Question

Who among the following was the last ruler of the Gupta empire?
A. Vishnugupta
B. Chandragupta II
C. Skandagupta
D. Kumaragupta II

Answer 1

Hint: The Gupta empire was defined by exotic art, literature, architecture and scholars. According to some historians, it is considered as the Golden era of India.

Complete answer: The Gupta empire began in the 3rd century CE and ended in 543 CE. It was an empire of ancient India. The Gupta dynasty was founded by Chandragupta I. Kumaragupta’s son Skandagupta was the last ruler of the Gupta empire. After defeating Pushyamitra, he assumed the title of Vikramaditya. He faced the Hunas and defeated them in 455CE. At the expense of this defeat, he drained all the resources of the empire which led to its decline. The Junagarh rock inscription suggests that Skandagupta kept governors for all provinces. Skandagupta issued five types of coins. They are Archer type, King and Queen type, Chhatra type, Lion slayer and horseman type. His four types of silver coins were: Garuda, bull, Altar and Madhyadesha type. The Bhitari Pillar states that Skandagupta helped restore the fallen wealth of his family. The Gupta empire saw a lot of achievements in the field of mathematics and science. The greatest Mathematician Aryabhatta who introduced ‘0’ belonged to the Gupta period.
Therefore, option c is correct.

Note: Although the Gupta empire was one of the richest empires in India, it began to crumble under Skandagupta. The Hunas invaded the kingdom and caused severe damage to the kingdom. The empire got divided into several small kingdoms which were being ruled by chieftains. The Gupta empire came to an end in 550CE.