Open main menu
Home
Random
Recent changes
Special pages
Community portal
Preferences
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Incubator escapee wiki
Search
User menu
Talk
Dark mode
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Editing
Chandragupta II
(section)
Warning:
You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you
log in
or
create an account
, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
Anti-spam check. Do
not
fill this in!
== Military career == [[File:401_CE_Udayagiri_Sanskrit_inscriptions_Hindu_caves.jpg|thumb|Cave 6 and Cave 8 inscriptions at [[Udayagiri Caves]] mention the rule of Chandragupta II.]] The [[Udayagiri Caves|Udayagiri]] inscription of Chandragupta's foreign minister Virasena suggests that the king had a distinguished military career. It states that he "bought the earth", paying for it with his prowess, and reduced the other kings to the status of slaves.{{sfn|R. C. Majumdar|1981|pp=52β53}} His empire seems to have extended from the mouth of the Indus and northern Pakistan in the west to the Bengal region in the east, and from the [[Himalayan foothills]] in the north to the [[Narmada River]] in the south.{{sfn|Upinder Singh|2008|p=480}}{{sfn|Hermann Kulke|Dietmar Rothermund|2004|p=92}} Chandragupta's father [[Samudragupta]] and his son [[Kumaragupta I]] are known to have performed the [[Ashvamedha]] horse sacrifice to proclaim their military prowess. In the 20th century, the discovery of a stone image of a horse found near [[Varanasi]], and the misreading of its inscription as "Chandramgu" (taken to be "Chandragupta"), led to speculation that Chandragupta also performed the Ashvamedha sacrifice. However, there is no actual evidence to support this theory.{{sfn|R. C. Majumdar|1981|p=59}} === Western Kshatrapas === {{Main|GuptaβSaka Wars}} Historical and literary evidence suggests that Chandragupta II achieved military successes against the [[Western Kshatrapas]] (also known as [[Shakas]]), who ruled in west-central India.{{sfn|R. C. Majumdar|1981|p=53}} The [[Allahabad Pillar]] inscription of Chandragupta's father [[Samudragupta]] names the "Shaka-Murundas" among the kings who tried to appease him.{{sfn|Ashvini Agrawal|1989|p=125}}{{sfn|Tej Ram Sharma|1989|p=77β78}} It may be possible that Samudragupta reduced the Shakas to a state of subordinate alliance, and Chandragupta completely subjugated them.{{sfn|R. C. Majumdar|1981|p=54}} Virasena's Udayagiri inscription describes him as a resident of [[Pataliputra]], and states that he came to Udayagiri in Central India with the king who sought to "conquer the whole world". This indicates that Chandragupta had reached Udayagiri in central India during a military campaign. The theory that Chandragupta led an army to Central India is also corroborated by the c. 412β413 CE (Gupta year 93) Sanchi inscription of [[Amrakarddava|Amrakardava]], who is said to have "acquired victory and fame in many battles and whose livelihood was secured by serving Chandragupta." A c. 401β402 CE (Gupta year 82) inscription of Chandragupta's feudatory ''Maharaja'' Sanakanika has also been discovered in Central India. The only important power to have ruled in this region during Chandragupta's period were the Western Kshatrapas, whose rule is attested by their distinct coinage. The coins issued by the Western Kshatrapa rulers abruptly come to end in the last decade of the 4th century.{{sfn|R. C. Majumdar|1981|p=53}} The coins of this type reappear in the second decade of the 5th century, and are dated in the Gupta era, which suggests that Chandragupta subjugated the Western Kshatrapas.{{sfn|R. C. Majumdar|1981|p=54}} The exact date of Chandragupta's victory is not known, but it can be tentatively dated to sometime between 397 and 409.{{sfn|Hermann Kulke|Dietmar Rothermund|2004|p=91}} The last of the 4th century Kshatrapa coins β that of [[Rudrasimha III]] β can be dated to the [[Shaka era|Shaka year]] 310 or 319 (the coin legend is partially lost), that is 388 or 397.