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93-507: Following the decline of the Gupta Empire , Maitraka dynasty was founded by Senapati (general) Bhaṭārka, who was a military governor of Saurashtra under Gupta Empire, who had established himself as the independent around 475 CE. The first two Maitraka rulers Bhaṭārka and Dharasena I used only the title of Senapati (general). The third ruler Droṇasiṁha declared himself as the Maharaja . During

186-578: A UNESCO world heritage site . Kumaragupta I was also a worshipper of Kartikeya . Skandagupta , son and successor of Kumaragupta I is generally considered to be the last of the great Gupta emperors. He assumed the titles of Vikramaditya and Kramaditya . He defeated the Pushyamitra threat, but then was faced with invading Kidarites (sometimes described as the Hephthalites or "White Huns", known in India as

279-568: A Shaivite Hindu. Harsha's play Nāgānanda tells the story of the Bodhisattva Jīmūtavāhavana, and the invocatory verse at the beginning is dedicated to the Buddha , described in the act of vanquishing Māra (so much so that the two verses, together with a third, are also preserved separately in Tibetan translation as the *Mārajit-stotra). Shiva's consort Gauri plays an important role in

372-618: A campaign lasting until 409. His main opponent Rudrasimha III was defeated by 395, and he crushed the Bengal chiefdoms. This extended his control from coast to coast, established a second capital at Ujjain and was the high point of the empire. Kuntala inscriptions indicate rule of Chandragupta II in Kuntala country of Karnataka . Hunza inscription also indicate that Chandragupta was able to rule north western Indian subcontinent and proceeded to conquer Balkh , although some scholars have also disputed

465-487: A centre of cosmopolitanism, attracting scholars, artists and religious visitors from far and wide. The Chinese traveller Xuanzang visited the imperial court of Harsha and wrote a very favourable account of him (as Shiladitya ), praising his justice and generosity. His biography Harshacharita (" The Life of Harsha ") written by the Sanskrit poet Banabhatta , describes his association with Sthanesvara , besides mentioning

558-511: A defensive wall, a moat and the palace with a two-storied Dhavalagriha (white mansion). Much of the information about Harsha's youth comes from the account of Bāṇabhaṭṭa . Harsha was the second son of Prabhakarvardhana , king of Thanesar . According to some authorities, he belonged to the Bais clan of Rajputs and a ruler of the Pushyabhuti dynasty . After the downfall of the Gupta Empire in

651-622: A great assembly called Moksha . Xuanzang also describes a 21-day religious festival organized by Harsha in Kanyakubja ; during this festival, Harsha and his subordinate kings performed daily rituals before a life-sized golden statue of the Buddha. Since Harsha's records describe him as a Shaivite Hindu, his conversion to Buddhism would have happened, if at all, in the later part of his life. Even Xuanzang states that Harsha patronised scholars of all religions, not just Buddhist monks. According to historians such as S. R. Goyal and S. V. Sohoni , Harsha

744-487: A musician and a poet, and calls him the "king of poets". Such claims are corroborated by Samudragupta's gold coins, which depict him playing a veena . Samudragupta appears to have directly controlled a large part of the Indo-Gangetic Plain in present-day India, as well as a substantial part of central India. Besides, his empire comprised a number of monarchical and tribal tributary states of northern India, and of

837-590: A reported Buddhist relic for China. 2,000 prisoners were taken from Magadha by the Nepali and Tibetan forces under Wang. Tibetan and Chinese writings document describe Wang Xuance's raid on India with Tibetan soldiers. Nepal had been subdued by the Tibetan King Songtsen . The Indian pretender was among the captives. The war happened in 649. Taizong's grave had a statue of the Indian pretender. The pretender's name

930-570: A variety of subjects, are also thought to have been committed to written texts around this period. Hinduism was followed by the rulers and the Brahmins flourished in the Gupta empire but the Guptas were tolerant towards people of other faiths as well. The empire eventually died out because of factors such as substantial loss of territory and imperial authority caused by their own erstwhile feudatories, as well as

1023-566: Is known that from Chinese sources that the Simhala king Meghavarna sent rich presents to the Gupta emperor requesting his permission to build a Buddhist monastery at Bodh Gaya : Samudragupta's panegyrist appears to have described this act of diplomacy as an act of subservience. Samudragupta appears to have been Vaishnavite , as attested by his Eran inscription, and performed several Brahmanical ceremonies. The Gupta records credit him with making generous donations of cows and gold. He performed

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1116-461: Is no doubt that Gupta and Ghatotkacha held a lower status and were less powerful than Chandragupta I. Chandragupta I married the Licchavi princess Kumaradevi, which may have helped him extend his political power and dominions, enabling him to adopt the prestigious title Maharajadhiraja . According to the dynasty's official records, he was succeeded by his son Samudragupta . However, the discovery of

