There have been many Powerful and Great Indian Kings in the history of India. These Greatest Indian Kings have influenced not only the Indian people but also the world. Today we are going to learn about the top 30 Most Famous Indian Kings and Emperors of all time. These Rulers are ranked according to the Historical Popularity Index (HPI) of Pantheon.
Most Famous Indian Rulers of All Time
The Republic of India is the most populous country and the most populous democracy in the world. One can only imagine the machinery that goes into the proper governance of such a country. India boasts a rich and vibrant history, most of it ingrained in its many empires.
The national emblem of the Republic of India has been adopted as the Lion Capital of Ashoka, who was an Indian emperor of the Maurya Empire. The 30 most popular Indian Kings and Emperors give us a glimpse into India’s vibrant history.
This article covers only male rulers, however unranked female rulers are also included for comparison. Hence the list includes India’s 37 famous rulers (30 kings and 7 queens).
Top 30 Most Famous Indian Kings and Emperors
The following 30 individuals are the most Famous Indian Kings or Emperors of all time, according to Pantheon’s Historical Popularity Index (HPI) of 2022. The highest HPI is 100, and we have listed people with HPI over 58.00.
Famous Indian Kings Pictures with names
30. Bahadur Shah I (HPI – 58.36)
According to the Historical Popularity Index (HPI), the Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah I is ranked 30th among the most famous kings in India. His Historical Popularity Index (HPI) is 58.36. His biography is available in 44 different languages on Wikipedia. Bahadur Shah I is ranked 37th among the most famous Indian rulers (male or female) of all time.
Bahadur Shah I (14 October 1643 – 27 February 1712), also known as Mirza Muhammad Mu’azzam and Shah Alam I was the eighth Mughal Emperor who ruled from 1707 until his death in 1712. He was the second son of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, who he conspired to overthrow in his youth. He was governor of Agra, Kabul and Lahore.
29. Sambhaji (HPI – 58.48)
According to the Historical Popularity Index (HPI), Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj is ranked 29th among the most famous kings of India, and ranked 16th among the most famous people of Maharashtra. His Historical Popularity Index (HPI) is 58.48. His biography is available in 23 different languages on Wikipedia. Sambhaji is ranked 36th among the most famous Indian rulers (male or female) of all time.
Sambhaji Shivaji Bhosale (14 May 1657 – 11 March 1689) was the second Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire, ruling from 1681 to 1689. He was the eldest son of Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Empire.
Sambhaji’s rule was largely shaped by the ongoing wars between the Maratha Empire and the Mughal Empire, as well as other neighbouring powers such as the Siddis, Mysore and the Portuguese in Goa.
He defended Maratha territory for 9 years until his death. He was betrayed and brutally tortured and executed by Aurangzeb. After Sambhaji’s death, his brother Rajaram I succeeded him as the next Chhatrapati and continue the Mughal–Maratha Wars.
In February 2023, the city ‘Aurangabad‘ (named after Aurangzeb) in Maharashtra has been renamed as “Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar” (named after Sambhaji).
28. Asaf Jah I (HPI – 58.62)
With an Historical Popularity Index (HPI) of 58.62, Nizam-ul-Mulk, Asaf Jah I is ranked 28th among the most Famous Indian Kings of all time. His biography has been translated into 27 different languages of Wikipedia. Asaf Jah I is ranked 35th among the most famous Indian rulers (male or female) of all time.
Mir Qamar-ud-din Khan Siddiqi Bayafandi (11 August 1671 – 1 June 1748) also known as Chin Qilich Qamaruddin Khan, Nizam-ul-Mulk, Asaf Jah and Nizam I, was the 1st Nizam of Hyderabad. He began his career as a favorite of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, who made him a general. Following the death of Aurangzeb in 1707, Asaf Jah refused to favour any one of Aurangzeb’s warring sons and as such remained neutral.
When Aurangzeb’s third son Bahadur Shah ultimately emerged victorious, Asaf Jah was rotated as governor of multiple Mughal provinces until 1714, when he was created Viceroy of the Deccan with authority over six Mughal provinces in southern India from 1714 to 1719.
From 1719 onwards he was involved in combating the intrigues of the Sayyid brothers. From 1720 to 1722 he helped the new Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah eliminate the Sayyid brothers and was rewarded by being elevated to the grand viziership from 1722 to 1724.
