-II reveals his true colors when he kills Rama-Gupta and sits on the throne. To add insult to injury, he marries the widow of his brother, Chandra Gupta-II. This narrative has been dismissed by many historians as fiction.
Kumaragupta I − Kumaragupta was the offspring of Chandragupta II and grandson of Samudragupta. His reign lasted for 40 years, from 415 D to 455 AD. He is the son of Dhruvadevi, and Chandragupta-II. He is known for the building the Nalanda University, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Skandagupta − Skandagupta ruled for 12 years from 455 AD to 467 AD. When Skandagupta was on campaign, his brother, Purugupta, the legitimate heir, capitalized on his father’s illness and became King. Skandagupta was not pleased, battled Purugupta and became the king instead.
Kumara-Gupta II − His reign prevailed from 473 AD to 476. Inscriptions indicate that he was the son of Puru Gupta. Gupta art, particularly standing Buddha statues have been discovered from the reign of Kumara Gupta II.
Budhagupta − The successor of Kumaragupta-II, he had diplomatic ties with the emperors of Kannauj, and in conjunction they intended to chase the Alcon Huns out of the fertile plains of North India. His reign ushered in the first phase of the fall and decay of the Empire, although Budhagupta is not believed to be directly responsible.
Narasimhagupta − The Hunas were an invading tribe in India. Yashodharman of Malwa vanquished Mihirkula, but the Hunas remained. Mihirkula subsequently attacked the Guptas and forced the Guptas to pay their tributes to him, but Narashimhagupta attacked and defeated Mihirkula. Mihirkula’s life was spared on the insistence of Narasimhagupta’s mother.
Kumara-Gupta III − Kumara-Gupta III was the offspring of Narasimhagupta. Asphad inscriptions talk about the defeat of Isanavarman at the hands of Kumaragupta III. The decline initiate during the reign of Budhagupta was solidified during Kumara-Gupta III’s reign.
Vishnu-Gupta − Vishnu-Gupta is one of the less popular kings of the Gupta dynasty. He is viewed as the last ruler of the Gupta Empire, his reign spanned a decade. The final (The Damodarpur copper-plate inscription), where he makes a land grant in the region of Kotivarsha in 542/543.
Conclusion
As we saw in the first part and the second part of this tutorial, The Gupta Empire was a long-lasting empire with long-reaching ramifications, all over the subcontinent. Their time was one of great innovation, art, and development, eventually followed by decline, ruin, and insignificance. They might be gone, but they are not forgotten by the records of history.
FAQs
Q1. Who was the progenitor of the Gupta Empire?
Ans. Sri Gupta I was the progenitor of the Gupta Empire and the first king.
Q2. Who was the first well known Gupta Ruler?
Ans. Chandragupta-I was the first well known Gupta Ruler
Q3. When did the Gupta Empire start to decline?
Ans. Budhagupta was the Emperor during whose time the Empire started to decline. However, this decline is not directly attributed to him.
Q4. Who was the last king of the Gupta Empire?
Ans. Vishnu-Gupta was the final king of the Guptas.
Q5. Who spared Mirikhula’s life?
Ans. Mirikhula’s life was spared on the insistence of his mother.
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