A History of Agriculture in India v1.c35.3

v1.c35.3

Samudragupta (A.D. 335-380), the son and successor of Chandragupta I, was proud of his matrilineal ancestry and described himself as Lichchhavi-dauhtra, the son of the daughter of the Lichchhavis. This indicates that the Lichchhavis were held in high esteem in that age. Samudragupta was a warrior who greatly extended his empire. It included Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, the Punjab, Sind, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh north of the Narmada (Fig. 193). He also invaded South India, and captured twelve kings, who were however treated generously and liberated. In his South India campaign Samudragupta reached Kanchi, the Pallava capital. This campaign brought the southerners in touch with the northerners and there was intermingling of cultures to the advantage of both. In Samudragupts’s army, horses, which are fast and more easily manoeuvrable, became more important than elephants. This is a lesson which was learnt from the Kushans. He also performed an ashvamedha or horse sacrifice to proclaim his imperial power. A gold coin issued by him bears an effigy of a horse standing in front of an altar (Fig. 183, second row, right). Samudragupta partonized learning and was a musician, and in some of his coins he is shown playing a lute. A Buddhist scholar, Vasubandhu, was his minister.