Sunday, February 14, 2010

Ancient India : The Great Indian Kings

The Great Indian Kings

Vikramaditya An ideal king who was as wise as he was brave and strong. He did not want kingship, but when the people needed him, became king. Matchless in war and matchless in forgiveness, an excellent ruler, he won the hearts of his people. Vikramaditya - The Creator of an Era About 850 years ago the 'Chalukya- Vikrama Era' was in vogue in Karnataka. Vikramaditya the Sixth came to the throne on the 26th of February 1077A.D. The Chalukya-Vikrama Era commenced from that date. This shows his power and greatness. He defeated a number of kings and proved his valour. Can we respect a person as a great man, just because he is physically very strong or because he has an army and is powerful? Surely we cannot. The giants are said to have been very strong. All were afraid of them, but no one respected them. People hated them. One should have the wisdom to use one's strength for the benefit of others. A horse may be swift as the wind, but he needs reins to control him. In the same way power needs wisdom. Vikramaditya was both valiant and able. In spite of constant wars during his reign, the subjects lived without fear. His motto was to rule solely for the welfare of the people. In addition to this he was generous and noble. He treated a king, Jagaddeva by name, with such affection and grace that Jagaddeva gave up his kingdom andcame away to Vikramaditya's court. Vikramaditya the Sixth was second to none in valor. Many kingdoms were under his thumb but he used his might to help the good and punish the wicked. In every way he was worthy to give an era his name.

Medieval History of India

The Mughal Empire

In India, the Mughal Empire was one of the greatest empires ever. The Mughal Empire ruled hundreds of millions of people. India became united under one rule, and had very prosperous cultural and political years during the Mughal rule. There were many Muslim and Hindu kingdoms split all throughout India until the founders of the Mughal Empire came. There were some men such as Babar, grandson to the Great Asian conqueror Tamerlane and the conqueror Genghis Khan from the northern region of Ganges, river valley, who decided to take over Khyber, and eventually, all of India.

Babar (1526-1530): the great grandson of Tamerlane and Genghis Khan, was the first Mughal emperor in India. He confronted and defeated Lodhi in 1526 at the first battle of Panipat, and so came to establish the Mughal Empire in India. Babar ruled until 1530, and was succeeded by his son Humayun.

Humayun (1530-1540 and 1555-1556): the eldest son of Babar, succeeded his father and became the second emperor of the Mughal Empire. He ruled India for nearly a decade but was ousted by Sher Shah Suri, the Afghan ruler. Humayun wandered for about 15 years after his defeat. Meanwhile, Sher Shah Suri died and Humayun was able to defeat his successor, Sikandar Suri and regain his crown of the Hindustan. However, soon after, he died in 1556 at a young age of 48 years.

Sher Shah Suri (1540-1545): was an Afghan leader who took over the Mughal Empire after defeating Humayun in 1540. Sher Shah occupied the throne of Delhi for not more than five years, but his reign proved to be a landmark in the Sub-continent. As a king, he has several achievements in his credit. He established an efficient public administration. He set up a revenue collection system based on the measurement of land. Justice was provided to the common man. Numerous civil works were carried out during his short reign; planting of trees, wells and building of Sarai (inns) for travellers was done. Roads were laid; it was under his rule that the Grand Trunk road from Delhi to Kabul was built. The currency was also changed to finely minted silver coins called Dam. However, Sher Shah did not survive long after his accession on the throne and died in 1545 after a short reign of five years.

shoka

The Wheel which adorns the flag of free India has kept his memory green. Lord of a vast empire, after a great victory sick of violence and took an oath never to fight again.He was an Ideal ruler.

"All men are my children. I am like a father to them. As every father desires the good and the happiness of his children, I wish that all men should be happy always." These are the words of an emperor who lived two thousand and three hundred years ago. We see in history how even mere chieftains grew arrogant and used their powers selfishly and unjustly. But the emperor who said the above words ruled over the greater part of India. He had the power of life and death over millions of his subjects. Is it surprising that free India remembers him with admiration? This emperor was Ashoka (also called ‘Devanampriya Priyadarshi’). The wheel in the abacus of the pillar which he erected as a

memorial at Saranath now adorns the national flag of free India.






--- Ashoka