1209-423: Is the fifth and the only king of all Maitraka kings connected with sun-worship. All other kings were followers of Shaivism . The copperplate grants do not help in identifying their origin, they describe only that the dynasty was born from a war-like tribe whose capital was at Vallabhi and they were Shaivas . Chinese traveler Hieun-Tsang visited Vallabhi during the second quarter of the 7th century had described

1302-614: The Aryabhatiya , making significant contributions to mathematics including developing a Place value system , an approximation of π of 4 decimal places, trigonometric functions, and Squared triangular numbers . Varāhamihira wrote the Pancha Siddhanta developing various formulas relating sine and cosine functions. Yativṛṣabha made contributions on units of measurement. Virahanka described Fibonacci numbers . Indian astronomy also saw progress in this era. The names of

1395-467: The Ashvamedha ritual (horse sacrifice), which was used by the ancient Indian kings and emperors to prove their imperial sovereignty, and issued gold coins (see Coinage below) to mark this performance. The Allahabad Pillar inscription presents Samudragupta as a wise king and strict administrator, who was also compassionate enough to help the poor and the helpless. It also alludes to the king's talents as

1488-717: The Aulikara King Yashodharman c.  532 CE . A 2019 study by archaeologist Shanker Sharma has concluded that the cause of the Gupta Empire's downfall was a devastating flood which happened around the middle of the 6th century in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar . In the heart of the former Gupta Empire, in the Gangetic region, the Guptas were succeeded by the Maukhari dynasty and the Pushyabhuti dynasty . The coinage of

1581-647: The Chaulukya - Paramara dynasties, who issued so-called Indo-Sasanian coinage , on the model of the coinage of the Sasanian Empire , which had been introduced in India by the Alchon Huns. In contrast to the Mauryan Empire , the Guptas introduced several military innovations to Indian warfare. Chief among these was the use of siege engines , heavy cavalry archers and heavy sword cavalry. The heavy cavalry formed

1674-594: The Gupta era . The period, sometimes described as Pax Gupta , gave rise to achievements in architecture, sculpture, and painting that "set standards of form and taste [that] determined the whole subsequent course of art, not only in India but far beyond her borders". Strong trade ties also made the region an important cultural centre and established the region as a base that would influence nearby kingdoms and regions in India and Southeast Asia . The Puranas , earlier long poems on

1767-511: The Indian subcontinent . This period has been considered as the Golden Age of India by historians, although this characterisation has been disputed by some other historians. The ruling dynasty of the empire was founded by Gupta and the most notable rulers of the dynasty were Chandragupta I , Samudragupta , Chandragupta II , Kumaragupta I and Skandagupta . The high points of this period are

1860-639: The Maharajadhiraja . A large number of his copper coins also have been found from the Eran - Vidisha region and classified in five distinct types, which include the Garuda , Garudadhvaja , lion and border legend types. The Brahmi legends on these coins are written in the early Gupta style. According to the Gupta records, among his sons, Samudragupta nominated prince Chandragupta II, born of queen Dattadevi , as his successor. Chandragupta II, Vikramaditya (Brave as

1953-625: The Narmada River as its southern boundary. He eventually made Kanyakubja (present-day Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh state) his imperial capital, and reigned till 647 CE. Harsha was defeated by the Emperor Pulakeshin II of the Chalukya dynasty in the Battle of Narmada , when he tried to expand his empire into the southern peninsula of India. The peace and prosperity that prevailed made his court

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2046-889: The Pallava kingdom in the south, and defeated Vishnugopa, the Pallava regent of Kanchi . During this southern campaign, Samudragupta most probably passed through the forest tract of central India, reached the eastern coast in present-day Odisha , and then marched south along the coast of the Bay of Bengal . The Allahabad Pillar inscription mentions that rulers of several frontier kingdoms and tribal aristocracies paid Samudragupta tributes, obeyed his orders, and performed obeisance before him. The frontier kingdoms included Samatata , Davaka , Kamarupa , Nepal and Karttripura . The tribal aristocracies and kingdoms included Malavas , Arjunayanas , Yaudheyas , Madrakas , and Abhiras , among others. Finally,

2139-707: The Parasika , then the Huna and Kamboja tribes located in the west and east Oxus valleys respectively. Thereafter, the king proceeded into the Himalaya mountains to reduce the mountain tribes of the Kinnaras , Kiratas , as well as India proper. In one of his works Kalidasa also credits him with the removal of the Sakas from the country. He wrote 'Wasn't it Vikramaditya who drove the Sakas out from

2232-506: The Sweta Huna ), from the northwest. He repelled a Huna attack around 455 CE, but the expense of the wars drained the empire's resources and contributed to its decline. The Bhitari Pillar inscription of Skandagupta , the successor of Chandragupta, recalls the near annihilation of the Gupta Empire following the attacks of the Kidarites . The Kidarites seem to have retained the western part of

