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English · हिन्दी · తెలుగు · தமிழ் · മലയാളം · मराठी · ಕನ್ನಡ

The Gupta empire and the Vakatakas

ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ವಿವರಣೆ

The Guptas and after · Part 1 / 4 · Fact-checked on · how we check

Written with AI from the sources listed at the bottom of this page, then fact-checked by a separate AI.

The sources for the Guptas; Sri Gupta, Chandragupta I and the Gupta era; Samudragupta and the Allahabad prashasti; Chandragupta II, the Western Kshatrapas and the Vakataka marriage; Fa-Hien's account; Kumaragupta I, Skandagupta and the Hunas; the decline of the empire; the Vakatakas of the Deccan and Ajanta.

Each idea is explained first in Kannada (ಕನ್ನಡ), ending with the English and Hindi exam terms, followed by the same point in exam English. UPSC Prelims is in English or Hindi, so understand it in Kannada and revise it in English.

ಮೂರನೇ ಶತಮಾನದ ಹೊತ್ತಿಗೆ ಕುಶಾಣರು, ಶಾತವಾಹನರು ಇಬ್ಬರೂ ದುರ್ಬಲರಾದರು. ನಂತರ ಹಲವು ಸಣ್ಣ ರಾಜ್ಯಗಳು ಬಂದವು. ಅವುಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಮಗಧ-ಪ್ರಯಾಗ ಭಾಗದ ಗುಪ್ತ ಮನೆತನ ಮೌರ್ಯರ ನಂತರ ಉತ್ತರ ಭಾರತದ ಅತಿ ದೊಡ್ಡ ರಾಜ್ಯವನ್ನು ಕಟ್ಟಿತು — 4ನೇ ಶತಮಾನದ ಆರಂಭದಿಂದ 6ನೇ ಶತಮಾನದ ಮಧ್ಯದವರೆಗೆ. ಊರಿನ ಎರಡು ದೊಡ್ಡ ಮನೆತನಗಳು ಕುಗ್ಗಿದಾಗ ಹೊಸ ಮನೆತನ ಮುಂದೆ ಬಂದಂತೆ. ಈ ಭಾಗದಲ್ಲಿ ರಾಜಕೀಯ ಕಥೆ: ಆಧಾರಗಳು, ಸ್ಥಾಪಕರು, ಸಮುದ್ರಗುಪ್ತ, ಎರಡನೇ ಚಂದ್ರಗುಪ್ತ, ಅವನತಿ, ವಾಕಾಟಕರು. (→ English: Gupta empire · Vakatakas · हिन्दी: गुप्त साम्राज्य · वाकाटक)

In exam EnglishBy the third century CE the two great powers of the previous age had faded: the Kushanas had lost their hold on the north and the Satavahana kingdom had broken up in the Deccan. Out of the many small states that followed, a family based in the middle Ganga valley, around Magadha and Prayag, built the largest kingdom north India had seen since the Mauryas. These were the Guptas, who ruled from the early fourth century to the middle of the sixth. This part follows the political story: the sources, the founders, the campaigns of Samudragupta and Chandragupta II, the later rulers and the fall of the empire, and the Vakatakas of the Deccan, the Guptas' closest allies.

ಗುಪ್ತರ ಇತಿಹಾಸವನ್ನು ಶಾಸನಗಳು, ನಾಣ್ಯಗಳು, ಕೆಲವು ಗ್ರಂಥಗಳಿಂದ ಜೋಡಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಎಲ್ಲಕ್ಕಿಂತ ಮುಖ್ಯ ಸಮುದ್ರಗುಪ್ತನ ಪ್ರಶಸ್ತಿ — ಆಸ್ಥಾನ ಕವಿ ಹರಿಷೇಣ ಬರೆದ ಹೊಗಳಿಕೆಯ ಕವಿತೆ, ಅಶೋಕನ ಸ್ತಂಭದ ಮೇಲೆಯೇ ಕೆತ್ತಲಾಗಿದೆ. ಒಂದೇ ಕಲ್ಲಿನ ಕಂಬದ ಮೇಲೆ ಆರು ಶತಮಾನಗಳ ಅಂತರದಲ್ಲಿ ಇಬ್ಬರು ರಾಜರ ಸಂದೇಶ — ಹಳೆಯ ಗೋಡೆಯ ಮೇಲೆ ಹೊಸ ಪೀಳಿಗೆ ಹೆಸರು ಬರೆದಂತೆ. ಜೊತೆಗೆ ಮೆಹ್ರೌಲಿ ಕಬ್ಬಿಣದ ಕಂಬ (ಚಂದ್ರ ರಾಜ), ಭಿತರಿ, ಜುನಾಗಢ ಶಾಸನಗಳು, ಎರಣ್, ಉದಯಗಿರಿ; ಚಿನ್ನದ ನಾಣ್ಯಗಳು; ಪುರಾಣಗಳು; ಫಾಹಿಯಾನ್; ದೇವೀಚಂದ್ರಗುಪ್ತಂ ನಾಟಕ. (→ English: prashasti · Harishena · Allahabad pillar · हिन्दी: प्रशस्ति · हरिषेण · प्रयाग स्तंभ)

