Category Kindoms of India

           Of all the small kingdoms that emerged in the north after the Gupta Empire, the Vardhanas emerged as prominent rulers. Known also as Pushyabhuti or Pushpabhuti, the Vardhanas ruled during the 6th and 7th centuries. Their kingdom flourished and was at its peak under Harshavardhana, the last Vardhana ruler.

          The political supremacy of the Vardhanas helped them gain imperial status and established them as a powerful kingdom. Harshavardhana shifted the capital from Sthanvishvara (modern Thanesar, Haryana) to Kanyakubja (modern Kanauj, Uttar Pradesh), from where he ruled until AD 647. Later, Kanauj became the capital of several future kingdoms.

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          The Kadambas were an ancient dynasty of Karnataka. They ruled till about AD 560 when they were overthrown by the ChaIukyas. With Mayurasharman being the first king who ruled from AD 345 to 360, the Kadambas ruled from Banavasi in present day Uttara Kannada district.

          The Western Gangas were important rulers of ancient Karnataka, who initially ruled from Kolar. Their rule spanned from about AD 350 to 1000 and in the meantime, their capital was shifted to Talakad. Konganivarman, who called himself Dharma Mahadhiraja was the first Ganga king.

          The early Pallavas ruled a place known as Tondainadu, to the south-east of the Satavahana Empire. The early Pallavas ruled from AD 275 to 550, with Kanchi as their capital. Skandavarman, Simhavarman and Buddhavarman were some of the notable early Pallava kings.

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          The Vakataka Empire was formally established in the last quarter of the third century AD. Purika in Berar was the capital of the Vakataka Empire and Vindhyasakti was one of the earliest kings of the dynasty. Vindhyasakti expanded his territory to-wards the north of the Vindhyas that included areas where the Narmada and Godavari flowed.

          However, the real founder of the Vakataka Empire was Pravarasena I, who ascended the throne after his father Vindhyasakti and called him-self Samrat. Under Pravarasena I, the kingdom expanded further north as far as the Narmada. Prithvisena was the last known king of the dynasty, and their rule ended between AD 515 and 550.

          The lkshvakus ruled over Vengi, the fertile deltas of the Krishna and the Godavari in the east. The lkshvaku dynasty was founded by Vasishthiputra Chantamula who rose to power after the decline of the Satavahanas. He was succeeded by his son Virapurusadata, who came to power in AD 275. However, this dynasty declined by the mid-4th century and the rulers may have been reduced to vassal status.

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          Numerous small kingdoms thrived to the south of the Vindhyas while the Guptas ruled in the north. Some of these smaller kingdoms lasted only for a few hundred years. These kingdoms constantly fought with each other to gain wealth and power.

          Among the main kingdoms in the Deccan were those ruled by the Vakatakas and the lkshvakus. Other kingdoms included those of the Kadambas, Gangas and early Pallavas.

          These kingdoms were gifted with fertile land. So, the kings tried to get control of fertile lands that included the flat coastal strip and the alluvial land between two rivers, and also the ports and other major trade centres.

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          Aryabhatiya, an astronomical treatise of 118 verses written by Aryabhata of Pataliputra came out in the Gupta age. The mathematical section of Aryabhatiya covers algebra, arithmetic, plane and spherical trigonometry, and quadratic equations. It is in this work that Aryabhata displays an awareness of both the zero and the decimal system.

          Apart from Aryabhatiya, he also wrote the Aiya-siddhanta, a lost work on astronomical computations, which is known through the writings of Aryabhata’s contemporary, Varahamihira, and later mathematicians and commentators, including Brahmagupta and Bhaskara I. Romaka Siddhanta was another popular book on astronomy which was written down in the Gupta period. It was influential on the work of Varahamihira.

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         Though scripting was not a prominent practice in India, many works of importance that were earlier recited were documented and given a final form during the Gupta Age. This includes the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, and the Panchatantra, some of the Puranas, and the Smritis or law books. Sanskrit literature grew richer and reached its peak during the reign of the Guptas.

          Kalidasa, who authored Meghaduta, Abhijnana Shakuntalam, Raghuvamsa and many other works was the finest writer of the Gupta age. Other interesting literary figures of the period include Visakhadatta, the author of the celebrated drama Mudra Rakshasa, Bhartrihari who renounced the world to lead a saintly life, Vishnusharma, the author of the famous Panchatantra and Shudraka, the dramatist who wrote Mrichchhakatika.

          Another notable contribution of this period is the compilation of Amarakosha by Amarasimha, who was a grammarian and poet in the court of Chandragupta II. Based on the work of Panini and Patanjali, Sanskrit grammar too developed during the Gupta age.

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