The title ‘Indian Napolean’ has been attached to
(A) Chandra Gupta Maurya
(B) Samudragupta
(C) Chandragupta-I
(D) Harshavardhana
Answer: (B) Samudragupta (335-375 AD) of the Gupta dynasty is known as the Napoleon of India. Historian A V Smith called him so because of his great military conquests known from the ‘Prayag Prashati’ written by his courtier and poet Harisena, who also describes him as the hero of a hundred battles. But some leading Indian historians criticize Smith and feel that Samudragupta was a far greater warrior than Napoleon, as the former never lost any battle.