In exam EnglishHistorians piece the Guptas together from inscriptions, coins and a handful of texts. The most valuable inscription is the prashasti (eulogy inscription) of Samudragupta, a praise poem written by his court poet and officer Harishena and engraved on an Ashokan pillar that now stands inside the Allahabad fort, so one shaft of stone carries messages from rulers about six centuries apart. Other records include the Mehrauli iron pillar near Delhi, which honours a king called Chandra, Skandagupta's inscriptions on the Bhitari pillar and the Junagadh rock, and short records at Eran and Udayagiri in Madhya Pradesh. Gold coins, the king lists of the Puranas, the travel account of the Chinese monk Fa-Hien and fragments of a play, the Devichandraguptam, fill in the rest.

ಮೊದಲ ಇಬ್ಬರು — ಶ್ರೀಗುಪ್ತ, ಘಟೋತ್ಕಚ — ಕೇವಲ 'ಮಹಾರಾಜ' ಎಂಬ ಸಾಧಾರಣ ಬಿರುದು, ಅಂದರೆ ಸ್ಥಳೀಯ ನಾಯಕರು. ಒಂದನೇ ಚಂದ್ರಗುಪ್ತ 'ಮಹಾರಾಜಾಧಿರಾಜ' ಆದ. ಲಿಚ್ಛವಿ ರಾಜಕುಮಾರಿ ಕುಮಾರದೇವಿಯನ್ನು ಮದುವೆಯಾದ; ರಾಜ-ರಾಣಿ ಜೊತೆಗಿರುವ ಚಿನ್ನದ ನಾಣ್ಯಗಳು ಬಂದವು. ಹೆಸರಾಂತ ಮನೆಯ ಹೆಣ್ಣನ್ನು ತಂದರೆ ಹೊಸ ಕುಟುಂಬಕ್ಕೆ ಊರಲ್ಲಿ ಗೌರವ ಹೆಚ್ಚುವಂತೆ — ಅದಕ್ಕೇ ಸಮುದ್ರಗುಪ್ತ 'ಲಿಚ್ಛವಿಗಳ ಮಗಳ ಮಗ' ಎಂದು ಹೆಮ್ಮೆಪಟ್ಟ. ಗುಪ್ತ ವರ್ಷ ಕ್ರಿ.ಶ. 319–320 ರಿಂದ. ವಿಕ್ರಮ (ಕ್ರಿ.ಪೂ. 57), ಶಕ (ಕ್ರಿ.ಶ. 78) ವರ್ಷಗಳೊಂದಿಗೆ ಗೊಂದಲ ಬೇಡ. (→ English: Gupta era · Chandragupta I · Kumaradevi · हिन्दी: गुप्त संवत · चंद्रगुप्त प्रथम · कुमारदेवी)

In exam EnglishThe early history of the family is thin. The first two names, Sri Gupta and his son Ghatotkacha, carry only the modest title maharaja, which suggests local chiefs rather than great kings. The change came with Chandragupta I, the first of the line to call himself maharajadhiraja, king of great kings. He married Kumaradevi, a princess of the Lichchhavis, an old and respected clan, and a series of gold coins shows the king and queen together, with the clan's name on the other side. Their son Samudragupta proudly described himself as the daughter's son of the Lichchhavis. A new count of years, the Gupta era, begins in 319–320 CE and is usually taken to mark Chandragupta I's accession. It should not be confused with the Vikrama era (57 BCE) or the Shaka era (78 CE).

ಸಮುದ್ರಗುಪ್ತ (ಸುಮಾರು ಕ್ರಿ.ಶ. 335–375) ಎಲ್ಲರನ್ನೂ ಒಂದೇ ರೀತಿ ನೋಡಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಹತ್ತಿರದ ಆರ್ಯಾವರ್ತದ ರಾಜರನ್ನು ಕಿತ್ತೊಗೆದು ಸಾಮ್ರಾಜ್ಯಕ್ಕೆ ಸೇರಿಸಿದ. ದಕ್ಷಿಣಾಪಥದ 12 ರಾಜರನ್ನು (ಕಾಂಚಿಯ ವಿಷ್ಣುಗೋಪ ಸೇರಿ) ಹಿಡಿದು, ತನ್ನ ಮೇಲ್ಮೆ ಒಪ್ಪಿದ ಕೂಡಲೇ ಬಿಟ್ಟು ರಾಜ್ಯ ಹಿಂತಿರುಗಿಸಿದ. ಕಾಡಿನ ನಾಯಕರು ಸೇವಕರಾದರು; ಗಡಿ ರಾಜ್ಯಗಳು, ಗಣರಾಜ್ಯಗಳು ಕಪ್ಪ ಕೊಟ್ಟವು; ದೂರದ ರಾಜರು ಕಾಣಿಕೆ ಕಳಿಸಿದರು. ಮನೆ ಪಕ್ಕದ ಹೊಲವನ್ನು ನಾವೇ ಉಳುತ್ತೇವೆ, ದೂರದ ಹೊಲವನ್ನು ಗೇಣಿಗೆ ಕೊಟ್ಟು ಪಾಲು ಪಡೆಯುತ್ತೇವೆ — ಅಂಥ ಲೆಕ್ಕ. (→ English: Samudragupta · Aryavarta · Dakshinapatha · हिन्दी: समुद्रगुप्त · आर्यावर्त · दक्षिणापथ)

