Let’s brush up on our history and know about some of the greatest rulers of India, whose stories are not only fascinating but also awe-inspiring.

We hear it a lot of times that history is boring. But as Theodore Roosevelt says “The more you know about the past, the better prepared you are for future”. So, hop on the journey of finding more about the great Kings of ancient India.

1. Chandragupta Maurya

Thanks to the mentorship of his teacher Chanakya, Chandragupta Maurya emerged as one of the greatest King of ancient India. He was the first emperor to consolidate India as we know today as a single state. His empire was extended from Bengal in the east to Afghanistan in the west, Kashmir in the north to the Deccan in South. He is also credited to overthrow Macedonian’s from the north-west region of India by defeating Alexander’s general Seleucus Nicator. At the age of 42, he took voluntary retirement and adopted Jainism and lived the rest of his life as a monk.

2. Samudragupta

The second King of the great Gupta empire is known as “Napoleon of India”, even though he was not hungry for power and never lost a battle. Other than being a conqueror Samudragupta was a great patron of art and literature. The monetary system also excelled in his time. There was a sense of harmony and peace in his subjects and even though he fought many battles but was able to maintain diplomatic relation with his neighbouring states.

3. Lalitaditya Muktadipa

One of the greatest empire builders in ancient India was Lalitaditya Muktadipa. His military conquest stretched his borders to Cauvery river in the south, to Bengal in the east, Iran in the west to Tibet in the north. He ordered to clean the river bed of Jhelum to prevent floods and construct canals for irrigation. The symbol of his glorious time can be witnessed by Martand Sun temple, which was built by him.

4. Rajendra Chola

Son of the great Chola King Raja Raja Chola, Rajendra Chola went a step further in terms of being a great and efficient ruler. He was the first King to have organized Naval fleet and thanks to that he and later his successors were able to sail to kingdoms like Malaysia, Cambodia and Indonesia. It was his successor Surya Varman II who built the famous Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia.

All the tales of greatness and glory of our past would always teach us that our greatest glory is rising every time we fall and rise we will.