Great Hindus

 

Great Hindus

The Indian soil has birthed many brave soldiers who have fought, sometimes to acquire new land to expand their empires and at other times to defend their own lands from foreign invasions. The greatest (not only greater) warrior in ancient India was, is and will be each individual Hindu man and woman with his/her inner fighting for his/her personal spiritual development.

There is a long list of important human figures in Hinduism; Vedic rishis, human beings who transcended ordinary human intellect and knowledge by means of 'tapas' and could therefore see deep cosmic truths. Some prominent names are Vishvamitra, Vasishtha, Bharadvaja, Vamadeva, Atri, Grtsamada, Dirghatamas, Gotama, Parashara, Kashyapa, Kanva and others. Some prominent women rishis were Apala Atreyi, Ghosha Kakshivati, Lopamudra, Vishvavara, Vak Ambhrni. The ancient ancestors of these rishis were Angira, Bhrigu, Atharva and Trita Aptya.

The Upanishad rishis who had the same vision of Vedic rishis, but simplified the terminology and pedagogy of the spiritual philosophy. Some prominent names are Uddalaka Aruni, Yajnavalkya, Satyakama Jabala, Upakosala Kamalayana, Janaka, Janashruti, Sayugva Raikva, Pravahana Jaivali, Sanatkumara, Gargi, Maitreyi, and others. Shri Rama and Shri Krishna, who are complex personalities seen as role models and upholders of Dharma in society. Their influence was so great that they began to be considered direct forms of God.

The genius multi-faceted Veda Vyasa and the "first poet" Valmiki. The brilliant rishis who contributed to various fields of knowledge. Some prominent names are Kautilya, Panini, Patanjali, Vararuchi, Yaska, Gautama, Kanada, Sushruta, Jaimini, Kapila, Vatsyayana, Bharatamuni, etc. The great poets whose immortal works are praised and appreciated all over the world even today. Some prominent names are Kalidasa, Bhasa, Bhavabhuti, Bharavi, Vishakhadatta, Shudraka, Magha, Dandin, Upavarsha, Harsha, Bana, Kaiyata, etc.

The great acharyas who wrote commentaries on important works to elucidate the meaning, as well as established significantly new systems of philosophy and religious practive. Some prominent names are Shankara, Ramanuja, Madhva, Nimbarka, Vallabha, Vacaspati Mishra, Mandana Mishra, Sureshvara, Vidyaranya, Sayana, Vedanta Deshika, and others.

The great kings who ruled justly and nurtured culture, art, literature and civilization. There are dozens of kings, but some dynasties that had a lasting effect on Indian civilization are Kurus, Panchalas, Videha, Magadha, Vidarbha, Kashi, Avanti, Mauryas, Guptas, Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Cholas, Pandyas, Satavahanas, Vijayanagar, Kadamba, Hoysala, etc. Most of these people were also efficient rulers and shrewd tacticians who resolved and curbed internal rebellions and helped their kingdom to flourish. 

 King Vikramaditya made Ujjain his capital, in present-day Madhya Pradesh. He almost ruled whole Asia. Vikramaditya  empire controlled many parts of Modern day China, Entire Middle East and Many Parts of South East Asia. Vikramaditya king defeated Rome’s Julius Caesar in battle and defeated Shakas

King Lalitaditya Muktapiḍa  of Kashmir  ruled  over 7  million sq. kms. Parihaspur  was built by Lalitaditya Muktapida and served as the capital of Kashmir during his reign. The Undefeated Ruler of Kashmir who defeated Islamic invaders & ruled till Caspian Sea  .He captured parts of Central Asia and North india. His empire extended from Tibet to Iran and Turkistan. He was later able to create an empire based on Kashmir and covering most of Northern India and Central Asia including most parts of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bactria, Iran, Nepal, Tibet, Turkistan and Soghdiana.  He belonged to the Karkota dynasty.

Chandragupta II Vikramaditya from the Gupta dynasty ruled from AD 380 to AD 415. His period of prominence is often referred to as “The Golden Age of India.” He extended his empire by conquests and matrimonial alliances. He conquered Western Malwa and Gujarat, which gave him the Western Sea Coast, famous for its trade and commerce, thus making his empire even more prosperous.

The founder of the Maurya dynasty, Chandragupta Maurya defeated the last Nanda ruler, Dhanananda, with the help of Parvartaka and Chanakya. He defeated Seleucus Nikator, the general of Alexander the Great, in 305 BC. They then formed a matrimonial alliance between them. Under his reign, trades, agriculture, road systems and irrigation systems improved. 

