Career and achievements of Samudragupta .
Career and achievements of Samudragupta .
Achievements of Samudragupta as a ruler and conqueror
Career and achievements of Samudragupta .
The historical source related to Samudragupta is the Allahabad Prasasti written by his poet Harishena and the Edan inscription in present-day Madhya Pradesh. In addition, at least five different types of coins of Samudragupta are considered to be one of the characteristics of his life and reign. In addition, detailed descriptions of Samudragupta's reign are available from books written by Chinese historians. Samudragupta is also mentioned in the Aryamanjushrimulkalpa and a religious book called Tantrikamandaka.
Ascension to the throne: -
In the Allahabad pillar inscription, historians have come to the conclusion that probably after the death of Chandragupta I, a dispute regarding succession began in the royal family. Some gold coins mention a king named Kach. Smith commented that Kach was another brother of Samudragupta who was a rival of Samudragupta and Samudragupta killed him and seized the throne.
But it is possible that Samudragupta and Kach are identical. Samudragupta's previous name was Kach and he assumed the name Samudragupta after conquering the kingdom; because on the reverse side of the gold coin issued by Kach, the title ''Sarvarajchheta'' is applied only to Samudragupta.
According to Dr R.K. Mukherjee, Samudragupta's reign lasted from approximately 325 to 380 AD and the reign of his successor Chandragupta II began in 380 AD.
Imperial Policy of Samudragupta:-
''Only the strong will fight and destroy the enemy'' - Samudragupta followed this principle of Kautilya and through conquest he turned the Gupta kingdom into an all-India empire and established state unity. Therefore Smith called him ''Napoleon of India''.
In the Allahabad Prasasti, Samudragupta divided the states into four categories: the first category included the names of 12 states in South India; the second category included the names of nine kings of Aryavarta; the third category included the princes of the forested Atavika kingdom of Central India, the princes of five remote kingdoms and the nine tribal republics. Samudragupta reduced the princes of the Atavika kingdom to slavery and forced other princes to pay tribute. The fourth category included a number of small independent and semi-independent states whose princes were always trying to please Samudragupta. Samudragupta adopted the title of "Sarvarajchheta" by incorporating almost all the states of Aryavarta into the Gupta empire.
(a) North India :- Samudragupta defeated the nine kings of North India and annexed their empires. They were Rudradeva (Bakataka dynasty), Motil, Nagadatta, Chandravarman (Sushunia or West Bengal), Ganapatinag (Mathura), Achyuta (Ahichhatra kingdom), Nagasena (Naga dynasty of Padmavati), Nandin, Balvarman, etc.
(b) South India :- The twelve kingdoms conquered by Samudragupta in South India and the names of their kings were - Mahendra of Kosala, Byghraraja of Mahakantar, Mantaraja of Kaurol, Swamidatta of Kottar, Daman of Eranda, Vishnugopa of Kanchi, Nilraja of Avamukta, Dhananjaya of Kusthalapur, Hastivarman, Ugrasena, Kubera, etc.
(c) The Allahabad Prasasti states that Samudragupta adopted the novel policy of "grahan-moksha-parigrah" for the twelve kingdoms of South India. He was satisfied with only the oath of allegiance from the conquered kingdoms. He probably adopted such a system because it would not have been possible to maintain absolute dominance over South India from the distant Pataliputra. This is an indication of his political foresight.
(d) The Allahabad Prasasti states that after conquering the kingdom, Samudragupta performed the "Ashwamedha Yajna" (horse sacrifice) and issued a special coin with the word "Parakrama" (might).
(e) Gaining the loyalty of the border kingdoms:
Frightened by Samudragupta's victory, the kings of the border regions of eastern and western India - such as Samatat, Kamarupa, Nepal, Malaba, Arjunayana, Avir - etc. - accepted his loyalty and agreed to pay tribute. Even the Sakas of Kushan and Gujarat in north-western India accepted his submission.
(f) Foreign Affairs and Relations with foreign countries: -
Samudragupta's military fame was not limited to India only. His influence spread beyond the Indian subcontinent. It is known from Chinese sources that the King of Sinhala, Srimeghavarman, sent an envoy to Samudragupta with a large gift, seeking permission to establish a Buddhist Sangharam in Bodhgaya. With the permission of Samudragupta, the Sangharam was built. Hiu-n-Tsang has called this Sangharam "Mahabodhi Sangharam". About a thousand Buddhist monks of Mahayana Buddhism lived in this Sangharam. It is also mentioned in the Allahabad Inscription.
In addition, Samudragupta also extended his dominion over various countries of South-East Asia, such as Malaya, Sumatra, Java, etc. Hindu states. Before or after him, no human king could establish authority over all these colonies.
Samudragupta as an administrative reformer and ruler:-
After the fall of the Mauryan Empire, Samudragupta was the first to establish a sovereign power in the whole of India. He was called the "Napoleon of India" due to the extent of his military campaigns and the expansion of state dominance. No Indian ruler could have built the vast empire that he built by following the example of ‘’Digvijaya’’. The significance of his name "Samudragupta" is found in the context of his vast conquests.
According to Dr. R. K. Mukherjee, the meaning of the title "Samudragupta" is - he was protected or surrounded by the sea. The Mathura inscription of Chandragupta II states, "The fame of Samudragupta extended to the four seas". The Allahabad Inscriptions describes him as "Sarvarajchheta" or the unrivaled warrior of the world.
He established a strong central government and put an end to the internal conflicts among the small states. Perhaps this is why he adopted the title '' Vikramanka '' or '' Vikram ''.
Along with his military talent, he also showed diplomatic foresight. The most notable in this context is his Deccan policy. He conquered the Aryavarta kingdoms and incorporated them into his empire. But after conquering twelve kingdoms in the Deccan, he was satisfied with only an oath of allegiance. Because it would not have been possible to maintain absolute dominance over the Deccan from faraway Pataliputra. Besides, the Nagas in the west were strong rivals of the Gupta dynasty. The Nagas had an alliance with the Bakatakas. To prevent the Naga dynasty and the Bakatakas from uniting, Samudragupta attacked the Naga kingdom.
He was also successful as a ruler. He freed the system of government from foreign influence and brought about the necessary reforms. The system of government introduced by Samudragupta remained largely unchanged until the Muslim invasion of North India.
Finally, it can be said that Samudragupta was not only a conqueror, he was also a scholar, a poet, and a musician. The coins of Samudragupta playing the Veena indicate his musical taste. Harishena compared him to both Jupiter and Narada. He has been called the "Kaviraj" in the Allahabad Inscription for his versatile talent. Samudragupta was the first to issue completely Indian coins. His artistic gold coins are the glory of the Gupta era. In a word, his coins were free from foreign influence and his pan-Indian attitude was revealed.
In addition, his tolerant character towards other religions became clear through incidents such as granting permission to the Sinhala king Meghavarman to build a Buddhist monastery in Bodhgaya and appointing the Buddhist scholar Vasubandhu as a minister. Considering all these aspects, it can be said that Samudragupta was rightly awarded the title of "Rajchakravarti".
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