Eight prevalent kings of India

India as we know is a very diverse country with more than 15,000 spoken languages and more than 10 religions being followed by the citizens. Similar is the case of rulers, kings and dynasties in India. India has a vast and inspirational history of kings, stories of whom inspire the people till date.

India has not been a country but a home to many dynasties, it has always had a special and precious place for royalty and bravery.

Some of these brave and worldwide known rulers have been listed and talked about below: -

1. Chandragupta Maurya [c.324-c.297 BCE]

Chandragupta was the founder of the Maurya empire. He was a student of the great philosopher Chanakya. He was the first emperor to unify most of the India under one administration, freeing it from foreign domination. In 305 he defeated an invasion by a Greek contender for the control of Alexander’s Asian empire. He is credited with saving the country from maladministration. In addition to this the great ruler fasted to death in sorrow for feminine stricken people.

1. Ashoka [265-238 BCE]

Emperor Ashoka was the last major king of the Mauryan dynasty. He renounced armed conquest and adopted a policy that he called “conquest by dharma”. He patronized the spread of Buddhism and art throughout the empire. He always believed in being kind to all and non-violence. His famous social works include founding of hospitals, planting of trees

And animal welfare. The great ruler passed away due to natural causes in 232 BCE.

1. Akbar [1556-1605]

The greatest emperor of the Mughal empire extended his power in most of the Indian subcontinent. He was very well known for his kindness and social work during his reign.

He encouraged activities of culture like poetry, singing, arts and many more during his power. He was very well known for managing the financial processes well and reorganizing the tax systems. He never made any decisions on the basis of religion; his main aim was welfare of citizens rather than profit making. The great emperor died of dysentery after his 63rd birthday.

1. Prithvi raj Chauhan [1149-1192]

The Rajput warrior king was the ruler of present-day north-western India, Prithviraj established the strongest kingdom in Rajasthan. He was envied by many and due to this he always had to be on the battlegrounds fighting for his kingdom. Unfortunately, the glorious king was killed in the second battle of tarain by Muhammad Ghori.Prithviraj fled the battleground, but he was overtaken and captured a short distance from the site of the battle. The brave emperor’s stories of strength inspire the people till date.

1. Krishna deva Raya [1509-159]

King Krishnadevaraya ruled over his empire over  500 years ago. He encouraged culture in the town Vijaynagar. He built the city with a proper planning and perfect systems, it was a very modern city at that time.  There are over 2000 epigraphs and inscriptions of Krishnadevaraya. He was a great and brave fighter as well. The king did not survive for long as he was poisoned to death in the year 1529.

1. Maharana Pratap Singh [1572-97]

Rana Pratap Singh was the king of present day eastern Rajasthan and parts of Pakistan.

He reorganized the government and improved the forts along with being a very kind ruler.

He was defeated in a battle on june 1576 by Mughal forces at Haldighat in Rajasthan.

The king died of sustained injuries in 1597 in a hunting accident.

1. Bahadur Shah Zafar[1775-1862]

He was the last Mughal emperor of India. Zafar was a poet, musician, calligrapher and more an aesthete than a political leader. For most of his reign was a client of the britishers and was without a real authority . In the mutiny of 1857-58, he was a nominal leader in the revolt.

Later on, he was captured by the british and sent on exile at Myanmar along with his family.

1. Chatrapati shivaji Maharaj [1630-1680]

Shivaji is a legend for all times. His achievements have carved him an unique place in the hearts of people. He was a phenomenal administrator along with being the bravest of all times. He believed in all religions and wanted India to be a secular and peaceful nation.

He always fought for equality in every aspect of the society. He is one of the most celebrated rulers of India. He died of dysentery at the age of 52 in the year 1680.

 Not just these but, there are many more other rulers and emperors who have made India a better place with their knowledge, enlightenment and clear vision for the prosperity of the nation.

“India is the one land that all men desire to see, and having seen once, by even a glimpse, would not give that glimpse for all the shows of all the rest of the globe combined”

-Mark Twain