2325-644: The 6th century CE . The Guptas were traditionally a Hindu dynasty. They were patronizers of Brahmanism and allowed followers of Buddhism and Jainism to practice their religions. Sanchi remained an important centre of Buddhism. Kumaragupta I (455 CE ) is said to have founded Nalanda . Modern genetic studies indicate that it was during the Gupta period that Indian caste groups ceased to intermarry (started practising/enforcing endogamy ). Some later rulers however seem to have especially promoted Buddhism . Narasimhagupta Baladitya ( c.  495 –?), according to contemporary writer Paramartha ,

2418-625: The Alchons are said to have altered the hierarchy of ruling families and the Indian caste system . For example, the Hunas are often said to have become the precursors of the Rajputs . The succession of the 6th-century Guptas is not entirely clear, but the tail end recognised ruler of the dynasty's main line was King Vishnugupta , reigning from 540 to 550. In addition to the Huna invasion, the factors, which contribute to

2511-541: The Earth was sphere, containing a circumference of 24,835 miles (39,967 km). Varāhamihira approximates the method for determination of the meridian direction from any three positions of the shadow using a gnomon . The Sushruta Samhita , which is a Sanskrit redaction text on all of the major concepts of Ayurveda medicine with innovative chapters on surgery, dates to the Gupta period. Harsha Harshavardhana ( Sanskrit : हर्षवर्धन; 4 June 590 – 647)

2604-527: The Gupta Empire. Skandagupta died in 467 and was succeeded by his agnate brother Purugupta . Following Skandagupta's death, the empire was clearly in decline, and the later Gupta coinage indicates their loss of control over much of western India after 467–469. Skandagupta was followed by Purugupta (467–473), Kumaragupta II (473–476), Budhagupta (476–495), Narasimhagupta (495–530), Kumaragupta III (530–540), Vishnugupta (540–550), two lesser known kings namely, Vainyagupta and Bhanugupta . In

2697-509: The Gupta homeland in the present-day Bengal region in Ganges basin, based on the account of the 7th-century Chinese Buddhist monk Yijing . According to Yijing, king Che-li-ki-to (identified with the dynasty's founder Shri Gupta ) built a temple for Chinese pilgrims near Mi-li-kia-si-kia-po-no (apparently a transcription of Mriga-shikha-vana ). Yijing states that this temple was located more than 40 yojanas east of Nalanda , which would mean it

2790-454: The Guptas were supportive of thriving Buddhist and Jain cultures as well, and for this reason, there is also a long history of non-Hindu Gupta period art . In particular, Gupta period Buddhist art was to be influential in most of East and Southeast Asia. Many advances were recorded by the Chinese scholar and traveller Faxian in his diary and published afterwards. The court of Chandragupta II

2883-497: The Huns. The Hun invader Toramana was defeated by Bhanugupta in 510. The Huns were defeated and driven out of India in 528 by King Yashodharman from Malwa , and possibly Gupta emperor Narasimhagupta . These invasions, although only spanning a few decades, had long term effects on India, and in a sense brought an end to Classical Indian civilisation . Soon after the invasions, the Gupta Empire, already weakened by these invasions and

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2976-655: The Imperial Gupta Army. The best extant information comes from the Sanskrit mahakavya (epic poem) Raghuvaṃśa written by the Classical Sanskrit writer and dramatist Kalidasa . Many modern scholars put forward the view that Kalidasa lived from the reign of Chandragupta II to the reign of Skandagupta and that the campaigns of Raghu – his protagonist in the Raghuvaṃśa – reflect those of Chandragupta II. In Canto IV of

3069-519: The Maitraka kingdom. Jains held their important Valabhi council here. The Maitrakas were tolerant to all religions and made donations and grants to all of them without partiality. Gupta Empire The Gupta Empire was an ancient Indian empire on the Indian subcontinent which existed from the mid 3rd century CE to mid 6th century CE. It was the seventh ruling dynasty of Magadha . At its zenith, from approximately 319 to 467 CE, it covered much of

3162-570: The Maukharis and Pushyabhutis followed the silver coin type of the Guptas, with portrait of the ruler in profile (although facing in the reverse direction compared to the Guptas, a possible symbol of antagonism) and the peacock on the reverse, the Brahmi legend being kept except for the name of the ruler. In the western regions, they were succeeded by Gurjaradesa , the Gurjara-Pratiharas , and later

3255-778: The Raghuvamsa, Kalidasa relates how the king's forces clash against the powerful, cavalry-centric, forces of the Persians and later the Yavanas (probably Huns) in the North-West. Here he makes special mention of the use horse-archers in the king's army and that the horses needed much rest after the hotly contested battles. The five arms of the Gupta military included infantry, cavalry, chariotry , elephantry and ships . Gunaighar copper plate inscription of Vainya Gupta mentions ships but not chariots. Ships had become integral part of Indian military in

