Today in this article we are going to tell you about the history of Gupta dynasty.
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History of Gupta Dynasty
The Gupta dynasty was founded by Maharaj Gupta in about 275 AD. The real name of Maharaj Gupta was Gupta or Shrigupta. The second ruler of the Gupta dynasty was Ghatotkacha, who was the son of Shri Gupta.
In Prabhavati Gupta's worship and Riddhapur copper plates, he has been described as the first ruler of the Gupta dynasty. The genealogy of the Guptas starts from the time of Ghatotkacha in the inscription of Skandagupta's Supiya. But in the Gupta articles, the first ruler of this dynasty is said to be Shri Gupta. Although the Gupta dynasty was founded by Shri Gupta, but during the time of Ghatotkacha, the Guptas first gained political importance in the Ganges valley. Aarambh Maharaj Gupta and Ghatotkacha were feudal and very simple rulers of the farmers, whose kingdom was confined around Magadha.
These two states ruled Magadha around 318-319 AD.
Chandragupta I
Ghatotkacha's son Chandragupta I declared himself an independent ruler. His kingdom was ruled by Rohan in 319 AD. Pataliputra was the capital of Emperor Chandragupta Maurya. The most important event of the reign of Chandragupta I was his marital relationship with the Lichchhavis. Chandragupta married his princess Kumaradevi to get the support and support of the Lichchhavis.
Various types of coins of Chandragupta and Kumar Devi have been received from Ghazipur, Tada, Mathura, Varanasi, Ayodhya, Sitapur, Bayana. Many gold and silver coins of this period have been found. In the Gupta dynasty, Chandragupta I was the first to issue silver coins.
After his marriage, he assumed the title of Maharajadhiraj and got the king queen type coin to be circulated in the prosperity of marriage. Chandragupta's empire was from Magadha in the east to Prayag in the west. In Vayu Purana, there is a mention of Chandragupta ruling Magadha and Saket.
According to Rai Chaudhary, Chandragupta had established his dominance over their kingdoms by defeating the Maharajas of peace and skill. Chandragupta started the Gupta era. It was started in 320 AD.
Samudragupta
After Chandragupta I, his son Samudragupta Parakramaka ascended the throne in 325 AD. Samudragupta was born from the womb of the Lichchavi princess Kumar Devi. His reign is considered to be the period of the rise of the Gupta Empire politically and culturally.
Samudragupta was an emperor with such a visible ability and a great conqueror. In his various disciplines, Samudragupta followed different policies, which shows his diplomacy and political acumen.
Samudragupta was a scholar of high order and also the protector of learning. He is also called Kaviraj. He was a great musician. Who was very fond of playing Veena. Some of his lessons, but he is seen playing the veena. He appointed the famous Buddhist scholar Vasubandhu as his minister.
Samudragupta was a devout emperor who ruled according to Vedic religion. It is called the rampart of religion, that is, the rampart of religion. Brahmanism was revived during his period.
Kingdom of Samudragupta
Samudragupta built a vast empire that extended from the Himalayas in the north to the Vindhya Mountains in the south and from the Bay of Bengal in the west to eastern Malwa in the west. Kashmir West, Punjab West, Rajputana Sindh. All North India was included in this except Gujarat.
The rulers of the Dakshinapatha and the foreign powers of northwestern India were also under him. In fact, Samudragupta transformed the kingdom inherited from his father into a vast empire. The capital of this vast empire of Samudragupta was Pataliputra.
Ramgupta
There is a difference of opinion among scholars about whether Ram became Gupta emperor after Samudragupta. The first scholar to reconstruct the history of Ramgupta was Rakhaldas Banerjee, who during a lecture in 1924 tried to authenticate the reign of Ramgupta.
Various evidences show that Samudragupta had two sons, Ramagupta and Chandragupta. Being the eldest of the two brothers, Ramgupta ascended the throne in 375 AD after the death of his father. But he was a weak and cowardly ruler.
During his period, Shako attacked the Gupta Empire in which Ramgupta was defeated and he was forced to make a very humiliating treaty. His younger brother Chandragupta was the eldest brave and self-respecting. He went against the dignity of his clan. As a result, he went in disguise and killed Sakapati. This work has increased his popularity.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, he killed the elder brother Ram Gupta, married his wife and became the ruler of Magadha.
Chandragupta II Vikramaditya (375-415 AD)
Chandragupta II came to rule in 375 AD. He was born from Dattadevi, the head of Samudragupta. He became the most important and powerful ruler of the Gupta dynasty.
