WAR WITH SAKAS
The principal military achievement of Chandragupta-II was the conquest
of Malwa, Gujarat and Saurashtra. All of them were ruled for several
centuries by Saka chiefs known as Satraps of Great Satraps, since they
paid tribute to the Kushans. This particular advaace of Chadragupta-II
also involved the subjugation of the Malavas and certain other tribes
which were outside the frontiers of Samudragupta. The details of the
campaign are not known but Chadragupta's prolonged stay in Malva along
with his feudatory chiefs, ministers and generals is proved by the least
three inscriptions. The capaign was eminently successful. Rudra Simha,
the last of the Satraps was killed. The fall of Saka Satrap is allueded
to by Bana in his Harsha Charita "Chandragupta in the disguise of a
female killed the Saka king possessed of lust for another's wife at the
very city of the enemy". The Gupta Kingdom. The numismatic evidence
proves the annexation. On the lion-slaver type of coins, Chandragupta is
represented as slaying a lion with the lengedn 'Simha-Vikram' (one who
has the prowess of a lion), signifaying probably his conquestof Gujarat
where lions were then early common. But the conclusive evidene is that
of the silver coins issued by Chandragupta II in the Saka rgions.
RESULTS OF THE WAR WITH SAKA SATRAPS :
(1) End of the domination of the foreigners. (2) Chandragupta became the pramaount soverign of all Northern India.
(3) With the addition of the rice and fertile provinces of Gujarat
and Kathiawar, Gupta empire extended fropm the bay of Bengal to the
Arabian Sea.
(4) The Gupta empire now controlled a large part of the Indian
commerce and trade with the western world since the western ports were
now in Gupta hands and was brought into closer contact with the western
civilization.
(5) Western border of India was now no longer a source of anxiety.
(6) Internal trade also received a fillip
(7) Ujjain now because a great center of trade, commerce, education
and politics, the Guptaking realisingits importance and it has second
capital.
