The Greatest Kings in Indian History

[HindaviSwarajya]

Akbar killed all people including children in chittor. All this secular credentials are falsely claimed by his and subsequent historians. Only thing he was less barbaric compared to others. Never in list.

and again this list is only 5000 yrs old if you go to age of purans we had world conquerers then- pandavs, shri ram(lord vishnu avataar) even ravana etc. I believe this is also history just that very difficult to get proofs though we are getting many now.

 

[KumarG]

Shri Ram. Close thread please.

 

[TheVarun]

Chandragupta Vikramaditya. India was at its most prosperous, civilized and creative during this phase, particularly under his rule. He also removed the last vestiges of Indo-Scythian rule in North India, and conducted a campaign deep into Afghanistan, where he vanquished the Kushans and Sassanids who were ruling there. There is even an oblique reference to this campaign in a Sassanid document. They refer to a major and sudden upheaval in that area coming from the East. Indian sources also speak of Vikramaditya's campaign against the "Vahlikas" in Afghanistan.It's interesting how two separate vague passages confirm an incident!

But the political/military achievements aside, it was the economic, literary and scientific achievements that mark this era.

 

[F-14B]

Samudra Gupta and Vindusara probably most underrated king In Indian history .

Samudra Gupta
Never lose a single war

led invasion in Southern India ,Capture 13 strong southern state from ganjam of Odisa to Cholas of deep south subjugated to him , but instead of taking kingship from respected leaders of those state , he made frienship with them and create a greater economic relation within Indian subcontinent without creating political mess

Made matrimonial alliance with only left major remaining sovereign southern power vakatas to create a de fecto Akhand bharat from khaybar to Pandya rajya in south with only fraction of bloodshed of what Mauryan use.

Trade with Rome and Sassanid was in all time peak by his time ,most prosperous time of Indian history interms of money .

Cultural influence of India reach it's peak . India was true superpower by that time ,we literally capture China and whole east asia with our Buddhism. We even made central asian tribes calm and peaceful with our cultural spectrum .

Hopefully we will reach that stage again

He is also known as the napolean of india

 

[Berkut]

Just heard about Suhel Dev Paasi, from a Sanjeev Sanyal lecture...
His army met the Turks in the Ganga plains n gave them such a sound thrashing that there was no conquest trips from central Asia for the next 150 years!!!

 

[S.A.T.A]

Why is Kharavela of the Kalinga missing from the list. He avenged the humiliation of Kalinga, by Magadha a hundred years back, by defeating Magadha. Same time he drove back the Greek Demetrius, who had invaded India. Then he defeats Satakarni of Sathavahas(who was by all records a powerful ruler). As if this wasn't enough, he goes on to defeat the Dravida confederation in South India..... For the ruler of a small kingdom, Kharavela was an overachiever and he lets the world know of that fact on his Hathigumpa inscription.

 

[Kshatriya87]

Why is Kharavela of the Kalinga missing from the list. He avenged the humiliation of Kalinga, by Magadha a hundred years back, by defeating Magadha. Same time he drove back the Greek Demetrius, who had invaded India. Then he defeats Satakarni of Sathavahas(who was by all records a powerful ruler). As if this wasn't enough, he goes on to defeat the Dravida confederation in South India..... For the ruler of a small kingdom, Kharavela was an overachiever and he lets the world know of that fact on his Hathigumpa inscription.

You should do the honors and post about him.

 

[Tamil TigerWoods]

I like my kings who have exemplary military contributions above all, so here’s my list for the sake of brevity:

1) Marthanda Varma of Travancore. Why? He inflicted a crushing and decisive defeat on the Dutch Colonial empire in the Battle of Colachel in 1741. (1) According to military/security columnist and writer Sandeep Unnithan, the Dutch were the paramount European power at that contemporaneous stage in history. (2) According to various other sources, this was also the only instance in the annals of history wherein an Asian kingdom defeated a European power both at land AND sea. The Dutch are said to have never recovered from this colossal defeat and were no longer a threat to the Indian subcontinent.

2) Chandragupta Maurya of the Mauryan Empire. Why? He defeated the Seleucid Empire, dealing and delivering a crushing blow which rendered the latter suffering devastating losses and the need to usher for peace through a hasty treaty. All-in-all, this defeat signalled the end of the uniqueness of the Ancient Greek conquests into the Indian subcontinent as opposed to their prior adventures. Not only did Alexander the Great himself return after barely touching India, due to a mutiny amongst his own soldiers who did not have the heart or courage to continue the battle against Indian kingdoms after their gruelling war against a tiny, insignificant regional ruler like Porus.....but Alexander’s own Greek successors/satraps were quickly routed by Chandragupta Maurya and the Greek rule over Northwestern India utterly eliminated in just a few years. This is in stark contrast to what happened with other great ancient civilizations such as the Persians or Egyptians: the former of which spent several centuries toiling under Greek rule (both Parthians and Sassanids) and the latter of which never recovered its glory after the Greek military subjugation. Also, the Greek conquests of the East are seen by Western military scholarship as the provenance of European (remember: Ancient Greece is seen as the cradle of European and Western civilizations) imperialism over the East/non-Europeans which later served as an ideological forebear for the age of European colonialism.

