Question

What do you know about the genealogies of the Guptas? Mention in brief.

Answer 1

Hint: The Gupta empire is one of the most significant empires in history. It emerged in the 3rd century and covered a large part of the Indian subcontinent. The genealogy mentions the great grandfather, grandfather, father and mother of Samudragupta.

Complete answer: Gupta dynasty is the ancient dynasty in history. The pioneer of this empire is Chandragupta I. It is said that after ascending to throne he started the Gupta empire or dynasty.
So we came to know about the genealogies of the Guptas through Prashastis, which states about his great grandfather, grandfather, father, and mother of Samudragupta as we mentioned above. Prashastis, in general, were the poems composed by court poets. These include the appraisal, achievements etc of the rulers. These Prashastis tells us about the bravery of Samudragupta and that he was a great warrior and has won several wars in history. His mother, Kumari Devi was a member of Lichchhavi gana, while his father, Chandragupta was the first Gupta ruler who held the title of Maharaj or adhiraja. His great grandfather and grandfather are simply called maharajas. In his genealogy, Samudragupta also added his son Chandragupta II. According to the Prashastis, Samudragupta was a learned king with a God-like figure. He was valorous and had marks or scars on his body due to battle he fought and won.

Note: While reading about Chandragupta I do not get confused with Chandragupta Maurya, as the latter was the founder of Mauryan empire.