In Devi Chandraguptam and Harshacharita, Chandra Gupta II is described as Sakari (the conqueror of doubts). In 389 AD, he assumed the title of Vikramaditya in the joy of conquering Shakraj Rudra.
The first known date of Vikramaditya is Gupta Samvat 61 i.e. 380 AD, which is obtained from Mathura. This article is from the 5th year of his reign. He ruled from 375 to 415 AD (up to 40 years in total).
Other names of Chandragupta II were Dev, Dev Gupta, Devraj, Dev Shree etc. He also assumed the titles of Vikramanka, Param Bhagwat etc. Chandragupta II also first strengthened his internal position by marital relations. He established matrimonial relations with the three major dynasties of his time - the Nagavansh, the Vakataka dynasty and the Kadamba dynasty.
Chandragupta II married the serpent princess Kubera Nag. A daughter was born from him whose name was Prabhavati Gupta. In order to get the cooperation of the Vakatakas, Chandragupta married his daughter Prabhavati Gupta with the Vakataka king Rudrasen II.
390 Due to the death of Rudrasen, Prabhavati became the patroness of her two sons, Diwakar Sen and Damodar Sen. With the help of Prabhavati Gupta, Chandragupta conquered Gujarat, Kathiawar. The doubts have been eradicated by the combined power of the Vakatkos and the Guptas. In the celebration of his victory, Chandragupta II got it done in Ashwamegh near Kashi at a place called Nagwa.
The Kadamba dynasty ruled in Kutal (Karnataka). Chandragupta's son Kumaragupta I was married in the Kandam dynasty. According to the discussion on the rationale for Shringar and Kshemendra, Chandragupta sent Kalidas as his messenger to the court of Kuntal King.
Chandragupta II himself was present. He was also a patron of scholars. Pataliputra and worship were the main centers of learning during his period. A congregation of 9 scholars used to reside in his court, it has been called Navratna. Among them, the great poet Kalidas was respected. Apart from Kalidas, among the Navratnas of Vikramaditya, Dhantvari, Amar Singh, Shank, Neemuch and Sabad were a great scholar and a poet. A Vidut Parishad, which took the examination of poets like Kalidas, Bharavi, Harishchandra, Chandragupta etc. to take the examination of poets in Ujjiini.
A major event of the reign of Chandragupta II is also the arrival of the Chinese traveler Frahan to India. From 399 to 414 AD, he visited various places in India. The period of Chandragupta II has been the period of climax of Brahmin religion. From the description of Phrahan, contact information of peace, order, prosperity and tolerance etc. is obtained during the reign of Chandragupta.
Mehrauli Iron Pillar inscription and Chandragupta Vikramaditya
There is an iron pillar near the Qutub Minar in Mehrauli, Delhi, in which the achievements of a king named Chandra are described. The script of this article is from the Gupta period.
Chandragupta II killed Shakpati with skill and muscle power during the time of Rama Gupta, who bowed before the Shaka king and took the empire under his control. The subjects of the II to the Council of Eastern Pardes (Bengal etc.) are also confirmed by the Maharally column article.
He was a devotee of Vishnu and his favorite title was Param Bhagavatam. Perhaps after the death of Chandragupta, the Iron Pillar inscription of Maharally was engraved in memory of his father by his son Kumaragupta I.
Kumragupta I Mahendraditya (415- 420 AD)
After Chandragupta II, his son Kumaragupta I ascended the throne in 415 AD. He was the eldest son of Chandragupta II's wife Dhurvadevi. Kumar Gupta had a younger brother named Govind Gupta who was the governor of Basad (Vaishali) at the time of Kumar Gupta.
The rule of Kumar Gupta I was a period of peace. During his time the Gupta Empire was at the height of progress. Kumar Gupta kept the vast empire built by Samudragupta Chandragupta II organized and well-organized. Kumar Gupta completely protected his vast empire, which extended from the Himalayas in the north to the Narmada River in the south and from the Bay of Bengal in the east to the western Arabian Sea. Kumar Gupta ruled for 40 years.
skandagupta
After the death of Kumaragupta I, his worthy son Skandagupta 'Kramaditya' ascended the throne in 455 AD. In Junagadh inscription, the first date of his rule is recorded as Gupta Samvat 136 i.e. 455 AD. From which it is clear that he ruled for 12 years.
Skandagupta was a great conqueror and efficient administrator and was the most capable and intelligent among the sons of Kumaragupta. Some scholars are of the opinion that after the death of Kumaragupta I, his elder Purugupta became the emperor of the Gupta dynasty, but Skandagupta killed him and took over the throne.