 

[Tamil TigerWoods]

3) Shivappa Nayaka of the Keladi Nayaka kingdom. Why? His conquests in Karnataka and Kerala against the Portuguese empire is stuff of marvel. He is said to have completely defeated and destroyed the Portuguese political power in the Kanara region and captured all their forts. This stands as the first victory of Indian kings over European colonial powers as this was in the middle of the 17th century.

4) Chimaji Appa (Peshwa Baji Rao). Why? Similar to the above scenario, the capture of Vasai (Bassein) and much of the coastal territories of Maharashtra (save the Goan enclave) from the Portuguese once again signifies the strength and capability of Indian kings over a Western European empire. The Portuguese never again recovered from this defeat and the siege of Vasai became one of the most legendary feats of the Maratha Empire in history.

According to the sources on the history of Portuguese India, the above both served to check Portuguese expansion and gains in the subcontinent. Upon being defeated by Chimaji Appa and Shivappa Nayaka, the Portuguese only possessed Goa and some tiny territories on they Western coast....and we all know how Portuguese control of Goa culminated in their crushing defeat and annexation into the Indian union in 1961.

 

[Tamil TigerWoods]

5) Girvan Yudra Bikram Shah (Nepali, not Indian, but Hindu). Why? Under him the Nepali Gurkha kingdom became engrossed in the war against the British. The Anglo-Nepali or Anglo-Gurkha war was the culmination of decades of preceding hostilities....and the mighty British whose empire was the greatest in the history of the world could not subdue the Gurkhas. The war ended in a stalemate. A stalemate between 12,000 Gurkha irregulars and 30,000 British forces armed with superior weaponry. British accounts of the war speak of their ignominious result as they eventually had to sign a hasty peace treaty with the Gurkhas which allowed them to then conscript the latter. The Gurkhas have gone on to fight and win British battles and wars as the latter have seen what a truly indomitable fighting force looks like in man and spirit, all the while earning the reputation as being the most fearsome fighters in the world.

6) Gadadhar Singha of the Ahom Kingdom. Why? Under him, the final battle between the Ahoms and Mughals has been conducted. Aurangzeb’s campaign to expand the Mughal Empire into the Northeast of India ended in an abject failure. Despite being the wealthiest and most powerful ruler in the world at this particular time- and having dismantled the British East India company’s colonial ambitions during the earlier Child’s War campaign- the mighty Mughal Empire under Aurangzeb had been completely repulsed by the Ahom Kingdom and been forced to retreat. While the Battle of Itakhuli (under Gadadhar Singha) marked the final battle between the Ahoms and the Mughals, it should be noted that the Battle of Saraighat in the previous decade was in fact the monumental battle between the two forces- arguably one of the greatest Naval showdowns in both Indian and world history. The Ahom kingdom went onto rule for the next century without any foreign disruption- however, a civil war sparked by the Moamoria and other rebellions lead to the utter destruction and devastation of the empire, serving almost as the sole reason for the decline in the 600-year old Ahom dynasty as more than half the population of the kingdom had been destroyed due to infighting in the Moamoria rebellion. This meant that kingdom was utterly depleted when the Burmese invasions and occupation took place, and the subsequent British annexation emerged. Had it not been for the Moamoria rebellion, the British never could’ve taken hold of the Ahom kingdom which would mean India today would not be in possession of Assam. Interesting how history shapes up.

 

[Filtercoffee]

What I know through sources is that Bhrama is only Libran and Sarasawti too. Pieces are only adityas leaving only the planets too being Pieces. Next now is (please dont judge me on what I heard, its true visually. I AM DEEPLY SORRY FOR THE REVEAL.) The maruts which comprise of Gemini, Leo, Virgo, Sagittarius and Capricorn are next to be revealed and revered. Only Aquariuues, Cancerians and Scorpions are Enlil ( Balram too and please dont take this as a want which happened due to comfirmation for this entire list by me). Now from this I believe only Brahma in human form is the king and no one above his kingship is fact. (Aragon son of Arathon fron lord of the rings and changed wife due to some pressure unknown by me.) it all adds up. :biggrin2:

 

[Tamil TigerWoods]

What I know through sources is that Bhrama is only Libran and Sarasawti too. Pieces are only adityas leaving only the planets too being Pieces. Next now is (please dont judge me on what I heard, its true visually. I AM DEEPLY SORRY FOR THE REVEAL.) The maruts which comprise of Gemini, Leo, Virgo, Sagittarius and Capricorn are next to be revealed and revered. Only Aquariuues, Cancerians and Scorpions are Enlil ( Balram too and please dont take this as a want which happened due to comfirmation for this entire list by me). Now from this I believe only Brahma in human form is the king and no one above his kingship is fact. (Aragon son of Arathon fron lord of the rings and changed wife due to some pressure unknown by me.) it all adds up. :biggrin2:

No idea how to decipher this post.....

Anyways, for people who are interested, please read Rakesh Krishnan Simha- defence analyst and published writer- on his historical pieces on wars involving Indian kingdoms.

