This article needs attention from an expert in India. The specific problem is: The only other page this creator has created was recently deleted Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion/Extermination_of_Nagadhatta, and I'd like someone who more experience in this area to evaluate the sourcing.WikiProject India may be able to help recruit an expert.(March 2024)
The Gupta conquests of Bengal began with Samudragupta's initial conquest of Bengal, defeating its kings and gaining a large part of that region. Other kings then surrendered to King Samudragupta. Chandragupta II later defeated the rebel confederacy of Bengal and re-conquered the area, adding it to the Gupta Empire.
Coin of Samudragupta, with Garuda pillar, emblem of Gupta Empire. The name Sa-mu-dra in an early version of the Gupta Brahmi script, appears vertically under the left arm of the king.
"(L. 21.)- (Samudragupta,) who abounded in majesty that had been increased by violently exterminating Rudradeva, Matila, Nāgadatta, Chandravarman, Ganapatināga, Nāgasena, Achyutanandin, Balavarman, and many other kings of (the land of) Āryāvarta; -who made all the kings of the "forest countries" to become (his) servants."
While the contemporary rulers such as the Chinese, Kushans, and Iranians were trying to control certain trade routes, undoubtedly Samudragupta had economic interests for his Empire when he violently killed Nagadhatta (according to Sircar he was probably the ruler of Pundravardhana region of North Bengal).[7]
The Kings of Samatata, Davaka and Kamarupa paid tribute and homage to the King Samudragupta[13][14] Samatata, Davaka and Kamarupa became frontier states of Samudragupta's Empire. It is an indubitable fact that Samudragupta succeeded in bringing the greater part of Bengal in his control, for, we know Samataṭa (S.E. Bengal), Ḍavāka (in now in the Nowgong district of Assam) and Kāmarūpa (Upper Assam) were the frontier states of his empire.[7][4]
Chandragupta II's conquest of Bengal
An 8 gram gold coin featuring Chandragupta II astride a caparisoned horse with a bow in his left hand. The name Cha-gu-pta appears in the upper left quadrant.
The Guptas are known to have ruled Bengal in the early 6th century, although there are no surviving records of the Gupta presence in this region for the intervening period.[16]
Chandragupta II may have re-established Gupta rule in Bengal (Vanga) after the discomforts of the confederacy of the local rulers of Bengal[17] or he may have conquered Bengal.[18] It is also possible that a large part of the Bengal region was annexed to the Gupta Empire by Chandragupta II, and that this control continued into the 6th century.[19] According to the Meharauli inscription, he was victorious against the Vanga country (which included territories of modern-day West Bengal and Bangladesh).[18]
The Iron Pillar of Delhi inscription suggests that an alliance of semi-independent chiefs of Bengal unsuccessfully resisted Chandragupta II who attempts to extend the Gupta Empire's influence in this region.[20][21] He successfully quelled the revolt of the allied chiefs of Bengal and brought them under his sway.[22][23]
The Gupta Empire was an ancient Indian empire on the Indian subcontinent which existed from the early 4th century CE to early 6th century CE. At its zenith, from approximately 319 to 467 CE, it covered much of 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.
Chandragupta II, also known by his title Vikramaditya, as well as Chandragupta Vikramaditya, was the third ruler of the Gupta Empire in India. Modern scholars generally identify him with King Chandra of the Delhi iron pillar inscription.
Chandragupta I was a king of the Gupta Empire, who ruled in northern and central India. His title Mahārājadhirāja suggests that he was the first emperor of the dynasty. It is not certain how he turned his small ancestral kingdom into an empire, although a widely accepted theory among modern historians is that his marriage to the Licchavi princess Kumaradevi helped him extend his political power. Their son Samudragupta further expanded the Gupta empire.
Samudragupta (Gupta script: Sa-mu-dra-gu-pta, was the second emperor of the Gupta Empire of ancient India, and is regarded among the greatest rulers of India. As a son of the Gupta emperor Chandragupta I and the Licchavi princess Kumaradevi, he greatly expanded his dynasty's political and military power.
Kumaragupta I was an emperor of the Gupta Empire of Ancient India. A son of the Gupta emperor Chandragupta II and Queen Dhruvadevi. He seems to have maintained control of his inherited territory, which extended from Gujarat in the west to Bengal region in the east.
Gupta was the founder of the Gupta dynasty of northern India. He is identified with king Che-li-ki-to, who, according to the 7th-century Chinese Buddhist monk Yijing, built a temple near Mi-li-kia-si-kia-po-no (Mṛgaśikhāvana) for Chinese pilgrims.
The Licchavis of Nepal was a kingdom which existed in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal from approximately 450 CE to 750 CE. The Licchavi clan originated from the Licchavis of Vaishali in modern-day Bihar, and conquered the Kathmandu Valley. The Licchavis were ruled by a maharaja, aided by a prime minister and other royal officials, but in practice local communities were controlled by caste councils.
Chandravarman was a king of the Pushkarana kingdom in the Bankura district of West Bengal. The kingdom was established shortly before the advent of the Gupta Empire, and was located to the west of the Samatata kingdom of eastern Bengal.
Kamarupa, an early state during the Classical period on the Indian subcontinent, was the first historical kingdom of Assam. The Kamrupa word first appeared in the Samudragupta Allahabad Edict before that there is no mention of existence of this word.
