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Govindagupta
Govindagupta (fl. 4th-5th century) was a Gupta prince of ancient India. He was a son of Chandragupta II and Dhruvadevi, and a brother of Kumaragupta. Both Chandragupta and Kumaragupta held the Gupta thrones at different times. The Basarh clay seal of Govindagupta describes him as a ''Maharaja'' ("great king"), and the Mandsaur inscription of his son describes him as a powerful man who destroyed several kings. This has led some historians to theorize that Govindagupta also held the Gupta throne for a brief period. However, the general view among modern historians is that Govindagupta was never a sovereign ruler: he may have been a governor of the Tirabhukti province within the Gupta empire. Sources of information Basarh clay seal According to a clay seal discovered at Basarh, among the ruins of the ancient Vaishali city, Govindagupta was a son of the Gupta emperor Chandragupta II and his wife Dhruva-devi. The clay seal names queen Dhruva-svamini (presumably same as Dh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dhruvadevi
Dhruva-devi was the queen of the Gupta dynasty, Gupta king Chandragupta II (r. c. 380 – c. 415 CE), who ruled in present-day northern India. She was the mother of his successor Kumaragupta I, and was most probably same as Dhruva-svamini, who has been mentioned as a queen of Chandragupta and the mother of prince Govindagupta in a clay seal inscription as well as the Empress consort of the Gupta Empire. According to the Sanskrit play ''Devichandraguptam, Devi-Chandraguptam'', which is now partially lost, Dhruvadevi was originally a queen of Chandragupta's elder brother Ramagupta, who decided to surrender her to a Indo-Scythians, Shaka enemy after being besieged. Chandragupta entered the enemy camp disguised as the queen, and killed the enemy. A reconstruction of the play, based on other literary and epigraphic evidence, suggests that Chandragupta later killed Ramagupta, and married Dhruva-devi. The historicity of this narrative is debated among modern historians, with some scho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chandragupta II
Chandragupta II (r.c. 375–415), also known by his title Vikramaditya, as well as Chandragupta Vikramaditya, was an emperor of the Gupta Empire. Modern scholars generally identify him with King Chandra of the Iron pillar of Delhi, Delhi iron pillar inscription. Special:Diff/1281091362 He continued the Samudragupta#Military campaigns & territorial expansion, expansionist policy of his father Samudragupta through military conquests and marital alliances. Historical evidence attests to his remarkable victories, which include the defeat of the Sasanian Empire, Sassanids, the Gupta–Saka Wars, conquest of the Western Kshatrapas and the vassalization of the Hephthalites, Hunas. Under the reign of Chandragupta II, the Gupta Empire reached its zenith, directly controlling a vast territory which stretched from the Oxus River in the west to the Bengal region in the east, and from the foothills of the Himalayas in the north to the Narmada River in the south. Chandragupta II expanded hi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Skandagupta
Skandagupta (Gupta script: ''Ska-nda-gu-pta'', r. –467) was a Gupta Empire, Gupta Emperor of India. His Bhitari pillar inscription of Skandagupta, Bhitari pillar inscription suggests that he restored the Gupta power by defeating his enemies, who may have been rebels or foreign invaders. He repulsed an invasion by the Indo-Hephthalites (known as Huna people, Hunas in India), probably the Kidarites. He seems to have maintained control of his inherited territory, and is generally considered the last of the great Gupta Emperors. The Gupta genealogy after him is unclear, but he was most probably succeeded by Purugupta, who appears to have been his younger half-brother. Early life Skandagupta was a son of the Gupta emperor Kumaragupta I. His mother may have been a junior queen or a concubine of Kumaragupta. This theory is based on the fact that Skandagputa's inscriptions mention the name of his father, but not of his mother. For example, Skandagupta's Bhitari pillar inscription o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maharaja