3348-671: The Sun), ruled from 375 until 415. He married a Kadamba princess of Kuntala and of Naga lineage ( Nāgakulotpannnā ), Kuberanaga. His daughter Prabhavatigupta from this Naga queen was married to Rudrasena II , the Vakataka king of Deccan . His son Kumaragupta I was married to a Kadamba princess of the Karnataka region. Chandragupta II expanded his realm westwards, defeating the Saka Western Kshatrapas of Malwa , Gujarat and Saurashtra in

3441-475: The Tajjika (Arab) invasions, no historical source mention how the dynasty ended. More than hundred temples of this period are known, mostly located along the western coast of Saurashtra. Early scholars like Fleet had misread copperplate grant and considered Maitrakas as some foreign tribe defeated by Bhaṭārka. Bhagwanlal Indraji believed that Maitrakas were foreign tribe while Bhaṭārka, who defeated them, belonged to

3534-581: The Vaishya varna. According to historian R. S. Sharma , the Vaishyas – who were traditionally associated with trade – may have become rulers after resisting oppressive taxation by the previous rulers. Critics of the Vaishya-origin theory point out that the suffix Gupta features in the names of several non-Vaishyas before as well as during the Gupta period, and the dynastic name "Gupta" may have simply derived from

3627-508: The coins issued by a Gupta emperor named Kacha have led to some debate on this topic: according to one theory, Kacha was another name for Samudragupta; another possibility is that Kacha was a rival claimant to the throne. Samudragupta succeeded his father around 335 or 350 CE, and ruled until c.  375 CE . The Allahabad Pillar inscription, composed by his courtier Harisena , credits him with extensive conquests. The inscription asserts that Samudragupta uprooted 8 kings of Āryāvarta ,

3720-572: The control of Vishayapati s (district lords ). A Vishayapati administered the Vishaya with the help of the Adhikarana (council of representatives), which comprised four representatives: Nagarasreshesthi , Sarthavaha , Prathamakulika and Prathama Kayastha . A part of the Vishaya was called Vithi . The Gupta also had trading links with the Sassanid and Byzantine Empires. The four-fold varna system

3813-475: The core of the Gupta Army and were supported by the traditional Indian Army elements of war elephants and light infantry . The utilisation of horse archers in the Gupta period is evidenced on the coinage of Chandragupta II , Kumaragupta I and Prakasaditya (postulated to be Purugupta ) that depicts the kings as horse-archers. There is a paucity of contemporary sources detailing the tactical operations of

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3906-613: The decline of the empire include competition from the Vakatakas and the rise of Yashodharman in Malwa . The last known inscription by a Gupta emperor is from the reign of Vishnugupta (the Damudarpur copper-plate inscription), in which he makes a land grant in the area of Kotivarsha ( Bangarh in West Bengal ) in 542/543 CE. This follows the occupation of most of northern and central India by

3999-630: The early Gupta emperors have been discovered. This theory is also supported by the Purana , as argued by the proponents, that mention the territory of the early Gupta emperors as Prayaga , Saketa , and Magadha areas in the Ganges basin. The recently found silver coin of Sri Gupta in Uttar Pradesh further attest the origin of Guptas around Kāśī – Kannauj region and his rule was only limited to Kāśī (present day Varanasi ). Another prominent theory locates

4092-556: The empire. The Kidarites as well probably confronted the Gupta Empire towards the end of the rule of Kumaragupta I, as his son Skandagupta mentions in the Bhitari pillar inscription his efforts at reshaping a country in disarray, through reorganisation and military victories over the Pushyamitras and the Hunas . He was the founder of Nalanda University which on 15 July 2016 was declared as

4185-547: The fall of the prior Gupta Empire , Harsha united the small republics from Punjab to central India, and their representatives crowned him emperor at an assembly in April 606 giving him the title of Maharajadhiraja . Harsha established an empire that brought all of northern India under his rule. The peace and prosperity that prevailed made his court a centre of cosmopolitanism , attracting scholars, artists and religious visitors from far and wide. The Chinese traveller Xuanzang visited

4278-532: The forests. On hearing about the murder of his brother, Harsha resolved at once to march against the treacherous King of Gauda , but this campaign remained inconclusive and beyond a point he turned back. Harsha ascended the throne at the age of 16. His first responsibility was to rescue his sister and to avenge the killings of his brother and brother-in-law. He rescued his sister when she was about to immolate herself. As Northern India reverted to small republics and small monarchical states ruled by Gupta rulers after

4371-462: The four directions. Based on this statement, historians such as R.K. Mookerji and C.V. Vaidya have dated Harsha conquests to 606-612 CE. However, it is now known that Harsha engaged in wars and conquests for several more years. Moreover, whether Xuanzang used the term "Five Indias" to describe Harsha's territory in a narrower or wider sense, his statement is hyperbole it cannot be used to make conclusions about Harsha's actual territory. While Harsha

