Jacobtheindoamerican
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Chandragupta II-According to the Brihat-Katha-Manjari of the Kashmiri Pandit Kshmendra, king Vikramaditya (Chandragupta II) had "unburdened the sacred earth of the Barbarians like the Shakas, Mlecchas, Kambojas, Yavanas, Tusharas, Parasikas, Hunas, etc. by annihilating these sinful Mlecchas completely".
Fourth century AD Sanskrit poet Kalidasa, credits Chandragupta Vikramaditya (aka Raghu) with having conquered about twenty one kingdoms, both in and outside India. After finishing his campaign in the East, South and West India, Raghu aka Vikramaditya (Chandragupta II) proceeded northwards, subjugated the Parasikas (Persians), then the Hunas and the Kambojas tribes located in the west and east Oxus valleys respectively. Thereafter, the glorious king proceeds across the Himalaya and reduced the Kinnaras, Kiratas etc. and lands into India proper
Chandragupta marched against the Saka Satraps about AD 389. After six years of courageous fighting, he killed the Sakas chieftains. He killed Rudrasena III, a Saka king of West India. He annexed all the three kingdoms of Satraps under Gupta empire and made Ujjain a second capital, and called himself Vikramaditya -- a combination of words valour and sun. Chandragupta's empire had both the Arabian Sea coast and that of the Bay of Bengal under its control. He also captured Bactria and concluded marital alliances with the Nagas, Vakatakas and Kadamba dynasties.
Like his grandfather, Chandragupta married the Lichhavi princess Kumaradevi. He gave his daughter Prabhavati in marriage to Rudrasena II, the Venkata king of Central India. Rudrasena had helped him in his campaign against the Saka Satraps.
His greatest victory was his victory over the Shaka-Kshatrapa dynasty and annexation of their kingdom in Gujarat, by defeating their last ruler Rudrasimha III.
His son-in-law Rudrasena II died fortuitously after a very short reign in 390 AD, following which Prabhavatigupta ruled as a regent on behalf of his two sons. During this twenty-year period the Vakataka realm was practically a part of the Gupta empire. The geographical location of the Vakataka kingdom allowed Chandragupta to take the opportunity to defeat the Western Kshatrapas once for all. Many historians refer to this period as the Vakataka-Gupta age.
Chandragupta II the Great controlled a vast empire, from the mouth of the Ganges to the mouth of the Indus River and from what is now North Pakistan down to the mouth of the Narmada. Pataliputra continued to be the capital of his huge empire but Ujjain too became a sort of second capital. The large number of beautiful gold coins issued by the Gupta dynasty are a testament to the imperial grandeur of that age. Chandragupta II also started producing silver coins in the Shaka tradition.
The greatest achievement of Chandragupta II was the conquest of Malwa, Gujarat and Kathiawar from the Western Saka Satraps. The Sakas always remained a powerful neighbour at the frontier of the Gupta Empire. They always were a threat to the authority of the Gupta Empire. Perhaps this was the sole reason which impelled Chandragupta II to wage war against the Sakas of Western India. Samudragupta`s hold of eastern Malwa led to a constant friction of the Guptas with the Sakas in western India. Moreover Chandragupta II had murdered a Saka invader, who had defeated Rama Gupta-- if evidences of the Devi-Chandraguptam are accepted. The religious intolerance of the Sakas and Guptas was also another cause of the Saka war of Chandragupta II. Apart from these causes, trade relations that were growing between western India and the Roman Empire since the time of the Kushanas proved to be a significant cause of the Saka war by Chandragupta II.
However the brilliant victory of Chandragupta II over the Saka satraps united western India with the rest of north India. It rounded off the Gupta Empire by pushing its western limits to the natural frontier on the Arabian Sea. The Gupta Empire now extended from the Bay of Bengal in the east to the Arabian Sea in the west. The annexation of Malwa and Saurashtra by Chandragupta II had given the Guptas free access to parts of western coast, especially the parts of Barygaza. As a result trade relation of the Guptas with the Roman Empire flourished. Therefore the principal impact of victory of Chandragupta II in the Saka war was the material prosperity of the Guptas. The city of Ujjaini became the centre of trade between the Roman Empire and the Gotras. The city became very prosperous, with decorated palaces. Ujjaini at that time was transformed into a centre of luxury. Ujjaini was not only a home of the bourgeoisie merchants, but also a centre of cultural interest in northern India. Cultural contact with the Roman Empire was established through the channel of trade.
