Indian History

Chandragupta II was succeeded by his son Kumara Gupta I (c. 415-455 AD), who like his grandfather Samudragupta, performed the Vedic horse sacrifice (Ashvamedha).  In his last years, the Gupta empire suffered a severe blow in the form of attack by the Hunas, the barbaric tribes from Central Asia. The Hunas were finally defeated by his son Skanda Gupta. 

Chandragupta II succeeded to the Gupta throne after his father Samudra Gupta from whom he inherited a large empire. It is believed that before Chandragupta II his elder brother Ram Gupta ruled the Gupta empire and was forced to conclude dishonourable peace treaty with the Sakas who had ruled in the parts of western India for over 200 years.   According to the drama Devichandraguptam of Vishakhadatta, Ram Gupta was badly defeated by a Saka chieftain and forced him to agree  to surrender his queen Druvadevi to the Sakas. This angered Chandragupta II who killed his brother and married his widow.   However, Ram Gupta’s historicity is in the realm of doubt.  Vikramaditya (“Sun of Valour”) was one of the titles of Chandragupta II. He is probably the king eulogized in the inscription on the iron pillar in the Qūwat al-Islām mosque of Meharauli in Delhi . It was Chandra Gupta II who soon after AD 388 finally subjugated the Shakas. This made him the lord of all Northern India. His control over

Samudra Gupta  was the second ruler of the famed Gupta Empire and one of Indian history’s greatest military minds.    Allahabad Pillar | Wikimedia Commons Samudra Gupta (reigned c.330 – c.380) was the second ruler of the Gupta dynasty, the golden period of Hinduism. He was appointed by his father Chandra Gupta I to succeed him. The coins of an obscure prince, Kacha, suggest that his accession to the throne did not go unchallenged.   A detailed record of Samudragupta’s reign is preserved in the Allahabad pillar inscription composed by his court poet and minister Harisena . The inscription is engraved on a pillar erected by Asoka six centuries before him. In the inscription he is mentioned to have "violently uprooted" no less than nine kings of Northern India, and to have annexed their kingdoms to his own.  Samudra Gupta possessed domains from Assam to the borders of Punjab. He performed Ashvamedha Yajna. This was the first Ashvamedha after Pushyamitra Sunga, the founder of th

The disintegration of the mighty Mauryan empire began upon Ashoka’s death around 233–232 BC. After him, the empire continued to last for another half-century before giving way to the Śungas whose founder Pushyamitra overthrew Brihadratha , the last Mauryan emperor, by way of a palace revolution in about 183 BC. After the death of Asoka, the territory of Mauryan empire was divided into the eastern and western parts. Sampriti and Dasaratha succeeded Asoka in the western and eastern parts respectively. Samprati had embraced Jainism. He was converted to the religion by Suhastin. His contribution to Jainism is similar to that of Asoka to Buddhism. After a rule of nine years Samprati was followed by his son Salisuka who ruled for 13 years.  The other eastern half of the Mauryan empire with Pataliputra as the capital came under the control of Dasaratha who is known to have dedicated three caves in the Nagarjuni Hills (in Bihar) to the Ajivikas.  According to Kalhana's 12th century Kashmir

Sculpture of Kanishka at Mathura Government Museum / Image Source Kanishka was the founder of the Shaka Era (A.D. 78), one of the most widely spread Indian systems of dating. It was during the time of Kanishka that Buddhism began to spread to Central Asia and the Far East. According to a tradition preserved in China, the Fourth Buddhist Council was held under the patronage of Kanishka in Srinagar. In this fourth council the Sarvastivadin doctrines were codified in a summary, the Mahavibhasa . The convening of the Fourth Council led to the division into two broad sects, namely the Mahayana (great Vehicle ) and the Hinayana (lesser Vehicle).  Kanishka’s greatest contribution to Buddhist architecture was the Kanishka Stupa at Peshawar (now in Pakistan). He was a patron of Buddhist art of Gandhara .

1. The famous Atala Mosque in Jaunpur was built by the rulers of which dynasty? (a) Sharqi dynasty (b) Tughlaq dynasty (c) Khilji  dynasty (d) None of the above.  Answer-(a) Sharqi dynasty Atala Mosque in Jaunpur was built by Ibrahim Shah Sharqi (1401-1408) Atala Mosque was built on the site of a temple at Atala Devi, demolished by Firuz Shah Tughlaq in 1376.  Khalis Mukhlis Masjid, The Jhanjhari Masjid ,  Lal Darwaza mosque are other famous mosques in Jaunpur.  Jama Mosque, built by Hussain Shah Sharqi, is the largest mosque in Jaunpur. 2. The correct chronological order in which the following monuments belonging to the Delhi sultanate period were built: (a) Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, Alai Darwaza, Tomb of Shah Rukn-e-Alam, Tomb of Sikander Lodi (b) Tomb of Shah Rukn-e-Alam, Tomb of Sikander Lodi, Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, Alai Darwaza, (c) Tomb of Sikander Lodi, Tomb of Shah Rukn-e-Alam, Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, Alai Darwaza (d) Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, Tomb of Shah Ruk

                                           Malik Ambar / Wikimedia Commons Malik Ambar was the regent of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate, known more famously as the Nizam Shahi Dynasty, from 1607 to 1626. He was a thrice manumitted Ethiopian slave who is known in the medieval period as a great statesman and able administrator. Malik Ambar installed Murtaza II as ruler of Nizam Shahi dynasty with his capital at Parenda. He is known for instituting the innovative techniques in guerrilla warfare known as bargigiri which was later perfected by the Marathas.  He employed this warfare tactic with great effect against the Mughals. However, his gallant resistance to the Mughal forces ended when he was defeated by Mughal prince Khurram first in 1617 and again in 1621. This victory earned Prince Khurram the title of Shah Jahan (King of the World) from his father Jahangir, the fourth Mughal Emperor. He founded the city of Khirki, which was later named Aurangabad by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.