In exam EnglishSamudragupta, who ruled from about 335 to 375 CE, is known mainly through Harishena's prashasti, which sorts the rulers he dealt with into groups and records a different treatment for each. Kings of Aryavarta, the Ganga-Yamuna country, were violently uprooted and their lands added to the empire. Twelve kings of Dakshinapatha, the south, among them Vishnugopa of Kanchi, were captured and then set free and given back their thrones once they accepted his superiority. The chiefs of the forest tracts were made his servants. Frontier kingdoms such as Samatata, Kamarupa and Nepal, and republics such as the Malavas and Yaudheyas, paid tribute, obeyed his orders and came to his court to bow. Distant powers, including the Kushana ruler styled Daivaputra-Shahi-Shahanushahi, the Shakas and the king of Simhala (Sri Lanka), are said to have sent gifts and sought his favour. In short: direct rule near home, and tribute from lands too far to govern from Magadha.
Samudragupta's dealings with other rulers, as recorded in the Allahabad prashasti
GroupRegionTreatmentExamples named
Kings of AryavartaGanga-Yamuna plainsUprooted; lands annexedAchyuta, Nagasena, Ganapati Naga
Kings of Dakshinapatha (12)Eastern Deccan and south-east coastCaptured, released and restoredVishnugopa of Kanchi
Forest chiefsForest belt of central IndiaMade his servantsNot named one by one
Frontier kingdoms and republicsBengal, Assam, Nepal; Punjab and RajasthanPaid tribute, obeyed orders, came to bowSamatata, Kamarupa, Nepal; Malavas, Yaudheyas
Distant rulersNorthwest, west, Sri LankaSent gifts and sought his favourDaivaputra-Shahi-Shahanushahi, Shakas, Simhala

ಸಮುದ್ರಗುಪ್ತ ಯೋಧ ಮಾತ್ರವಲ್ಲ, ಕವಿ, ಸಂಗೀತಗಾರನೂ — 'ಕವಿರಾಜ' ಬಿರುದು. ನಾಣ್ಯಗಳೇ ಸಾಕ್ಷಿ: ಒಂದರಲ್ಲಿ ವೀಣೆ ನುಡಿಸುತ್ತ ಕುಳಿತಿದ್ದಾನೆ; ಇನ್ನೊಂದರಲ್ಲಿ ಯಜ್ಞಸ್ತಂಭದ ಮುಂದೆ ಕುದುರೆ — ಅಶ್ವಮೇಧ ಮಾಡಿದೆನೆಂಬ ಘೋಷಣೆ; ಮತ್ತೊಂದರಲ್ಲಿ ಹುಲಿ ಕೊಲ್ಲುವ ಬೇಟೆಗಾರ. ಇಂದು ಒಬ್ಬರು ಗಿಟಾರ್ ಜೊತೆ, ಇನ್ನೊಬ್ಬರು ಟ್ರೋಫಿ ಜೊತೆ ಫೋಟೋದಲ್ಲಿ ಕಾಣಿಸುವಂತೆ — ನಾಣ್ಯದಲ್ಲೇ ತನ್ನ ಹಿರಿಮೆ ತೋರಿಸಿದ. ಶ್ರೀಲಂಕಾದ ರಾಜ ಮೇಘವರ್ಣ ಬೋಧಗಯಾದಲ್ಲಿ ವಿಹಾರ ಕಟ್ಟಲು ಅನುಮತಿ ಕೇಳಿದ, ಸಿಕ್ಕಿತು. ವಿ.ಎ. ಸ್ಮಿತ್ 'ಭಾರತದ ನೆಪೋಲಿಯನ್' ಎಂದ. (→ English: ashvamedha · kaviraja · Indian Napoleon · हिन्दी: अश्वमेध · कविराज · भारतीय नेपोलियन)

In exam EnglishThe prashasti also presents Samudragupta as a man of culture, a poet and musician who earned the title kaviraja, king of poets. His coins support this picture in their own way. One type shows him seated and playing the veena. Another shows a horse standing before a sacrificial post, with a legend announcing that he had performed the ashvamedha (horse sacrifice), the Vedic horse sacrifice through which a king declared that no rival could stand against him. A tiger-slayer type shows him as a hunter. A Chinese source records that Meghavarna, king of Sri Lanka, sent envoys asking permission to build a monastery at Bodh Gaya for pilgrims from the island, and Samudragupta agreed. In the early twentieth century the historian V. A. Smith called him the Indian Napoleon because of his many campaigns.