Referred to as Chakravarti Samrat Ashoka, Ashoka belonged to the Maurya dynasty and was the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya, the founder of the dynasty. He ruled almost the entire Indian subcontinent, with his empire stretching from present-day Afghanistan in the west to Bangladesh in the east. King Ashoka ruled  over ruled  over 5 million sq. kms. Ashoka the third ruler of the Maurya Empire, the capital of which was Pataliputra, in present-day Bihar. Ashoka expanded Empire to reign over a realm stretching from present-day Afghanistan in the west to Bangladesh in the east and half of India. 

Ashoka was  grandson of Chandragupta Maurya and Chandragupta Maurya defeated Seleucus in India. King Ashoka covered part of India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and Afghanistan. Once known for his ferocious warfare and merciless killings, Ashoka had a change of heart after witnessing the casualties of the Kalinga War, which he won, and converted to Buddhism. He spent the rest of his life preaching Buddhism and spreading the message of peace to the entire world. The Ashoka Chakra in the tricolour today is there in honour of Ashoka.

Maharana Pratap is regarded as the epitome of Rajput valour on display. He belonged to the Sisodia clan of Suryavanshi Rajputs, and ruled Mewar, a part of present day Rajasthan. In his lifetime, he had a continuing battle against Akbar, who defeated him at the Battle of Haldighati, but couldn’t capture him. He continued to trouble Akbar through the tactics of guerilla warfare. He is said to have been a fearless warrior and an ingenious strategist. He was hailed by his people, including Chhatrapati Shivaji, as an inspirational figure for exemplifying gallantry and resourcefulness.

The founder of the Maratha dynasty in India, Chatrapati Shivaji is regarded as one of the most valiant warriors who dared to stand up against the mighty Mughals, and defeated them several times. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj ruled  over ruled over 2.8 million sq. kms. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was founder and first emperor  of the Maratha Empire. He established Rajgad as the capital, in present-day Maharashtra. His extending from Bengal in the east to Attock and Sindh in the west, Kashmir in the north to the Kaveri basin in the south. 

Prithviraj Chauhan; There are varying accounts of Prithviraj Chauhan’s exploits by various historians. A king from the Chauhan dynasty, he ruled much of the present-day Rajasthan, Haryana, and Delhi; and some parts of Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. The most notable wars during his reign were with Mohammad Ghori, who was defeated in The First Battle of Tarain, but came back stronger to defeat Prithviraj Chauhan in The Second Battle of Tarain. 

 Venkoji, a half-brother of the Maratha king Shivaji, was the first Raja of Thanjavur from the Bhosale dynasty. It is believed that he took over the administration of Thanjavur in April 1674 and ruled until 1684. The Venkoji was the founder of the Thanjavur Maratha kingdom of bhonsle dynasty. The murder of Afzal Khan with tiger paws is a story for the history textbooks, the story of an immensely brave and clever tactician who stopped at nothing to protect his Maratha empire from Mughal invasion. He was crowned in 1674 and assumed the title of Haindava Dharmodharak, and Chhatrapati. He formed the first Hindavi Swarajya, which accounted for the complete Hindu rule.

The Pandya dynasty was one of the three ruling dynasties of south India. Pandya dynasty ruled over the southern India from 3rd century BC to 17th century CE. According to tradition, the legendary Sangams ("the Academies") were held in Madurai under the patronage of the Pandyas, and some of the Pandya rulers claimed to be poets themselves. Pandya Nadu was home to a number of renowned temples, including the Meenakshi Temple in Madurai.

King Deva Pala ruled  over  ruled  over 4.6 million sq.kms. Deva Pala the third ruler of the Pala Empire. Deva Pala covered part of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan. His empire stretched from Assam and Utkala in the east, Kamboja (modern day Afghanistan) in the north-west and Deccan in the south. His capital city of which was Munger (Monghyr ) present-day Bihar. 

 King Samudra Gupta ruled  over  ruled  over 3.5 million sq.kms. Samudragupta, the second emperor of the Gupta empire  the capital of which was Pataliputra, in present-day Bihar. His region extended from the Himalayas in the north to the Krishna and Godavari Rivers in the south; and from Balkh (Afghanistan) in the west to Brahmaputra River in the east. King Samudragupta covered part part of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Afghanistan .

King Kanishka ruled  over  ruled  over 2.5 million sq. kms. Kanishka was the greatest ruler of the Kushan Empire, a realm that covered much of present-day India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and China(Yarkand now in the xinjiang region of china). Kanishka had fought against King Han Ho-ti who was the king of Han dynasty of China. Kanishka defeated the Chinese king in the second attempt. Kushan that ruled over most of the northern Indian subcontinent and parts of Central Asia. The main capital of his empire was located at Peshawar in present-day Pakistan.

