Ancient and Medieval Indian Rulers

The Allahabad Pillar inscription (Prayag Prashasti) by Harisena describes both Samudragupta's military conquests and his just rule, reflecting Buddhist ideals of kingship.

The Kailasanatha temple at Ellora was built by Krishna I of the Rashtrakuta dynasty around 8th century CE. It is a massive monolithic rock-cut temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, carved from a single rock from top to bottom.

Samudragupta was an accomplished veena player, earning the title 'Kaviraja' for his musical prowess. Mahendravarman I, also known as 'Vichitrachitta,' authored the musical treatise 'Sivavishnu Gitika.' Harshavardhana and Vikramaditya were arts patrons but not musicians.

The Kingdom of Mysore was indeed ruled by the Wodeyar (or Yaduraya) dynasty from 1399 until India's independence in 1947. The Wodeyars were one of the longest-reigning dynasties in Indian history. The other options are incorrect: Agra was ruled by the Mughals, Chandigarh is a modern planned city, and Kohima is in Nagaland.

Chanakya (misspelled as Chanukya), also known as Kautilya or Vishnugupta, with the help of his student Chandragupta Maurya, destroyed the Nanda dynasty around 322 BCE and established the Mauryan Empire. This is a famous event in ancient Indian history.

Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram) was built by Narasimhavarman I (also known as Mamalla), the Pallava king who ruled from 630-668 CE. The town's name Mamallapuram literally means 'the city of Mamalla', honoring this king who commissioned the famous rock-cut temples and sculptures, including the Shore Temple.

The temple tank and the famous 1000-pillar hall at the Annamalaiyar Temple in Thiruvannamalai were built by the Vijayanagara emperor Krishna Deva Raya (Krishnadevaraya). He ruled from 1509-1529 CE and was a great patron of temple architecture, commissioning major additions to several important Tamil temples including this one and the ones at Tirumala and Kanchipuram.

Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, belonged to the Sakya clan. The Sakyas were a tribal clan living in the foothills of the Himalayas in what is now Nepal, and Buddha was born as Prince Siddhartha of this clan.

The Gupta Empire (c. 320-550 CE) stabilized and unified much of India after the decline of Ashoka's Mauryan Empire. The Gupta period is often called the Golden Age of ancient India due to achievements in arts, science, and culture.

The Vijayanagara Empire maintained friendly relations with the Portuguese from the early 16th century. They valued Portuguese military support, especially firearms technology, against their Deccan rivals (Bahmani Sultanate and successors). Krishnadevaraya's reign (1509-1529) saw active cooperation with Portuguese traders and military advisors. The Bahmani Kingdom was Vijayanagara's rival, while Chola and Chera were much earlier (medieval/ancient) dynasties.

During the 8th-10th centuries CE, three major powers emerged as contemporaries: the Rashtrakutas (Deccan, 753-982 CE), the Palas of Bengal (8th-12th century), and various Rajput clans (emerging 7th-8th century, prominent from 8th century). The Chalukyas of Badami were earlier (6th-8th century) and were succeeded by the Rashtrakutas, making them non-contemporaneous with the other three.

Ashwathama was Dronacharya's son who fought in the Kurukshetra war. After the war, he was cursed by Krishna to roam eternally for his war crimes against the Pandava lineage.