Skandagupta's early years were full of unrest and difficulties, but on the strength of the sword, he paved his way by dealing with the then circumstances. Skandagupta badly defeated the Huns and drove them out of the country. The Huns, defeated by Skandagupta, settled in Gandhara and Afghanistan, where they became embroiled in conflict with the local kings of Iran.
After the death of Sasanian king Firoz in 484 AD, the Huns again moved towards India. Skandagupta had defeated the Hunas before 464 AD, because in the later inscriptions there is mention of peace always.
Skandagupta was the last great emperor of the Gupta Empire, ruling over the territories from the Himalayas in the north to the Narmada river in the south and from Bengal in the east to Saurashtra in the west.
Reconstruction and repair of Sudarshan Lake
Skandagupta was a very philanthropic ruler who was constantly worried about the happiness and misery of his subjects. The Junagadh inscription shows that the dam of the historic Sudarshan Lake broke due to heavy rains during the reign of Skandagupta. Nirvanath of this trouble, Chakrapalit, son of Parnadat, the governor of Surashtra province, who was the nagarpati of Girnar city, got the dam of the lake rebuilt within two months. This dam was 100 cubits long and 68 cubits wide.
Sudarshan Lake was built by Pushyamitra Vaish, the governor of Saurashtra province at the time of the first Mauryan emperor Chandragupta Maurya, to facilitate irrigation in western India.
This dam broke for the first time during the time of Shaka Mahakshatrapa Rudradaman (130-150 AD), which he got rebuilt under the direction of his governor Suvisakh. Skandagupta was also a devout Vaishnava and his title was Param Bhagavata. He had installed the idol of Lord Vishnu in Bhittari.
Skandagupta was completely liberal and tolerant in religious matters. He also gave opportunity to other religions to develop in his empire. He died in 467 AD. After that the decline of the Gupta Empire started.
Gupta Art and Culture
The glory of Bihar was revived under the Gupta dynasty in the fourth century AD. In 320 AD, Chandragupta assumed the title of Maharajadhiraja at Pataliputra. He also started the practice of Gupta Samvat at this time. After the death of Chandragupta, his son Samudragupta became the ruler of Magadha. He was a great conqueror who expanded the Gupta Empire to almost the entire subcontinent. The discussion of his various campaigns is found in Prayag Prashasti composed by Harishchandra.
His successor Chandragupta II Vikramaditya conquered the regions of Saurashtra and western Malwa and merged them into the Gupta Empire. The reign of Chandragupta II was the period of the peak of the Gupta Empire. The period of the Gupta Empire is considered to be a period of outstanding achievements in science, art and cultural life.
राजनीतिक शांति और सुदृढ़ता, आर्थिक समृद्धि और सांस्कृतिक विकास के कारण गुप्त काल को प्राचीन भारतीय इतिहास का स्वर्ण युग भी कहा जाता है. इस काल के विख्यात विद्वानों में वराह मिहिर, आर्यभट्ट और ब्रा गुप्त अत्यधिक महत्वपूर्ण है. गणित, खगोल शास्त्र और दर्शन के क्षेत्र में इनकी देर अवसिमर्निय है.
गुप्तकाल में ही नालंदा महाविहार की स्थापना हुई. इसका संस्थापक कुमारगुप्त था. कालांतर में यह विद्या का प्रमुख केंद्र बना जहां बड़ी संख्या में विदेशी विद्यार्थी भी विद्योपार्जन हेतु आते थे. गुप्त काल में संस्कृत भाषा की अत्याधिक प्रगति हुई. हिंदू धर्म में भगवंत परंपरा का उल्लेखनीय विकास हुआ और हिंदू धर्म का जो वर्तमान रूप में हम देखते हैं, वह इसी काल में विकसित हुआ.
कला के क्षेत्र में, बिहार के संदर्भ में, इस काल की महत्वपूर्ण उपलब्धियों में बोधगया का महाबोधि मंदिर और नालदा महाविहार के अवशेष महत्वपूर्ण है.
पुरुगुप्त
सकंदगुप्त को कोई संतान नहीं थी. अंतः स्नकंगुप्त की मृत्यु के बाद सिंहासन पर पुरुगुप्त बैठा. पुरुगुप्त कुमार गुप्ता पुत्र तथा स्कंदगुप्त का सौतेला भाई था. वृद्धावस्था में से आसन पर बैठने के कारण व शासन सुचारु रुप से नहीं चला पाया और सम्राज्य पतनोन्मुख हो गया.
पूरुगुप्त बोध मत को मानता था.
कुमारगुप्त द्वितीय (473- 477 ई.)
पुरुगुप्त का उत्तराधिकारी कुमार गुप्त द्वितीय हुआ. सारनाथ लेख्ने कुमार गुप्त द्वितीय के संदर्भ में गुप्त संवत 154 यानी 473 अंकित है.
