Campaigns of Samudragupta: Difference between revisions

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==== Madarakas ====
==== Madarakas ====
The Madras originally came from [[Sialkot]] (Madradesa), now in [[Pakistan]]. They were known as a group of warriors and held the title of ''Rajan'' ([[king]]), as mentioned in [[Chanakya|Kautilya's]] [[Arthashastra]]. The story of Savitri and Satyavana is linked to this region since Savitri was the daughter of Asvapati, the king of Madra. The area, known as Sakala, was located in the land between two rivers called the Rechna Doab. The Madras were divided into two branches: ''Purva Madra'' (East Madra), which extended from the [[Ravi River]] to the [[Chenab River]], and ''Apara Madra'' (West Madra), which stretched from the Chenab to the [[Jhelum River]], as described by Panini. Historian P.L. Gupta suggested that they might have also lived in a region of Rajasthan near [[Bikaner division|Bikaner]], in a place called Bhadra, during [[Samudragupta|Samudragupta's]] conquests. His idea was based on the similarity of the names "Madra" and "Bhadra," but this view is not widely accepted, as evidence shows they were two distinct tribes.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fWVZWjNAcAgC|title=A Political History of the Imperial Guptas: From Gupta to Skandagupta|last=Sharma|first=Tej Ram|date=1989|publisher=Concept Publishing Company|isbn=978-81-7022-251-4|pag
The Madras originally came from [[Sialkot]] (Madradesa), now in [[Pakistan]]. They were known as a group of warriors and held the title of ''Rajan'' ([[king]]), as mentioned in [[Chanakya|Kautilya's]] [[Arthashastra]]. The story of Savitri and Satyavana is linked to this region since Savitri was the daughter of Asvapati, the king of Madra. The area, known as Sakala, was located in the land between two rivers called the Rechna Doab. The Madras were divided into two branches: ''Purva Madra'' (East Madra), which extended from the [[Ravi River]] to the [[Chenab River]], and ''Apara Madra'' (West Madra), which stretched from the Chenab to the [[Jhelum River]], as described by Panini. Historian P.L. Gupta suggested that they might have also lived in a region of Rajasthan near [[Bikaner division|Bikaner]], in a place called Bhadra, during [[Samudragupta|Samudragupta's]] conquests. His idea was based on the similarity of the names "Madra" and "Bhadra," but this view is not widely accepted, as evidence shows they were two distinct tribes.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fWVZWjNAcAgC|title=A Political History of the Imperial Guptas: From Gupta to Skandagupta|last=Sharma|first=Tej Ram|date=1989|publisher=Concept Publishing Company|isbn=978-81-7022-251-4|pag
== Aftermath and Legacy ==
[[File:SamudraguptaCoin.png|thumb|Coin of [[Samudragupta]], with [[Garuda]] pillar, emblem of [[Gupta Empire]]. The name [[File:Gupta_ashoka_s.svg|12x12px]][[File:Gupta_ashoka_mu.jpg|14x14px]][[File:Gupta_ashoka_ddrr.jpg|13x13px]] ''Sa-mu-dra'' in an early version of the Gupta Brahmi script, appears vertically under the left arm of the emperor.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.47214|title=Catalogue of the coins of the Gupta dynasties|last1=Allen|first1=John|date=1914|pages=[https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.47214/page/n123 1]-2}}</ref>]]
It is important to note that the part of the inscription ends by mentioning that, in addition to the nine kings who were defeated by [[Samudragupta]], there were many other kings of [[North India|Aryavarta]] whose territories were also taken over by him. As a result of his two military campaigns, Samudragupta conquered all the small kingdoms of [[North India]], bringing the entire region under his rule as its supreme leader. This unification of North India, which had been divided into many small [[State|states]], was one of Samudragupta's greatest achievements and helped create the [[Gupta Empire]]. The term "Aryavarta" here refers to the area between the [[Himalayas]] and the [[Vindhyas|Vindhya Mountains]], and between the [[Arabian Sea|western]] and [[Bay of Bengal|eastern seas]], as described in ancient texts.<ref>Manusmrti (Manu, II, 22).</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uYXDB2gIYbwC|title=The Gupta Empire|last=Mookerji|first=Radhakumud|date=1989|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publ.|isbn=978-81-208-0089-2|pages=29|language=en}}</ref>