Chandragupta II`s victory against the Sakas however is not mentioned directly in the official epigraph of the Guptas. Though a legend of the contemporary period ascribed him the title "Sakari" or the enemy of the Sakas, yet his own inscriptions are silent about the Saka war. As a result, the actual date of Saka war by Gupta emperor Chandragupta II cannot be ascertained properly. According to Dr. Smith, the actual date of the Saka war was 388 to 401 A.D., while Dr. R.C. Majumdar has fixed the date of the Saka war in the first decade of 1st century A.D. However the date of the Saka war mentioned in Chandragupta II`s silver coin denotes the date to be 409 to 415 A.D. The time mentioned in Chandragupta`s coin is generally accepted.
It is however plausible that Chandragupta II had other military campaigns to his credit but there is no definite authentic information about these conquests. Besides being a great warrior, Chandragupta II`s chief credit lies in the consolidation of the Empire. Dr. Bhandarkar has suggested that Chandragupta II had occupied the Mathura region from the Kushanas. But the theory of Dr. Bhandarkar has been discarded by scholars on the ground that the Kushanas were exterminated from the Mathura regions by the Nagas, and the Nagas were later ousted by Samudragupta. Hence according to those scholars, Chandragupta II inherited the Mathura kingdom from his father Samudragupta. According to scholars, Chandragupta II`s chief achievement as an administrator lies in the tremendous consolidation of the territories conquered by his father Samudragupta.
Historians are in keen controversy with one another regarding a fact in the Meharauli pillar inscription. The military exploits of a certain king named Chandra has been mentioned in Meharauli Pillar inscription. Some historians identified the king Chandra as Chandragupta II. According to the Meharauli Pillar inscription, if the king named Chandra is Chandragupta II, then Chandragupta II had extended his kingdom upto the limits of Vanga Desa (Bengal) and also had defeated the kings of Vahlikas. However the facts in Meharauli pillar inscription is generally accepted. Vanga or Samatata was a feudatory under Samudragupta. Probably they revolted against the Guptas after the death of Samudragupta. However, historians have opined that Chandragupta II had inherited a vast kingdom from his father and during his reign he had consolidated those kingdoms to establish a strong foundation of the Gupta Empire.
Chandragupta II's military
The Imperial Guptas could have achieved their successes through force of arms with an efficient martial system. Historically, the best accounts of this comes not from the Hindus themselves but from Chinese and Western observers. However, a contemporary Indian document, regarded as a military classic of the time, the Siva-Dhanur-veda, offers some insight into the military system of the Guptas. The Guptas seem to have relied heavily on infantry archers, and the bow was one of the dominant weapons of their army. The Hindu version of the longbow was composed of metal, or more typically bamboo, and fired a long bamboo cane arrow with a metal head. Unlike the composite bows of Western and Central Asian foes, bows of this design would be less prone to warping in the damp and moist conditions often prevalent to the region. The Indian longbow was reputedly a powerful weapon capable of great range and penetration and provided an effective counter to invading horse archers. Iron shafts were used against armored elephants and hippos, and fire arrows were also part of the bowmen's arsenal. India historically has had a prominent reputation for its steel weapons. One of these was the steel bow. Due to its high tensility, the steel bow was capable of long range and penetration of exceptionally thick armor. These were less common weapons than the bamboo design and found in the hands of noblemen rather than in the ranks. Archers were frequently protected by infantry equipped with shields, javelins, and longswords.
The Guptas also had knowledge of siegecraft, catapults, and other sophisticated war machines.
The Guptas apparently showed little predilection for using horse archers, despite the fact these warriors were a main component in the ranks of their Scythian, Parthian, and Hepthalite (Huna) enemies. However, the Gupta armies were probably better disciplined. Able commanders like Samudragupta and Chandragupta II would have likely understood the need for combined armed tactics and proper logistical organization. Gupta military success likely stemmed from the concerted use of elephants, armored cavalry, and foot archers in tandem against both Hindu kingdoms and foreign armies invading from the Northwest. The Guptas also maintained a navy, allowing them to control regional waters.
The collapse of the Gupta Empire in the face of the Huna onslaught was due not directly to the inherent defects of the Gupta army, which after all had initially defeated these people under Skandagupta. More likely, internal dissolution sapped the ability of the Guptas to resist foreign invasion, as was simultaneously occurring in Western Europe and China.
