PROMINENT FIGURES:

List of Kings:
  • Sri Gupta
  • Chandragupta I
  • Samudragupta
  • Chandragupta II
  • Kumaragupta I
  • Skandagupta  

Sri Gupta

      Sri Gupta was the first ruler and the founder of the Gupta Empire. He ruled from 240 AD to 280 AD. According to the Poona Copper inscription of Prabhavati Gupta, it describes Sri Gupta as a Vaishya (a member of the third of the four Hindu castes, comprising the merchants and farmers) ruler. Meaning that he owns many lands such as farms, a trader, and a money lender. He is known for constructing a temple at Mṛgasikhavana so the Buddhist pilgrims coming from China can use it. As a result, he was able to conduct trade with China. 

Chandragupta I

      Chandragupta the first was the third ruler of the Gupta empire. He is the grandson of Sri Gupta. He ruled from 320 AD - 332 AD. During his rule, he extended the boundaries of the empire and gave it immense strength in various ways. He married a princess name Kumaradevi from the Kingdom of Magadha, which was considered to be one of the strongest of the sixteen Mahajanapadas, 'Great Countries' of ancient India. And with a dowry from the marriage, he was able to assimilate kingdoms of Magadha, Prayaga, and Saketa.

Samudragupta

     Samudragupta ruled from 332 AD - 375 AD. He is the son of Chandragupta I. He is primarily known for the expansion of the empire and maintaining peace within. By the end of his reign, he has integrated over 20 kingdoms to the empire by attacking neighboring kingdoms and by reinstating his enemies as tributary kings. During his reign of conquest, Samudragupta also increased the amount of gold and wealth their country received. 

Chandragupta II

     Chandragupta II is the son of Samudragupta. He is known to be the most powerful ruler in the Gupta empire. He ruled from 375 AD to 415 AD. During his reign, he was able to bring the empire to its peak. Making it into a golden age. Chandragupta II also defeated and conquered many kingdoms and tribes. He also helps flourish poetry in the empire through a poet named Kalidasa, one of the greatest poets in India. He also promoted science, art, philosophy, and religion. Even though Chandragupta was a fierce and powerful warrior, he was also very kind and generous to his people. He still continued on issuing gold coin types which were first introduced by his father Samudragupta. He then released new types of designs on the coins and also was the first king in the Gupta dynasty to release silver coins. 

Important Scholars who made it a Golden Age: 

     Aryabhatta (476 AD - 550 AD) - He was a mathematician and an astronomer. He has many contributions to math and astronomy. One of his biggest discoveries was the concept of zero. He also has many other mathematical discoveries such as the long-form number of pi, first to solve a polynomial equation (ax + by = c), and other contributions to trigonometry and algebra. He was the first to explain that the moon and the Earth’s shine is due to the reflection of the sun. He also explained how the Earth was round and it rotates on its own axis around the sun and accurate calculations of the length of the day and the year. He also had many other discoveries as well.

     Kalidasa (380 CE – 415 CE) - He is considered to be one of the greatest Sanskrit poets. He wrote plays, like Shakuntala, which has impressed German author, Johann von Goethe. Kalidasa additionally became famed for his study of the shringara, or romantic, part of literature. One of his renown works was the “Karma Sutra” by Kalidasa along with the philosopher Vatsyayana. It became a standard work on human sexual behavior. 

     Sushruta - He was a physician known for his medical work. He is known for writing the “Samhita” which was a Sanskrit text that had the major concepts of Ayurvedic medicine. The text had all the treatments for diseases and innovative chapters on surgery using herbal treatment. 

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