Important Facts About Smudragupta

Samudragupta was also known as indian Nepolean who never lost any battle was the king of Gupta Dynasty in North India. Who conqured most of India and nepal and Afganistan and established himself the most notable figure of his time. The time of Samdudra gupta is considered the beginning of Golden age.There were issued 8 types of coin made of pure gold in his reign.

Samudragupta was the son of Chandragupta I and was the most notable king in Gupta dynasty. He was the great patron of art and was known as Kaviraj.

Samudragupta did rule for forty long year and he was celebrated the most liberal king and economy and arts did prosper in his reign.

The main source of Samudragupta's history comes from an inscription engraved on the Allahabad pillar. In this inscription his detailed conquests are mentioned. Written on this inscription is, "whose most charming body was covered over with all the beauty of the marks of a hundred confuse wounds caused by the blows of battle axes, arrows, spears, pikes, swords, lances, javelines".

This inscription is also important because of the political geography of India that it indicates by naming the different kings and peoples who populated India in the first half of the fourth century AD. The inscription to Samudragupta's martial exploits states that its author is Harisena, who was an important poet of Samudragupta's court.

Eran Stone Inscription of Samudragupta

Main article: Eran § Inscription of Samudragupta

Eran Inscription of Samudragupta presently stored in Kolkata National Museum.

(Lines 1 to 6, containing the whole of the first verse and the first half of the second, are entirely broken away and lost.)

(Line 7.)— ....................................in giving gold ...................................... [by whom]

Prithu and Râghava and other kings [were outshone.]

(L. 9.)— . . . . . . . . . there was Samudragupta, equal to (the gods) Dhanada and Antaka

in (respectively) pleasure and anger; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by policy; (and) [by whom] the

whole tribe of kings upon the earth was [overthrown] and reduced to the loss of the

wealth of their sovereignty;—

(L. 13.)— [Who], by . . . . . . . . . satisfied by devotion and policy and valour,—by the

glories, consisting of the consecration by besprinkling, &c., that belong to the title of

'king,'— (and) by . . . . . . . . . . . combined with supreme satisfaction, — .................. (was)

a king whose vigour could not be resisted;—

(L. 17.)— [By whom] there was married a virtuous and faithful wife, whose dower was

provided by (his) manliness and prowess; who was possessed of an abundance of

[elephants] and horses and money and grain; who delighted in the houses of .............;

(and) who went about in the company of many sons and sons' sons;—

(L. 21.)— Whose deeds in battle (are) kindled with prowess; (whose) . . . . . . very mighty

fame is always circling round about; and whose enemies are terrified, when they think,

even in the intervals of dreaming, of (his). . . . . . . that are vigorous in war; —

(L. 25.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . in a place in Airikina, the city of his own enjoyment. . .

. . . . . . . . . . has been set up, for the sake of augmenting his own fame.

(L. 27.) — . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . when the king said . . . . . . .

Source of Article is wikipedia

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 empires 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, Visakhapatnam, Godavari, Krishna and Nellore districts and may have reached as far as Kancheepuram.

In south he did not take the direct control of the kingdoms but he reinstated defeated kings and made them his tributary an act which is a testament to his abilities as a statesman.In north India he annexed the defeated kingdoms directly into in his kingdom.

The conquests made him the lord-paramount of India. Samudragupta is reputed to have never been defeated in any battle. His Eran inscription also emphasizes on his being 'invincible' in battle.

Samudragupta ruled for 40 years and was succeeded by one of his sons who was selected as the most worthy of the crown. First he crowned his elder son but then he was killed by his brother Chandragupta and a new ruler came into power. This ruler is known as Chandragupta II who had the title of Vikramaditya.