4464-477: The great cultural developments which took place primarily during the reigns of Samudragupta , Chandragupta II and Kumaragupta I . Many Hindu epics and literary sources, such as Mahabharata and Ramayana , were canonised during this period. The Gupta period produced scholars such as Kalidasa , Aryabhata , Varahamihira and Vatsyayana , who made great advancements in many academic fields. Science and political administration reached new heights during

4557-408: The identity of the Gupta emperor. Chalukya king Vikramaditya VI (r. 1076 – 1126 CE) mentions Chandragupta with his title and states: "Why should the glory of the Kings Vikramaditya and Nanda be a hindrance any longer ? He with a loud command abolished that (era), which has the name of Saka, and made that (era) which has the Chalukya counting". Despite the creation of the empire through war,

4650-615: The imperial court of Harsha, and wrote a favourable account of him, praising his justice and generosity. Pulakeshin II repelled an invasion led by Harsha on the banks of Narmada in the winter of 618–619. Pulakeshin then entered into a treaty with Harsha, with the Narmada River designated as the border between the Chalukya Empire and that of Harshavardhana. Xuanzang describes the event thus: In 648, Tang Chinese emperor Tang Taizong sent Wang Xuance to India in response to emperor Harsha having sent an ambassador to China. However once in India, he discovered that Harsha had died and

4743-440: The indigenous dynasty. Later readings corrected that Bhaṭārka was himself Maitraka who had succeeded in many battles. The earlier scholars had suggested the name Maitraka is derived from Mithra , the Sun or solar deity , and their supposed connection to Mihira and their sun-worshiping inclination . Though Mitra and Mihira are synonyms for the sun, the Sanskrit literature does not use it in sense of sun-worshipers. Dharapaṭṭa

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4836-410: The inscription mentions that several foreign kings tried to please Samudragupta by personal attendance; offered him their daughters in marriage (or according to another interpretation, gifted him maidens ); and sought the use of the Garuda -depicting Gupta seal for administering their own territories. This is an exaggeration: for example, the inscription lists the King of Simhala among these kings. It

4929-406: The invasion by the Huna peoples ( Kidarites and Alchon Huns ) from Central Asia . After the collapse of the Gupta Empire in the 6th century, India was again ruled by numerous regional kingdoms. The homeland of the Guptas is uncertain. According to one theory, they originated in the present-day lower-Doab region of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh , where most of the inscriptions and coin hoards of

5022-409: The king at Sthanesvara , could not accept this affront to his sister and his family. So he marched against Devagupta and defeated him. However, Shashanka , the King of Gauda in Eastern Bengal , then entered Magadha as a friend of Rajyavardhana, but was in a secret alliance with the Malwa king. Accordingly, Shashanka treacherously murdered Rajyavardhana. In the meantime, Rajyashri escaped into

5115-415: The late 490's the Alchon Huns under Toramana and Mihirakula broke through the Gupta defences in the northwest, and much of the empire in the northwest was overrun by the Huns by 500. According to some scholars the empire disintegrated under the attacks of Toramana and his successor Mihirakula . It appears from inscriptions that the Guptas, although their power was much diminished, continued to resist

5208-435: The lovely city of Ujjain ?'. The Brihatkathamanjari of the Kashmiri writer Kshemendra states, King Vikramaditya (Chandragupta II) had "unburdened the sacred earth of the barbarians like the Sakas, Mlecchas , Kambojas , Greeks , Tusharas , Saka-Greeks , Hunas , and others, by annihilating these sinful Mlecchas completely". Faxian , a Chinese Buddhist monk , was one of the pilgrims who visited India during

5301-527: The middle of the 6th century, Northern India was split into several independent kingdoms. The northern and western regions of the Indian Subcontinent passed into the hands of a dozen or more feudatory states. Prabhakaravardhana, the monarch of Sthanvesvara , who belonged to the Vardhana family, extended his control over neighbouring states. Prabhakaravardhana was the first monarch of the Vardhana dynasty with his capital at Sthanvesvara . After Prabhakaravardhana's died in 605, his eldest son, Rajyavardhana, ascended

5394-473: The name of a king mentioned by the 7th century Chinese Buddhist monk Yijing, is believed to be a transcription of " Shri -Gupta" ( IAST : Śrigupta), "Shri" being an honorific prefix. According to Yijing, this king built a temple for Chinese Buddhist pilgrims near "Mi-li-kia-si-kia-po-no" (believed to be a transcription of Mṛgaśikhāvana ). In the Allahabad Pillar inscription, Gupta and his successor Ghatotkacha are described as Maharaja ("Great King"), while

5487-472: The name of the dynasty's first king Gupta . Some scholars, such as S. R. Goyal , theorise that the Guptas were Brahmins , because they had matrimonial relations with Brahmins, but others reject this evidence as inconclusive. Based on the Pune and Riddhapur inscriptions of the Gupta princess Prabhavatigupta , some scholars believe that the name of her paternal gotra (clan) was "Dharana", but an alternative reading of these inscriptions suggests that Dharana

