Who was the first ruler of the Gupta Dynasty who claimed the title of Maharajadhiraja?
- A.Ramagupta
- B.Chandragupta I
- C.Samudragupta
- D.Skandagupta
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Chandragupta I. The first two members of the family, Sri Gupta and Ghatotkacha, used only the modest title Maharaja, which historians read as a sign that they were subordinate rulers. Chandragupta I was the first to assume the imperial title Maharajadhiraja, king of great kings, and the Gupta era of 319 to 320 CE is counted from his accession. His marriage to the Lichchhavi princess Kumaradevi is celebrated on the king and queen type gold coins.
Option A, Ramagupta, is a shadowy figure known mainly from the play Devichandraguptam and a few inscriptions, and he never raised the family's status. Option C, Samudragupta, was Chandragupta I's son and inherited the imperial title rather than introducing it. Option D, Skandagupta, ruled almost a century and a half later and is remembered for checking the Hunas.
Read the full article: Gupta Empire: Rulers, Administration and PYQs
Practice Questions
View allWhich dynasty ruled India between 320 AD and 550 AD?
- A.Mauryan Dynasty
- B.Hoysala Dynasty
- C.Magadha Dynasty
- D.Gupta Dynasty
Show answer
Gupta imperial rule is conventionally dated from about 320 CE, the epoch of the Gupta era that begins with the accession of Chandragupta I, and it faded out by about 550 CE after the Huna invasions.
Read the full explanation →During the Gupta Period, gold coins were called by which of the following names?
- A.Rupaka
- B.Tanka
- C.Drama
- D.Dinaras
Show answer
Gupta gold coins were called dinaras, a name borrowed from the Roman denarius that had already reached India through trade and through Kushana coinage.
Read the full explanation →The Allahabad Pillar Inscription, also known as the Prayag Prashasti, was composed by which court poet?
- A.Kalidasa
- B.Harishena
- C.Banabhatta
- D.Vishakhadatta
Show answer
Harishena was the court poet and a high officer of Samudragupta, and he composed the Prayag Prashasti in ornate Sanskrit, partly in verse and partly in prose.
Read the full explanation →Which Gupta ruler defeated the Shaka Kshatrapas of western India and assumed the title Shakari?
- A.Samudragupta
- B.Kumaragupta I
- C.Chandragupta II
- D.Skandagupta
Show answer
He ended the long rule of the Shaka Kshatrapas over Gujarat, Kathiawar and Malwa, took the title Shakari meaning enemy of the Shakas, and is also known by the title Vikramaditya.
Read the full explanation →The Chinese Buddhist pilgrim who visited India during the reign of Chandragupta II was:
- A.Hiuen Tsang
- B.Fa-Hien
- C.I-tsing
- D.Megasthenes
Show answer
Fa-Hien came to India in search of Buddhist texts and travelled through the Gupta dominions during the reign of Chandragupta II.
Read the full explanation →