ಎರಡನೇ ಚಂದ್ರಗುಪ್ತ (ಸುಮಾರು ಕ್ರಿ.ಶ. 380–415), ಬಿರುದು ವಿಕ್ರಮಾದಿತ್ಯ. 'ದೇವೀಚಂದ್ರಗುಪ್ತಂ' ನಾಟಕದ ಕಥೆ: ಅಣ್ಣ ರಾಮಗುಪ್ತ ತನ್ನ ರಾಣಿಯನ್ನು ಶಕ ರಾಜನಿಗೆ ಒಪ್ಪಿಸಲು ಒಪ್ಪಿದ, ಧೈರ್ಯಶಾಲಿ ತಮ್ಮ ಚಂದ್ರಗುಪ್ತ ಅವನನ್ನು ಪಕ್ಕಕ್ಕೆ ಸರಿಸಿದ; ವಿದಿಶಾ ಬಳಿ ರಾಮಗುಪ್ತನ ತಾಮ್ರದ ನಾಣ್ಯಗಳು ಸಿಕ್ಕಿವೆ. ದೊಡ್ಡ ಗೆಲುವು — ಪಶ್ಚಿಮ ಕ್ಷತ್ರಪರನ್ನು (ಕೊನೆಯವನು ಮೂರನೇ ರುದ್ರಸಿಂಹ) ಸೋಲಿಸಿದ್ದು. ಅಂಗಡಿ ಬಂದರಿನ ಹತ್ತಿರ ಸರಿದರೆ ವ್ಯಾಪಾರ ಹೆಚ್ಚುವಂತೆ — ಗುಜರಾತಿನ ಬಂದರುಗಳು ಕೈಗೆ ಬಂದವು, ಬೆಳ್ಳಿ ನಾಣ್ಯ ಹೊರಡಿಸಿದ. ಉದಯಗಿರಿ ಗುಹೆಗಳು, ಮೆಹ್ರೌಲಿ ಕಂಬ ಇವನಿಗೆ ಸಂಬಂಧಿಸಿದವು. (→ English: Chandragupta II · Vikramaditya · Western Kshatrapas · हिन्दी: चंद्रगुप्त द्वितीय · विक्रमादित्य · पश्चिमी क्षत्रप)

In exam EnglishSamudragupta's successor in the records is Chandragupta II, who ruled from about 380 to 415 CE and took the title Vikramaditya. The play Devichandraguptam tells of an elder brother, Ramagupta, who agreed to surrender his queen to a Shaka king and was then pushed aside by the bolder Chandragupta; copper coins bearing Ramagupta's name from the Vidisha region suggest that such a king did exist. Chandragupta II's greatest success was the conquest of the Western Kshatrapas, the Shaka rulers of Gujarat, Saurashtra and western Malwa, whose line ended with Rudrasimha III. The victory gave the empire the ports of the western coast and their sea trade, and for the newly won lands he issued silver coins modelled on the Kshatrapa ones. Inscriptions of his officers in the Udayagiri caves near Vidisha belong to his campaign in Malwa, and the Mehrauli iron pillar inscription of a king named Chandra is usually linked to him.

ಎರಡನೇ ಚಂದ್ರಗುಪ್ತ ಮದುವೆಯನ್ನೂ ರಾಜಕೀಯ ಸಾಧನವಾಗಿ ಬಳಸಿದ. ತಾನು ನಾಗ ರಾಜಕುಮಾರಿ ಕುಬೇರನಾಗಳನ್ನು ಮದುವೆಯಾದ; ಮಗಳು ಪ್ರಭಾವತೀಗುಪ್ತಳನ್ನು ವಾಕಾಟಕ ರಾಜ ಎರಡನೇ ರುದ್ರಸೇನನಿಗೆ ಕೊಟ್ಟ. ರುದ್ರಸೇನ ಬೇಗ ತೀರಿಕೊಂಡಾಗ, ಚಿಕ್ಕ ಮಕ್ಕಳ ಪರವಾಗಿ ಪ್ರಭಾವತೀಗುಪ್ತ ಹಲವು ವರ್ಷ ರಾಜ್ಯ ನಡೆಸಿದಳು. ಪಕ್ಕದ ಹೊಲದವರ ಜೊತೆ ಬೀಗತನ ಆದರೆ ಬದು ಜಗಳ ಇರಲ್ಲ — ಪಶ್ಚಿಮದಲ್ಲಿ ಶಕರ ಜೊತೆ ಯುದ್ಧ ಮಾಡುವಾಗ ದಕ್ಷಿಣದ ಭಯ ಇರಲಿಲ್ಲ. (→ English: Prabhavatigupta · Vakatakas · regent · हिन्दी: प्रभावतीगुप्ता · वाकाटक · संरक्षिका)

In exam EnglishChandragupta II also used marriage as an instrument of policy. He married Kuberanaga, a princess of the Naga family that was powerful in central India, and gave their daughter Prabhavatigupta in marriage to Rudrasena II, the Vakataka king of the Deccan. When Rudrasena died young, Prabhavatigupta governed the Vakataka kingdom for many years as regent for her minor sons, and her copper plate grants name her father's family with evident pride. A friendly Vakataka state on the southern flank was valuable while Chandragupta II fought the Shakas of the west, because it covered the routes between the Deccan and Gujarat and spared him a second front. For these years historians often describe the Vakataka kingdom as almost a Gupta protectorate.