Kharavela ruled  over  ruled  over 1.3 million sq. kms  Kharavela belonged to the Mahameghavahana dynasty and his capital city is Kalinganagara  present-day Odisha . Kharavela's empire included large parts of eastern and central India. It corresponds to present-day northern Telangana, northeastern Andhra Pradesh, most of Odisha, and a portion of Madhya Pradesh states.

King Govinda III  ruled  over  ruled  over 1.2 million sq. kms. Govinda III  was a famous Rashtrakuta dynasty ruler and his capital city is Mayurkhandi in present-day Karnataka. He was militarily the most successful emperor of the dynasty with successful conquests-from Cape Comorin in the south to Kannauj in the north, from Banaras in the east to Broach (Bharuch) in the west. Rashtrakuta kingdom included the modern state of Karnataka in its entirety along with parts of the current Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra and Gujarat.

Harshavardhana ruled over 1 million sq. kms His Empire covered much of North and Northwestern India, extended East till Kamarupa, and South until Narmada River; and eventually made Kannauj (in the present Uttar Pradesh state) his capital.  Harsha ruled over a vast territory consisting of eastern Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha under their control.

Mihira Bhoja ruled over ruled over 1 million sq. kms His Empire covered much of western and northern India. He was a ruler of the Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty and his capital city is Kannauj in present-day Uttar Pradesh. Bhoja's empire extended to Narmada River in the South, Sutlej River in the northwest, and up to Bengal in the east. It extended over a large area from the foot of the Himalayas up to the river Narmada and included the present district of Etawah in Uttar Pradesh.

Rajendra Chola  ruled  over  ruled  over 1 million sq. kms  Rajendra Chola belonged to the chola dynasty. Rajendra chola the mighty emperor of South India actually led Naval invasion in South East Asia. Rajendra Chola was indeed a mighty emperor with formidable Naval power. His empire covered part of half of south India ( expect north Karnataka and Telangana were ruled by Western Chalukya Empire ), south west Bengal, South Odisha and South Thailand, Java & Sumatra (only two island of Indonesia), Singapore, Malaysia (Malay Peninsula ). He established Gangaikonda Cholapuram as the capital, in present-day Tamilnadu.

Pulakeshin II  ruled  over  ruled  over 0.6 million sq. kms. Pulakeshin II  was the ruler of the Chalukya dynasty and his capital city is Badami in present-day Karnataka.   Pulikeshi – II extended from the Kosala and Kalinga (Bay of Bengal) in the east, to Konkana in the west, the river Narmada in the north and up to river Cauveri in the south. Their domain included the whole of present day Karnataka, Maharashtra, parts of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and parts of Tamil Nadu

Krishnadeva Raya  ruled  over 0.6  million sq. kms. His Empire covered much almost the entire South India. He was a ruler of the Vijayanagara Empire and his capital city is Hampi in present-day Karnataka. His empire extended from the river Krishna in the north to River Cauvery in the south; the Arabian Sea in the west to Bay of Bengal in the east.

Mahapadma Nanda ruled  over 0.5  million sq. kms. Mahapadma Nanda was the founder of Nanda Empire in. Mahapadma Nanda was the first historical emperor of  India. His capital of which was Pataliputra, in present-day Bihar His empire extended from the Kuru, near Punjab, in the north to the Godavari valley in the south and from Magadha in the east to the Narmada on the west.

Gautamiputra Satakarni ruled  over 0.5  million sq. kms. He was a ruler of the  Satavahana dynasty and his capital city is Paithan in present-day Maharashtra. His kingdom ran from Krishna in the south to Malwa and Saurashtra in the north and from Berar in the east to the Konkan in the west. The Satavahana kingdom mainly comprised the present-day Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. At different times, their rule extended to parts of modern Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Karnataka.

Bajirao Ballal (Bajirao I); The Peshwa to the Maratha government, Bajirao Ballal is considered to be the most important factor in the expansion of the Maratha empire after Shivaji Maharaj and one of the greatest warriors in Indian history. Under his leadership, the Marathas compelled the Mughals to give them the right to collect chauth of the vast areas. He was adept at guerilla warfare and conquered Salsettle and Bassin from the Portuguese. He also defeated the Nizam-ul-Mulk near Bhopal and received Malwa and Bundelkhand in 1737.

Several empires in India history have been contenders for the largest of all time, depending on definition and mode of measurement. Possible ways of measuring time period, size include area, population, economy, and power. The list is not exhaustive owing to a lack of available data for several empires; for this reason and because of the inherent uncertainty in the area estimates.

Chaitanya