Kumaragupta I was an emperor of the Gupta Empire of Ancient India.
20 Facts About Kumaragupta I
2.
The Bhitari pillar inscription states that his successor Skandagupta restored the fallen fortunes of the Gupta family, which has led to suggestions that during his last years, Kumaragupta I suffered reverses, possibly against the Pushyamitras or the Hunas.
3.
Kumaragupta I was a son of the Gupta emperor Chandragupta II and queen Dhruvadevi.
4.
Therefore, Kumaragupta I must have ascended the throne in or shortly before 415 CE.
5.
Kumaragupta I adopted the title Mahendraditya, and his coins call him by several variants of this name, including Shri-Mahendra, Mahendra-simha, and Ashvamedha-Mahendra.
6.
Kumaragupta I had inherited a large empire built upon the conquests of his father Chandragupta II and his grandfather Samudragupta.
7.
Kumaragupta I's coins have been found in present-day Maharashtra, which was located to the south-west of the core Gupta territory.
8.
Kumaragupta I's coins discovered from south Gujarat resemble the coins issued by the Traikutaka dynasty, which ruled this region.
9.
Some coins of Kumaragupta I's coins depict him as a rhinoceros-slayer, which some scholars such as Tej Ram Sharma see as possible evidence of his successes against the king of Kamarupa in present-day Assam, where the Indian rhinoceros is abundant.
10.
Epigraphic evidence suggests that Kumaragupta I ruled his empire through governors, who bore the title Maharaja, and administered various provinces.
11.
Kumaragupta I is most probably same as the Ghatotkacha-gupta mentioned in a seal found at Vaishali, and the Ghatotkacha-gupta who is known to have issued a gold coin.
12.
Kumaragupta I's known dates range from c 443 to c 447.
13.
Kumaragupta I seems to have established diplomatic relations with the Liu Sung emperors of China, as suggested by visits of Chinese delegations to India, and the exchange of an Indian envoy.
14.
The Bihar stone pillar inscription of Skandagupta suggests that Kumaragupta I married the sister of one of his ministers.
15.
Kumaragupta I was a devotee of the war god Karttikeya : his coins feature Karttikeya seated on a peacock.
16.
Kumaragupta I named his son Skandagupta after the god, and his own name "Kumara" appears to have been based on another name of the god.
17.
Historian V A Smith read the dates on some of Kumaragupta's coins as c 455 CE, based on which modern scholars theorize that Kumaragupta ruled until 455 CE.
18.
However, it cannot be said with certainty that Kumaragupta I faced trouble during his last years.
19.
Skandagupta succeeded Kumaragupta I, and was succeeded by Purugupta, whose descendants became the subsequent kings.
20.
An inscription on a figure of a yaksha from Mathura in the reign of Kumaragupta I has been dated to 432 CE, and a pedestal has been dated to 432 CE.