- Skandagupta
Skandagupta (d. 467) was a ruler of northern
India under theGupta dynasty . He is generally considered the last of the great Gupta Emperors. He faced some of the greatest challenges in the annals of the empire having to contend with the Pushyamitras and the Hunas. He defeated thePushyamitra s, a rival Indian dynasty, but then was faced with invadingIndo-Hephthalite s or "White Huns", known in India as "Hunas", from the northwest. Skandagupta had warred against the Huns during the reign of his father, and was celebrated throughout the empire as a great warrior. He repulsed a Huna attack c. 455, and managed to keep them at bay; however, the expense of the wars drained the empire's resources and contributed to its decline. Skandagupta died in 467 and was succeeded by his sonNarasimhagupta Baladitya, who along with Yasovarman, is credited with ultimately driving the Huns from the plains of Northern India. Skandagupta's name appear in Javanese text `Tantrikamandaka', and Chinese writer, Wang-hiuen-tse refers that an ambassador was sent to his court by King Meghvarma ofSri Lanka , who had asked his permission to build aBuddhist monastery atBodh Gaya for the monks traveling from Sri Lanka. But the most detailed and authentic record of his reign is preserved in the rock pillar of theAllahabad , composed byHarisena .
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