Achyuta of Panchala

Achyuta Naga was the last independent ruler of Panchala, in what is now northern India. He was defeated by Samudragupta, a powerful Gupta emperor.

Reign Achyuta Naga was the last independent ruler of Panchala. He was defeated by the Gupta Emperor Samudragupta, after which Panchala was annexed into the Gupta Empire.

The early portion of the Prayag prashasti of Samudragupta mentions that Samudragupta "uprooted" three kings: Achyuta, Nagasena, and another ruler, whose name is lost in the damaged portion of the inscription. According to the inscription, Samudragupta reinstated these rulers after they sought his forgiveness.

It is not clear why these three kings' names are repeated later in the inscription. According to one theory, they were vassal rulers who rebelled against Samudragupta after the death of his father. Samudragupta crushed the rebellion and reinstated them after they sought his forgiveness. Later, these rulers rebelled once more, and Samudragupta defeated them again. Another possibility is that the author of the inscription thought it necessary to repeat these names while describing Samudragupta's later conquests in Aryavarta, simply because these kings belonged to that region.