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ART

SOCIAL
INTEGRAT
SCIENCE
ION
PARTICI
PANTS
S.Raabiya Maahin
U.Usha Sri
Shaik Ayesha
P.Satyajith Reddy
P.Nikhil Reddy
GUPTA
DYNASTY
THE GOLDEN AGE OF
INDIA

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GUPTA EMIPRE
The Gupta Empire was an ancient Indian
empire which existed from the early 4th
century CE to late 6th century CE. At its
zenith, from approximately 319 to 467 CE,
it covered much of the Indian
subcontinent.[3] This period is considered
as the Golden Age of India by historians.
[4][note 1] The ruling dynasty of the
empire was founded by the king Sri Gupta;
the most notable rulers of the dynasty were
Chandragupta I, Samudragupta, and
Chandragupta II, also known as
Vikramaditya.

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CHANDRA GUPTA I

Chandragupta was a son of the Gupta king Ghatotkacha, and a


grandson of the dynasty's founder Gupta, both of whom are called 
Maharaja ("great king") in the Allahabad Pillar inscription.
Chandragupta assumed the title Maharajadhiraja ( "great king of
kings") and issued gold coins, which suggests that he was the first
imperial ruler of the dynasty.
Chandragupta I probably had a long reign, as the Allahabad Pillar
inscription suggests that he appointed his son as his successor,
presumably after reaching an old age. However, the exact period of
his reign is debated.
COINAGE

“ Gold coins bearing portraits of Chandragupta and


Kumaradevi have been discovered at Mathura, Ayodhya, 
Lucknow, Sitapur, Tanda, Ghazipur, and Varanasi in 
Uttar Pradesh; Bayana in Rajasthan; and Hajipur in Bihar.
The obverse of these coins depicts portraits of
Chandragupta and Kumaradevi, with their names in the 
Gupta script. The reverse shows a goddess seated on a
lion.

MARRIAGE TO KUMARIDEVI
Chandragupta married the Lichchhavi princess Kumaradevi. 
Licchavi is the name of an ancient clan that was headquartered
at Vaishali in present-day Bihar during the time of 
Gautama Buddha. A Lichchhavi kingdom existed in the
present-day Nepal in the first millennium CE. However, the
identity of Kumaradevi's Lichchhavi kingdom is not certain. 6
SUCCESS
The Allahabad Pillar inscription and the Eran stone inscription of Samudragupta state that his father
Chandragupta selected him as the next king. The Allahabad Pillar inscription states that Chandragupta
appointed him to "protect the earth", which suggests that Chandragupta renounced the throne in his old
.age, and appointed his son as the next king

DEFEATS
In the west, Chandragupta's kingdom probably did not extend much beyond Prayaga (modern
Prayagraj), as Samudragupta defeated the kings of present-day western Uttar Pradesh.
In the south, Chandragupta's kingdom did not include the Mahakoshal area of Central India,
as Samudragupta defeated the kings of the forest region, which is identified with this area.
In the east, Chandragupta's kingdom did not include southern Bengal, because the Allahabad
Pillar inscription mentions Samatata in that region as a frontier kingdom Moreoverr, the 
Delhi Iron Pillar inscription suggests that Vanga kingdom in that region was conquered by
the later king Chandragupta II.

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SAMUDRAGUPTA
Samudragupta (Gupta script:  Sa-mu-dra-gu-pta, (c. 335–
375 CE) was the second emperor of the Gupta Empire of
ancient India, and is regarded among the greatest rulers of
the dynasty. As a son of the Gupta emperor Chandragupta I
 and the Licchavi princess Kumaradevi, he greatly
expanded his dynasty's political and military power.

Samudragupta was a son of the Gupta emperor Chandragupta I and


Queen Kumaradevi, who came from the Licchavi clan. His
fragmentary Eran stone inscription states that his father selected
him as the successor because of his "devotion, righteous conduct,
and valour". His Allahabad Pillar inscription similarly describes
how Chandragupta I called him a noble person in front of the
courtiers, and appointed him to "protect the earth". These
descriptions suggest that Chandragupta I renounced the throne in
his old age, and appointed his son as the next emperor

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ACHIEVEMENT
⊹ Samudragupta's empire included a core territory, located in northern India, which was directly controlled
by the emperor. Besides, it comprised a number of monarchical and tribal tributary states. Historian 
R. C. Majumdar theorizes that Samudragupta directly controlled an area extending from the Ravi River (
Punjab) in the west to the Brahmaputra River (Bengal and Assam) in the east, and from the 
Himalayan foothills in the north to the Vindhya hills in the south. The south-western boundary of his
territory roughly followed an imaginary line drawn from present-day Karnal to Bhilsa.

COINAG
⊹ The coinage of the Gupta Empire was initially derived from the coinage of the Kushan Empire,
E adopting its weight standard, techniques and designs, following the conquests of Samudragupta in the
northwest of the subcontinent. The Guptas even adopted from the Kushans the name of Dinara for
their coinage, which ultimately came from the Roman name Denarius aureus.

