Kumaragupta I (Mahendraditya) - one of the rulers of the Gupta empire in 415–455. Like his father and predecessor, Chandragupta II , Kumaragupta I was a worthy ruler. He preserved the territorial integrity of the great empire, which extended from Bengal to Kathiawara and the Himalayas to Narmadi. He ruled effectively for almost forty years. However, the last days of his reign were not successful. The Gupta empire was threatened by an uprising in central India and the invasion of the White Huns . However, Kumaragupta I managed to prevent these threats, which, in order to celebrate their victory, ended in a horse sacrifice, which is depicted on one of the coins.
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Content
Historical Sources
The sources of study of the reign of Kumaragupta were gold and silver coins. Coins were withdrawn from the famous Bayan treasure. This coin treasure was found in February 1946 near the village of Bayana in the principality of Bharatpur , which was found by the Maharaja (king) in Bharatpur, Colonel of His Highness Sri Maharaja, who loved hunting for wild animals. This treasure was used to make jewelry for members of the royal family, and the remaining coins of the treasure were kindly transferred to the National Museum of India in Delhi , Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya in Mumbai . [one]
Boards of Kumaragupta
Having inherited the throne in Chandragupta II, Kumaragupta I asserted his authority over the vast empire of his ancestors, which covered most of India, with the exception of the four southern states of India. Later, he also performed the ritual of yajna and proclaimed himself "the king of all kings." The minting of coins was one of the features of the reign of Kumaragupta I, but for some reason the coins dedicated to this event were not minted. Kumaragupta was also a great patron of art and culture, there is evidence that he contributed to the development of the art school in the large ancient university of Nalanda, which flourished throughout the V — XII century. Numismatic evidence suggests that during his reign, the Gupta Empire was at the zenith of fame. Kumaragupta I minted 14 different types of gold coins, thus surpassing other rulers of the Gupta dynasty. Among them are images with the Killer Rhinoceros, feeding a peacock, which are unique throughout Indian numismatic history. He also minted two types of coins Tiger-killer and lyricist, founded by his grandfather Samudragupta . These two types of coins were ceased to be minted during the reign of Chandragupta. [one]
Kumaragupta also minted silver coins, which were mainly intended for distribution in the western part of the Gupta empire. Unlike gold coins, where an attempt was made to show the activities of the rulers, silver coins were more or less just standard without taking into account the actual views of the ruler. [one]
The iron pillar, which is one of the leading metallurgical curiosities in the world, testifies to the development of craft at this time. The pillar was originally located in the temple of Mithras , and later, during the Ottoman Empire, the conquest around the pillar was built by Minar Qutub - an Islamic mosque . The pillar is made up of 98% high quality wrought iron, 23 feet 8 inches high and 16 inches in diameter. The column is evidence of the high level of skill achieved by the ancient Indian blacksmiths of iron, and the development of mining and processing of iron. The pillar attracted the attention of archaeologists and metallurgists, as the one that withstood corrosion over the past 1600 years, despite the harsh weather conditions.
Personality of the King
Images on coins indicate that the king was a skilled hunter. In particular, one of the coins depicts the king himself with a bow in his right hand and a tiger, which lies with its mouth open. The king’s right foot is on the ousted tiger. The inscription on the coin says that His Majesty has the strength and courage of a tiger. From the same coins you can find out that the king wore a coat with short sleeves and a turban, earrings, necklaces, bracelets. [one]
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 GUPTA DYNASTY, GOLDEN AGE OF INDIA (unavailable link) . Date of treatment April 5, 2018. Archived on August 2, 2009.