Gupta dynasty

Introduction & Top Questions
History
- Chandragupta I (reigned c. 319–c. 335 or 350 ce)
- Samudragupta (reigned c. 335 ce?–c. 370 ce)
- Chandragupta II (reigned c. 375–413/415 ce)
- Kumaragupta, Skandagupta, and the later kings (415–middle of the 6th century ce)
Administration, society, and culture

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images

Map showing the extent of the Gupta empire at the end of the 4th century.

Chandragupta-Kumaradevi coin, kept in the British Museum

Gold coin of Samudragupta, kept in the British Museum

The Ashoka Pillar at Allahabad Fort in Uttar Pradesh, India, a tall, smooth stone column with faint inscriptions, stands beside leafy trees against the sky.

Coin of Chandragupta II on horse, kept in the British Museum

Gold coin depicting Kumaragupta as an archer, Metropolitan Museum of Art

Gupta-period stone sculpture of the Hindu god Skanda seated cross-legged and holding a spear, Bharat Kala Bhavan, Varanasi.

Iron Pillar of Delhi at Mehrauli, enclosed by a metal fence beside ruined stone and brick structures.

Sandstone relief of the boar-headed god Vishnu lifting the Earth goddess, surrounded by rows of smaller figures.

The Deogarh Dashavatara Temple, a weathered stone structure with intricate carved relief at its center, stands on a stone platform under a clear sky in Uttar Pradesh, India.

Gupta dynasty: Media

Indian dynasty

Images

Map showing the extent of the Gupta empire at the end of the 4th century.

Gupta empire in the 4th century

The Gupta empire at the end of the 4th century.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Chandragupta-Kumaradevi coin, kept in the British Museum

Chandragupta-Kumaradevi coin, kept in the British Museum

Chandragupta I united the Guptas with the Lichchhavis by marrying Kumaradevi. The...

© Dilip Rajgor/Dinodia Photo

Gold coin of Samudragupta, kept in the British Museum

Gold coin of Samudragupta, kept in the British Museum

Samudragupta, seated, with a halo around his head.

© CM Dixon/Heritage Images—The Print Collector/Alamy

The Ashoka Pillar at Allahabad Fort in Uttar Pradesh, India, a tall, smooth stone column with faint inscriptions, stands beside leafy trees against the sky.

The Allahabad Pillar (locally, Prayag Prashasti) at Prayagraj, India

Erected by Emperor Ashoka of the Mauryan dynasty, the Allahabad Pillar (locally,...

© Rajesh Vora/Dinodia Photo

Coin of Chandragupta II on horse, kept in the British Museum

Coin of Chandragupta II on horse, kept in the British Museum

Chandragupta II, or Vikramaditya, on horseback.

© PHGCOM

Gold coin depicting Kumaragupta as an archer, Metropolitan Museum of Art

Gold coin depicting Kumaragupta as an archer, Metropolitan Museum of Art

Kumaragupta as an archer.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, Gift of Barbara Stoller-Miller, 1990 (1990.319.1); www.metmuseum.org

Gupta-period stone sculpture of the Hindu god Skanda seated cross-legged and holding a spear, Bharat Kala Bhavan, Varanasi.

Skanda, Gupta-era stone sculpture

The god Skanda, stone sculpture, Gupta period; in Bharat Kala Bhavan, Varanasi, Uttar...

Courtesy of Bharat Kala Bhavan, Banaras Hindu University

Iron Pillar of Delhi at Mehrauli, enclosed by a metal fence beside ruined stone and brick structures.

The Iron Pillar of Delhi, Qutb Minar Complex, Mehrauli

The Iron Pillar of Delhi.

© Mark A. Wilson/Department of Geology, The College of Wooster

Sandstone relief of the boar-headed god Vishnu lifting the Earth goddess, surrounded by rows of smaller figures.

Varaha relief, Udayagiri, Madhya Pradesh

Vishnu rescuing the Earth goddess, sandstone relief panel from a cave at Udayagiri,...

P. Chandra

The Deogarh Dashavatara Temple, a weathered stone structure with intricate carved relief at its center, stands on a stone platform under a clear sky in Uttar Pradesh, India.

Dashavatara Temple at Deogarh, Uttar Pradesh

The southern wall of the Dashavatara Temple at Deogarh, a Gupta-period temple.

© Anil Dave/Dinodia Photo

Detailed stone relief panel on the Deogarh Dashavatara Temple in Uttar Pradesh, India, showing reclining Vishnu surrounded by figures and ornate carved borders.

Dashavatara Temple at Deogarh

Dashavatara Temple at Deogarh

© Anil Dave/Dinodia Photo

Indian-style Kushan silver dish

Indian-style Kushan silver dish

Indian-style Kushan embossed and chased silver dish showing a yaksha drinking,...

Courtesy of the trustees of the British Museum

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