The Three Chandraguptas of India

Well, this is quite interesting–a name shared by three different people who turned out to be great in their own rite, and belonged to medieval India. Why don’t we have that name for our children nowadays or why none with that name became that much great later on–or did we stuck to the Shakespearean idea of ‘What’s in the name’?

Whatever may be the reason, it is always great to revisit these personalities who have etched their names in the history books. Let’s try to have a peek into the life of every Chandragupta:

Chandragupta I (Gupta Dynasty)

He is known to have expanded the Gupta Dynasty vastly and is credited with making the empire a real big one. In fact, he was the one who got himself called Maharajadhiraja–which means ‘King of kings’. He was the father of Samundragupta, who is popularly known as the Napoleon of India.

Chandragupta II (Gupta Dynasty)

Chandragupta II was the grandson of Chandragupta I and son of Samundragupta. He is considered as one of the greatest kings of India. His reign is often considered as the ‘Golden Age of India’. He was called Vikramaditya–a legendary king known to the best one. He was a patron of art, architecture, and development–you can see his pillars throughout India, and a prominent one in the Qutub square in Delhi.

Chandragupta Maurya (Maurya Empire)

Chandragupta Maurya was the first king to join India into one state–he was the disciple of Chanakya (a prominent figure in Indian political system). He was the grandfather of Ashoka–another king of supreme importance in Indian history. Chandragupta Maurya built the empire all on his own with the help of his master, and didn’t inherit anything.

 

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