Maharaja (also spelled Maharajah or Maharaj; ; feminine: Maharani) is a royal title in Indian subcontinent, Indian subcontinent of Sanskrit origin. In modern India and Medieval India, medieval northern India, the title was equivalent to a prince. However, in late ancient India and History of South India, medieval south India, the title denoted a king. The form "Maharaj" (without "-a") indicates a separation of noble and religious offices, although since in Marathi the suffix ''-a'' is silent, the two titles are near homophones. Historically, the title "Maharaja" has been used by kings since Vedic period, Vedic times and also in the second century by the Indo-Greek Kingdom, Indo-Greek rulers (such as the kings Apollodotus I and Menander I) and then later by the Indo-Scythians (such as the king Maues), and also the Kushans as a higher ranking variant of "Raja". Eventually, during the medieval era, the title "Maharaja" came to be used by sovereignty, sovereign princes and vassal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Huna People
Hunas or Huna (Middle Brahmi script: ''Hūṇā'') was the name given by the ancient Indians to a group of Central Asian tribes who, via the Khyber Pass, entered the Indian subcontinent at the end of the 5th or early 6th century. The Hunas occupied areas as far south as Eran and Kausambi, greatly weakening the Gupta Empire. The Hunas were ultimately defeated by a coalition of Indian princes that included an Indian king Yasodharman and the Gupta emperor, Narasimhagupta. They defeated a Huna army and their ruler Mihirakula in 528 CE and drove them out of India. The Guptas are thought to have played only a minor role in this campaign. The Hunas are thought to have included the Xionites, Xionite and/or Hephthalite, the Kidarites, the Alchon Huns (also known as the Alxon, Alakhana, Walxon etc.) and the Nezak Huns. Such names, along with that of the Hara Huna Kingdom, Harahunas (also known as the Halahunas or Harahuras) mentioned in Hindu texts, have sometimes been used for the Hunas ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Malwa
Malwa () is a historical region, historical list of regions in India, region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic plateau, volcanic upland north of the Vindhya Range. Politically and administratively, it is also synonymous with the former state of Madhya Bharat which was later merged with Madhya Pradesh. At present the historical Malwa region includes districts of western Madhya Pradesh and parts of south-eastern Rajasthan. Sometimes the definition of Malwa is extended to include the Nimar region south of the Vindhya Range, Vindhyas. The Malwa region had been a separate political unit from the time of the ancient Malava Kingdom. It has been ruled by several kingdoms and dynasties, including the Avanti (India), Avanti Kingdom, The Maurya Empire, Mauryans, the Malavas, the Gupta Empire, Guptas, the Paramara dynasty, Paramaras, The Rajput, Rajputs, the Delhi Sultanate, the Malwa Sultanate, M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bindeshwari Prasad Sinha
Bindeshwari Prasad Sinha (1919–2002) was an Indian archaeologist and historian specialising in ancient Indian history. Sinha was a professor and head of the Department of History and Archaeology at Patna University. He was the founder of Bihar state's Directorate of Archaeology and Museums. He was also the director of the K. P. Jayaswal Research Institute in Patna. B. P. Sinha was born in Bihar Sharif in 1919. He obtained an M.A. degree from the Patna University. He obtained a Ph.D. from SOAS, University of London in 1948. His guide was Lionel Barnett, and his thesis was on the topic ''Decline of the Kingdom of Magadh''. After returning to India, he taught at the Patna College, and later Patna University. He became the university's Head of department in 1958, and a professor in 1959. He also taught as a visiting professor in Bulgaria, the United States and Yugoslavia. Sinha is known for having carried out the first excavations at Vikramashila, the site of an ancient Buddhis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Heir Apparent
An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more eligible heir is known as an heir presumptive. Today these terms most commonly describe heirs to hereditary titles (e.g. titles of nobility) or offices, especially when only inheritable by a single person. Most monarchies refer to the heir apparent of their thrones with the descriptive term of ''crown prince'' or ''crown princess'', but they may also be accorded with a more specific substantive title: such as Prince of Orange in the Netherlands, Duke of Brabant in Belgium, Prince of Asturias in Spain (also granted to heirs presumptive), or the Prince of Wales in England and Wales; former titles include Dauphin in the Kingdom of France, and Tsesarevich in Imperial Russia. The term is also applied metaphorically to an expected succe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dashavatara Temple, Deogarh
