Gupta Empire

Empire Level 2 ★ Major power

c. 240 CE – c. 550 CE

Empire of the 'classical age' of Sanskrit literature, science and art.

🗺 See on map in 401 CE

Capital: Pataliputra / Ayodhya
Region: Gangetic Plain
Duration: 310 years
Main period: Gupta Empire & Regional Powers

Changing extent

c. 240 CE — ≈ 180,000 km²: Magadha, Prayaga and Saketa
c. 350 CE — ≈ 620,000 km²: Samudragupta: direct rule over the doab, upper Ganga, central India and Malwa (Prayag prashasti)
c. 400 CE — ≈ 1,220,000 km²: Chandragupta II: west Malwa, Gujarat and Kathiawar from the Western Kshatrapas
c. 480 CE — ≈ 660,000 km²: Huna pressure: Punjab and the west lost

Approximate extent over time (solid = latest, dashed = earlier).

At a glance

Move along the chart to read any year; click a ruler or event to open the map there.

Rulers

Sri Gupta Ghatotkacha Chandragupta I Samudragupta Chandragupta II (Vikramaditya)Kumaragupta I Skandagupta Budhagupta

Events

Extent

240 CE300 CE400 CE500 CE550 CE

Rulers

Sri Gupta Maharaja
Founder.
c. 240 CE – c. 280 CE
Ghatotkacha Maharaja
c. 280 CE – c. 319 CE
Chandragupta I Maharajadhiraja
Gupta era begins 319-320; married Licchavi princess Kumaradevi.
c. 319 CE – c. 335 CE
Samudragupta Maharajadhiraja
Prayaga (Allahabad) prashasti by Harisena.
c. 335 CE – c. 375 CE
Chandragupta II (Vikramaditya) Maharajadhiraja
Conquered the Western Kshatrapas; Faxian's visit.
c. 375 CE – c. 415 CE
Kumaragupta I Maharajadhiraja
Nalanda founded in his reign.
c. 415 CE – c. 455 CE
Skandagupta Maharajadhiraja
Repelled the Hunas.
c. 455 CE – c. 467 CE
Budhagupta Maharajadhiraja
c. 477 CE – c. 495 CE

Selected rulers; gaps in the list are not gaps in the dynasty.

Key events

Year	Event	Place
c. 240 CE	Sri Gupta founds the Gupta line	Magadha
c. 319 CE	Gupta era begins Chandragupta I's accession.	Pataliputra
c. 320 CE	Chandragupta I marries the Licchavi princess Kumaradevi The alliance strengthened Gupta power in Magadha.	Pataliputra
c. 335 CE	Samudragupta becomes emperor	Pataliputra
c. 350 CE	Samudragupta's Prayaga prashasti Records Samudragupta's campaigns.	Prayagraj
c. 395 CE	Chandragupta II conquers the Western Kshatrapas The Guptas gained Gujarat, Malwa and the western ports.	Ujjain
c. 400 CE	Kalidasa at the Gupta court	Ujjain
c. 402 CE	Iron Pillar erected Rust-resistant wrought-iron pillar.	Mehrauli, Delhi
c. 405 CE	Faxian travels in India	Pataliputra
c. 415 CE	Kumaragupta I becomes emperor	Pataliputra
c. 427 CE	Nalanda Mahavihara founded	Nalanda
c. 455 CE	Skandagupta repels the Hunas The first Huna invasion was repulsed.	Bhitari
c. 467 CE	Death of Skandagupta Gupta power began a long decline.	Pataliputra
499 CE	Aryabhata writes the Aryabhatiya Place-value mathematics and astronomy.	Kusumapura (Pataliputra)
c. 550 CE	Fall of the imperial Guptas North India fragmented among the Maukharis, Later Guptas and others.	Magadha

Sites & monuments

Nalanda

Religious monument · c. 427 CE

Great Buddhist monastic university.

Personalities

c. 337 CE – c. 422 CE

Chinese Buddhist pilgrim who travelled through Gupta India

active c. 350 CE

Composer of Samudragupta's Prayaga (Allahabad) pillar inscription

active c. 400 CE

Sanskrit poet-dramatist of Abhijnanashakuntalam and Meghaduta

Vishakhadatta

active c. 400 CE

Author of the political drama Mudrarakshasa

c. 476 CE – c. 550 CE

Mathematician-astronomer who wrote the Aryabhatiya

📚 Recommended reading on the Gupta Empire

Textbook

India's Ancient Past

R. S. Sharma · Oxford University Press

The expanded version of the classic old-NCERT ancient India text; clear and exam-friendly.

UPSC Prelims UPSC Mains SSC State PSC

Amazon ↗Flipkart ↗

Reference

A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India

Upinder Singh · Pearson

The most complete modern textbook on ancient India, rich in sources, maps and archaeology.

UPSC Mains General reading

Amazon ↗Flipkart ↗

Reference

Early India: From the Origins to AD 1300

Romila Thapar · Penguin

An authoritative, interpretive history of early Indian society and states.

UPSC Mains General reading

Amazon ↗Flipkart ↗

Reference

The Wonder That Was India

A. L. Basham · Picador

A timeless, beautifully written survey of ancient Indian civilisation.

General reading

Amazon ↗Flipkart ↗

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Contemporaries

Powers that coexisted with the Gupta Empire for a significant part of its history. The bar shows when, within its own span.

Anuradhapura Kingdom ★

Sri Lanka · c. 437 BCE – c. 1017

Overlap: 310 years

Kushan Empire ★

Northwest · c. 30 CE – c. 375 CE

Overlap: 135 years

Pallava Dynasty ★

South · c. 275 CE – c. 897 CE

Overlap: 275 years

Pushyabhuti (Vardhana) Dynasty ★

North · c. 500 CE – c. 647 CE

Overlap: 50 years

Early Pandyas (Sangam era)

South · c. 400 BCE – c. 300 CE

Overlap: 60 years

Early Cholas (Sangam era)

South · c. 300 BCE – c. 300 CE

Overlap: 60 years

Early Cheras (Sangam era)

South · c. 300 BCE – c. 300 CE

Overlap: 60 years

Western Kshatrapas

West · c. 35 CE – c. 415 CE

Overlap: 175 years

Ikshvakus of Vijayapuri

Deccan · c. 225 CE – c. 340 CE

Overlap: 100 years

Kalabhra Interregnum

South · c. 250 CE – c. 600 CE

Overlap: 300 years

Vakataka Dynasty

Deccan · c. 250 CE – c. 500 CE

Overlap: 250 years

Kadamba Dynasty

South · c. 345 CE – c. 525 CE

Overlap: 180 years

Western Ganga Dynasty

South · c. 350 CE – c. 1000

Overlap: 200 years

Northeast · c. 350 CE – c. 1140

Overlap: 200 years

Licchavi Kingdom of Nepal

Himalaya · c. 400 CE – c. 750 CE

Overlap: 150 years

Alchon Huns (Hunas)

Northwest · c. 460 CE – c. 560 CE

Overlap: 90 years

Maitraka Dynasty

West · c. 475 CE – c. 776 CE

Overlap: 75 years

Rai Dynasty of Sindh

Northwest · c. 489 CE – c. 632 CE

Overlap: 61 years

Later Guptas of Magadha

East · c. 490 CE – c. 750 CE

Overlap: 60 years