list any 5 great India Kingdom and write about the king and kingdom
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Answer:
Ajatasatru (512-461 BCE)
Haryanka Emperor
Ajatasatru was the son of Maharaja Bimbisara, one of the earliest rulers of the ancient kingdom of Magadha in north-east India. Bimbisara became head of the Haryanka dynasty in 543 BCE, whereupon he set about expanding his territory through marriage and conquest. However, in his own desire for power, and due to a family misunderstanding, the Prince had his father imprisoned before taking the throne for himself (Bimbisara was either murdered or committed suicide, depending on which texts you read).
2. Chandragupta Maurya (340-298 BCE)
Mauryan Emperor
Chandragupta Maurya is influential for his founding of the Mauryan Empire, and consequent unification of India into a single state. The major force in the region at the time
was the Nanda empire, ruled by Dhana Nanda and located in the kingdom of Magadha in north-east India. Aiming to extend its borders, the empire had built an army comprising some 200,000 infantry and 80,000 cavalry, backed up by thousands of chariots and elephants. Under the tutelage of his advisor, Chanakya, Chandragupta assembled a band of men to rebel against the incumbent ruler.
3. Ashoka (304-232 BCE)
Mauryan Emperor
The grandson of Chandragupta, Ashoka was one of India’s greatest emperors, ruling the Maurya dynasty with an empire that spread almost across the entire subcontinent. Loyal ministers helped him to the throne in favour of the rightful heir, and he’s said to have been a cruel and aggressive King, gaining the nickname “Ashoka the Fierce” due to his ownership of an ornately decorated torture chamber. The Emperor waged a bitter war against Kalinga (modern-day Odisha), a feudal republic on the east coast, beginning around 261 BCE. This bloodiest of conflicts cost the lives of around 150,000 Kalinga warriors and 100,000 Mauryan men, and is said to have caused the Daya River to run red.
4. Samudragupta (315-380)
Gupta Emperor
Described by some as “India’s Napoleon” (though, unlike the French emperor, he was never defeated in battle), Samudragupta was a masterful military tactician and
leader of the Gupta dynasty from 335-375. Chosen above his elder brothers to succeed King Chandragupta I (not to be confused with Chandragupta Maurya), the young man immediately set out on a series of military expeditions in order to expand the Gupta empire and unify the nation.
5. Pulakesi II (610-642)
Chalukya King
In the 6th Century, the Chalukya dynasty ruled over southern and central India, and Pulakesi (born Ereya) came to the throne as a boy, with his uncle Mangalesa serving as regent. When Ereya was denied his birthright, he raised an army against his uncle, defeated him at the Battle of Elapattu Simbige, and ascended to the throne under the name Pulakesi. Soon after, he went to war with rebellious forces within the empire, beating the Kings Govinda and Appayika at the Bhima River in southern India. He then turned his attention to the west, defeating three kingdoms and winning a naval battle near Elephanta Island in Mumbai Harbour.
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