{{sfn|R. C. Majumdar|1981|p=53}} Chandragupta's coins, dated to 409, are similar to the Kshtrapa coins, with the Shakas' Buddhist vihara symbol replaced by the Gupta symbol of [[Garuda]].{{sfn|Hermann Kulke|Dietmar Rothermund|2004|p=91}} Literary evidence also corroborates Chandragupta's victory over the Western Kshatrapas. The Sanskrit play ''[[Devichandraguptam]]'', whose historicity is disputed, narrates that Chandragupta's elder brother [[Ramagupta]] agreed to surrender his queen [[Dhruvadevi]] to a Shaka chief when besieged, but Chandragupta went to the enemy camp disguised as the queen, and killed the Shaka chief.{{sfn|R. C. Majumdar|1981|p=54}} Chandragupta bore the title ''Vikramaditya'', and several Indian legends talk of king [[Vikramaditya]] who defeated the Shakas. Several modern scholars have theorised that these legends may be based on Chandragupta's victory over the Shakas.{{sfn|R. C. Majumdar|1981|p=54}} As a result of his victory over the Western Kshatrapas, Chandragupta must have extended his empire up to the [[Arabian Sea]] coast in present-day [[Gujarat]].{{sfn|R. C. Majumdar|1981|p=54}} === Other military victories === {{Main|Chandragupta II's Campaign of Balkh}} [[File:QtubIronPillar.JPG|thumb|The [[iron pillar of Delhi]], which features an inscription of king Chandra, identified as Chandragupta II. It was installed as a victory pillar in the [[Qutb complex]] by Sultan [[Iltutmish]] in the 13th century.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Eaton |first1=Richard M. |title=India in the Persianate Age: 1000β1765 |date=25 July 2019 |publisher=Penguin UK |isbn=978-0-14-196655-7 |page=37 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aIF6DwAAQBAJ&pg=PP37 |language=en}}</ref>]] [[File:Inscription on Iron Pillar, Delhi.jpg|thumb|The inscription of king Chandra]] The [[Iron pillar of Delhi#Inscription of King Chandra or Chandragupta II|iron pillar of Delhi]] contains an inscription of a king called "Chandra".{{sfn|R. C. Majumdar|1981|p=55}} Modern scholars generally identify this king with Chandragupta II, although this cannot be said with complete certainty.{{sfn|R. C. Majumdar|1981|p=56}} While alternative identifications have been proposed, there is strong evidence for identifying Chandra of the iron pillar inscription as Chandragupta II:{{sfn|Upinder Singh|2008|p=480}} * Chandragupta's coins refer to him as "Chandra".{{sfn|Upinder Singh|2008|p=480}} * According to the iron pillar inscription, Chandra was a devotee of [[Vishnu]].{{sfn|R. C. Majumdar|1981|p=55}} Chandragupta was also a Vaishnavite, and is described as a ''Bhagvata'' (devotee of Vishnu) in the Gupta records.{{sfn|R. C. Majumdar|1981|p=58}} * The iron pillar is said to have been set up by king Chandra in honour of Vishnu, on a hill named Vishnu-pada, but the king seems to have died shortly before the inscription was engraved, as the inscription states that "the king has quit the earth and gone to the other world". A similar Vishnu-''dhvaja'' ([[flagpole]] in honour of Vishnu) was set up the Gupta emperor [[Skandagupta]] (a grandson of Chandragupta) after the death of his father [[Kumaragupta I]].{{sfn|R. C. Majumdar|1981|p=58}} * According to his Udayagiri inscription, Chandragupta went on a ''[[digvijaya (conquest)|digvijaya]]'' ("conquest of all quarters") campaign.{{sfn|Upinder Singh|2008|p=480}} He is known to have been a powerful sovereign emperor, and this fits in well with the iron pillar inscription's description of king Chandra as someone who "attained sole supreme sovereignty in the world acquired by his own arm and (enjoyed) for a very long time".{{sfn|R. C. Majumdar|1981|p=58}} * The iron pillar inscription states that the southern ocean is "perfumed by the breezes" of Chandra's prowess. This may be a reference to Chandragupta's extension of the Gupta rule to the [[Arabian Sea]] after his conquest of the Western Kshatrapa territory. Arabian Sea was located to the south of the Gupta empire, and thus, the term "southern ocean" is applicable to it in this context.