ಚೀನಾದ ಬೌದ್ಧ ಭಿಕ್ಷು ಫಾಹಿಯಾನ್ ಎರಡನೇ ಚಂದ್ರಗುಪ್ತನ ಕಾಲದಲ್ಲಿ ಬಂದ — ಚೀನಾದಲ್ಲಿ ಇಲ್ಲದ ಭಿಕ್ಷು ನಿಯಮ ಗ್ರಂಥಗಳನ್ನು ಹುಡುಕಿ ಪ್ರತಿ ಮಾಡಲು. ಪಾಟಲಿಪುತ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ ಓದಿ, ತಾಮ್ರಲಿಪ್ತಿಯಿಂದ ಸಮುದ್ರ ಮಾರ್ಗವಾಗಿ ಶ್ರೀಲಂಕಾ ಮೂಲಕ ಹಿಂದಿರುಗಿದ. ಅವನು ಹೇಳುವುದು: ಪಟ್ಟಣಗಳು ಸಮೃದ್ಧ, ಮನೆ ನೋಂದಣಿ ಇಲ್ಲದೆ ಮುಕ್ತವಾಗಿ ಓಡಾಡಬಹುದು, ಶಿಕ್ಷೆ ಹೆಚ್ಚಾಗಿ ದಂಡ, ಚಾಂಡಾಲರು ಊರ ಹೊರಗೆ ಇದ್ದು ಮರದ ತುಂಡು ಬಡಿಯುತ್ತ ಒಳಗೆ ಬರುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು, ಪಾಟಲಿಪುತ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ ಉಚಿತ ಆಸ್ಪತ್ರೆ. ದೇವಾಲಯ ಮಾತ್ರ ನೋಡಿ ಅರಮನೆ ಗಮನಿಸದ ಯಾತ್ರಿಕನಂತೆ — ರಾಜನ ಹೆಸರೇ ಹೇಳಲಿಲ್ಲ. (→ English: Fa-Hien · chandalas · Madhyadesha · हिन्दी: फाह्यान · चांडाल · मध्यदेश)

In exam EnglishThe Chinese Buddhist monk Fa-Hien (Faxian) travelled through India in the early fifth century, during the reign of Chandragupta II, to find and copy texts on monastic discipline that were missing in China. He spent years studying at Pataliputra and went home by sea from Tamralipti in Bengal by way of Sri Lanka. His account of the Madhyadesha, the middle Ganga country, describes thriving towns and says that people could move about freely without registering their households. Most crimes, he reports, were punished with fines, and a hand was cut off only for repeated rebellion. The chandalas lived outside the towns and struck a piece of wood on entering so that others could keep away from them. At Pataliputra, wealthy families ran charitable houses and a free hospital for the poor and the sick. Yet this careful observer never names the king, because his interest lay in religion rather than in politics.

ಒಂದನೇ ಕುಮಾರಗುಪ್ತ (ಸುಮಾರು 415–455) ಶಾಂತವಾಗಿ ದೀರ್ಘಕಾಲ ಆಳಿದ, ಅಶ್ವಮೇಧವನ್ನೂ ಮಾಡಿದ. ಹ್ಯೂಯೆನ್ ತ್ಸಾಂಗ್ ಹೇಳುವ 'ಶಕ್ರಾದಿತ್ಯ' ಇವನೇ ಎಂದು ಭಾವಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ — ನಾಲಂದಾ ವಿಹಾರದ ಸ್ಥಾಪಕ. ಕೊನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಪುಷ್ಯಮಿತ್ರರು ಬೆದರಿಸಿದರು; ಯುವರಾಜ ಸ್ಕಂದಗುಪ್ತ ಕಾಪಾಡಿದ. ರಾಜನಾದ ಮೇಲೆ (ಸುಮಾರು 455–467) ಮಧ್ಯ ಏಷ್ಯಾದ ಹೂಣರನ್ನು ಹಿಮ್ಮೆಟ್ಟಿಸಿದ — ಭಿತರಿ ಕಂಬದಲ್ಲಿ ದಾಖಲು. ಜುನಾಗಢದ ಬಂಡೆಯ ಮೇಲೆ: ಅವನ ಅಧಿಕಾರಿ ಪರ್ಣದತ್ತ ಮತ್ತು ಅವನ ಮಗ ಚಕ್ರಪಾಲಿತ ಒಡೆದ ಸುದರ್ಶನ ಕೆರೆಯ ಏರಿಯನ್ನು ಮತ್ತೆ ಕಟ್ಟಿದರು. ಊರ ಕೆರೆಯ ಏರಿ ಒಡೆದರೆ ಊರವರೆಲ್ಲ ಸೇರಿ ಮತ್ತೆ ಕಟ್ಟುವಂತೆ — ಅದೇ ಬಂಡೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಅಶೋಕ, ರುದ್ರದಾಮನ್, ಸ್ಕಂದಗುಪ್ತ ಮೂವರ ಶಾಸನಗಳು. (→ English: Kumaragupta I · Skandagupta · Hunas · हिन्दी: कुमारगुप्त प्रथम · स्कंदगुप्त · हूण)

