Silver coin of King Kumaragupta (414-455 CE).
Obv: Bust of King Kumaragupta with headband decorated with crescents.Rev: Garuda bird, circled by legend in Brahmi "Parama-bhagavata rajahiraja Sri Kumaragupta Mahendraditya" ("Most devout King of Kings Kumaragupta Mahendraditya").

Chandragupta II (Vikramaditya) was succeeded by his son Kumaragupta (Mahendraditya) (AD 415-455). Like his father, Kumaragupta was an able ruler. He retained, intact, the vast empire, which extended from North Bengal to Kathiawar and from the Himalayas to the Narmada. He ruled efficiently for nearly forty years. However, the last days of his reign were not good. The Gupta empire was threatened by the invasions of Pushyamitras. The Pushyamitras were a tribe of foreigners who were settled in Central India. However, Kumaragupta was successful in defeating the invaders and performed Ashvamedha Yajna (horse sacrifice) to celebrate his victory. He issued new coins with images of Lord Kartikeya. Coin of the Gupta king Kumara Gupta I. Obv: Bust of King Kumaragupta with headband decorated with crescents. ... Coin of the Gupta king Kumara Gupta I. Obv: Bust of King Kumaragupta with headband decorated with crescents. ... Garuda according to Ida Made Tlaga, an 19th century Balinese artist. ... Brāhmī refers to the pre-modern members of the Brahmic family of scripts, attested from the 3rd century BC. The best known and earliest dated inscriptions in Brahmi are the rock-cut edicts of Ashoka. ... The period of prominence of the Gupta dynasty is very often referred to as the Golden Age of India. ... Perspective view of the Himalaya and Mount Everest as seen from space looking south-south-east from over the Tibetan Plateau. ... The Narmada or Nerbudda is a river in central India. ...

Iron pillar

Inscriptions have survived the test of time on the iron pillar.

Kumaragupta erected an iron pilar, today visible at the Qutb complex. The iron pillar is one of the world's foremost metallurgical curiosities. The pillar was originally located in the temple of Muttra, with the idol of Garuda at the top. It is the only piece of the Hindu temple remaining, which stood there before being destroyed by Qutb-ud-din Aybak to build the Qutub Minar and Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque. Qutub built around it when he constructed the mosque. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 253 KB) Qutb complex. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 253 KB) Qutb complex. ... The Qutub Minar and surrounding ruins. ... The Angkor Wat Hindu temple in Cambodia is the largest in the world. ... Mathura (मथुरा) is a city in India, located approximately 50 km north of Agra, and south of Delhi. ... Garuda according to Ida Made Tlaga, an 19th century Balinese artist. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Qutb-ud-din Aybak was a ruler of Medieval India, the first Sultan of Delhi and founder of the Slave dynasty (also known as the Mamluk dynasty). ...

Made up of 98% wrought iron of impure quality, it is 23 feet, 8 inches high and has a diameter of 16 inches. The pillar is a testament to the high level of skill achieved by ancient Indian iron smiths in the extraction and processing of iron. It has attracted the attention of archaeologists and metallurgists as it has withstood corrosion for the last 1600 years, despite harsh weather. A wrought iron railing in Troy, New York. ... Archaeology, archeology, or archæology (from the Greek words αρχαίος = ancient and λόγος = word/speech/discourse) is the study of human cultures through the recovery, documentation and analysis of material remains and environmental data, including architecture, artefacts, biofacts, human remains, and landscapes. ... Metallurgy is a domain of materials science and of materials engineering that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds and their mixtures, which are called alloys. ... Rust, the most familiar example of corrosion. ...

Extract from An Advanced History of India

In one of the inscription the goddess of royal fortune is said to have chosen him as her lord, having discarded the other princes. The full import of this passage is obscure. It is, however, certain that the superior ability and prowess of Skandagupta in a time of crisis led to his choice as ruler in preference to other possible claimants. Proud of his success against the barbarians, Skandagupta assumed the title of Vikramaditya.

But the continuous attack of the Huns weakened the Gupta empire. Skandagupta died in AD 467. After his death, the Gupta empire began to decline.

Decline of the Gupta Empire

Inscriptions prove that the Gupta sovereignty was acknowledged in the Jabbalpur region in the Narmada valley as late as AD 528, and in North Bengal till AD 543-544. Kumaragupta II is believed to have been ruling in AD 473-474, Buddhagupta from AD 476-495, Vainyagupta in AD 508 and Bhanugupta in AD 510-511. The Gupta empire became to disintegrate and till the middle of the sixth century AD, they had merely became petty chiefs. The Bilsad inscription is the oldest record of his reign and it dates to Gupta year 96, which corresponds to 415 CE.

The last known date of his reign occurs on an inscription on one of his silver coins, corresponding to 445 CE.

The period of prominence of the Gupta dynasty is very often referred to as the Golden Age of India. ... The Gupta Empire in 400 CE (not including vassal states) The Gupta Empire was one of the largest political and military empires in ancient India. ... Skandagupta was a ruler of northern India under the Gupta dynasty. ...

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