*NOTE A LOT OF THE THINGS WE KNOW ABOUT THE GUPTAS ARE FROM CHINESE PILGRIMS LOOKING TO LEARN MORE ABOUT BUDDHISM* *A LOT OF RECORDS HAVE BE WIPED OUT*
Fourth century AD Sanskrit poet Kalidasa, credits Chandragupta Vikramaditya (aka Raghu) with having conquered about twenty one kingdoms, both in and outside India. After finishing his campaign in the East, South and West India, Raghu aka Vikramaditya (Chandragupta II) proceeded northwards, subjugated the Parasikas (Persians), then the Hunas and the Kambojas tribes located in the west and east Oxus valleys respectively. Thereafter, the glorious king proceeds across the Himalaya and reduced the Kinnaras, Kiratas etc. and lands into India proper
Chandragupta marched against the Saka Satraps about AD 389. After six years of courageous fighting, he killed the Sakas chieftains. He killed Rudrasena III, a Saka king of West India. He annexed all the three kingdoms of Satraps under Gupta empire and made Ujjain a second capital, and called himself Vikramaditya -- a combination of words valour and sun. Chandragupta's empire had both the Arabian Sea coast and that of the Bay of Bengal under its control. He also captured Bactria and concluded marital alliances with the Nagas, Vakatakas and Kadamba dynasties.
Like his grandfather, Chandragupta married the Lichhavi princess Kumaradevi. He gave his daughter Prabhavati in marriage to Rudrasena II, the Venkata king of Central India. Rudrasena had helped him in his campaign against the Saka Satraps.
His greatest victory was his victory over the Shaka-Kshatrapa dynasty and annexation of their kingdom in Gujarat, by defeating their last ruler Rudrasimha III.
His son-in-law Rudrasena II died fortuitously after a very short reign in 390 AD, following which Prabhavatigupta ruled as a regent on behalf of his two sons. During this twenty-year period the Vakataka realm was practically a part of the Gupta empire. The geographical location of the Vakataka kingdom allowed Chandragupta to take the opportunity to defeat the Western Kshatrapas once for all. Many historians refer to this period as the Vakataka-Gupta age.
Chandragupta II the Great controlled a vast empire, from the mouth of the Ganges to the mouth of the Indus River and from what is now North Pakistan down to the mouth of the Narmada. Pataliputra continued to be the capital of his huge empire but Ujjain too became a sort of second capital. The large number of beautiful gold coins issued by the Gupta dynasty are a testament to the imperial grandeur of that age. Chandragupta II also started producing silver coins in the Shaka tradition.
The greatest achievement of Chandragupta II was the conquest of Malwa, Gujarat and Kathiawar from the Western Saka Satraps. The Sakas always remained a powerful neighbour at the frontier of the Gupta Empire. They always were a threat to the authority of the Gupta Empire. Perhaps this was the sole reason which impelled Chandragupta II to wage war against the Sakas of Western India. Samudragupta`s hold of eastern Malwa led to a constant friction of the Guptas with the Sakas in western India. Moreover Chandragupta II had murdered a Saka invader, who had defeated Rama Gupta-- if evidences of the Devi-Chandraguptam are accepted. The religious intolerance of the Sakas and Guptas was also another cause of the Saka war of Chandragupta II. Apart from these causes, trade relations that were growing between western India and the Roman Empire since the time of the Kushanas proved to be a significant cause of the Saka war by Chandragupta II.
However the brilliant victory of Chandragupta II over the Saka satraps united western India with the rest of north India. It rounded off the Gupta Empire by pushing its western limits to the natural frontier on the Arabian Sea. The Gupta Empire now extended from the Bay of Bengal in the east to the Arabian Sea in the west. The annexation of Malwa and Saurashtra by Chandragupta II had given the Guptas free access to parts of western coast, especially the parts of Barygaza. As a result trade relation of the Guptas with the Roman Empire flourished. Therefore the principal impact of victory of Chandragupta II in the Saka war was the material prosperity of the Guptas. The city of Ujjaini became the centre of trade between the Roman Empire and the Gotras. The city became very prosperous, with decorated palaces. Ujjaini at that time was transformed into a centre of luxury. Ujjaini was not only a home of the bourgeoisie merchants, but also a centre of cultural interest in northern India. Cultural contact with the Roman Empire was established through the channel of trade.
