First Hun Invasion of India

**Skandagupta's war with the invaders** were a series of invasions by the invading hoardes of Hephthalites, Kidarites (Kushans) and Sassanians (Pahlavas). They were eventually defeated and repelled by the young King, Skandagupta.

## Prelude

The Kushans defeated the Sasanian monarch Shapur II. Later, during the years from 388 to 450, the Sasanian-Kidarite Wars have come about. After Yazdegerd II quelled a rebellion. He marched against the Hephthalites, which resulted to his defeat. From their base at Herat in Afghanistan, the Hunas (Hephthalites) had already invaded Persia and started moving southwards to the northwestern frontiers as they intrude upon the Gupta Empire's territory.

## Skandagupta's wars against the invaders

During Skandagupta's period, the Indo-Hephthalites (known as the White Huns or Hunas) invaded India from the northwest, advancing as far as the Indus River.

### Battle of the Indus river (458 AD)

During the Hun invasion, a battle along the Indus river took place which resulted in Skandagupta checking the advances of the Hunas, along with heavy losses for the Hunas.

The Bhitari pillar inscription states that Skandagupta defeated the Hunas:

### Victory against the invaders

The date of the Huna invasion is not certain. The Bhitari inscription mentions it after describing the conflict with the Pushyamitras (or the _Yudhyamitras_), which suggests that it happened later during Skandagupta's reign. However, a possible reference to this conflict in the Junagadh inscription suggests that it may have happened at the beginning of the Skandagupta's reign or during the reign of his father Kumaragupta. The Junagadh inscription, dated to the year 138 of the Gupta era (c. 457–458 CE) mentions Skandagupta's success against the invaders:

The victory against the invaders happened in or before the year 136 of the Gupta era (-456 CE), when Skandagupta ascended the throne and when he appointed Parnadatta as the governor of the Saurashtra region, in which Junagadh is located. Since Skandagupta is not known to have fought against any other foreigners, these invaders were probably the Hunas. If this identification is correct, it is possible that as a prince, Skandagupta was sent to check the Huna invasion at the frontier, and Kumaragupta died in the capital while this conflict was happening; Skandagupta returned to the capital and overcame rebels or rival claimants to ascend the throne.

A sentence in the Sanskrit text _Chandra-Vyakarana_ () states _Ajayad-Gupto Hunan_, literally, "The Gupta conquered the Hunas". This may be a reference to Skandagupta's victory over the Hunas, although an alternative reading by scholar K. P. Jayaswal has "Jato" instead of "Gupto". A story in the _Kathasaritsagara_ (11th century) states that the legendary king Vikramaditya ascended the throne after his father Mahendraditya abdicated it, and inflicted a crushing defeat on the invaders. Since Mahendraditya was a title of Kumaragupta, and Vikramaditya that of Skandagupta, this may be a reference to Skandagupta's victory over the Hunas. Mahendraditya was the title of Kumaragupta, in fact it seems that he sent his army under Skandagupta to check the progress of the invaders (which included the hoardes of the Hunas/Hephthalites, Persians/Sasanians and Kidarites/Kushanas) who invaded the northwestern frontiers and territory of the Gupta Empire, eventually, the wars and invasion were repelled by Skandagupta.

## Related pages

- Skandagupta
- Gupta Empire

## Infobox (military conflict)

- **conflict**: Skandagupta's wars with the invaders
- **image**: Bhitari pillar inscription of Skandagupta.jpg
- **caption**: Bhitari pillar inscription of Skandagupta
- **partof**: Gupta–Hunnic Wars, Sasanian–Gupta conflicts and Gupta–Kushan conflicts
- **date**: 450s–460s or 453–459
- **place**: Northwestern frontiers and Northwest India
- **result**: Gupta Empire, Gupta victory
- **territory**: Gupta Empire imposed suzerainty over the Indus basin
- **combatant1**: Hephthalites
Kidarites (Kushans)
Sassanians, Sasanians
- **combatant2**:   Gupta Empire
- **commander1**: 3 unknown Hephthalite kings &  (possibly)
Nirmūka
- **commander2**:  Kumaragupta I
  Skandagupta
- **strength1**: 300,000 Hephthalite soldiers (possibly)
- **strength2**: 200,000 men (possibly)
- **casualties1**: Heavy losses for the Hephthalites
- **casualties2**: unknown