New Empires and Kingdoms

Chandragupta II

Chandragupta II was the son of the mighty Samudragupta. Also known as Vikramaditya, Chandragupta II was considered among the greatest and the most powerful rulers during the Gupta Dynasty. According to literature, he led an expedition to western India and conquered the last of the Shakas. The Shakas ruled over the territories of Saurashtra, Bombay, and Malwa that had their capital at Ujjain. 

Chandragupta II was said to be a benevolent king who emphasised art, literature, and scriptures. Some of the famous people in his court included the poet Kalidasa and the astronomer Aryabhatta. During Chandragupta II’s reign, art, scripture, and architecture in India have been said to have reached their pinnacle.

Not much is known about who Chandragupta II was as an individual, but evidence shows that he was a strong and able ruler who was benevolent at the same time.

Before Chandragupta II became king, his older brother, Ramagupta, reigned over the empire. At one point in time, Ramagupta suffered defeat at the hands of a Saka chieftain. Ramagupta agreed to surrender his queen, Druvadevi, to the Sakas to secure his subjects. Chandragupta II objected to this, and one day, taking the disguise of Queen Druvadevi, entered the enemy’s camp and killed the Saka king. This helps restore the Gupta empire as well as the queen and the dynasty. Later, Chandragupta II killed his brother Ramagupta, took over the reins of the Gupta dynasty and married his brother’s widow, Druvadevi.

During Chandragupta II’s reign, the empire covered a large territory extending from the Valakas Country in the north to the Indian Ocean in the south, to Vanga in the east and the mouth of Indus in the west. Moreover, Chandragupta II’s victory over Malwa helped the region prosper, making Ujjain the commercial hub of the Gupta empire. Some historians have even stated that during Chandragupta II’s reign, Ujjain was the second capital of the empire.

Chandragupta II had inherited a large empire from his brother and father, Samudragupta. He had not only managed to conquer the Malwa region, but also the territories of Mumbai, Saurashtra, and Gujarat.

Since Chandragupta II was known to emphasise arts, culture, and literature, he had nine gems or Navratna to patronise the different arts fields. These nine gems were Amarsimha, Dhanvantri, Harisena, Kalidasa, Kahapanaka, Sanku, Varahamihira, Samhita, and Vararuchi.

Chandragupta II’s conquests can be found on the Iron Pillar located in Mehrauli, New Delhi. Originally, the pillar was placed on a hill near Beas. Later, it was brought to Delhi by a ruler of Delhi. The pillar consists of inscriptions describing Chandragupta II’s conquest of the Vanga countries, the conquest of Valakas that lasted for seven months, his fame across the southern seas, and his attainment of Ekadhirajjyam by the prowess of his arms.

Although Chandragupta II primarily resided in Ayodhya, which was his capital, the city of Pataliputra, which is present-day Patna and is located in Bihar, also achieved prosperity and fame. Although Chandragupta II was a staunch Hindu, he tolerated other religions such as Buddhism and Jainism.

The Chinese Buddhist pilgrim, Faxian, spoke highly of Chandragupta II and his reign. Although he never visited Chandragupta II or his court, his writings have spoken highly of the system of governance, ensuring the welfare of the subjects, and dispensing charity and medicine to the needy.

Harshavardhana

Harshavardhana, also known as Harsa or Harsha, was a ruler of one of northern India’s new empires and kingdoms. The son of Prabhakarvardhana, Harshavardhana became the king of Thanesar at the age of 16 upon the assassination of his elder brother, Rajyavardhana. 

When Harshavardhana’s brother-in-law, the ruler of Kannauj, was killed by the ruler of Bengal, Harshavardhana annexed Kannauj and later, led an army against the ruler of Bengal. While Harshavardhana was successful in conquering Bengal and Magadha, he was unable to cross the Narmada to march into the Deccan. This is because Harshavardhana and his army were stopped by Pulakeshin II, a ruler of the Chalukya Dynasty. 

Harshacharita

The history of Harshavardhana and his rule can be largely found in the Harshacharita that Banabhatta wrote. Banabhatta was considered to be among the greatest masters of Sanskrit prose. 

Chalukyas

The Chalukyas were considered to be one of the most important and powerful empires in south India. While the kingdom of the Pallavas stretched from Kanchipuram to the Kaveri delta, the Chalukyas were mostly centred around the Raichur Doab, situated between the rivers Krishna and Tungabhadra.

Aihole was the capital of the Chalukya empire. It was believed to be an important trading centre as well as a religious centre with numerous temples. Pulakeshin II was the most well-known Chalukya ruler, who led conquests on both the eastern and western coasts of India and managed to defeat Harshavardhana. 

Pulakeshin II’s poet Ravikirti composed prashastis in his name, as well as described the four generations of his rule.

Conclusion

Indian history is full of new empires and kingdoms, some of which stayed for long while others could not. While some established their rule over certain regions, others expanded to larger territories.