5580-410: The new king Aluonashun (supposedly Arunāsva ) attacked Wang and his 30 mounted subordinates. This led to Wang Xuance escaping to Tibet and then mounting a joint expedition of over 7,000 Nepalese mounted infantry and 1,200 Tibetan infantry and attacking Indian state on June 16. The success of this attack won Xuance the prestigious title of the "Grand Master for the Closing Court." He also secured

5673-445: The next king Chandragupta I is called a Maharajadhiraja (" King of Great Kings "). In the later period, the title Maharaja was used by feudatory rulers, which has led to suggestions that Gupta and Ghatotkacha were vassals (possibly of Kushan Empire ). However, there are several instances of paramount sovereigns using the title Maharaja , in both pre-Gupta and post-Gupta periods, so this cannot be said with certainty. That said, there

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5766-440: The next ruler Śilāditya I Dharmāditya was described by Hiuen Tsang , visited in 640 CE, as a "monarch of great administrative ability and of rare kindness and compassion". Śilāditya I was succeeded by his younger brother Kharagraha I. Virdi copperplate grant (616 CE) of Kharagraha I proves that his territories included Ujjain . During the reign of the next ruler, Dharasena III, north Gujarat was included in this kingdom. Dharasena II

5859-487: The northern region, including the Nagas . It further claims that he subjugated all the kings of the forest region, which was most probably located in central India. It also credits him with defeating 12 rulers of Dakshinapatha , the southern region: the exact identification of several of these kings is debated among modern scholars, but it is clear that these kings ruled areas located on the eastern coast of India. The inscription suggests that Samudragupta advanced as far as

5952-519: The period when the Vallabhi kingdom declined in the 8th century AD. The Maitrakas were follower of the Shiva except Dhruvasena I who was Vaiṣnava and Dharapaṭṭa who was sun-worshiper. They all used title of parama-maheshwara before the names of king except those two. It is evident from the use of symbols like Nandi , the Bull and Trishula , the trident in their coins and inscriptions. There were presence of Vaishnavism and Goddess worship under their rule. There were large number of Buddhist Viharas in

6045-576: The play, and raises the hero to life using her divine power. According to the Chinese Buddhist traveler Xuanzang , Harsha was a devout Buddhist . Xuanzang states that Harsha banned animal slaughter for food, and built monasteries at the places visited by Gautama Buddha . He erected several thousand 100-feet high stupas on the banks of the Ganges river , and built well-maintained hospices for travellers and poor people on highways across India. He organized an annual assembly of global scholars, and bestowed charitable alms on them. Every five years, he held

6138-432: The reign Dhruvasena I, Jain council at Vallabhi was probably held. The next ruler Dharapaṭṭa is the only ruler considered as a sun-worshipper. King Guhasena stopped using the term Paramabhattaraka Padanudhyata along his name like his predecessors, which denotes the cessation of displaying of the nominal allegiance to the Gupta overlords. He was succeeded by his son Dharasena II, who used the title of Mahadhiraja . His son,

6231-411: The reign is remembered for its very influential style of Hindu art , literature , culture and science , especially during the reign of Chandragupta II. Some excellent works of Hindu art such as the panels at the Dashavatara Temple in Deogarh serve to illustrate the magnificence of Gupta art. Above all, it was the synthesis of elements that gave Gupta art its distinctive flavour. During this period,

6324-436: The reign of the Gupta emperor Chandragupta II . He started his journey from China in 399 CE and reached India in 405 CE . During his stay in India up to 411 CE , he went on a pilgrimage to Mathura , Kannauj , Kapilavastu , Kushinagar , Vaishali , Pataliputra , Kashi , and Rajagriha , and made careful observations about the empire's conditions. Faxian was pleased with the mildness of administration. The penal code

6417-675: The rise of local rulers such as Yashodharman , ended as well. Following the invasions, northern India was left in disarray, with numerous smaller Indian powers emerging after the crumbling of the Guptas. The Huna invasions are said to have seriously damaged India's trade with Europe and Central Asia . In particular, Indo-Roman trade relations , which the Gupta Empire had greatly benefited from. The Guptas had been exporting numerous luxury products such as silk , leather goods, fur, iron products, ivory , pearl , and pepper from centres such as Nasik , Paithan , Pataliputra , and Benares . The Huna invasion probably disrupted these trade relations and

6510-419: The royal land have to pay (a portion of) the gain from it. If they want to go, they go. If they want to stay on, they stay on. The king governs without decapitation or (other) corporal punishments. Criminals are simply fined according to circumstances. Even in cases of repeated attempts at wicked rebellion, they only have their right-hand cut off. The king's bodyguards & attendants all have salaries. Throughout