In exam EnglishKumaragupta I (about 415–455 CE) held the empire together through a long and largely peaceful reign and he too performed the horse sacrifice. The pilgrim Hiuen Tsang, writing two centuries later, credits a king called Shakraditya with founding the monastery at Nalanda, and Shakraditya is usually identified with Kumaragupta I. Near the end of his reign a people called the Pushyamitras threatened the empire, and the crown prince Skandagupta restored its fortunes. As king (about 455–467 CE), Skandagupta drove back the Hunas, nomads from Central Asia, a success recorded on his Bhitari pillar. His Junagadh inscription adds that his governor of Saurashtra, Parnadatta, and Parnadatta's son Chakrapalita rebuilt the embankment of the Sudarshana lake after it burst. That one rock at Junagadh therefore holds records of Ashoka, Rudradaman and Skandagupta.

ಸ್ಕಂದಗುಪ್ತನ ನಂತರ ಸಾಮ್ರಾಜ್ಯ ನಿಧಾನವಾಗಿ ದುರ್ಬಲವಾಯಿತು. ಹೂಣರು ತೋರಮಾಣನ ನೇತೃತ್ವದಲ್ಲಿ ಮತ್ತೆ ಬಂದರು — ಎರಣ್‌ನಲ್ಲಿ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಕಲ್ಲಿನ ವರಾಹದ ಮೇಲೆ ಅವನ ಶಾಸನ; ನಂತರ ಮಗ ಮಿಹಿರಕುಲ. ಮಂದಸೌರಿನ ಯಶೋಧರ್ಮನ್ ಮತ್ತು ಗುಪ್ತ ರಾಜ ನರಸಿಂಹಗುಪ್ತ ಬಾಲಾದಿತ್ಯ ಮಿಹಿರಕುಲನನ್ನು ಸೋಲಿಸಿದರೆಂದು ಹೇಳಲಾಗಿದೆ. ಆದರೆ ಯುದ್ಧಗಳಿಂದ ಖಜಾನೆ ಖಾಲಿ, ಪಶ್ಚಿಮ ಪ್ರಾಂತಗಳು ಕೈಬಿಟ್ಟವು, ಚಿನ್ನದ ನಾಣ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಚಿನ್ನ ಕಡಿಮೆಯಾಯಿತು. ಮನೆಯ ಯಜಮಾನ ದುರ್ಬಲನಾದಾಗ ಕೆಲಸದವರೇ ಸ್ವಂತ ಅಂಗಡಿ ತೆರೆದಂತೆ — ವಲಭಿಯ ಮೈತ್ರಕರು, ಕನೌಜಿನ ಮೌಖರಿಗಳು ಸ್ವತಂತ್ರರಾದರು. 6ನೇ ಶತಮಾನದ ಮಧ್ಯಕ್ಕೆ ಗುಪ್ತರು ಸಣ್ಣ ಸ್ಥಳೀಯ ಮನೆತನ. (→ English: Toramana · Mihirakula · Yashodharman · हिन्दी: तोरमाण · मिहिरकुल · यशोधर्मन)

In exam EnglishAfter Skandagupta the empire weakened step by step. Later kings such as Budhagupta still ruled a wide area, but the Hunas returned in the late fifth century under Toramana, whose inscription on a great stone boar at Eran shows his hold on Malwa, and then under his son Mihirakula. Yashodharman, a ruler of Mandasor in Malwa, boasts in his pillar inscriptions that Mihirakula paid him homage, and Hiuen Tsang credits the Gupta king Narasimhagupta Baladitya with another victory over him. The Hunas were checked, but the wars drained the treasury, the western provinces slipped away, and later gold coins contain far less gold than the early ones. At the same time governors and feudatories who had been given land and titles turned into kings in their own right, among them the Maitrakas of Valabhi and the Maukharis of Kannauj. By the middle of the sixth century the imperial Guptas had shrunk to a small local dynasty.