Succession
⊹ The official records of the Gupta dynasty state that Samudragupta was succeeded by 
Chandragupta II, who was his son from Dattadevi. Based on a reconstruction of the partially-lost
Sanskrit play Devichandraguptam, a section of modern historians believe that Samudragupta
was initially succeeded by Ramagupta (presumably the eldest son), who was then dethroned by
Chandragupta II.
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Chandra gupta ii
Chandragupta II, also known by his title Vikramaditya, as
well as Chandragupta Vikramaditya, was the third ruler of
the Gupta Empire in India, and was one of the most powerful
emperors of the Gupta dynasty.
Chandragupta continued the expansionist policy of his father 
Samudragupta, mainly through military conquest. Historical
evidence suggests that he defeated the Western Kshatrapas, and
extended the Gupta Empire from the Indus River in the west to
the Bengal region in the east, and from the Himalayan foothills
in the north to the Narmada River in the south. His daughter 
Prabhavatigupta was a queen of the southern Vakataka
 kingdom, and he may have had influence in the Vakataka
territory during her regency.

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ACHIEVEMEN
TS
The Udayagiri inscription of Chandragupta's foreign minister Virasena suggests
that the king had a distinguished military career. It states that he "bought the
earth", paying for it with his prowess, and reduced the other kings to the status of
slaves. His empire seems to have extended from the mouth of the Indus and
northern Pakistan in the west to the Bengal region in the east, and from the
Himalayan terai region in the north to the Narmada River in the south.

COINAG
Chandragupta continued issuing most of the gold coin types introduced by his
Efather Samudragupta, such as the Sceptre type (rare for Chandragupta II), the
Archer type, and the Tiger-Slayer type. However, Chandragupta II also
introduced several new types, such as the Horseman type and the Lion-slayer
type, both of which were used by his son Kumaragupta I.

MARRIAG
EVikramaditya is a legendary emperor of ancient India, who is characterised as the
ideal king, known for his generosity, courage, and patronage to scholars. A number
of historians believe that at least some of the Vikramaditya legends are based on
Chandragupta II. These historians include D. R. Bhandarkar, V. V. Mirashi and 
D. C. Sircar among others 11
KumaraGUPTA
Kumaragupta was a son of the Gupta emperor Chandragupta II
 and queen Dhruvadevi. Chandragupta's last inscription is
dated c. 412 CE, while Kumaragupta's earliest inscription is
dated c. 415 CE (year 96 of the Gupta era). Therefore,
Kumaragupta must have ascended the throne in or shortly
before 415 CE.
Kumaragupta bore the titles Maharajadhiraja, Parama-
bhattaraka, and Paramadvaita. He also adopted the title
Mahendraditya, and his coins call him by several variants of
this name, including Shri-Mahendra, Mahendra-simha, and
Ashvamedha-Mahendra. Shakraditya, the name of a king
mentioned in Buddhist texts, may also have been a title of
Kumaragupta.

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Administration
Epigraphic evidence suggests that Kumaragupta ruled his empire
through governors (Uparikas), who bore the title Maharaja ("great
king"), and administered various provinces (Bhuktis). The districts (
vishayas) of the provinces were administered by district magistrates
(Vishyapatis), who were supported by an advisory council
comprising:
• the town president or mayor (Nagara-Shreshtin)
• the representative of the merchant guild (Sarthavaha)
• the chief of the artisan guild (Prathama-Kulika)
• the chief of the guild of writers or scribes (Prathama-Kayastha).

Personal life
Kumaragupta had two sons: Skandagupta and Purugupta. The inscriptions of
Skandagupta, who became the next king, in a departure from the tradition.
Purugupta was the son of Mahadevi (queen) Anantadevi. Historian R. N. Dandekar
 theorizes that Anantadevi was a Kadamba princess, as the 
Talagunda pillar inscription suggests that the Kadamba king Kakusthavarman
established a matrimonial alliance with the Guptas.
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Reign
Kumaragupta had inherited a large empire built upon the conquests of his father Chandragupta II and his
grandfather Samudragupta. No the concrete information is available about his military achievements.
The inscriptions issued during his reign have been discovered in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, 
West Bengal, and Bangladesh; an inscription of his son has been discovered from Gujarat. In addition,
his garuda-inscribed coins have been discovered in western India, and his peacock-inscribed coins have
been discovered in the Ganges valley. This suggests that he was able to maintain control over the vast
territory that he inherited. Thus, even if his reign was militarily uneventful, he must have been a strong
ruler for being able to maintain a stable government in a large empire, as indicated by epigraphic and
numismatic evidence.

Defeat
Kumaragupta's coins have been found in present-day Maharashtra, which was located to the south-
west of the core Gupta territory. These include 13 coins from Achalpur, and a hoard of 1395 silver
coins from Samand in Satara district. His coins discovered from south Gujarat resemble the coins
issued by the Traikutaka dynasty, which ruled this region. This has led to suggestions that
Kumaragupta defeated the Traikutakas.[

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⊹ The Gupta Empire was an ancient Indian empire
which existed from the early 4th century CE to late
6th century CE. At its zenith, from approximately
319 to 467 CE, it covered much of the 
Indian subcontinent. This period is considered as
the Golden Age of India by historian Thehe ruling
dynasty of the empire was founded by the king Sri 
Gupta; the most notable rulers of the dynasty were 
Chandragupta I, Samudragupta, Chandragupta II
 and Skandagupta. The 5th-century CE Sanskrit
 poet Kalidasa credits the Guptas with having
conquered about twenty-one kingdoms, both in and
outside India, including the kingdoms of Parasikas,
the Hunas, the Kambojas, tribes located in the west
and east Oxus valleys, the Kinnaras, Kiratas, and
others.
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THANK YOU

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