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Kandagupta was a famous saint. He lived in the outskirts of Maninagar which was the capital of Manipur Kingdom.
There were very few who did not know about the wisdom of Kandagupta. He was also known for his fortune telling.
Maniraj who was the king of Manipuri came to know of the feats of Kandagupta. He wanted to pay respect to this great saint. So, he invited Kandagupta to his palace.
When Kandagupta arrived, Maniraj welcomed him and offered him a seat. Then, the king asked the saint to tell something about his feature from his horoscope.
After a keen observation into the king’s horoscope, Kandagupta started telling the future boons to be blessed upon the king.
The king was so happy. He kept on rewarding the saint with gold and silver for every boon told by Kandagupta.
Now, came the time to say the future misfortunes. The whole outlook of Maniraj started to change. At one point he shouted, “Stop! You filthy soul! How dare you say such nonsense! I order you to say me the time of your death".
Kandagupta replied in a small voice, "My lord! According to my calculations, my death will take place just an hour before thy death".
The king was stunned. He felt his error. He begged pardon from Kandagupta and sent him off with furthermore wealth.
Answers
Answer:
Skandagupta succeeded his father Kumaragupta I as the ruler of Gupta empire. He ruled from 455 A.D. to 467 A.D. His rule was marked by wars against the Pushyamitras and the Hunas. He had defeated the Hunas once as the crown-prince but the penetration of the Hunas into the Indian territories continued. Skandagupta defeated them again in about 460 A.D. and they did not attack the Gupta Empire for nearly fifty years.
According to some sources it is believed that most important competitor of Skandagupta was his stepbrother Purugupta. He was the son of queen Anantadevi. Purugupta was the immediate successor of Kumaragupta. Historians have presumed that when Skandagupta was busy campaigning against the Pushyamitras, Purugupta took the advantage of Skandagupta's absence and his father's illness, in the process of usurping the throne. According to historians since Skandagupta's mother was not the chief queen of Kumaragupta, he was not the legitimate aspirant of the throne. Therefore he had to fight with Purugupta for the throne.
Skandagupta was a great warrior and defended his kingdom from Pushyamitras and the Hunas. But the Hunas war and possibly other wars must have proved a great strain on the financial resources of the empire. This is reflected in the coins of Skandagupta. The gold coins issued by the Skandagupta were comparatively small in number and of only single type. They also show depreciations in the purity of gold.
Skandagupta died in 467 A.D. and was succeeded by his half-brother Purugupta.
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