[[Samudragupta]] celebrated his victories by performing the Ashvamedha, a horse-sacrifice ceremony that had not been performed for a long time. His successors praised him for reviving this ceremony. The [[Prayagraj|Allahabad]] inscription does not mention this event because the ceremony took place after the inscription was made, once all his conquests had been completed. However, his coins provide evidence of the ceremony. These coins, called ''Ashvamedha coins'', show a [[horse]] in front of a sacrificial pillar on one side, with the queen (who was needed for the ceremony) and the legend "Ashvamedha-parakramaḥ" on the other side. The full legend on the front of the coin reads: "The king of kings, having conquered the earth, now conquers heaven with invincible valour." This shows that the Ashvamedha ceremony came after his military victories. "Conquering heaven" means achieving spiritual success, which was believed to be done through good deeds and religious ceremonies like the Ashvamedha. There are other references to the horse-sacrifice in inscriptions. The Eran stone inscription mentions "Suvarnadāne" (the distribution of gold), and another inscription talks about giving many [[cows]] and crores of [[Gold coin|gold coins]]. In the [[Pune|Poona]] plate of Prabhavatigupta (Samudragupta's [[granddaughter]]), he is described as "one who performed many horse-sacrifices." There is also a possible reference to the ceremony in the inscription "ddaguttassa deyadhamma," found on a horse figure at the [[Lucknow]] Provincial [[Museum]], and on a seal showing a horse with the word "parākrama" (meaning "valour").<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uYXDB2gIYbwC|title=The Gupta Empire|last=Mookerji|first=Radhakumud|date=1989|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publ.|isbn=978-81-208-0089-2|pages=30|language=en}}</ref>
[[Samudragupta]] expanded his [[Gupta Empire|empire]] to include the northern regions and incorporated various territories into his rule. He brought under his control the chiefs of the wild tribes along the [[Yamuna]] River and in the valleys of the [[Vindhyas|Vindhya Mountains]]. His empire spread eastward to the [[Assam]], to the north by the [[Himalayas]], to the west by the [[Sutlej|Sutlej River]], and to the south by the Narmada River. Beyond these limits, he held influence over the frontier kingdoms of the [[Ganges Delta|Ganges delta]] and the southern slopes of the Himalayas, as well as over free tribes in regions like [[Malwa]] and the [[Deccan Plateau|Deccan]]. His successful raids extended as far as the extremes of the [[Punjab region|Punjab]], bringing twelve southern kingdoms under temporary rule. Along his north-western frontier, Samudra Gupta maintained strong diplomatic relations with the [[Kushan Empire|Kushan]] rulers of [[Kabul]] and [[Gandhara]], and likely with the [[Sassanid Empire]] of [[Persia (disambiguation)|Persia]]. The results of his southern campaign reached as far as Ceylon ([[Sri Lanka]]) and other islands, where he received embassies and complimentary gifts from distant and foreign lands.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.35430/mode/2up|title=Conquests of Samudragupta|last=Smith|first=Vincent A|year=1960|pages=909–910}}</ref>
== Aftermath and Legacy ==
== Aftermath and Legacy ==
[[File:SamudraguptaCoin.png|thumb|Coin of [[Samudragupta]], with [[Garuda]] pillar, emblem of [[Gupta Empire]]. The name [[File:Gupta_ashoka_s.svg|12x12px]][[File:Gupta_ashoka_mu.jpg|14x14px]][[File:Gupta_ashoka_ddrr.jpg|13x13px]] ''Sa-mu-dra'' in an early version of the Gupta Brahmi script, appears vertically under the left arm of the emperor.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.47214|title=Catalogue of the coins of the Gupta dynasties|last1=Allen|first1=John|date=1914|pages=[https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.47214/page/n123 1]-2}}</ref>]]
[[File:SamudraguptaCoin.png|thumb|Coin of [[Samudragupta]], with [[Garuda]] pillar, emblem of [[Gupta Empire]]. The name [[File:Gupta_ashoka_s.svg|12x12px]][[File:Gupta_ashoka_mu.jpg|14x14px]][[File:Gupta_ashoka_ddrr.jpg|13x13px]] ''Sa-mu-dra'' in an early version of the Gupta Brahmi script, appears vertically under the left arm of the emperor.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.47214|title=Catalogue of the coins of the Gupta dynasties|last1=Allen|first1=John|date=1914|pages=[https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.47214/page/n123 1]-2}}</ref>]]
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