CDS History · Ancient India
Post-Mauryan Kingdoms and the Guptas
The Shungas, Satavahanas and Kushanas, the great inscriptions of Kharavela, Rudradaman and Samudragupta, the Gupta state and its coins, and Harsha's world.
Why this matters
Twelve questions, eight of them HARD. Many are built on inscriptions: what a king's record says, in what language, and where it stands. The Sudarshana lake alone appears in two questions.
Concept 1 of 4: Shungas, Satavahanas and Kushanas
After the Mauryas, new dynasties held different parts of India: the Shungas in the Ganga valley, the Satavahanas in the Deccan, and the Kushanas, from Central Asia, in the north-west. Each tried to show its kings as special in its own way.
Definition
- Pushyamitra Shunga overthrew the last Maurya king. In Shunga times the grammarian Patanjali says the Yavanas (Indo-Greeks) reached Saketa and Madhyamika. Madhyamika is Nagari, near Chittor in Rajasthan.
- Satavahana kings are known by their mothers' names, such as Gautamiputra Satakarni and Vasishthiputra Pulumavi, though the throne still passed from father to son.
- Kushana kings such as Kanishka projected a godlike image through their coins and huge statues, at Mat near Mathura and at Surkh Kotal in Afghanistan. They used titles such as devaputra, son of god.
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2020 · CDS (I) 2020 — General Knowledge · Q62Moderate
Example 1 · Ancient India · Post-Mauryan Kingdoms and the Guptas
Which of the following rulers were identified through matronymics (names derived from that of the mother)?
A mother's name does not mean a mother's line
Satavahana kings took their mothers' names, as in Gautamiputra Satakarni, but succession still went from father to son.
Concept 2 of 4: Hathigumpha, Junagadh and Prayaga
Three long inscriptions tell us most of what we know about three kings. CDS asks what each records, in what language, and where it stands.
Definition
- The Hathigumpha inscription at Udayagiri, near Bhubaneswar in Odisha, is the record of Kharavela of Kalinga. In his eleventh year he broke up a confederacy of Tamil states that had lasted 113 years.
- The Junagadh (Girnar) inscription of the Shaka ruler Rudradaman is in Sanskrit, in the Brahmi script, and is dated (year 72). It records the repair of the Sudarshana lake, a reservoir first built under the Mauryas.
- The Prayaga Prashasti at Allahabad, composed in Sanskrit by the court poet Harishena, praises Samudragupta. It is carved on an Ashokan pillar.
- Ashoka's edicts at Sannati are in Karnataka, not Odisha.
| Inscription | King | Key fact |
|---|---|---|
| Hathigumpha, Udayagiri (Odisha) | Kharavela of Kalinga | Broke a Tamil confederacy 113 years oldQ |
| Junagadh (Girnar), Gujarat | Rudradaman, a Shaka ruler | Sanskrit in Brahmi; repair of the Sudarshana lake |
| Prayaga Prashasti, Allahabad | Samudragupta | Composed by Harishena; carved on an Ashokan pillarQ |
| Sannati | Ashoka | Edicts in KarnatakaQ CDS 2025 (II): three of the four pairs were right; Sannati in Odisha was the wrong one. |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2026 · CDS (I) 2026 — General Knowledge · Q49Hard
Example 2 · Ancient India · Post-Mauryan Kingdoms and the Guptas
With reference to the Junagadh inscription of Rudradaman, consider the following statements :
1. The script of this inscription is Kharosthi and the language is Prakrit.
2. The inscription records the restoration of a reservoir called Sudarshana Lake.
3. It is an undated inscription.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Junagadh is Sanskrit and dated
Rudradaman's Junagadh inscription is in Sanskrit, in the Brahmi script, and carries a date. It is not Prakrit, not Kharoshthi and not undated.
Concept 3 of 4: Gupta kings, coins and society
The Guptas called themselves kings of kings and close to the gods, and they struck more gold coins than any dynasty before them. Sanskrit writing flourished, but land grants slowly spread power out, and women lost ground.
Definition
- Gupta kings took titles such as Maharajadhiraja, Parama-bhattaraka and Parameshvara, and linked themselves to the gods with epithets such as Parama-bhagavata and Parama-daivata.
- Most Gupta coins were gold, called dinara. Silver coins began with Chandragupta II after he conquered the Western Kshatrapas, who used silver; later kings such as Kumaragupta I, Skandagupta and Budhagupta also struck them. Copper coins were few.
- Coins show the king on the front and a deity on the back.
- Sanskrit literature reached its classical height; Kalidasa wrote in this age.
- Land grants of villages to priests and temples, with tax and administrative rights, spread power out and led towards feudal ties.
