Introduction
Chandragupta I was the first Gupta ruler to adopt the elevated title Maharajadhiraja, marking a significant expansion of Gupta power and status beyond his predecessors' more modest titles.
Family
- Father: Ghatotkacha (Gupta king)
- Spouse: Kumaradevi (married)
- Children: Samudragupta
The Licchavi Alliance
Chandragupta I's marriage to Kumaradevi, a princess of the prestigious Licchavi clan, is widely regarded by historians as a turning point that substantially strengthened the young Gupta dynasty's territory, prestige, and legitimacy. The alliance was commemorated on special gold "King and Queen" coins naming both Chandragupta and Kumaradevi alongside the Licchavi clan name — a form of numismatic commemoration unusual enough to signal how important the marriage was considered at the time.
This article records the Gupta Empire (c. 3rd-6th century CE) as historical genealogy reconstructed mainly from inscriptions, coinage and later literary references; several later successions and family relationships remain genuinely disputed among historians, and this account follows the most widely accepted reconstruction while flagging specific points of uncertainty.