The Dashavatara Temple is an early 6th century Hindu temple located at Deogarh, Uttar Pradesh, Deogarh, Lalitpur district, India, Lalitpur district, Uttar Pradesh which is 125 kilometers from Jhansi, in the Betwa River valley in northern-central India.Dehejia, Vidya. Indian Art. New York, NY: Phaidon Press Limited, 1997, p. 143 It has a simple, one cell square plan and is one of the earliest Hindu stone temples still surviving today. Built in the Gupta Empire, Gupta Period, the Dashavatara Temple at Deogarh shows the ornate Gupta Empire, Gupta style architecture. The temple at Deogarh is dedicated to Vishnu, but includes in it small footprint images of various deities such as Shiva, Parvati, Kartikeya, Brahma, Indra, the river goddesses Ganga (goddess), Ganga and Yamuna in Hinduism, Yamuna, as well as a panel showing the five Pandava, Pandavas of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. The temple was built out of stone and masonry brick.Dye, Joseph. The Arts of India. Virginia Museum of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Daitya
The daityas () are a race of asuras in Hindu mythology, descended from Kashyapa and his wife, Diti. Prominent members of this race include Hiranyaksha, Hiranyakashipu, and Mahabali, all of whom overran the earth, and required three of Vishnu's avataras to be vanquished. Literature The Manusmṛiti classifies the daityas as good, while placing them at a lower level than the devas: The origin and noteworthy members of this race are specified in the Harivamsha Purana: List of daityas Some of the notable daityas mentioned in Hindu mythology include: *Hiranyaksha – First son of Kashyapa and Diti *Hiranyakashipu – Second son of Kashyapa and Diti * Holikā – First daughter of Kashyapa and Diti * Andhakāsura – Son of Hiraṇyākṣa (Born from the sweat of Śiva) * Prahlāda – Son of Hiraṇyakaśipu * Virocana – Son of Prahlāda, father of Mahābalī * Devamba – Mother of Mahābalī * Mahābalī – Son of Virocana * Bāṇāsura – Son of Mahābalī *Uṣ� ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aditi
Aditi (Sanskrit: अदिति, lit. 'boundless' or 'limitless' or 'innocence') is an important Vedic goddess in Hinduism. She is the personification of the sprawling infinite and vast cosmos. She is the goddess of motherhood, consciousness, unconsciousness, the past, the future, and fertility. She is the mother of the celestial deities known as the adityas, and is referred to as the mother of many deities. As celestial mother of numerous beings, the synthesis of all things, she is associated with space (''akasha'') and with mystic speech (''Vāc''). She may be seen as a feminine form of Brahma, and associated with the primal substance (''mulaprakriti'') in the Vedanta. She is mentioned more than 250 times in the ''Rigveda,'' the verses replete with her praise. Family Aditi is the daughter of Daksha and Asikni (Panchajani). The ''Puranas'', such as the ''Shiva Purana'' and the ''Bhagavata Purana'', suggest that Daksha married all of his daughters off to different people ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Diti
Diti () is a daughter of the ''Prajapati'' Daksha in Hinduism. She is a wife of the sage Kashyapa and the mother of the demonic race Daityas and the divine group of Marutas. Legend According to the '' Puranic'' scriptures, Diti is one of the sixty daughters of ''Prajapati'' Daksha and his wife Asikni. She and her twelve sisters, including Aditi, were married to the sage Kashyapa. Diti is described as the mother of two groups of beings—the Daityas and the Maruts. The most prominent of her sons were Hiranyakashipu, Hiranyaksha, Vajranaka, Arunasura, Raktabija and Surapadman. Diti also had a daughter named Simhika (also known as Holika). Birth of Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu The Bhagavata Purana describes the circumstances of the birth of the two powerful daityas: Birth of the maruts After the death of her sons in the Samudra Manthana, Diti grew inconsolable. She begged her husband to grant her a child who would be capable of defeating Indra. In due cour ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
