Mod 3: Samudragupta — the Prayag Prashasti of Harishena, Five Policies of Conquest, the Ashvamedha, the Veena-Player Coins and the “Napoleon of India”
Concept
13.5 Samudragupta’s conquests
🏫 School level · NCERT Class 6–12 History (the base for UPSC, BPSC, BSSC and other PSC exams)
Reading the Prayag prashasti
Samudragupta (c. 335–375 CE), son of Chandragupta I and the Licchavi Kumaradevi, was chosen by his father in a public assembly. His deeds are recorded in the Prayag prashasti (Allahabad pillar inscription), composed in Sanskrit by his court poet and minister Harishena and engraved on the same pillar that carries Ashoka’s edicts (originally at Kaushambi).
| Group | Policy | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| 9 kings of Aryavarta (north) | Prasabhoddharana — violent uprooting; lands annexed | Rudradeva, Matila, Nagadatta, Ganapatinaga… |
| 12 kings of Dakshinapatha (south) | Grahana-moksha-anugraha — captured, released, reinstated | Vishnugopa of Kanchi, Mahendra of Kosala… |
| Forest states (atavika) | Paricharakikrita — made into servants | Central Indian forest belt |
| Frontier kings (pratyanta) and republics | Paid all taxes, obeyed orders, came to pay homage | Samatata, Davaka, Kamarupa, Nepala, Kartripura; Malavas, Yaudheyas, Arjunayanas… |
| Foreign powers | Self-surrender, gifts of maidens, sought charters | Daivaputra-Shahi-Shahanushahi (Kushanas), Shaka-Murundas, Simhala (Sri Lanka) |
- Prayag prashasti by Harishena on Ashoka’s pillar (from Kaushambi).
- Aryavarta 9 (annexed); Dakshinapatha 12 (grahana-moksha-anugraha); atavika; frontier & republics; foreign.
- Question: Who composed the Prayag prashasti? Answer: Harishena.
MCQs
Answer this question, then use Next.
Question 3: Who composed the celebrated Prayag Prashasti engraved on the Allahabad pillar for Samudragupta?
Question 4: What diplomatic policy was followed by Samudragupta toward the twelve rulers of Dakshinapatha?
[BPSC level] Samudragupta’s policy towards the 9 kings of Aryavarta was:
[UPSC level] Forest (atavika) states were treated by Samudragupta through:
[BPSC level] The southern king Vishnugopa defeated by Samudragupta ruled at:
[BSSC pattern] The Prayag prashasti is written in:
[UPSC level] The pillar bearing the Prayag prashasti originally stood at:
[BPSC level] Which frontier kingdom named in the Prayag prashasti lay in Assam?
One-liners
Write your answer, then submit to see the correct answer.
Who composed the Prayag prashasti?
Harishena.Concept
13.6 Samudragupta the king and poet
🏫 School level · NCERT Class 6–12 History (the base for UPSC, BPSC, BSSC and other PSC exams)
Ashvamedha, veena and diplomacy
- Ashvamedha: he performed the horse sacrifice; his Ashvamedha-type gold coins show the horse before a sacrificial post.
- Kaviraja: the prashasti calls him a poet-king; his veena-player coins show him playing the lute.
- Sri Lanka link: King Meghavarna of Sri Lanka sent an embassy asking permission to build a monastery at Bodh Gaya for Sri Lankan pilgrims (Chinese source Wang Xuance).
- “Napoleon of India”: the historian V. A. Smith gave him this title for his military genius.
A prashasti is a poem of praise, so it exaggerates. The “submission” of Sri Lanka was really a diplomatic request; the Kushana “Shahanushahi” was probably an exchange of embassies. Still, the list of defeated kings, the southern expedition along the east coast up to Kanchi, and the eastern frontier states give a valuable map of 4th-century India.
- Ashvamedha & veena coins (Kaviraja); Meghavarna’s Bodh Gaya monastery; V. A. Smith’s “Napoleon of India”.
- Question: Who called Samudragupta the Napoleon of India? Answer: V. A. Smith.
MCQs
Answer this question, then use Next.
[BPSC level] Samudragupta was called the “Napoleon of India” by:
[UPSC level] Samudragupta’s veena-player coins point to his title:
[BPSC level] The Sri Lankan king who sought permission to build a monastery at Bodh Gaya was:
[UPSC level] “Daivaputra-Shahi-Shahanushahi” in the Prayag prashasti refers to the:
[BSSC pattern] Samudragupta’s Ashvamedha is shown on his:
[UPSC level] Why must the Prayag prashasti be read critically?
[BPSC level] Which republic is listed among those who paid tribute to Samudragupta?
One-liners
Write your answer, then submit to see the correct answer.
Who called Samudragupta the Napoleon of India?
V. A. Smith.Concept
🎯 UPSC · BPSC · BSSC · State PSC level: PYQs, traps and mains
| Exam | What it asks from this module |
|---|---|
| UPSC | Prayag prashasti; policies; reading praise poems |
| BPSC | Harishena; 9 + 12 kings; Napoleon of India; Bodh Gaya monastery |
| BSSC / SSC | Who wrote the Allahabad pillar inscription |
The Allahabad pillar inscription is associated with which ruler? (a) Mahapadma Nanda (b) Chandragupta Maurya (c) Ashoka (d) Samudragupta
- The pillar carries Ashoka’s edicts too, but the famous Allahabad (Prayag) prashasti is Samudragupta’s, by Harishena. In such questions the expected answer is Samudragupta.
- 9 northern (Aryavarta) and 12 southern (Dakshinapatha) kings — don’t swap.
- Northern kings were annexed; southern kings were restored.
- “Napoleon of India” — V. A. Smith, not Harishena.
Model question: “Samudragupta’s policy was a mix of conquest and diplomacy.” Examine with reference to the Prayag prashasti. Points: annexation in Aryavarta; grahana-moksha-anugraha in the south; tributary frontier states and republics; foreign embassies; Ashvamedha; limits of prashasti evidence.
- North annexed, south restored; prashasti exaggerates.
- Question: Who was Vishnugopa? Answer: King of Kanchi defeated by Samudragupta.
MCQs
Answer this question, then use Next.
[BPSC level] How many southern kings does the Prayag prashasti say Samudragupta defeated and reinstated?
[UPSC level] Which pair of policy and group is correct?
[BSSC pattern] Samudragupta reigned approximately:
[BPSC level] Harishena held which office besides being a poet?
[School] Samudragupta’s father was:
One-liners
Write your answer, then submit to see the correct answer.
Who was Vishnugopa?
King of Kanchi defeated by Samudragupta.