Kumaragupta I
Kumaragupta I (Gupta script: Ku-ma-ra-gu-pta, r. c. 415–455 CE) was an emperor of the Gupta Empire of Ancient India. A son of the Gupta emperor Chandragupta II and Queen Dhruvadevi, he seems to have maintained control of his inherited territory, which extended from Gujarat in the west to Bengal region in the east.
| Kumaragupta | |
|---|---|
| Maharajadhiraja, Parama-bhattaraka, Paramadvaita, Mahendraditya | |
Kumaragupta fighting a lion, as depicted on his gold coin | |
| Gupta Emperor | |
| Reign | c. 415 – c. 455 CE |
| Predecessor | Chandragupta II |
| Successor | Skandagupta |
| Spouse | Anantadevi |
| Issue | Skandagupta Purugupta |
| Dynasty | Gupta |
| Father | Chandragupta II |
| Mother | Dhruvadevi |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Gupta Empire 320 CE–550 CE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Kumaragupta performed an Ashvamedha sacrifice, which was usually performed to prove imperial sovereignty, although no concrete information is available about his military achievements. Based on the epigraphic and numismatic evidence, some modern historians have theorized that he may have subdued the Aulikaras of central India and the Traikutakas of western India.
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 suffered reverses, possibly against the Pushyamitras or the Hunas. However, this cannot be said with certainty, and the situation described in the Bhitari inscription may have been the result of events that happened after his death.