6603-418: The rule of Harṣa in the mid-7th century, but retained local autonomy, and regained their independence after Harṣa's death. When I-Tsing , another Chinese traveller, visited Vallabhi in the last quarter of the seventh century, he found Vallabhi as a great center of learning including Buddhism . Gunamati and Sthiramati were two famous Buddhist scholars of Vallabhi in the middle of the seventh century. Vallabhi

6696-643: The ruler as a Kshatriya. Later Mahayana Buddhist work Manju-Shri-Mula-Kalpa had described them as Varavatya Yadava. The late Jain traditional work Shatrunjaya-Mahatmaya of Dhaneshwara describes Śilāditya as the Yadavas of Lunar race . Virji concludes that Maitrakas were a Kshatriya of Lunar race and their origin was probably from Mitra dynasty which once ruled region around Mathura (now in Uttar Pradesh , India). Several scholars like Benerjee, D. Shastri, D. R. Bhandarkar agree with her conclusion. The Maitrakas ruled from their capital at Vallabhi . They came under

6789-535: The seven days in a week appeared at the start of the Gupta period based on Hindu deities and planets corresponding to the Roman names. Aryabhata made several contributions such as assigning the start of each day to midnight. the earth's rotation on its axis, westward motion of the stars. Aryabhata also mentioned that reflected sunlight is the cause behind the shining of the Moon. In his book, Aryabhata, he suggested that

6882-543: The south-eastern coastal region of India. Ramagupta is known from a sixth-century play, the Devichandragupta , in which he surrenders his queen to the enemy Sakas and his brother Chandragupta has to sneak into the enemy camp to rescue her and kill the Saka king. The historicity of these events is unclear, but Ramagupta's existence is confirmed by three Jain statues found at Durjanpur , with inscriptions referring to him as

6975-422: The tax revenues that came with them. Furthermore, Indian urban culture was left in decline, and Buddhism , gravely weakened by the destruction of monasteries and the killing of monks by the hand of the vehemently anti-Buddhist Shaivist Huna king Mihirakula , started to collapse. Great centres of learning were destroyed, such as the city of Taxila , bringing cultural regression. During their rule of 60 years,

7068-618: The throne. Harshavardhana was Rajyavardhana's younger brother. This period of kings from the same line has been referred to as the Vardhana dynasty in many publications. At the time of Hiuen Tsang 's visit, Kanyakubja was the imperial capital of Harshavardhana, the most powerful sovereign in Northern India. K.P. Jaiswal in Imperial History of India, says that according to a 7-8th century Buddhist text, Mañjuśrī-mūla-kalpa , Harsha

7161-507: The whole country, the people do not kill any living creature, not drink any intoxicating liquor, nor eat onions or garlic." Chandragupta II was succeeded by his second son Kumaragupta I , born of Mahadevi Dhruvasvamini. Kumaragupta I assumed the title, Mahendraditya . He ruled until 455. Towards the end of his reign a tribe in the Narmada valley, the Pushyamitras , rose in power to threaten

7254-512: The world through meditation ( Dhyana ). The Chinese monk Xuanzang also noted that Narasimhagupta Baladitya's son, Vajra, who commissioned a sangharama as well, "possessed a heart firm in faith". A study of the epigraphical records of the Gupta Empire shows that there was a hierarchy of administrative divisions from top to bottom. It was divided into 26 provinces, which were called Bhukti , Desha or Rajya . Provinces were also divided into vishayas or pradeshas (districts) and put under

7347-589: Was emperor of Kannauj from April 606 until his death in 647. He was the son of Prabhakaravardhana , the king of Thanesar who had defeated the Alchon Huns , and the younger brother of Rajyavardhana , son of Prabhakaravardhana and last king of Thanesar . He was one of the greatest kings of the Kingdom of Kannauj , which under him expanded into a vast realm in northern India . At the height of Harsha's power, his realm covered much of northern and northwestern India, with

7440-413: Was born of King Vishnu (Vardhana) and his family was of Vaishya varna . This is supported by some more writers. Harsha's sister Rajyashri had been married to the Maukhari monarch, Grahavarman . This king, some years later, had been defeated and killed by King Devagupta of Malwa and after his death Rajyashri had been captured and imprisoned by the victor. Harsha's brother, Rajyavardhana, then

7533-566: Was brought up under the influence of the Mahayanist philosopher, Vasubandhu . He built a sangharama at Nalanda and also a 300 ft (91 m) high vihara with a Buddha statue within which, according to Xuanzang , resembled the "great Vihara built under the Bodhi tree ". According to the Manjushrimulakalpa ( c.  800 CE ), King Narasimhsagupta became a Buddhist monk, and left

7626-452: Was famous for its liberalism and the students from all over the country, including the Brahmana boys, visited it to have higher education in secular and religious subjects. We are told that the graduates of Valabhi were given higher executive posts. The Charanas of the region connect themselves with the last Maitraka ruler Śilāditya VI. Goddess Khodiyar is considered a contemporary figure of