- The status of women fell: early marriage, no formal education, property mostly limited to stridhana.
| Topic | Fact |
|---|---|
| Gold coins | Dinara; the most numerous Gupta coinsQ CDS 2020 (II): 'most Gupta coins were copper' was the wrong statement. |
| Silver coins | From Chandragupta II, after he conquered the Western Kshatrapas |
| Coin design | The king on the front, a deity on the back |
| Land grants | Villages given with tax and administrative rights; power spread out |
| Women | Status fell: early marriage, no formal educationQ |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2026 · CDS (I) 2026 — General Knowledge · Q58Moderate
Example 3 · Ancient India · Post-Mauryan Kingdoms and the Guptas
Consider the following statements about the Gupta administrative system :
1. The Gupta kings assumed imperial titles such as Maharajadhiraja, Parama-bhattaraka and Parameshvara.
2. The Gupta kings also connected themselves with the Gods through epithets such as Parama-daivata and Parama-bhagavata.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Gupta women lost ground
Women's status declined in the Gupta age. A statement that they got formal education and property rights by law is the false one.
Gold, not copper
The Guptas struck mostly gold coins. Copper coins were comparatively few.
Concept 4 of 4: Harsha and after
Harshavardhana ruled north India from Kanyakubja (Kanauj) in the seventh century. We know him through his court poet's biography and a Chinese pilgrim's diary, and his throne was seized when he died.
Definition
- Harshavardhana ruled from Kanyakubja (Kanauj). His court poet Banabhatta wrote the Harshacharita, and the Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang visited him.
- His ally Bhaskaravarman, king of Kamarupa (Assam) of the Varman dynasty, sent him gifts. His enemy was Shashanka of Gauda (Bengal).
- The Chalukya king Pulakeshin II stopped him at the Narmada.
- After Harsha died without an heir, his minister Arunashva seized Kanyakubja. The Chinese envoy Wang Xuance returned with Tibetan and Nepali troops and captured him.
| Person | Link to Harsha |
|---|---|
| Banabhatta | Court poet; wrote the Harshacharita |
| Xuanzang | Chinese pilgrim who visited his court |
| Bhaskaravarman | Varman king of Kamarupa (Assam); an ally who sent gifts |
| Shashanka | King of Gauda (Bengal); an enemy |
| Pulakeshin II | Chalukya king who stopped him at the Narmada |
| Arunashva | Minister who seized Kanyakubja after his deathQ |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2017 · CDS (II) 2017 — General Knowledge · Q95Hard
Example 4 · Ancient India · Post-Mauryan Kingdoms and the Guptas
Harshacharita has references to various presents sent by a ruler named Bhaskara to Harshavardhana. Bhaskara belonged to
Shashanka fought Harsha; he did not succeed him
Shashanka of Gauda was Harsha's enemy during his reign. The man who seized Kanyakubja after Harsha's death was his minister Arunashva.
Summary — formulas & gotchas at a glance
A revision cheat-sheet for the formulas and gotchas above. Click any concept name to jump back to its full explanation.
Reference tables (4)
Hathigumpha, Junagadh and Prayaga4 rows
| Inscription | King | Key fact |
|---|---|---|
| Hathigumpha, Udayagiri (Odisha) | Kharavela of Kalinga | Broke a Tamil confederacy 113 years oldQ |
| Junagadh (Girnar), Gujarat | Rudradaman, a Shaka ruler | Sanskrit in Brahmi; repair of the Sudarshana lake |
| Prayaga Prashasti, Allahabad | Samudragupta | Composed by Harishena; carved on an Ashokan pillarQ |
| Sannati | Ashoka | Edicts in KarnatakaQ CDS 2025 (II): three of the four pairs were right; Sannati in Odisha was the wrong one. |
Gupta kings, coins and society5 rows
| Topic | Fact |
|---|---|
| Gold coins | Dinara; the most numerous Gupta coinsQ CDS 2020 (II): 'most Gupta coins were copper' was the wrong statement. |
| Silver coins | From Chandragupta II, after he conquered the Western Kshatrapas |
| Coin design | The king on the front, a deity on the back |
| Land grants | Villages given with tax and administrative rights; power spread out |
| Women | Status fell: early marriage, no formal educationQ |
Harsha and after6 rows
| Person | Link to Harsha |
|---|---|
| Banabhatta | Court poet; wrote the Harshacharita |
| Xuanzang | Chinese pilgrim who visited his court |
| Bhaskaravarman | Varman king of Kamarupa (Assam); an ally who sent gifts |
| Shashanka | King of Gauda (Bengal); an enemy |
| Pulakeshin II | Chalukya king who stopped him at the Narmada |
| Arunashva | Minister who seized Kanyakubja after his deathQ |
Watch out for (5)
- A mother's name does not mean a mother's line→ Shungas, Satavahanas and Kushanas
- Junagadh is Sanskrit and dated→ Hathigumpha, Junagadh and Prayaga
- Gupta women lost ground→ Gupta kings, coins and society
- Gold, not copper→ Gupta kings, coins and society
- Shashanka fought Harsha; he did not succeed him→ Harsha and after
Test yourself on Ancient India
20 past CDS questions from this chapter, timed at 20 minutes and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.