Ancient and Medieval Indian Rulers

Babruvahana was the son of Arjuna and Chitrangada (princess of Manipur). In the Mahabharata, after the Kurukshetra war, Babruvahana engaged in battle with his father Arjuna and killed him, though Arjuna was later revived. This occurred during Arjuna's campaign to collect tribute for Yudhishthira's Ashwamedha yagna. Iravana was another son of Arjuna but was sacrificed before the war.

Kanishka (Kushan dynasty, 1st-2nd century CE) was the first ancient Indian ruler to introduce gold coins on a large scale. His coins featured Buddhist and Hindu deities and followed Greek standards. Chandragupta Maurya and later rulers used silver and copper coins. Aurangzeb (Mughal era) came much later.

King Bimbisara of Magadha (c. 5th century BCE) was deeply impressed by the young Siddhartha Gautama (who would become the Buddha) and reportedly offered him a position as prince or heir. Bimbisara became a patron of Buddhism after the Buddha's enlightenment. Ajatsatru was his son who later imprisoned him.

Chanakya is referred to as the 'Indian Machiavelli' because he wrote the Arthashastra, which like Machiavelli's 'The Prince', discusses statecraft, governance, and political strategy. Chanakya was the advisor to Chandragupta Maurya.

The Sunga dynasty (c. 185-73 BCE) ended the Mauryan Empire when Pushyamitra Sunga, the commander-in-chief, assassinated the last Mauryan king Brihadrata. Rashtrakutas (A) ruled much later (8th-10th century CE). Palas (B) ruled in Bengal (8th-12th century CE). Chalukyas (D) were a Deccan dynasty (6th-12th century CE).

Kanishka (c. 127-150 CE) was the greatest Kushan ruler, famous for his military conquests, patronage of Buddhism (hosting the Fourth Buddhist Council), and role in developing Mahayana Buddhism. Vikramaditya (B) is legendary, often associated with the Gupta era. Harshavardhana (C) ruled much later (7th century CE). Krishna (D) is a deity, not a Kushan king.

The Hathigumpha inscription of Kharavela, the ancient Kalinga king, is found at Udayagiri caves in Odisha. It describes his conquests and achievements, providing important historical information about ancient India.

The Chola Empire expanded into parts of present-day Karnataka during their peak period (approximately 850-1279 AD). The Cholas were one of the major Tamil dynasties and had significant territorial control in South India, including areas of Karnataka.

Bheeshma (Bhishma) was the first commander-in-chief of the Kaurava army in the Mahabharata war. He led for the first 10 days before being fatally wounded by Arjuna. Drona took command after Bheeshma fell.

Sita was the daughter of King Janaka of Mithila, found while he was ploughing a field. Dasaratha was Rama's father, Vibheeshana was Ravana's righteous brother, and Himavaan was the father of Ganga (not related to Sita).

Ayodhya was the capital city of the Kosala Kingdom, ruled by King Dasaratha (Rama's father). Mithila was Sita's birthplace, Indraprastha was the Pandava capital, and Lanka was Ravana's kingdom.