7719-761: Was made even more illustrious by the fact that it was graced by the Navaratna (Nine Jewels), a group of nine who excelled in the literary arts. Among these men was Kālidāsa , whose works dwarfed the works of many other literary geniuses, not only in his own age but in the years to come. Kalidasa was mainly known for his subtle exploitation of the shringara (romantic) element in his verse. The 4th century Sanskrit poet Kalidasa credits Chandragupta Vikramaditya with conquering about twenty-one kingdoms, both in and outside India. After finishing his campaign in East and West India, Vikramaditya (Chandragupta II) proceeded northwards, subjugated

7812-426: Was mild, and offences were punished by fines only. From his accounts, the Gupta Empire was a prosperous period. His writings form one of the most important sources for the history of this period. Faxian on reaching Mathura comments–– "The snow and heat are finely tempered, and there is neither hoarfrost nor snow. The people are numerous and happy. They have not to register their households. Only those who cultivate

7905-428: Was observed under the Gupta period but caste system was fluid. Brahmins followed non-Brahmanical professions as well. Kshatriyas were involved in trade and commerce. The society largely coexisted among themselves. Gupta administration proved to be highly conducive for the rapid growth of urban centers. The Chinese author Faxian described Magadha as a prosperous country with rich towns and large populations. Ayodhya

7998-496: Was personally a Shaivite Hindu and his patronage of Buddhists misled Xuanzang to portray him as a Buddhist. Harsha is widely believed to be the author of three Sanskrit plays Ratnavali , Nagananda and Priyadarsika . While some believe (e.g., Mammata in Kavyaprakasha ) that it was Dhāvaka, one of Harsha's court poets, who wrote the plays as a paid commission, Wendy Doniger is "persuaded, however, that king Harsha really wrote

8091-499: Was recorded in Chinese records as "Na-fu-ti O-lo-na-shuen" (Dinafudi is probably a reference to Tirabhukti). Xuanzang mentions that Harsha waged wars to bring "the Five Indias under allegiance" in six years. Xuanzang uses the term "Five Indias" (or "Five Indies" in some translations) inconsistently, variously applying it to refer to Harsha's territories in northern India or to the entire subcontinent, grouped around Central India in

8184-464: Was regarded as the second capital. Chandragupta Vikramaditya took personal interest in the development of Ujjain as a major cultural center after its conquest. Indian mathematics flourished during the Gupta Empire. The Indian numerals which were the first positional base 10 numeral systems in the world originated from Gupta India. The Surya Siddhanta contains the Sine table. Aryabhata , wrote

8277-412: Was situated somewhere in the modern Bengal region. Another proposal is that the early Gupta kingdom extended from Prayaga in the west to northern Bengal in the east. The Gupta records do not mention the dynasty's varna (social class). Some historians, such as A.S. Altekar , have theorised that they were of Vaishya origin, as certain ancient Indian texts prescribe the name "Gupta" for the members of

8370-434: Was succeeded by another son of Kharagraha I, Dhruvasena II, Balāditya. He married the daughter of Harṣavardhana . His son Dharasena IV assumed the imperial titles of Paramabhattaraka Mahrajadhiraja Parameshvara Chakravartin . Sanskrit poet Bhatti was his court poet. The next powerful ruler of this dynasty was Śilāditya II. During the reign of Śilāditya V, Arabs probably invaded this kingdom. The last known ruler of this dynasty

8463-502: Was the gotra of her mother Kuberanaga. Gupta ( Gupta script : [REDACTED] [REDACTED] gu-pta , fl. late 3rd century CE) is the earliest known king of the dynasty: different historians variously date the beginning of his reign from mid-to-late 3rd century CE. Gupta founded the Gupta Empire c.  240 -280 CE, and was succeeded by his son, Ghatotkacha , c.  280 -319 CE, followed by Ghatotkacha's son, Chandragupta I , c.  319 -335 CE. "Che-li-ki-to",

8556-526: Was the most powerful emperor of northern India, he did not rule the entire northern India. Like many other ancient Indian rulers, Harsha was eclectic in his religious views and practices. His seals describe his ancestors as worshippers of the Hindu sun god, Surya , his elder brother as a Buddhist , and himself as a Shaivite Hindu . His land grant inscriptions describe him as Parama-maheshvara (supreme devotee of Shiva). His court poet Bana also describes him as

8649-579: Was Śilāditya VI. Maitrakas set up a Vallabhi University which came to be known far and wide for its scholastic pursuits and was compared with the Nalanda University . They came under the rule of Harṣa of Vardhana dynasty in the mid-seventh century, but retained local autonomy, and regained their independence after Harṣa's death. After repeated attacks by Arabs from the sea, the kingdom had weakened considerably. The dynasty ended by 783 CE. Apart from legendary accounts which connect fall of Vallabi with

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