Samudra Gupta (r. 335–376) -
The son of Chandra Gupta I, he was the second ruler of the
Gupta dynasty.
During his reign, Samudra Gupta expanded the Gupta dynasty's
territory from its birthplace in eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar westward to
the Ganges basin and eastward into Bengal and Assam.
As autonomous but vassal nations, Orissa and parts of the
Coromandel Coast paid tribute.
At Allahabad, Samudra Gupta etched a personal narrative of
his accomplishments on a stone column.
This column was initially carved to exhibit one of the
Maurya emperor Ashoka's (r.
269–232 B.C.E.) Pillar Edicts, and Samudra Gupta was hoping
to usurp some of the Maurya dynasty's luster by claiming it as his own.
