SAMDRAGUPTA ‘S LIFE

Reign c. 335–c. 375 CE

Predecessor Chandragupta I

Successor Ramagupta

Spouse Dattadevi

Issue Ramagupta

House Gupta dynasty

Father Chandragupta I

Mother Kumaradevi

Religion Hinduism

SAMUDRAGUPTA

SAMUDRAGUPTA

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Samudragupta, ruler of the Gupta Empire (c. 335 – c. 375 CE), and successor to Chandragupta I, is considered to be one of the greatest military geniuses in Indian history. He was the third ruler of the Gupta Dynasty, who ushered in the Golden Age of India. He was perhaps the greatest king of Gupta dynasty.

The beginning of Samudragupta's reign was marked by the defeat of his immediate neighbours, Achyuta, ruler of Ahichchhatra, and Nagasena. Following this Samudragupta began a campaign against the kingdoms to the south. This southern campaign took him south along the bay of Bengal. He passed through the forest tracts of Madhya Pradesh, crossed the Odisha coast, marched through Ganjam, Vishakapatnam, Godavari, Krishna and Nellore districts and may have reached as far as Kancheepuram. Here however he did not attempt to maintain direct control. After capturing his enemies he reinstated them as tributary kings

SAMUDRAGUPTA CONQUESTS

Chandragupta I, a Magadha king, and was the first ruler of Gupta Dynasty married a Lichhavi princess, Kumardevi which enabled him to gain a hold over the Ganges river-basin, the main source of North Indian commerce. He ruled for about ten years in the north-central India with son as an apprentice in the capital of Pataliputra, near the modern day Patna in Bihar state of India.After his death his son, Samudragupta started to rule the kingdom and did not rest until he conquered almost the whole of India. His reigning period may be described as a vast military campaign. To begin with he attacked the neighboring kingdoms of Ahichchhatra (Rohilkhand) and Padmavati (in Central India). He conquered the whole of Bengal, some Kingdoms in Nepal and he made Assam pay him tribute. He absorbed some tribal states like the Malvas, the Yaudheyas, the Arjunayanas, the Abhiras and the Maduras. The rulers of Afghanistan, Central Asia and Eastern Iran; Kushanas and the Sakas were made his tributaries.[1]

EARLY LIFE

Samudragupta ruled for 51 years and was succeeded by one of his sons who was selected as the most worthy of the crown. This ruler is known as Chandragupta II who had the title of Vikramaditya.

SUCCESSION

PICTURES

HARISHENA

Harishena, , was a 4th-century Sanskrit poet, panegyrist, and government minister He was an important figure in the court of Gupta Emperor Samudragupta His most famous poem, written c. 345 AD, describes the bravery of Samudragupta and is inscribed on the Allahabad Pillar. At least one of his known inscriptions was written as a panegyric. Harisena was an early writer of Kāvya poetry; Arthur Berriedale Keith says of it, "Harisena's poem bears expressly the title Kavya, though it consists both of prose and verse. Its structure is similar to the delineation of kings adopted in the prose romances of Subandhu and Bana".[4] Other works attributed to either this author include Apabramsa Dharmapariksa, Karpuraprakara (Suktavall), the medical treatise Jagatsundari-Yogamaladhikara, Yasodharacanta, Astahnikakatha and Brhatkathakosa.

HARISHENA

ALLAHABAD PRASHASTI The Allahabad Pillar inscription or Allahabad Prasasti is one of the most important epigraphic evidences of the Imperial Guptas. Composed by Harishena, Allahabad Pillar inscription delineates the reign of the Guptas in ancient India. Achievements of different rulers of the Gupta lineage are also mentioned in the Allahabad Pillar Inscription. Harishena, who composed the Allahabad Prasasti, was the court poet and minister of Samudragupta. Parts of Allahabad Prasasti were composed in verse and other parts, in prose. The verse portion contained eight stanzas, which is followed by the prose portion. The Allahabad Prasasti composed during Samudragupta's reign, delineates a vivid description of the reign and conquest of Samudragupta.