ನರ್ಮದೆಯ ದಕ್ಷಿಣಕ್ಕೆ ವಾಕಾಟಕರು 3ನೇ ಶತಮಾನದಿಂದ 5ನೇ ಶತಮಾನದ ಕೊನೆಯವರೆಗೆ ದಖ್ಖನ್ ಆಳಿದರು. ಸ್ಥಾಪಕ ವಿಂಧ್ಯಶಕ್ತಿ, ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣ. ಮಗ ಒಂದನೇ ಪ್ರವರಸೇನ ನಾಲ್ಕು ಅಶ್ವಮೇಧ ಮಾಡಿದ, 'ಸಮ್ರಾಟ್' ಬಿರುದಿನ ಏಕೈಕ ವಾಕಾಟಕ. ನಂತರ ಎರಡು ಶಾಖೆಗಳು — ವಿದರ್ಭದ ಮುಖ್ಯ ಶಾಖೆ, ವತ್ಸಗುಲ್ಮ (ವಾಶಿಂ) ಶಾಖೆ — ಒಂದೇ ಮನೆತನ ಎರಡು ಮನೆಯಾದಂತೆ. ಎರಡನೇ ಪ್ರವರಸೇನ ಮಹಾರಾಷ್ಟ್ರೀ ಪ್ರಾಕೃತದಲ್ಲಿ 'ಸೇತುಬಂಧ' ಕಾವ್ಯ ಬರೆದ. ವತ್ಸಗುಲ್ಮದ ರಾಜ ಹರಿಷೇಣನ ಮಂತ್ರಿ ವರಾಹದೇವನ ಶಾಸನ ಅಜಂತಾ 16ನೇ ಗುಹೆಯಲ್ಲಿದೆ; ನಂತರದ ಅಜಂತಾ ಗುಹೆಗಳು, ಚಿತ್ರಗಳು ಇವನ ಕಾಲದವು. (→ English: Vakatakas · Setubandha · Ajanta · हिन्दी: वाकाटक · सेतुबंध · अजंता)

In exam EnglishSouth of the Narmada, the Vakatakas ruled much of the Deccan from the third century to the late fifth. Their founder was Vindhyashakti, a Brahmana. His son Pravarasena I performed many Vedic sacrifices, among them four horse sacrifices, and he is the only Vakataka ruler given the title samrat, emperor. After him the family split into a main branch ruling Vidarbha, with centres such as Nandivardhana near Nagpur, and a western branch based at Vatsagulma (Washim). In the main line, after Prabhavatigupta's regency, Pravarasena II composed the Setubandha, a long poem in Maharashtri Prakrit about Rama's bridge to Lanka, and founded a new capital called Pravarapura. In the Vatsagulma line, Harishena in the late fifth century was the last powerful king. An inscription of his minister Varahadeva in Ajanta cave 16 records the gift of that cave, and most of the later caves and paintings at Ajanta were made in his reign, which is why Ajanta is linked to the Vakatakas rather than to the Guptas.

ಒಟ್ಟಿನಲ್ಲಿ: ಒಂದನೇ ಚಂದ್ರಗುಪ್ತನ ಮದುವೆ, ಹೊಸ ವರ್ಷ ಗಣನೆ — ಪ್ರತಿಷ್ಠೆ; ಸಮುದ್ರಗುಪ್ತನ ಹತ್ತಿರ ಸೇರಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದು-ದೂರದಿಂದ ಕಪ್ಪ — ವಿಸ್ತಾರ; ಎರಡನೇ ಚಂದ್ರಗುಪ್ತನ ಪಶ್ಚಿಮ ಗೆಲುವು, ವಾಕಾಟಕ ಸ್ನೇಹ — ಕರಾವಳಿ, ಶಾಂತ ದಕ್ಷಿಣ. ಆದರೆ ಮೌರ್ಯರಂತೆ ಬಿಗಿಯಾದ ಆಡಳಿತ ಅಲ್ಲ; ಬಹುಭಾಗ ಅಧೀನ ರಾಜರ ಕೈಯಲ್ಲಿ. ಅಡಿಪಾಯವಿಲ್ಲದ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಮನೆ ಗಾಳಿಗೇ ಅಲುಗಾಡುವಂತೆ — ಹೂಣ ಯುದ್ಧ, ಸಾಮಂತರ ಆಸೆಗಳಿಂದ ಬೇಗ ಕುಸಿಯಿತು. ಮುಖ್ಯ ಶಾಸನಗಳು: ಪ್ರಯಾಗ ಪ್ರಶಸ್ತಿ, ಉದಯಗಿರಿ-ಮೆಹ್ರೌಲಿ, ಭಿತರಿ-ಜುನಾಗಢ, ಎರಣ್ ವರಾಹ. (→ English: Gupta empire · Vakatakas · हिन्दी: गुप्त साम्राज्य · वाकाटक)

In exam EnglishTaken together, the political story shows how the Guptas built their power and how they lost it. Chandragupta I's marriage and new era gave the family status; Samudragupta's mix of annexation near home and tribute further away gave it reach; Chandragupta II's western conquest and the Vakataka alliance gave it the coasts and a quiet southern border. The empire was never run as tightly as the Mauryan one, and much of it was held through subordinate kings, which is why the Huna wars and the ambitions of feudatories broke it apart so quickly. Each phase has a key record: Harishena's prashasti for Samudragupta, Udayagiri and Mehrauli for Chandragupta II, Bhitari and Junagadh for Skandagupta, and the Eran boar for the Huna Toramana. Part 2 turns from kings to the government, society and culture of the Gupta age.

Exam traps

Recap

Practice questions

Q1. Who composed the prashasti of Samudragupta engraved on the Allahabad pillar?

