Samudragupta, the warrior king

At Prayagraj stands a pillar with the prayāga praśhasti, an inscription praising Samudragupta, Chandragupta II's father. It was written by his court poet, Harisena. He says the king wanted to be 'dharaṇi-bandha': to unify the Earth, tie the whole land together.

Notice who wrote it: the king's own poet. A praśhasti is praise, so historians weigh it carefully rather than believe every word. Still, it shows what the king wanted to be known for.

Samudragupta fought many wars, defeated kings and grew his empire. Many beaten kings were put back on their thrones and paid him tribute. Others were so afraid of him that they gave in without a fight. The same empire pattern again!

Harisena also says the king supported art, learning and trade, making the kingdom rich. And one of his own coins shows Samudragupta seated, playing the veena, with Lakṣhmī on the back. A great warrior chose to be shown as a musician! The coin shows the kind of king he wanted people to see.

Another coin shows the aśhvamedha horse, with the queen holding a chauri (fly whisk) on the back. The old Vedic ritual again, this time on a coin.

Old books help too. The Viṣhṇu Purāṇa says the Guptas would rule Anugaṅga (the middle Ganga basin), Prayāga (Prayagraj), Sāketa (Ayodhya), Magadha (roughly Bihar) and the lands around. But at its peak the empire was bigger: most of today's north and west India, plus parts of central and east India.

Think practically: moving a whole army meant soldiers, elephants, horses, cooks, helpers, and food for all of them. The tributary kings were probably asked to supply these. An army on the march ate its way across other people's kingdoms!