Chandra Gupta I
The first Chandra Gupta of the new line, though the third member of his dynasty to be mentioned in inscriptions. Like the great Bimbisara he strengthened his position by a matrimonial alliance with the powerful family of Lichchhavis then controlling portions of Bihar and perhaps even Nepal. The Lichchhavi princess Kumaradevi must have brought to her husband’s family an enormous accession of power and prestige. Before the death of her husband the Gupta sway very probably extended to Allahabad, Oudh and South Bihar. It is believed that the Gupta are commencing from A.D. 320 originated with Chandra Gupta I. An important act of this king was the holding of an assembly of councillors and members of the royal family at which Prince Samudra Gupta was formally nominated successor to the imperial throne of the Guptas.
Samudra Gupta
Samudra Gupta, the next king, is probably the greatest of his house. The exact limits of his reign are not known. He probably came to the throne sometime after A.D. 320 and died before A.D. 380, the earliest known date of his successor. The most detailed and authentic record of his reign is preserved in a contemporary document, viz. the Allahabad Pillar Inscription. There is also another contemporary epigraph found at Eran in Madhya Pradesh. Samudra Gupta also left an extensive coinage. Some important events of his reign are known from this source and the records of his successors.
Great as were the military laurels won by Samudra Gupta, his personal accomplishments were no less remarkable. The last trait of the emperor’s character is well illustrated by the lyrist type of his coins.
Chandra Gupta II
He carried on the policy of world-conquest pursued by his predecessor. He effected his purpose partly by pacific overtures and partly by military activity. Political marriages occupy a prominent place in the foreign policy of the Guptas.
On many of his coins Chandra Gupta II receives the epithet Vikramaditya. In certain records of the twelfth century A.D. he is represented as the lord of the city of Ujjain as well as Pataliputra.
Another notable contemporary of Chandra Gupta II was Fahien. The celebrated Chinese pilgrim was struck with admiration by the famous royal palace and the houses for dispensing charity and medicine at Pataliputra. He speaks highly of the system of government.
Kumara Gupta-I and Skanda Gupta
The successor of Chandra Gupta II was his son Kumara Gupta I Mahendraditya, whose known dates range from A. D. 415 to 455. He maintained his hold over the vast empire of his forebears, which now extended from North Bengal to Kathiawar and from the Himalayas to the Narmada. His achievements were sufficiently remarkable to entitle him to perform the famous rite of the horse-sacrifice.
Proud of his success against the barbarians Skanda Gupta assumed the title of Vikramaditya. The memory of his achievements is popularly preserved in the story of Vikramaditya, son of Mahendraditya, narrated in the Kathasaritsagara. The reign of Skanda Gupta probably terminated about A.D. 467.
The last days of the Gupta empire
The history of the ensuing period is obscure. Inscriptions make it clear that the Gupta empire maintained some sort of unity till the days of Budha Gupta (476-495) though it might have lost some of its westernmost provinces. Whether the later Guptas were connected in any way with the Imperial Guptas is not known.
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