#7. Chennamma (HPI : 59.42)
With an Historical Popularity Index of 59.42, the Queen of Kittur Chennamma is ranked 34th among the most Famous Indian Rulers (Kings or Queens) of all time, and 7th among the most Popular Indian Queens of all time. Her biography has been translated into 20 different languages of Wikipedia.
27. Ranjit Singh (HPI : 59.69)
With an Historical Popularity Index (HPI) of 59.69, the Maharaja Ranjit Singh is ranked 27th among the most Famous Indian Kings of all time. His biography has been translated into 46 different languages of Wikipedia. Ranjit Singh is ranked 33rd among the most Famous Indian Rulers (male or female) of all time.
Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839), popularly known as Sher-e-Punjab or “Lion of Punjab”, was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, which ruled the northwest Indian subcontinent in the early half of the 19th century. He survived smallpox in infancy but lost sight in his left eye.
He fought his first battle alongside his father at age 10. After his father died, he fought several wars to expel the Afghans in his teenage years and was proclaimed as the “Maharaja of Punjab” at age 21. His empire grew in the Punjab region under his leadership through 1839.
26. Prithviraj Chauhan (HPI : 60.00)
With an HPI of 60.00, Prithviraj Chauhan is ranked 26th among the most Popular Indian Kings of all time. His biography has been translated into 35 different languages of Wikipedia. Prithviraj Chauhan is ranked 32nd among the most Famous Indian Rulers (male or female) of all time.
Prithviraja III (1166 – 1192), popularly known as Prithviraj Chauhan, was a king from the Chauhan (Chahamana) dynasty who ruled the territory of Sapadalaksha, with his capital at Ajmer in present-day Rajasthan.
Ascending the throne as a minor in 1177 CE, Prithviraj inherited a kingdom which stretched from Thanesar in the north to Jahazpur (Mewar) in the south, which he aimed to expand by military actions against neighbouring kingdoms, most notably defeating the Chandelas. He considered as one the great Hindu Kings of India.
#6. Nur Jahan (HPI : 62.04)
With an HPI of 62.04, the Mughal empress Nur Jahan is ranked 31st among the most Famous Indian rulers (Kings or Queens) of all time. Her biography has been translated into 37 different languages of Wikipedia. She is ranked sixth among the most popular Indian queens of all time.
Top 25 Most Famous Indian Kings
25. Bindusara (HPI : 62.75)
With an Historical Popularity Index of 62.75, the Mauryan emperor Bindusara is ranked 25th among the most Famous Indian Kings of all time. His biography is available in 47 different languages on Wikipedia. Bindusara is ranked 30th among the most Famous Indian Rulers (male or female) of all time.
Bindusara (320 – 273 BCE) was the second Mauryan emperor of India. He was the son of the dynasty’s founder Chandragupta and the father of its most famous ruler Ashoka the Great.
Chandragupta, Bindusara’s father and founder of the Mauryan empire, had already conquered northern India. Bindusara’s campaign stopped close to what is today Karnataka, probably because the territories of the extreme south, such as those of the Cholas, Pandyas, and Cheras, had good relations with the Mauryas.
#5. Razia Sultana (HPI : 63.03)
With an HPI of 63.03, the ruler of the Delhi Sultanate, Razia Sultan is ranked 29th among the most Famous Indian rulers (Kings or Queens) of all time. Her biography has been translated into 50 different languages of Wikipedia. She is the fifth most popular female Indian ruler of all time.
24. Maharana Pratap (HPI : 63.08)
With an Historical Popularity Index of 63.08, Maharana Pratap is ranked 24th among the most popular Indian Kings of all time. His biography is available in 40 different languages on Wikipedia. Maharana Pratap is ranked 28th among the most Famous Indian Rulers (male or female) of all time.
Pratap Singh I, popularly known as Maharana Pratap (9 May 1540 – 19 January 1597), was a king of Mewar from the Sisodia dynasty. Pratap became a folk hero for his military resistance against the expansionism of the Mughal Empire under Akbar through guerrilla warfare which proved inspirational for later rebels against Mughals.
Maharana Pratap is a prominent figure in both folk and contemporary Rajasthani culture and is viewed as a celebrated warrior in Rajasthan state, as well as in India as a whole. He considered as one the great Hindu Kings of India.
23. Chandragupta II (HPI : 63.25)
With an HPI of 63.25, Chandragupta II is ranked 23rd among the most Famous Indian Kings of all time. His biography has been translated into 38 different languages of Wikipedia.
