Gupta Empire

Gupta empire begins to form

240

Between 240 and 280 CE the Gupta Empire started to form from smaller, local kingdoms that were created after the death of the leader of the Mauryan empire, Ashoka. Sri Gupta was the founder of the empire, and was the one who began to bring kingdoms together to form it.

Ghatotkacha succeeds Sri Gupta

280

Sri Gupta's son Ghatotkacha succeeds him after his rule ends in 280 CE. Ghatotkacha then rules from 280 CE to 319 CE. During his time of ruling, he would make great strides to consolidate power, form alliances with other people and nations, and set up the empire to have a much bigger expansion later on.

Chandragupta I rules the empire

319

Chandragupta I comes to power after his father Ghatotkacha rules. Chandragupta rules from 319 CE to 335 CE. During his period of ruling he married princess Kumaradevi, and by doing this he received a large dowry and political alliance from the marriage. It allowed him to expand the empire along the Ganges River to Prayag. It was during this period of time too that the golden age of India began.

Golden Age begins

320

Around 320 CE is when the golden age of the Gupta empire, and India as a whole began. By this point the Gupta empire had begun expanding more across India, and making advancements in math, science, literature, and the arts.

Gupta Empire "started"

320

By 320 CE the Gupta empire was growing a lot, both in size as well as skills and knowledge. The empire was forming in the years prior to this. However, some consider 320 CE to be the year it started, because by that point it was larger and starting to make more advancements.

Samudragupta's ruling and expansion

335

Samudragupta came to power after his father Chandragupta ruled. Samudragupta's reign lasted from 335 CE to 380 CE. During his rule he accomplished many things, especially expansion of the empire. At the beginning of his rule he conquered two other kingdoms, and then attacked neighboring tribes. By the end of his rule in 380, he had incorporated over 20 other kingdoms into the empire.

Samudragupta introduces currency

365

In 365 CE, in roughly the middle of his rule, Samudragupta introduced gold coins as a currency in the empire. This was a big accomplishment for the empire, because with money they could now use it for trade and domestic affairs. It allowed trade and commerce to flourish. The coins were used both within the empire, and outside of it for trade and business.

Chandragupta II rules the empire

380

After his father Samudragupta dies, Chandragupta II was nominated to be his successor, despite not being the eldest. He ruled from 380 CE to around 413 CE, if not closer to 415 CE. His era of power is significant because of how much he expanded the empire westward through conquest and political marriages, and also the advancements made in art, science, and literature.

Chandragupta II defeats Saka

395

Between 395 CE and 400 CE Chandragupta II fought and defeated the Sakas, which was a nomadic tribe, and included in all his conquests was the defeat of his main opponent Rudrasimha III. By defeating these people he gained access to important seaports that allowed trade and commerce to expand, and he expanded the Gupta empire's control of India from coast to coast.

Kumaragupta I's ruling

415

Kumaragupta I succeeded his father Chandragupta II. He ruled from 415 CE to 455 CE. His period of control of the empire was important because it was seen as a period of stability for the empire. He didn't focus as much on expansion, but rather maintained control of the land from external threats. This allowed for great prosperity and cultural development of India, and continued advancements in art, literature, and science.

Huns invade the Gupta empire

450

During the year 450 CE the Huns invaded the Gupta empire. The Huns were a nomadic tribe from central Asia. They invaded the empire and began weakening it. The first invasion of the Huns is important because it marks the beginning of the Gupta empire's slow downfall.

Skandagupta defeats the Huns

455

Between 455 CE and 457 CE Skandagupta fought and defeated the first invasion of the Huns. He was celebrated for his quick defeat of the invasion, but because of the cost of the wars the empire's resources were drained. The economy began to see a downfall, and inflation started once the coins Skandagupta issued began reducing in value.

Skandagupta assumes the throne

455

After Kumaragupta died in 455 CE, his son Skandagupta immediately assumed the throne. He ruled from 455 CE to 467 CE. He had been fighting the Huns during his father's rule, and quickly went back to that fight. Skandagupta is regarded as a great warrior, but is the last of the great rulers of the Gupta empire.

Purugupta follows after Skandagupta

467

Skandagupta died in 467 CE, so his brother Purugupta followed after him on the throne and he ruled from 467 CE to 473 CE. Purugupta's reign is seen as the first out of a line of weak kings to follow after him. The weak kings would get threatened and attacked by external forces. His reign and theirs weren't as significant, but the Gupta empire did accomplish some things during that period of time.

Period of weak kings begins

473

This time period marks the rulings of several weak kings of the Gupta empire. Their reigns weren't significant, other than a few accomplishments and events along the way. Many of them, the years they ruled were forgotten or not recorded. Kumaragupta II ruled from 473-476, then Budhagupta from 476-495, Narasimhagupta at 495, Vainyagupta around 507, Bhanugupta around 510, then Kumaragupta III around 530.

Ajanta caves get built in Maharashtra

480

In 480 CE the Ajanta caves were built in a district of Maharashtra, which is a state of India. The caves were 30 rock cut Buddhist cave paintings and sculptures. The paintings and sculptures depict major advancements the Gupta empire made in art, architecture, religion, and engineering/tools. They are considered masterpieces amongst Buddhist art to this day, and have since influenced other art and architecture today.

Huns conquer west and central India

484

Around 484 CE the Huns returned and were able to break through the Gupta empire's military defenses due to their weakened state from the first invasion. Their conquering of the land began during Budhagupta's reign, but they continued to fight the Gupta and take over their land for several years. By around 510 CE the Huns had conquered west and central India.

Aryabhatta makes discoveries in math & astronomy

499

Aryabhatta is known as one of the most intelligent minds of the Gupta empire. He made a lot of discoveries and advancements in math and science/astronomy, and was an inventor as well. The year 499 CE marks some of his greatest discoveries. At that point he used algebra and calculated pi, then was able to use that to predict eclipses and predict that the earth rotates on an axis. He also discovered the concept of 0, the first base 10 number system, the decimal system, and many other things.

Dashavatara temple is built

500

In the year 500 CE the Dashavatara temple was built in Deogarh, a city located in the Debagarh district of India. The temple is a collection of different images and sculptures from Hindu mythology. While it might not sound super relevant to the Gupta, it is an important part of their history. The images and sculptures capture the specific style the Gupta had in their architecture, which influenced a lot of other art and architecture later on.

Final invasion of the Huns

540

Around the year 540 CE, when Vishnugupta took over the Gupta empire, the Huns invaded one last time. They had already taken over most of the empire, but sent one last invasion to take it over completely. The empire had already been run down and depleted of resources since their first invasion; it slowly wore them down, until the Huns final attack that the Gupta couldn't come back from. This invasion led to the rapid decline and fall of the Gupta empire.

Vishnugupta is the final ruler

540

Following after his father Kumaragupta III, Vishnugupta took over the Gupta empire. He had a short reign from 540 CE to 550 CE. His reign was very important though, because he was the last known ruler of the Gupta empire before it collapsed. By the time he took the throne most of the empire was already taken over by the Huns, but he ruled for the rest of the duration of the empire while it was falling.

The end of the Gupta empire

550

The year 550 CE marks the end of the Gupta empire. It lasted for around 310 years, and 230 of those years are still seen as ancient India's golden age. The Gupta left huge impacts on our knowledge of math, astronomy, science, engineering, art, dialects, and literature as we know it. They also influenced a lot of architecture that came later in India. The Gupta empire had big impacts on India, but also just the knowledge we have as people today.