The Varman dynasty (350–650) was the first historical dynasty of the Kamarupa kingdom. It was established by Pushyavarman, a contemporary of Samudragupta. The earlier Varmans were subordinates of the Gupta Empire, but as the power of the Guptas waned, Mahendravarman (470–494) performed two horse sacrifices and the status of Kamarupa as an independent state remained unimpaired. As per the Apsad Inscription of Adityasen, Susthivarman was defeated by Mahasengupta on the bank of Lauhitya. The first of the three Kamarupa dynasties, the Varmans were followed by the Mlechchha and then the Pala dynasties.
Yaudheya (Brahmi script: 𑀬𑁅𑀥𑁂𑀬) or Yoddheya Gana (Yoddheya Republic) was an ancient militant gana (confederation) based in the Eastern region of the Sapta Sindhu. The word Yaudheya is a derivative of the word from yodha meaning warriors and according to Pāṇini, the suffix '-ya', was significant of warrior tribes, which is supported by their resistance to invading empires such as the Kushan Empire and the Indo-Scythians. Rudradaman I of the Western Satraps notes in his Junagadh rock inscription that the Yaudheyas were 'heroes among all Kshatriya' and 'were loath to surrender'. They were noted as having a republic form of government, unique from other Janapadas which instead maintained monarchies.
Ghatotkacha was a pre-imperial Gupta king of northern India. He was a son of the dynasty's founder Gupta, and the father of the dynasty's first emperor Chandragupta I.
Samataṭa was an ancient geopolitical division of Bengal in the eastern Indian subcontinent. The Greco-Roman account of Sounagoura is linked to the kingdom of Samatata. Its territory corresponded to much of present-day eastern Bangladesh and parts of the Rakhine State of Myanmar. The area covers the trans-Meghna part of the Bengal delta. It was a center of Buddhist civilisation before the resurgence of Hinduism and Muslim conquest in the region.
There are conflicting theories regarding the original homeland and ancestry of the Gupta dynasty that ruled northern India between 4th and 6th centuries. Modern historians variously theorize that it originated in present-day Uttar Pradesh or Bengal, based on epigraphic, numismatic and literary evidence. The social group (varna) of the dynasty is also a matter of debate, with scholars variously placing them in kshatriya Vaishya, Brahmana, or other categories.
The Allahabad pillar is a stambha, containing one of the pillar edicts of Ashoka, erected by Ashoka, emperor of the Maurya dynasty, who reigned in the 3rd century BCE,. While it is one of the few extant pillars that carry Ashokan edicts, it is particularly notable for containing later inscriptions attributed to the Gupta emperor Samudragupta. Also engraved on the stone are inscriptions by the Mughal emperor Jahangir, from the 17th century.
Davaka was a kingdom of ancient Indian subcontinent, located in current central region of Assam state. The references to it comes from the 4th century Allahabad pillar inscription of Samudragupta, where it is mentioned as one of five frontier kingdoms of the Gupta Empire.
Mitra dynasty of Kosambi was centered on the city of Kosambi at the Vatsa region. Its capital Kosambi was among the most important trade centers in the ancient India. The dynasty also likely controlled territory in nearby regions such as Magadha.
The Abhira dynasty was a dynasty that ruled over the western Deccan, where it perhaps succeeded the Satavahana dynasty. From 203 CE to roughly 270 or 370, this dynasty formed a vast kingdom. The Abhiras had an extensive empire comprising Maharashtra, Konkan, Gujarat and part of south Madhya Pradesh.
The Gauda–Gupta War was a conflict between Gopachandra on one side with Ishanavarman and Jivitagupta I on the other side. The war resulted in the defeat of the Gauda Kingdom.
The emergence of the Great Kushans in Bactria and Northwestern India during the first century CE reshaped the geopolitical landscape of the region, impacting trade routes, international politics, and regional power dynamics. Economically, the Kushans served as intermediaries in trade, controlling crucial sections of the Silk Road and redirecting trade between China, India, and the eastern countries away from Parthian territory. This posed a significant economic challenge to the Parthians and positioned the Kushans as major players in international trade. Politically, the rise of the Kushans had profound implications for Iran, as it found itself sandwiched between the Roman Empire and the Kushans. The Romans recognized the strategic importance of the Kushan Empire and sought direct relations with its rulers to safeguard trade routes between Rome, China, and India. This geopolitical scenario led the early Sasanians to prioritize the conquest of the Kushan empire in their Eastern policy, eventually achieving remarkable success under Emperor Ardashir I. Following the decline of the Great Kushans, remnants known as the "Little Kushans" persisted in the Punjab region, eventually being subjugated by the Gupta Empire under Samudragupta. His inscription on the Allahabad pillar illustrates Gupta dominance over the last Kushan rulers, who were forced to accept Gupta suzerainty. Samudragupta's strategic alliances and military campaigns against the Sassanians and other regional powers solidified Gupta control over large parts of the Indian subcontinent. However, the Gupta Empire faced various challenges, including incursions by the Hunas, who posed a considerable threat to neighboring civilizations. Skandagupta's leadership and military strategy were crucial in resisting Huna advances, although the extent of damage caused by their invasions remains debated among scholars. Despite facing external pressures, internal succession issues within the Gupta dynasty, such as the question of rightful heirs, also contributed to the complexities of governance during that time.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
