Important Notes on History - The Gupta Period

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The Kushana realm remained a centre of culture until its demise in the late third century in the hands of a new native dynasty 

The Guptas.

1. The founder of the Gupta Dynasty was Chandragupta I who built his Empire through some conquests & marriage alliance with the Lachavis.
2. His son Samudragupta is known as the Indian Napolean as he extended the Gupta Empire far & wide. His military conquests & personality are known the rough the Prayag Prashasti or the Allabhabad pillar inscription written by Harisena nearly 1700 yrs. ago.
3. Prashasti, a Sanskrit word meaning “in praise of” is an inscription of special kind composed for some of the rulers.
4. The poet Harisena praised Samundra Gupta in glowing terms - as a warrior, who was learned & best of poets, as a king who won many battles & also described him as equal to the gods.
5. Harisena’s inscription gives a detailed account of the conquests of his royal master, which contains a long list of states, kings & tribes that were conquered & bought under various degree of subjugation 
6. Some other qualities of Samudra Gupta are shown on coins like the one in which he is shown playing the Veena.
7. The variety of gold coins issued by Samudragupta not only indicates his power, wealth & grandeur of the empire but also indicates the personal qualities of the king.
8. The Prashasti also mentions the anasters of Samudragupta. His father Chandragupta was the first Gupta ruler to adopt the title Maharaj-adhiraj, a title which Samudragupta used.
9. Samudragupta’s court was full of learned people, - Kalidasa the poet, Aryabhata the astronomer.

While we learn about the Guptas from inscriptions & coins, we can find out about some kings from biographics.  

1. Harshavardhana was one such roler who ruled 1400 years ago from 606 CE to 647 CE.
2. Banabhatta, his court poet wrote his biography, the Harshacharita, in Sanskrit.
3. He became the king of Thaneswar, after the death of his father & elder brother & led an army against the Benjal roler Sasanka. Successful in Bengal & Magadh, his March into the Deccan was stopped by his defeat at the hands of Polaksin II, the Chalukya king.
4. Harsha was patron of Buddhion, (Constructed Buddist stopas), supported art & literature, made several donations to Nalanda University.
5. In 641 B.C., he sent a mission to china which helped in establishing first diplomatic relation upto Chain & India.