Ancient and Medieval Indian Rulers

Asoka is referred to as 'Devanampiya Piyadasi' in his inscriptions, not by his personal name. However, the name 'Asoka' is mentioned in the Maski and Gujarra inscriptions, so the claim that it only appears in the Rudradaman inscription is false.

The Heliodorus pillar inscription at Besnagar identifies Heliodorus as a Bhagavata, a devotee of Vasudeva (Vishnu/Krishna).

Abdur Razzak, the Persian ambassador, visited the Vijayanagara court during the reign of Devaraya II in the 1440s.

Krishnadeva Raya, the most famous ruler of the Vijayanagara Empire, belonged to the Tuluva dynasty.

Most of the paintings in the Ajanta caves were executed during the Gupta period, which is considered the golden age of Indian art.

The silver coins issued by the Gupta rulers were known as Rupayaka, while gold coins were called Dinara.

Samudragupta, a ruler of the Gupta Empire, is famously referred to as the 'Napoleon of India' by historian A.V. Smith due to his extensive military conquests and expansionist policies.

Kalidasa, the legendary classical Sanskrit poet and dramatist, lived during the reign of the Gupta emperor Chandragupta II (also known as Vikramaditya). He was celebrated as one of the nine gems (Navaratnas) of the royal court.

The Saka era is traditionally attributed to the Kushan king Kanishka, starting in 78 AD.

The Gupta administration was characterized by a centralized monarchy, where the king held supreme power.

Megasthenes was a Greek historian and diplomat sent as an ambassador by Seleucus I Nicator of the Seleucid Empire to the court of Chandragupta Maurya. He wrote 'Indica', a valuable historical account of Mauryan India.