बुद्ध गुप्त (478- 485 ई.)
कुमार गुप्त द्वितीय के बाद बुद्ध गुप्त शासक बना. नागदा से प्राप्त मुहर के अनुसार बुद्ध गुप्त पुरुगुप्त का पुत्र था. उसकी माता का नाम चन्द्र देवी था. बुद्ध गुप्त के शासन काल की प्रथम तिथि सारनाथ लेख में गुप्त वंश 157 यानि 477 ईसवी है.
बुद्ध गुप्त ने 477 ई. में शासन प्रारंभ किया तथाराजू तो मुद्राओं पर अंकित तिथि 485 ईस्वी तक शासन किया. स्कंद गुप्त के उत्तराधिकारियों में बुधगुप्त सबसे शक्तिशाली शासक था, जिसने एक बड़े प्रदेश पर शासन किया. वह आखरी गुप्त सम्राट था जिसने हिमालय से लेकर मालदा तक और मालवा से लेकर बंगाल के भू भाग पर प्रशासन किया.
नरसिंहगुप्त
बुद्ध गुप्त की मृत्यु के बाद उसका छोटा भाई नरसिंहगुप्त शासक बना. इस काल में सम्राज्य तीन भागों- मगध, मालवा, और बंगाल में बंट गया. मगध नरसिंह गुप्त, मालवा क्षेत्र भानुगुप्त तथा बंगाल के क्षेत्र में वेन्युगुप्त ने अपना स्वतंत्र शासन स्थापित किया.
नरसिंह गुप्त इन तीनों शासकों में शक्तिशाली था. उसने मगध साम्राज्य के केंद्रीय भाग में अपना अधिकार सुदृढ़ कर लिया था. नरसिंह गुप्त की सबसे बड़ी सफलता हूणों को पराजित करना था. कुरुर तथा अत्याचारी हूणों राजा मिहिर कुल, जितने मगध पर आक्रमण किया था, को पराजित करके नरसिंह गुप्त की सेना ने बंदी बना लिया. किंतु अपनी माता के आग्रह पर नरसिंह गुप्त ने मिहिरकुल को मुक्त कर दिया. इसे मूर्खतापूर्ण कार्य कहा गया.
जनश्रुतियों के अनुसार मिहिरकुल अत्याचारी, मूर्तिभंजक और बौद्धों का हत्यारा था, परंतु वह एक कट्टर शैव भी था जिसने महेश्वर मंदिर की स्थापना की थी. नरसिंह गुप्त की धनुर्धारी प्रकार की मुद्राएं मिलती है.
नागदा मुद्रा लेख में नरसिंहगुप्त को परम भागवत कहा गया है. उसने बौद्ध धर्म अपना लेने के बावजूद पूर्वजों की तरह परम भागवत की उपाधि धारण की थी.
कुमार गुप्त तृतीय
नरसिंह गुप्त के बाद उसका पुत्र कुमार गुप्त मगध के सिंहासन पर बैठा. भित्तरी तथा नागदा के मुद्रा लेखों में उसकी माता का नाम महादेवी मित्र देवी मिलता है. कुमार गुप्त तृतीय गुप्त वंश का अंतिम शासक बना था. इसके संदर्भ में ताम्रपत्र में गुप्त संवत 224 यानी 543 ई. अंकित है.
विष्णु गुप्त
विष्णु गुप्त कुमार गुप्ता का पुत्र था. नागदा से प्राप्त मुद्रा लेख में विष्णु गुप्त का उल्लेख है. उसने 550 ईसवी तक मगध पर शासन किया. इसके बाद छिन्न भिन्न हो गया था.
गुप्त सम्राज्य के पतन के मुख्य कारण
गुप्त साम्राज्य का पतन 467 ईसवी में स्कंदगुप्त के निधन के बाद से ही प्रारंभ हो गया था, क्योंकि स्कंदगुप्त के उतराधिकारियों में कोई भी महात्वाकांक्षी, पराक्रमी, योग्य व कुशल साबित नहीं हुए. बल्कि वे अपने पूर्वजों की भांति वैष्णव वह परम भागवत की जगह बोधमतानुयाई. तथा हिंसा के उपासक थे, जो दान पुण्य में लिपीत हो गए.
इस कारण से राज्य की रक्षा और विस्तार करने में असमर्थ साबित हुए. परिणामत:550 ईस्वी में विष्णुगुप्त के निधन के साथ ही मगध में स्थापित गुप्त राजवंश का शासन समाप्त हो गया.