Chandragupta II`s victory against the Sakas however is not mentioned directly in the official epigraph of the Guptas. Though a legend of the contemporary period ascribed him the title "Sakari" or the enemy of the Sakas, yet his own inscriptions are silent about the Saka war. As a result, the actual date of Saka war by Gupta emperor Chandragupta II cannot be ascertained properly. According to Dr. Smith, the actual date of the Saka war was 388 to 401 A.D., while Dr. R.C. Majumdar has fixed the date of the Saka war in the first decade of 1st century A.D. However the date of the Saka war mentioned in Chandragupta II`s silver coin denotes the date to be 409 to 415 A.D. The time mentioned in Chandragupta`s coin is generally accepted.
It is however plausible that Chandragupta II had other military campaigns to his credit but there is no definite authentic information about these conquests. Besides being a great warrior, Chandragupta II`s chief credit lies in the consolidation of the Empire. Dr. Bhandarkar has suggested that Chandragupta II had occupied the Mathura region from the Kushanas. But the theory of Dr. Bhandarkar has been discarded by scholars on the ground that the Kushanas were exterminated from the Mathura regions by the Nagas, and the Nagas were later ousted by Samudragupta. Hence according to those scholars, Chandragupta II inherited the Mathura kingdom from his father Samudragupta. According to scholars, Chandragupta II`s chief achievement as an administrator lies in the tremendous consolidation of the territories conquered by his father Samudragupta.
Historians are in keen controversy with one another regarding a fact in the Meharauli pillar inscription. The military exploits of a certain king named Chandra has been mentioned in Meharauli Pillar inscription. Some historians identified the king Chandra as Chandragupta II. According to the Meharauli Pillar inscription, if the king named Chandra is Chandragupta II, then Chandragupta II had extended his kingdom upto the limits of Vanga Desa (Bengal) and also had defeated the kings of Vahlikas. However the facts in Meharauli pillar inscription is generally accepted. Vanga or Samatata was a feudatory under Samudragupta. Probably they revolted against the Guptas after the death of Samudragupta. However, historians have opined that Chandragupta II had inherited a vast kingdom from his father and during his reign he had consolidated those kingdoms to establish a strong foundation of the Gupta Empire.
Chandragupta II's military
The Imperial Guptas could have achieved their successes through force of arms with an efficient martial system. Historically, the best accounts of this comes not from the Hindus themselves but from Chinese and Western observers. However, a contemporary Indian document, regarded as a military classic of the time, the Siva-Dhanur-veda, offers some insight into the military system of the Guptas. The Guptas seem to have relied heavily on infantry archers, and the bow was one of the dominant weapons of their army. The Hindu version of the longbow was composed of metal, or more typically bamboo, and fired a long bamboo cane arrow with a metal head. Unlike the composite bows of Western and Central Asian foes, bows of this design would be less prone to warping in the damp and moist conditions often prevalent to the region. The Indian longbow was reputedly a powerful weapon capable of great range and penetration and provided an effective counter to invading horse archers. Iron shafts were used against armored elephants and hippos, and fire arrows were also part of the bowmen's arsenal. India historically has had a prominent reputation for its steel weapons. One of these was the steel bow. Due to its high tensility, the steel bow was capable of long range and penetration of exceptionally thick armor. These were less common weapons than the bamboo design and found in the hands of noblemen rather than in the ranks. Archers were frequently protected by infantry equipped with shields, javelins, and longswords.
The Guptas also had knowledge of siegecraft, catapults, and other sophisticated war machines.
The Guptas apparently showed little predilection for using horse archers, despite the fact these warriors were a main component in the ranks of their Scythian, Parthian, and Hepthalite (Huna) enemies. However, the Gupta armies were probably better disciplined. Able commanders like Samudragupta and Chandragupta II would have likely understood the need for combined armed tactics and proper logistical organization. Gupta military success likely stemmed from the concerted use of elephants, armored cavalry, and foot archers in tandem against both Hindu kingdoms and foreign armies invading from the Northwest. The Guptas also maintained a navy, allowing them to control regional waters.
The collapse of the Gupta Empire in the face of the Huna onslaught was due not directly to the inherent defects of the Gupta army, which after all had initially defeated these people under Skandagupta. More likely, internal dissolution sapped the ability of the Guptas to resist foreign invasion, as was simultaneously occurring in Western Europe and China.
*NOTE A LOT OF THE THINGS WE KNOW ABOUT THE GUPTAS ARE FROM CHINESE PILGRIMS LOOKING TO LEARN MORE ABOUT BUDDHISM* *A LOT OF RECORDS HAVE BE WIPED OUT*
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share of world GDP in the first century to (28.9%) in 1000 AD, and in 1700 AD with (24.4%. "