  1. Ravikirti
  2. Harishena
  3. Banabhatta
  4. Vishakhadatta
Show answer

Answer: B. Harishena

Answer (b). Harishena, Samudragupta's court poet and officer, wrote it. Ravikirti composed the Aihole inscription of the Chalukya Pulakeshin II; Banabhatta wrote the Harshacharita about Harsha; Vishakhadatta was a playwright (Devichandraguptam, Mudrarakshasa), not the author of any inscription.

Q2. Consider the following statements:
1. Chandragupta I married Kumaradevi, a Lichchhavi princess.
2. The Gupta era begins in 78 CE.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 only
  3. Both 1 and 2
  4. Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer

Answer: A. 1 only

Answer (a). Statement 1 is correct, and the king-and-queen gold coins commemorate the match. Statement 2 is wrong: 78 CE is the start of the Shaka era; the Gupta era begins in 319–320 CE. So (b) and (c) accept the false statement, and (d) rejects the true one.

Q3. Match List I (rulers in Samudragupta's prashasti) with List II (how he treated them):
List I
A. Kings of Aryavarta
B. Kings of Dakshinapatha
C. Forest chiefs
D. King of Simhala
List II
1. Captured and then released
2. Uprooted and their lands annexed
3. Sent gifts and sought favour
4. Made his servants
Select the correct answer using the code given below:

  1. A-2, B-1, C-4, D-3
  2. A-1, B-2, C-4, D-3
  3. A-2, B-1, C-3, D-4
  4. A-4, B-1, C-2, D-3
Show answer

Answer: A. A-2, B-1, C-4, D-3

Answer (a). Aryavarta kings were uprooted (A-2), the southern kings released (B-1), forest chiefs made servants (C-4) and Simhala sent gifts (D-3). Option (b) swaps the treatment of the northern and southern kings; (c) swaps the forest chiefs and Simhala; (d) wrongly makes the Aryavarta kings servants and the forest chiefs annexed.

Q4. The rule of the Western Kshatrapas in Gujarat and Saurashtra was brought to an end by

  1. Samudragupta
  2. Chandragupta II
  3. Skandagupta
  4. Gautamiputra Satakarni
Show answer

Answer: B. Chandragupta II

Answer (b). Chandragupta II defeated the last Kshatrapa, Rudrasimha III, and then issued silver coins for the region. Samudragupta's prashasti lists the Shakas only among distant rulers who sent homage; Skandagupta later governed Saurashtra but did not conquer it; Gautamiputra Satakarni defeated Nahapana of the Kshaharata line centuries earlier, but the Kshatrapas of Ujjain survived.

Q5. Consider the following statements about Fa-Hien:
1. He visited India during the reign of Chandragupta II.
2. He describes the Gupta king's court in detail and names the king.
3. He reports that the chandalas lived outside the towns.
Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. 1 and 2 only
  2. 1 and 3 only
  3. 2 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show answer

Answer: B. 1 and 3 only

Answer (b). Statements 1 and 3 are correct. Statement 2 is wrong: Fa-Hien was interested in Buddhist texts and monasteries and never names the king. So (a), (c) and (d) all include the false statement 2.

Q6. Which inscription records Skandagupta's victory over the Hunas?

  1. Eran boar inscription
  2. Mehrauli iron pillar inscription
  3. Bhitari pillar inscription
  4. Hathigumpha inscription
Show answer

Answer: C. Bhitari pillar inscription

Answer (c). The Bhitari pillar inscription records Skandagupta's clash with the Hunas. The Eran boar inscription belongs to the Huna ruler Toramana himself; the Mehrauli pillar honours a king called Chandra, usually Chandragupta II; the Hathigumpha inscription is Kharavela's record from Kalinga, centuries earlier.

Q7. Consider the following statements about the Vakatakas:
1. Pravarasena II wrote the Setubandha in Maharashtri Prakrit.
2. Prabhavatigupta, daughter of Chandragupta II, ruled the Vakataka kingdom as regent.
3. An inscription of Varahadeva, minister of the Vakataka king Harishena, is found in Ajanta cave 16.
Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. 1 and 2 only
  2. 2 and 3 only
  3. 1 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show answer

Answer: D. 1, 2 and 3

Answer (d). All three statements are correct. Options (a), (b) and (c) each leave out one true statement: (a) drops the Ajanta inscription, (b) drops the Setubandha and (c) drops Prabhavatigupta's regency.

Q8. Consider the following pairs:
1. Mehrauli iron pillar : a king named Chandra
2. Eran boar inscription : Mihirakula
3. Junagadh inscription of Skandagupta : repair of the Sudarshana lake
How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

  1. Only one
  2. Only two
  3. All three
  4. None
Show answer

Answer: B. Only two

Answer (b). Pairs 1 and 3 are correct. Pair 2 is wrong: the Eran boar inscription belongs to Toramana, Mihirakula's father. So (a) misses one correct pair, (c) accepts the wrong pair and (d) rejects both correct ones.

All partsNext: Part 2 →

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