Who is called Napoleon of India?

Napoleon is known for his conquests. He almost conquered the whole world. He was also called “ Napoleon the Great.” Napoleon his conquests from the year 1799 till his death in 1814. That period is also known as the “ Napoleonic Era.” But do you know that there was an Indian who conquered almost all the kingdoms in every direction? This Indian king was also called “Indian Napoleon.” Who was that king? Why did he call Indian Napoleon? Let’s know about the great king of ancient India.

Samudra Gupta is called Napoleon of India. He was the greatest emperor in the Gupta dynasty. The Gupta Dynasty was founded by Sri Gupta in the year 240 CE. Sri Gupta ruled the empire between 240 CE to 280 CE. Followed by his son Ghatotkacha (280–319 CE) and later his son Chandra Gupta (319–335 CE). Samudra Gupta was the son of Chandra Gupta I, who was born in the year 318 CE.

Samudra Gupta ruled the Gupta empire from 335 CE to 375 CE. Of all the emperors in the Gupta dynasty, Samudra Gupta is the most prominent and great emperor. He increased the political authority of his dynasty. Chandra Gupta selected Samudra Gupta as his successor because of his righteous conduct, devotion, and valor. During his reign, he inscribed on Eran’s stones the greatest events of the Gupta empire, his great invasions, etc.

The Napoleon of Ancient India Title

The credit goes to his court poet, Buddhist monk, and his minister Harisena. He made large inscriptions about the greatness of the emperor. The inscription is there at the Ashokan pillar at Allahabad. The inscription is a different type known as prashasti, which is known as “ in praise of” in Sanskrit.

Samudra Gupta Napoleon of India

The Napoleon of India is famous for his numerous military campaigns. In his initial conquests, Samudra Gupta focused on the border kingdoms that are existing at his time. He also made the forest state ( atavika rajya) of central India his servants after conquering their kingdom. Many northeastern kings paid tribute and gave obeisance to the Gupta emperor so that they can avoid war with the greatest emperor of India. The chief republics of north-west India also paid tribute and gave obeisance to the Indian Napoleon. Through this, he conquered the northern part of India.

Later, he started conquering the southern part of India. He captured many kings of Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Telangana, and the eastern and south-eastern coasts of India. Later he released them and make them his feudal lords. By making these kings his feudal lord, our Indian Napoleon became the greatest monopoly of India.

After conquering all the Indian kingdoms, Samudra Gupta started his conquest against Sri Lanka, Java, Sumatra, and other kingdoms. He never gets defeated in any of the wars. Samudra Gupta was not only a great warrior but was also a great poet, and musician. During his reign, many coins were inscribed with Sanskrit language legends.

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The Musical King

Samudra Gupta was not only a great warrior but he was also a great musician. Samudra Gupta was a skilled ‘ Veena’ player. He has also a title called “ Kaviraja.” During his reign, he supported many artists, poets, and literature.

Coins of Samudra Gupta

Samudra Gupta inscribed many coins on which the Sanskrit language legends are inscribed. They are:

• Standard Coin
• Archer Type
• Battle-axe Type
• Lyricist Type

This coin a resemblance to his musical talent. Samudra Gupta wears a waistcoat and is seated cross-legged on a couch, playing the veena on his knees. The gold coin attests to the instrument’s popularity, as well as the king’s interest in music and the arts.

Other Nicknames

• King of Poets
• Uprooter of Kings

The reason for this claim is a title for Kacha in his coins that means “uprooter of all rulers” this title is only used for Samudra Gupta. Because no other Gupta emperor had ever accomplished such wide conquests.

Who is Napoleon of India? What is the reason behind that?

Historian A.V. Smith called him Napoleon of India because of his great military conquests that are mentioned in the “ Praja Prashasti” by Harisena. But many Indian historians criticize Smith because Samudra Gupta was a far more great warrior than Napoleon Bonaparte. Because Samudra Gupta was never defeated in any of his wars whereas Napoleon was defeated in the battle of Waterloo. So, Samudra Gupta is far greater and the greatest warrior than Napoleon.

Originally published at https://historicalhuman.blogspot.com.