Chandragupta II (376 – 415), also known by his title Vikramaditya, as well as Chandragupta Vikramaditya, was the third ruler of the Gupta Empire in India, and was one of the most powerful emperors of the Gupta dynasty. He is one of the most powerful Indian Rulers in History.
Chandragupta continued the expansionist policy of his father Samudragupta, mainly through military conquest. Historical evidence suggests that he defeated the Western Kshatrapas, and extended the Gupta Empire from the Indus River in the west to the Bengal region in the east, and from the Himalayan foothills in the north to the Narmada River in the south.
22. Muhammad bin Tughluq (HPI : 63.32)
With an Historical Popularity Index of 63.32, Muhammad bin Tughluq is ranked 22nd among the most Famous Kings in India of all time. His biography is available in 37 different languages on Wikipedia.
Muhammad bin Tughluq (1290 – 20 March 1351) was the eighteenth Sultan of Delhi. He reigned from February 1325 until his death in 1351. The sultan was the eldest son of Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq, founder of the Tughlaq dynasty.
In 1321, the young Muhammad was sent by his father to the Deccan Plateau to fight a military campaign against the Kakatiya dynasty. In 1323, the future sultan successfully laid siege upon the Kakatiya capital in Warangal. This victory over King Prataparudra ended the Kakatiya dynasty.
#4. Mahaprajapati Gautami (HPI : 63.46)
According to the Historical Popularity Index (HPI), Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī, the step-mother of the Buddha, is ranked 4th among the most famous queens of India of all time. Her Historical Popularity Index (HPI) is 63.46. Her biography is available in 28 different languages on Wikipedia.
Prajapati Gautami is ranked 25th among the most famous rulers (male or female) from India. She is ranked 21st among the most famous Buddhists of India, and is ranked 13th among the most famous Indian Women.
21. Sher Shah Suri (HPI : 64.03)
With an HPI of 64.03, Sher Shah Suri is ranked 21st among the most Famous Kings in India of all time. His biography has been translated into 46 different languages of Wikipedia.
Sher Shah Suri (1472, or 1486 – 22 May 1545) was the founder of the Sur Empire in India, with its capital in Sasaram in modern-day Bihar. He standardized the silver coin to the weight of 178 grams and named the currency as rupee based on the ancient Sanskrit term for silver.
An ethnic Pashtun ruler, Sher Shah took control of the Mughal Empire in 1540 CE. After his accidental death in 1545 CE, his son Islam Shah became his successor.
Top 20 Most Famous Kings of India!
19. Qutb ud-Din Aibak (HPI : 64.22)
With an Historical Popularity Index of 64.22, Qutb ud-Din Aibak is ranked 19th among the most popular Indian Kings of all time. His biography is available in 38 different languages on Wikipedia.
Qutb ud-Din Aibak (1150 – 14 November 1210) was a Turkic general of the Ghurid king Muhammad Ghori. He was in charge of the Ghurid territories in northern India, and after Muhammad Ghori’s assassination in 1206, he established the Delhi Sultanate (1206–1526), and started the Mamluk dynasty, which would rule the Sultanate until 1290.
19. Porus (HPI : 64.22)
With an Historical Popularity Index of 64.22, Porus is also ranked 19th among the most popular Indian Kings of all time. His biography is available in 49 different languages on Wikipedia.
Porus or Poros (fl. 326–321 BC) was an ancient Indian king whose territory spanned the region between the Jhelum River (Hydaspes) and Chenab River (Acesines), in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent. He is only mentioned in Greek sources.
18. Ajatashatru (HPI : 64.45)
With an HPI of 64.45, Ajatasattu is ranked 18th among the most Famous Indian Kings of all time. His biography is available in 35 different languages on Wikipedia.
Ajatasattu or Ajatasatru (492 to 460 BCE) was one of the most important kings of the Haryanka dynasty of Magadha in East India. He was the son of King Bimbisara and was a contemporary of both Mahavira and the Buddha.
He forcefully took over the kingdom of Magadha from his father and imprisoned him. He fought a war against the Vajjika League, led by the Licchavis, and conquered the republic of Vaishali. The city of Pataliputra was formed by fortification of a village by Ajatashatru.
17. Bahadur Shah Zafar (HPI : 64.48)
With an Historical Popularity Index of 64.48, the emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar is ranked 17th among the most Famous Indian Kings of all time. His biography has been translated into 55 different languages of Wikipedia.