His works on Chandragupta Maurya and the Mauryan-Seleucid Empire as quoted above is derived from his piece "Why the Greeks never came back to India".

Fantastic writer on South Asian military affairs. A must-read/follow.

 

[Aaj ka hero]

No idea how to decipher this post.....

Anyways, for people who are interested, please read Rakesh Krishnan Simha- defence analyst and published writer- on his historical pieces on wars involving Indian kingdoms.

His works on Chandragupta Maurya and the Mauryan-Seleucid Empire as quoted above is derived from his piece "Why the Greeks never came back to India".

Fantastic writer on South Asian military affairs. A must-read/follow.

I have also read him.
Where are his posts? Can you guide me there.

 

[Indrajit]

I like my kings who have exemplary military contributions above all, so here’s my list for the sake of brevity:

1) Marthanda Varma of Travancore. Why? He inflicted a crushing and decisive defeat on the Dutch Colonial empire in the Battle of Colachel in 1741. (1) According to military/security columnist and writer Sandeep Unnithan, the Dutch were the paramount European power at that contemporaneous stage in history. (2) According to various other sources, this was also the only instance in the annals of history wherein an Asian kingdom defeated a European power both at land AND sea. The Dutch are said to have never recovered from this colossal defeat and were no longer a threat to the Indian subcontinent.

2) Chandragupta Maurya of the Mauryan Empire. Why? He defeated the Seleucid Empire, dealing and delivering a crushing blow which rendered the latter suffering devastating losses and the need to usher for peace through a hasty treaty. All-in-all, this defeat signalled the end of the uniqueness of the Ancient Greek conquests into the Indian subcontinent as opposed to their prior adventures. Not only did Alexander the Great himself return after barely touching India, due to a mutiny amongst his own soldiers who did not have the heart or courage to continue the battle against Indian kingdoms after their gruelling war against a tiny, insignificant regional ruler like Porus.....but Alexander’s own Greek successors/satraps were quickly routed by Chandragupta Maurya and the Greek rule over Northwestern India utterly eliminated in just a few years. This is in stark contrast to what happened with other great ancient civilizations such as the Persians or Egyptians: the former of which spent several centuries toiling under Greek rule (both Parthians and Sassanids) and the latter of which never recovered its glory after the Greek military subjugation. Also, the Greek conquests of the East are seen by Western military scholarship as the provenance of European (remember: Ancient Greece is seen as the cradle of European and Western civilizations) imperialism over the East/non-Europeans which later served as an ideological forebear for the age of European colonialism.

If military prowess is the benchmark, maybe you would like to add Govinda III of the Rashtrakutas ( son of the illustrious and equally militarily accomplished Dhruva Dharavarsha) to your list. Both father and son had stormed into North India and defeated both the Gurjara Pratiharas and the Palas. Govinda III was militarily unsurpassed and had defeated every kingdom, both in the South and in the North.

 

[Tactical Frog]

Interesting.

 

[LurkerBaba]

Interesting.

The Kushan emperor Kanishka is on the poll

 

[Chimaji Appa]

Chandragupta Vikramaditya takes the cake. He defeated the Sakas and expanded Gupta control all over North India. There are even records of him defeating the Sassanids and other frontier tribes. There is a high possiblity that Gupta armies hit the Oxus Valley (like how Marathas held Attock for a short time).

 

[Indianking]

This video covers the greatest Indian kings in History and probably answers the question of the thread.

 

[yakka]

I think you may have to revise the list given the latest news here.

 

[asaffronladoftherisingsun]

I think you may have to revise the list given the latest news here.

Sri Lanka belonged to Bharatvarsha and Buddha did not belong to Sri Lanka.

दीघनिकाय अग्गञ्जसुत्त page 655
यस्स खो पनस्स, वासेट्ठ, तथागते सध्दा निविट्ठा मूलजाता पतिट्ठिता दव्हा असंहारिया समणेन वा ब्राह्मणेन वा देवेन वा मारेन वा ब्रह्मुना वा केनाचि वा लोकस्मिं,तस्सेतं कल्लं वचनाय-'भगवतोम्हि पुत्तो ओरसो मुखतो जातो धम्मजो धम्मनिम्मितो धम्मदायाद'ति।तं किस्स हेतु?तथागतस्स हेतं वासेट्ठ अधिवचनं 'धम्मकायो' इति पि,'धम्मभूतो' इति पि 'ब्रह्मभूतो'इति पि।

One who has faith in Buddha, if he says that he is born from the mouth of Brahma i.e. Buddha, then it is worth accepting. Here it is explicit that whoever has faith in Buddha in whom his faith has been firmly rooted ,He is revered, firm, he cannot be deterred by neither any Brahmin nor by anyone in the world.
Therefore, it is appropriate for such a person to say that I am born from the mouth of God, born of Dharma, made of Dharma as a benevolent son. Because धर्मकाय , ब्रम्हा ,ब्रह्मकाय, धर्मभूत , ब्रम्हाभूत etc names are of Buddha.


The core essence is that Brahma is Buddha.

Instead of going to Sri Lanka its much better that neo buddhists like you come back to the Original roots to Mother SARASVATI.