The Coinage of the Gupta Empire and its Imitations c6.11

c6.11

Samudragupta was a great organiser and an ambitious conqueror. He overthrew a number of petty rulers and annexed to his empire northern U. P., the south-eastern Punjab and the territory from Delhi to Saugar; the Vindhya Pradesh and south Kośala were brought within the sphere of the imperial influence. After consolidating his position in the north, Samudragupta launched upon a spectacular expedition to South India, during the course of which his armies swept across the eastern coast right up to Kāñchī or Conjeeverum, 20 miles south of Madras. About a dozen petty kings ruling in this region formally acknowledged the suzerainty of the conqueror, and he was content to return home laden with the tributes paid by them; annexation of the conquered territory was not attempted. The view that Samudragupta returned from the south via western India through Mahārāṣṭra is now shown to be wrong; the kings of Devarāṣṭra and Eraṇḍapalla, who submitted to him, are now shown to be ruling in Kalinga on the eastern coast and not in Mahārāṣṭra in western India. The Vākāṭakas were ruling over Central Province (Madhya Pradesh) and part of Mahārāṣṭra and Samudragupta did not cross sword with them.