Bahadur Shah II, usually referred to by his poetic title Bahadur Shah Zafar (24 October 1775 – 7 November 1862) and was the twentieth and last Mughal Emperor as well as an Urdu poet. He was the second son and the successor to his father, Akbar II, who died on 28 September 1837.
He was a titular Emperor, as the Mughal Empire existed in name only and his authority was limited only to the walled city of Old Delhi (Shahjahanbad). Following his involvement in the Indian Mutiny of 1857, the British exiled him to Rangoon in British-controlled Burma in 1858, after convicting him on several charges.
#3. Mumtaz Mahal (HPI : 64.52)
According to the Historical Popularity Index (HPI), the Mughal empress Mumtaz Mahal is ranked 3rd among the most famous Indian queens of all time. Her Historical Popularity Index (HPI) is 64.52. Her biography is available in 61 different languages on Wikipedia.
Mumtaz Mahal is ranked 19th among the most famous Indian rulers (male or female) of all time. She is also the 10th most famous woman of India.
16. Kanishka (HPI : 64.83)
With an HPI of 64.83, the emperor Kanishka is ranked 16th among the most Famous Kings or Emperors in India of all time. His biography is available in 43 different languages on Wikipedia.
Kanishka was an emperor of the Kushan dynasty, under whose reign (c. 127–150 CE) the empire reached its zenith. He is famous for his military, political, and spiritual achievements. A descendant of Kujula Kadphises, founder of the Kushan empire, Kanishka came to rule an empire, extending from Central Asia and Gandhara to Pataliputra on the Gangetic plain.
The main capital of his empire was located at Puruṣapura (Peshawar) in Gandhara, with another major capital at Mathura. Coins of Kanishka were found in Tripuri (present-day Jabalpur). Kanishka inaugurated Mahayana Buddhism.
15. Samudragupta (HPI : 64.94)
With an Historical Popularity Index of 64.94, Samudragupta is ranked 15th among the most popular Indian Kings of all time. His biography has been translated into 44 different languages of Wikipedia.
Samudragupta (c. 335–375 CE) was the second emperor of the Gupta Empire of ancient India, and is regarded among the greatest rulers of the dynasty. As a son of the Gupta emperor Chandragupta I and the Licchavi princess Kumaradevi, he greatly expanded his dynasty’s political and military power.
The Allahabad Pillar inscription, a prashasti (eulogy) composed by his courtier Harishena, credits him with extensive military conquests. It suggests that he defeated several kings of northern India, and annexed their territories into his empire.
14. Humayun (HPI : 66.36)
With an HPI of 66.36, Humāyūn is ranked 14th among the most popular Kings in India of all time. His biography is available in 63 different languages on Wikipedia.
Humāyūn (6 March 1508 – 27 January 1556) was the second emperor of the Mughal Empire, who ruled over territory in what is now Eastern Afghanistan, Pakistan, Northern India, and Bangladesh from 1530 to 1540 and again from 1555 to 1556.
Like his father, Babur, he lost his empire early but regained it with the aid of the Safavid dynasty of Persia, with additional territory. At the time of his death in 1556, the Mughal Empire spanned almost one million square kilometres.
13. Bimbisara (HPI : 66.67)
With an HPI of 66.67, Bimbisara is ranked 13th among the most Famous Indian Kings of all time. His biography has been translated into 40 different languages of Wikipedia.
Bimbisāra (558 – 491 BCE) was a King of Magadha (r. 543 – 492 BCE or c. 400 BCE) and belonged to the Haryanka dynasty. He was the son of Bhattiya. His expansion of the kingdom, especially his annexation of the kingdom of Anga to the east, is considered to have laid the foundations for the later expansion of the Mauryan Empire.
12. Shuddhodana (HPI : 66.69)
With an Historical Popularity Index of 66.69, Shuddhodana is ranked 12th among the most Famous Indian Kings of all time. His biography has been translated into 35 different languages of Wikipedia.
Śuddhodana or Shuddhodana was the father of the Buddha. He was a king of the Shakya clan, who lived in an oligarchic republic, with their capital at Kapilavastu.
11. Tipu Sultan (HPI : 67.18)
With an HPI of 67.18, Tipu Sultan is ranked 11th among the most Famous Indian Kings of all time. His biography is available in 56 different languages on Wikipedia.
Tipu Sultan (1 December 1751 – 4 May 1799) was the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore based in South India. He was a pioneer of rocket artillery. He introduced a number of administrative innovations during his rule, including a new coinage system and calendar, and a new land revenue system, which initiated the growth of the Mysore silk industry.
