Page 78 - SST Class 06

Samudragupta expanded his empire in all
directions. He defeated the Naga rulers in
Mathura, Gwalior and Ahichhatra in the north.
His most distinct campaign was in the Deccan
when he led his forces through rugged terrain to
bring rulers in the south under his suzerainty.
However, he was very intelligent and practical in
his approach. He divided his territories into two
types—the territories under his direct control and
the territories under his indirect control. The
territories under his direct control extended from
Bengal in the east to Delhi in the west and from
the Himalayas in the north to the river Narmada in
the south. The territories under his indirect control
were those which he conquered but returned to
the native kings to rule as per his instructions. He
conquered most of the Deccan but he kept these
territories under his indirect control. Similarly, he
had suzerainty over Nepal, Kamrup (Assam),
Samtata (modern Bengal) and Kartarpur (Terai
region). It was a wise step else his territories
would have enlarged so much that it would
become very difficult to control.
Due to his successful campaigns in all directions,
he is rightly termed the Napoleon of India .
Samudragupta was also an efficient administrator.
On the one hand, he expanded his territories; and
on the other, he looked after the welfare of his
subjects well. He was a Hindu, yet he adopted a
tolerant view towards all faiths. He was a great
patron of art, literature and music. He has been
depicted holding a veena (a stringed music
instrument) in his coins. He himself was a scholar
and poet. We can say that he was a fine ruler.
Chandragupta II (380 AD-414 AD)
Samudragupta was succeeded by his illustrious
son Chandragupta II, popularly known as
Vikramaditya. He is often identified with
Vikramaditya of Ujjain to whom many tales of
mythology are attributed. Chandragupta II is said
to have Navratnas (nine gems or scholars in his
court).
Following in the footsteps of his father,
Chandragupta II too accomplished many victories.
He defeated the Shakas of Malwa, Gujarat and
Saurashtra and assumed the title of Shakari (the
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conqueror of the Shakas). His empire now
extended right up to the Arabian Sea and
comprised of the ports of Broach, Cambay and
Sopara. Thus, his empire extended from the
Brahmaputra River in the east to the Chenab and
the Arabian Sea in the west; and from the
Himalayas in the north to the Narmada River in
the south.
Chandragupta II too was an able administrator.
India flourished under his rule; this is the reason
that his rule is called the Golden Age of India. He
was a patron of art and literature. Kalidasa was
one of his Navratnas.
He was a fine poet and playwright in Sanskrit. He
has written many fine works, including
Meghadutam, Raghuvansham, Ritusamhara,
Kumarasambhava and Abhijnanashakuntalam. His
last work is very popular and has been translated
into many languages of the world.
Quiz Time
Fill in the blanks :
1. Samudragupta was also an efficient
_________________.
2. Chandragupta II was a patron of ___________
and ___________.
3. Samudragupta defeated the Naga rulers in
___________, ___________ and ___________
in the north.
4. The Gupta period is called the ___________.
5. Kumaradevi was a princess of the ___________
tribe.
Fa-Hien, a Chinese traveller, came to India during
Chandragupta’s rule. He visited many parts of
India during his fifteen-year long journey, which
he undertook to visit different places of Buddhist
interest. He has written in detail about different
kingdoms including the Guptas.
He has described in detail
about society, trade, religion,
art, literature, administration
etc. of the Gupta period. His
writings are a main source of
information of this period. Fa-Hien