{{sfn|R. C. Majumdar|1981|p=58}} * The iron pillar inscription states that "his name was Chandra and he was holding the glory of a full moon on his face". This is reminiscent of his descendant [[Skandagupta]]'s Mandasaur inscription, which describes Chandragupta as "a moon in the galaxy of Gupta kings with the famous name Chandragupta".{{sfn|Tej Ram Sharma|1989|p=148}} The iron pillar inscription credits Chandra with the following victories:{{sfn|R. C. Majumdar|1981|p=55}} * Defeated an alliance of enemies in the [[Vanga kingdom|Vanga country]] * Crossed the "seven faces" of the river Sindhu ([[Indus River|Indus]]) during a war and defeated the [[Bahlikas|Vahlikas]]. ==== Punjab region ==== If Chandra is identified with Chandragupta, it appears that Chandragupta marched through the [[Punjab region]], and advanced up to the country of the Vahlikas, that is, [[Balkh]] in present-day Afghanistan.{{sfn|R. C. Majumdar|1981|p=56}} Some short Sanskrit inscriptions at the [[Sacred Rock of Hunza]] (in present-day Pakistan), written in [[Gupta script]], mention the name Chandra. A few of these inscriptions also mention the name Harishena, and one particular inscription mentions Chandra with the epithet "Vikramaditya". Based on the identification of "Chandra" with Chandragupta, and Harishena with the Gupta courtier [[Harishena]], these inscriptions can be considered as further evidence of a Gupta military campaign in the area. According to [[Sten Konow]], the term "seven faces", mentioned in the iron pillar inscription, refers to the seven [[river mouth|mouths]] of Indus. Historians R. C. Majumdar and K. P. Jayaswal, on the other hand, believe that the term refers to the tributaries of Indus: the five rivers of [[Punjab region|Punjab]] ([[Jhelum River|Jhelum]], [[Ravi River|Ravi]], [[Sutlej River|Sutlej]], [[Beas River|Beas]], and [[Chenab River|Chenab]]), plus possibly the [[Kabul River|Kabul]] and the [[Kunar River|Kunar]] rivers.{{sfn|R. C. Majumdar|1981|p=55}} It is quite possible that Chandragupta passed through the Punjab region during this campaign: his political influence in this region is attested to by the use of the [[Gupta era]] in an inscription found at [[Shorkot]], and by some coins bearing the name "Chandragupta". However, there is no evidence that Chandragupta annexed Punjab to the Gupta Empire, which suggests that Chandragupta's victory in this region was not a decisive one. There is little evidence of Gupta influence in Punjab after his reign: numismatic evidence suggests that Punjab was ruled by petty chieftains after his death. These chieftains bore Indian names, but issued coins that imitate the [[Kidarites|Kidarite]] coinage: they may have been Hinduized foreigners or Indians continuing the usage of foreign-style coinage.{{sfn|R. C. Majumdar|1981|p=57}} ==== Bengal region ==== The identification of Chandra with Chandragupta II also suggests Chandragupta achieved victories in the Vanga area in the present-day [[Bengal]] region. According to the [[Allahabad Pillar]] inscription of his father [[Samudragupta]], the [[Samatata]] kingdom of the Bengal region was a Gupta tributary. The Guptas are known to have been ruling Bengal in the early 6th century, although there are no surviving records of the Gupta presence in this region for the intervening period.{{sfn|R. C. Majumdar|1981|p=57}} It is possible that a large part of the Bengal region was annexed to the Gupta empire by Chandragupta, and that this control continued into the 6th century.{{sfn|R. C. Majumdar|1981|pp=57β58}} The Delhi iron pillar inscription suggests that an alliance of semi-independent chiefs of Bengal unsuccessfully resisted Chandragupta's attempts to extend the Gupta influence in this region.{{sfn|R. C. Majumdar|1981|p=57}}
Edit summary
(Briefly describe your changes)
By publishing changes, you agree to the
Terms of Use
, and you irrevocably agree to release your contribution under the
CC BY-SA 4.0 License
and the
GFDL
. You agree that a hyperlink or URL is sufficient attribution under the Creative Commons license.
Cancel
Editing help
(opens in new window)