Textbook
India's Ancient Past
The expanded version of the classic old-NCERT ancient India text; clear and exam-friendly.
Gupta Empire & Regional Powers
c. 275 CE – c. 550 CE
Map layer: Empires & Kingdoms
The Guptas in the north with the Vakatakas, Pallavas and Kadambas as major contemporaries.
Main polities of this period
| Name | Type | Span | Region | Capital |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gupta Empire ★ | Empire | c. 240 CE – c. 550 CE | Gangetic Plain | Pataliputra / Ayodhya |
| Vakataka Dynasty | Dynasty | c. 250 CE – c. 500 CE | Deccan | Nandivardhana / Vatsagulma |
| Kadamba Dynasty | Dynasty | c. 345 CE – c. 525 CE | South | Banavasi |
| Western Ganga Dynasty | Dynasty | c. 350 CE – c. 1000 | South | Talakadu |
| Kamarupa | Kingdom | c. 350 CE – c. 1140 | Northeast | Pragjyotishpura |
| Licchavi Kingdom of Nepal | Kingdom | c. 400 CE – c. 750 CE | Himalaya | Kathmandu valley |
| Alchon Huns (Hunas) | Foreign / northwestern kingdom | c. 460 CE – c. 560 CE | Northwest | Sakala |
| Vishnukundina Dynasty | Dynasty | c. 420 CE – c. 624 CE | Deccan | Amarapura / Indrapalanagara |
Also existing during this period
Ikshvakus of Vijayapuri
Deccan · c. 225 CE – c. 340 CE
Chalukyas of Badami
Deccan · c. 543 CE – c. 753 CE
Later Guptas of Magadha
East · c. 490 CE – c. 750 CE
Maukhari Dynasty
Gangetic Plain · c. 550 CE – c. 606 CE
Pushyabhuti (Vardhana) Dynasty
North · c. 500 CE – c. 647 CE
Kushan Empire
Northwest · c. 30 CE – c. 375 CE
Rai Dynasty of Sindh
Northwest · c. 489 CE – c. 632 CE
Early Pandyas (Sangam era)
South · c. 400 BCE – c. 300 CE
Early Cholas (Sangam era)
South · c. 300 BCE – c. 300 CE
Early Cheras (Sangam era)
South · c. 300 BCE – c. 300 CE
Kalabhra Interregnum
South · c. 250 CE – c. 600 CE
Pallava Dynasty
South · c. 275 CE – c. 897 CE
Anuradhapura Kingdom
Sri Lanka · c. 437 BCE – c. 1017
Western Kshatrapas
West · c. 35 CE – c. 415 CE
Maitraka Dynasty
West · c. 475 CE – c. 776 CE
Events
| Year | Event | Polity |
|---|---|---|
| c. 275 CE | Pallava rule begins at Kanchi | Pallava Dynasty |
| c. 319 CE | Gupta era begins | Gupta Empire |
| c. 320 CE | Chandragupta I marries the Licchavi princess Kumaradevi The alliance strengthened Gupta power in Magadha. |
Gupta Empire |
| c. 335 CE | Samudragupta becomes emperor | Gupta Empire |
| c. 350 CE | Samudragupta's Prayaga prashasti | Gupta Empire |
| c. 380 CE | Gupta-Vakataka marriage alliance Secured the Gupta southern flank for the war against the Sakas. |
Vakataka Dynasty |
| c. 395 CE | Chandragupta II conquers the Western Kshatrapas The Guptas gained Gujarat, Malwa and the western ports. |
Gupta Empire |
| c. 400 CE | Kalidasa at the Gupta court | Gupta Empire |
| c. 402 CE | Iron Pillar erected | Gupta Empire |
| c. 405 CE | Faxian travels in India | Gupta Empire |
| c. 415 CE | Kumaragupta I becomes emperor | Gupta Empire |
| c. 427 CE | Nalanda Mahavihara founded | Gupta Empire |
| c. 455 CE | Skandagupta repels the Hunas The first Huna invasion was repulsed. |
Gupta Empire |
| c. 464 CE | Manadeva I's Changu Narayan inscription | Licchavi Kingdom of Nepal |
| c. 467 CE | Death of Skandagupta Gupta power began a long decline. |
Gupta Empire |
| c. 477 CE | Kashyapa I builds Sigiriya | Anuradhapura Kingdom |
| c. 480 CE | Ajanta's later caves under Harishena | Vakataka Dynasty |
| 499 CE | Aryabhata writes the Aryabhatiya | Gupta Empire |
| c. 510 CE | Huna invasions under Toramana The Hunas seized parts of western and central India, weakening the Guptas. |
Alchon Huns (Hunas) |
| c. 528 CE | Yashodharman defeats Mihirakula Mihirakula's power in central India was broken. |
|
| 543 CE | Pulakeshin I fortifies Vatapi | Chalukyas of Badami |
| c. 550 CE | Colossal Buddhas carved at Bamiyan | |
| c. 550 CE | Fall of the imperial Guptas North India fragmented among the Maukharis, Later Guptas and others. |
Gupta Empire |
📚 Recommended reading for this era
Reference
A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India
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Early India: From the Origins to AD 1300
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The Wonder That Was India
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