The Gupta Empire: The Golden Age of India — Part 2: Chandragupta II Vikramaditya and Later Rulers
Part 2: Chandragupta II Vikramaditya — defeat of Shakas, Vakataka alliance, Mehrauli Iron Pillar, Fa-Hien's visit; and later rulers Kumaragupta I, Skandagupta, and the Gupta decline.
Ancient India — Part 5 of 5
1.3 Chandragupta II Vikramaditya (375–415 CE)
Chandragupta II, known as Vikramaditya, was Samudragupta's successor, though there is evidence from Visakhadatta's drama Devi Chandraguptam (and references in the Harshacharita and Kavyamimamsa) that an elder son Ramagupta briefly occupied the throne. Copper coins bearing the name Ramagupta and inscriptions on Jaina image pedestals at Vidisha confirm his existence. Dhruvadevi is described as mother of Govindagupta in a Vaishali seal. According to the drama, Chandragupta II killed Ramagupta after the latter agreed to surrender his wife, Queen Dhruvadevi, to a Shaka king to avoid defeat. Chandragupta disguised himself as the queen, entered the Shaka camp, and slew the Shaka king.
Chandragupta II's most decisive military achievement was the defeat of Shaka king Rudrasimha III, ending the Kshatrapa dynasty in western India and adding Gujarat, Kathiawad, and west Malwa to the Gupta empire. Two inscriptions at the Udayagiri caves near Sanchi and one at Sanchi itself show Chandragupta's presence in eastern Malwa while preparing for these campaigns. The cessation of independent Shaka coinage — minted continuously for almost 400 years — after this conquest confirms his victory. From this time the Guptas minted Shaka-type silver coins for the western region, adding only their own symbols.
His success against the Shakas gave rise to the tradition of Shakari Vikramaditya ("Vikramaditya who was an enemy of the Shakas"). He entered into a matrimonial alliance with the Vakatakas: his daughter Prabhavati was married to Vakataka king Rudrasena II, and she later wielded considerable power as regent. He also married Kuberanaga of the Naga clan, strengthening his position in north India.
The Mehrauli Iron Pillar inscription (Qutub Minar complex, Delhi) records "King Chandra" crossing the seven-rivered Sindhu region, defeating the Valhikas (identified with Bactria), and also defeating enemies from Vanga (Bengal). Many scholars identify this "Chandra" with Chandragupta II.
The Chinese pilgrim Fa-Hien visited India during Chandragupta II's reign (circa 405–411 CE) seeking Buddhist texts. Although Fa-Hien does not name the king, he describes the people of Madhya-desha as prosperous and happy under a just monarch. He noted that capital punishment was not in use. Chandragupta II was also known for his patronage to men of letters, including Kalidasa (traditionally one of the Navaratnas — nine gems — of his court).
1.4 Later Gupta Rulers and Decline
Kumaragupta I (415–455 CE) succeeded Chandragupta II. Inscriptions from Bilsad, Etah district (415 CE), Karamdanda near Fyzabad (436 CE), Mandsor (436 CE), and the Damodar Copper Plates establish his wide reign over Magadha, Bengal, and Gujarat. He maintained cordial relations with the Vakatakas established through matrimonial alliances. Towards the end of his reign, Huna incursions threatened the north-western frontier, but were repelled by his son Skandagupta.
Skandagupta (455–467 CE) was perhaps the last powerful Gupta monarch. He repelled the Huna invasions and consolidated his position by fighting the Pushyamitras. These wars strained the treasury; his gold coins had less gold than earlier issues and a heavier weight standard was introduced. The Junagadh inscription of his reign records the repair of the Sudarshana lake (originally built in the Maurya period, repaired under Mahakshatrapa Rudradaman in the 2nd century CE, and again damaged by excessive rains and repaired by his governor Parnadatta and Parnadatta's son Chakrapalita). This is evidence of Gupta-era investment in public irrigation works. The last known date for Skandagupta is 467 CE from his silver coins.
After Skandagupta, the succession is unclear. Rulers mentioned in inscriptions include Budhagupta, Vainyagupta, Bhanagupta, Narasimhagupta Baladitya, Kumaragupta II, and Vismigupta. The Guptas continued to rule till approximately 550 CE, but their power had by then become negligible.