India Famous Kings

India is one of the richest countries in terms of history and heritage. The nation has witnessed rise and fall of myriad kings and kingdoms.

India has been the place of many rulers. Many kingdoms flourished over here and they have the remains till now. Of all the kingdoms in India, there are a few kingdoms which changed the scenario and history of India.

Here is a list of some popular kings of ancient India.

Kings	Information
Ajatashatru (512-461 BCE)	1. A contemporary of both Vardaman Mahavira and Gautama Buddha, Ajastasatru was a successor of Haryanka dynasty and the king of Magadha empire. 2. He took over the reign of the kingdom in 491 BC. According to Buddhist texts, he was murdered by his own son in 461 BC.
Chandragupta Maurya	1. Chandragupta Maurya was a pivotal figure in the history of India. 2. He was the founder of the Maurya Empire and the first emperor to unify most of Greater India into one state.
Ashoka Maurya (304–232 BCE)	1. He was commonly known as Ashoka and Ashoka the Great. 2. He was an Indian emperor of the Maurya Dynasty who ruled almost all of the Indian subcontinent. 3. Ashoka converted gradually to Buddhism beginning about 263 BCE.
Porus a.k.a. Puru (321-315 BC)	1. As for the Macedonians, however, their struggle with Porus blunted their courage and stayed their further advance into India.
Kanishka (127–150 CE)	1. Kanishka the Great was the most famous emperor of the Kushan dynasty. 2. Earlier he was believed to have ascended the power in 78 AD which marked the beginning of the Saka Calendar.
Chandragupta II (380-413 AD)	1. Chandragupta II, who assumed the title of Vikram Aditya, was one of the most powerful emperors in the Indian history. 2. Son of Samudragupta, he ruled from about 380 to 413 AD.
Harshvardhan (606 to 647 AD)	1. Harshvardhan was a king of Pushyabhuti who ruled from 606 to 647 AD. 2. A strong ruler, his kingdom extended from Punjab to Narmada river basin. 3. Harsha was noted for financial and military achievements.
Shivaji Maharaj (1627-1680)	1. Shivaji is the greatest king and most successful general in Indian history. 2. He is the father of Indian navy. Nobody else recognised the importance of a navy except him. 3. He is the first general in Indian history to have used the geographical terrain to his advantage. 4. He kept the dream of swaraj (self-rule) above everything else.
Maharana Pratap (1572–97)	1. Maharana Pratap was born in a Rajput family. 2. He was born to Uday Singh II and Jaiwanta Bai. 3. He was a Hindu Rajput ruler of Mewar Kingdom.
Prithvi Raj Chauhan (1178–1192 CE)	1. Prithviraj is considered to be the greatest warrior of India, and also one of the greatest in the world. 2. He succeeded to the authority of Ajmer at the age of thirteen, in 1179, when his father died in a battle. 3. He was trained in Archery and could aim at target while being blind folded (Shabdabhedi Ban Vidya).
TIPU Sultan (1750 –1799)	1. Won small battles against British with 1:1 force, while suffering small losses before he was 30. 2. The last Indian King to dictate terms to the British after defeating them in battle.

Interesting Facts:

• In 1926, Cartier received a trunk full of precious stones and jewellery belonging to Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala, who wanted them to be remounted in Parisian style.
• The gate of the Lalbagh Palace in Indore was crafted in London and then was shipped all the way to Indore!
• The first president of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad entered the Rashtrapati Bhawan on the silver chariot owned by the Maharaja of Patiala.
• The American consulate in South Bombay was earlier the property of Maharaja Amar Singh Zala of Wankaner.
• Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II had ordered the craftsman of Jaipur to create two huge sterling silver vessels so that he could carry Ganga Jal along with him on his trip to England.
• The Udaipur family was so fascinated with crystals that the chairs, thrones, tables and even the fans of their palace were studded with it.