HARSHAVARDHANA

Harshavardhana, commonly called Harsha, was an Indian emperor who ruled northern India from 606 to 647 from his capital Kanauj. He belonged to Pushyabhuti Dynasty.The Banskhera, Nalanda and Sonepat inscriptions of Harsha describe him as a worshipper of Siva. The Nausasi Copper plates give us information about Harsha’s successful expedi tion against Valabhi.

HARSHAVARDHANA

Harsha died in the year 647. He ruled for 41 years. After Harsha's death, his empire died with him. The kingdom disintegrated rapidly into small states. The succeeding period is very obscure and badly documented, but it marks the culmination of a process that had begun with the invasion of the Huns in the last years of the Gupta Empire.In 648, Tang Taizong sent wang xuance to India in response to Harshavardhana sending an ambassador to China. However once in India he discovered Harshavardhana had died and the new king attacked Wang and his 30 mounted subordinatesThis led to Wang Xuance escaping to Tibet and then mounting a joint of over 7,000 Nepalese mounted infantry and 1,200 Tibetan infantry and attack on the Indian state on June 16. The success of this attack won Xuance the prestigious title of the "Grand Master for the Closing CourtHe also secured a reported Buddhist relic for ChinaNeither Bana's nor Xuanzang's account gives any details of this period. Harsha had two sons named Vagyavardhana and Kalyanvardhana. They were killed by Arunashwa, a chief minister in Harsha's court. Harshavardhan's wife Durgavati was taken prisoner

PALLAVAS AND CHALUKYAS

BADAMI EMPIRE MAP

Location of chalukyas dynasty

The Pallavas dynasty existed between the 3rd and 9th centuries CE, ruling a portion of what is today southern India. They gained prominence after the eclipse of the Satavahana dynasty, whom the Pallavas served as feudatories. A number of legends are associated with their origin.Pallavas were considered to be migrated from their home town Palnadu (Andhra Pradesh) to Kanchipuram.

Pallava territories during Narasimhavarman I c. 645 CE. This includes the Chalukya territories occupied by the Pallavas

PALLAVAS DYNASTY

Pulikeshi 2(Immadi Pulikeshi, 610–642 CE) is the most famous ruler of the Chalukya dynasty. In his reign the Chalukyas of Badami saw their kingdom extend over most of the Deccan.

PULIKESHI 2

Xuanzang was a Chinese traveler who visited India in the 7th century. Xuanzang praised the Chalukya king Pulakesi II as a "man of farsighted resource and astuteness who extends kindness to all". His subjects obey him with perfect submission. The people of the Chalukya kingdom left a strong impression on him. He stated:The people preferred death to disloyalty"They were tall and sturdy in stature and proud and carefree by nature, grateful for kindness and revengeful for injustice." If they or their family were insulted they would call for a duel."Xuanzang vividly described the Chalukya army of Pulakesi II, which had hundreds of well-trained and armed warriors as well as numerous elephants which were given alcohol before letting loose on the battlefieldAlthough Pulakesi II was a Hindu ruler Xuanzang mentioned that there were one hundred Buddhist monasteries in his kingdom

XUANZANG DESCRIPTION

NOW QUESTIONS FOR YOU

Q.) Who was the famous ruler of the Gupta dynasty?

Q.) What was the dynasty to which Pulakeshin II belonged?

Q.) Who is the father of samudragupta?Q.) Kumaradevi belong to which group?

Q.) Who is harishena?Q.) What is mean by samudra ?

Q.) Which is the capital of chalukyas???

1) Samudragupta

2) Chalukyas dynasty

3) Chandragupta

4) Kumaradevi belongs to lichchhavi group

5) Harishena is a court poet to samudragupta

6) Samudra means big ocean

7) Aihole is a capital of chalukyas

answers

Thanks to my dear shanthi mam

BY: V.SRUTHI