Rise of the Gupta Empire – Chandragupta I and Samudragupta

At a Glance

• Home area UP and Bihar; centre Prayag
• Chandragupta I AD 319 to 334; Gupta era
• Samudragupta AD 335 to 380
• Source Allahabad pillar inscription
• Unity North India united AD 335 to 455
• Exam link UPSC Prelims, Ancient History: Gupta Age and Post-Gupta Kingdoms

Where Does It Fit?

This is the first topic of the category on the Gupta age and post-Gupta kingdoms. The previous category ended with money and coinage, and this one opens with the rise of the Guptas. The next topic covers Chandragupta II and the fall of the empire. Previous topic: Indo-Greeks Gold Kushan dinars Deccan Satavahana lead and potin…">Money Economy and Coinage in Early India.

Where Did the Guptas Come From?

In short: the Guptas rose in UP and Bihar after the Kushan and Satavahana powers ended in the mid-third century.

After the break-up of the Mauryan empire, the Satavahanas and Kushans emerged as the two large powers, the first giving political unity and prosperity to the Deccan and south through trade with Rome and the second doing the same in the north. Both ended in the mid-third century. On the ruins of the Kushan empire arose the empire of the Guptas, who may have been of vaishya origin; the Dharmashastras recommend the title gupta for the vaishya. The Gupta empire was smaller than the Mauryan, but it kept north India politically united for over a century, from AD 335 to 455. The original kingdom comprised UP and Bihar at the end of the third century. UP seems to have been more important, because early Gupta coins and inscriptions are mostly found there, and the centre of power was probably Prayag. The Guptas were possibly feudatories of the Kushans in UP and followed them without a long gap, and probably learnt the saddle, reins, buttoned coats, trousers and boots from them, so horsemen play the central role on their coins. The Kushan power in north India ended about AD 230; the Murundas ruled central India till AD 250; and about AD 275 the Gupta dynasty came to power. The Kushan background is in Kushanas and Kanishka.

What Did Chandragupta I Achieve?

The first important Gupta king was Chandragupta I (AD 319 to 334). He married a Lichchhavi princess, in all probability from Nepal, which strengthened his position. Because the Guptas were probably vaishyas, marriage into a kshatriya family lent them prestige. He seems to have been a ruler of considerable importance, since he began the Gupta era in AD 319-20, which marks the date of his accession, and many later inscriptions were dated in it. The Gupta rule extended over Anuganga along the Ganges, Prayag, Saketa and Magadha. The Gupta era later became the standard dating system for the dynasty’s records.

What Were Samudragupta’s Conquests?

The Gupta kingdom was enlarged enormously by Samudragupta (AD 335 to 380). He was the opposite of Ashoka: Ashoka believed in peace, but Samudragupta delighted in conquest. His court poet Harishena wrote a glowing account of his exploits, which the long inscription engraved on the Allahabad pillar enumerates, the same pillar that carries Ashoka’s inscriptions. The places and countries conquered fall into five groups.

According to a Chinese source, Meghavarman, the ruler of Sri Lanka, sent a missionary to Samudragupta for permission to build a Buddhist temple at Gaya, which was granted and grew into a huge monastery. If the eulogy is believed, Samudragupta never knew defeat, and he is called the Napoleon of India. He forcibly unified the greater part of India, and his power was felt over a larger area than his predecessors’. As an analytical point, a court poet’s praise needs caution, so historians read the inscription together with coins and later records. His son’s reign is in Chandragupta II and the Fall of the Gupta Empire, and the machinery of rule in Gupta Administration. The earlier Mauryan contrast is in Ashoka’s Dhamma and Internal Policy.

Why Is This Topic Important?

• Standard topic Conquests and sources
• Inscription skills Allahabad prashasti
• Era Gupta era start

What Came Next?

The next topic describes Chandragupta II and the fall of the Gupta empire. Next topic: Chandragupta II and the Fall of the Gupta Empire.

Key People and Terms

• Gupta era Era from AD 319-20
• Harishena Court poet of Samudragupta
• Atavika rajyas Forest kingdoms
• Prayag Allahabad
• Murundas Rulers of central India after Kushans
• Suzerainty Overlordship

Exam Corner

Mains Angle

Questions ask for the rise and expansion of the Guptas. These points add depth.

• Origins Kushan legacy
• Alliance Lichchhavi marriage
• Conquest Five groups