He expanded the iron-cased Mysorean rockets and commissioned the military manual Fathul Mujahidin. He deployed the rockets against advances of British forces and their allies during the Anglo-Mysore Wars, including the Battle of Pollilur and Siege of Srirangapatna.
Top 10 Famous Indian Kings
Top 10 Greatest Indian kings
10. Harshavardhana (HPI : 67.46)
With an Historical Popularity Index (HPI)of 67.46, the emperor Harsha is ranked 10th among the most Famous Indian Kings or emperors of all time. His biography has been translated into 45 different languages of Wikipedia.
Harshavardhana or Harsha (c. 590–647 CE) was a Pushyabhuti emperor who ruled northern India from 606 to 647 CE. He was the son of Prabhakaravardhana who had defeated the Alchon Huna invaders, and the younger brother of Rajyavardhana, a king of Thanesar, present-day Haryana.
At the height of Harsha’s power, his territory covered much of north and northwestern India, with the Narmada River as its southern boundary. He eventually made Kannauj (in present Uttar Pradesh state) his capital, and ruled till 647 CE.
He was a Buddhist convert in a Hindu era. He is one of the most powerful Indian Rulers in History. Harsha was defeated by the Emperor Pulakeshin II of the Chalukya dynasty in the Battle of Narmada, when he tried to expand his empire into the southern peninsula of India.
According to the Chinese Buddhist traveler Xuanzang, Harsha was a devout Buddhist. Xuanzang states that Harsha built monasteries at the places visited by the Buddha.
9. Jahangir (HPI : 68.69)
With an HPI of 68.69, Jahangir is ranked 9th among the most Popular Indian Kings of all time. His biography is available in 68 different languages on Wikipedia.
Nur-ud-Din Muhammad Salim (30 August 1569 – 28 October 1627), known by his imperial name Jahangir, was the fourth Mughal Emperor, who ruled from 1605 until he died in 1627.
He was named after the Indian Sufi saint, Salim Chishti. Prince Salim was the third son born to Akbar and his favourite Queen Consort, Mariam-uz-Zamani (Jodha) in Fatehpur Sikri on 30 August 1569.
#2. Lakshmibai (HPI : 68.91)
With an HPI of 68.91, the queen Lakshmibai is ranked 10th among the most Famous Indian rulers (Kings or Queens) of all time. Her biography has been translated into 63 different languages of Wikipedia. She is the second most popular female Indian ruler of all time, as well as the 3rd most Famous Personality of Maharashtra.
#1. Maya (HPI : 69.19)
According to the Historical Popularity Index (HPI), the Queen Maya, the birth mother of the Buddha, is ranked 1st among the most famous Indian queens of all time. Her Historical Popularity Index (HPI) is 69.19. Her biography is available in 40 different languages on Wikipedia.
The queen Maya is also 9th most famous Indian rulers (male or female) of all time. She is ranked 3rd among the most famous Indian women of all time. The Buddha, the son of Maya, ranks first among the most famous personalities of India ever.
8. Alauddin Khalji (HPI : 69.50)
With an Historical Popularity Index of 69.50, Alauddin Khilji is ranked 8th among the most Famous Indian Kings of all time. His biography is available in 37 different languages on Wikipedia.
Alaud-Dīn Khaljī, also called Alauddin Khilji (r. 1296–1316) was an emperor of the Khalji dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate in the Indian subcontinent. Alauddin instituted a number of significant administrative changes, related to revenues, price controls, and society. He also successfully fended off several Mongol invasions of India.
Alauddin was a nephew and a son-in-law of his predecessor Jalaluddin. When Jalaluddin became the Sultan of Delhi after deposing the Mamluks, Alauddin was given the position of Amir-i-Tuzuk (equivalent to master of ceremonies).
After suppressing a revolt against Jalaluddin, Alauddin obtained the governorship of Kara in 1291, and the governorship of Awadh in 1296, after a profitable raid on Bhilsa. In 1296, Alauddin raided Devagiri, and acquired loot to stage a successful revolt against Jalaluddin. After killing Jalaluddin, he consolidated his power in Delhi, and subjugated Jalaluddin’s sons in Multan.
7. Aurangzeb (HPI : 70.25)
With an HPI of 70.25, Aurangzeb is ranked 7th among the most Famous Indian Kings of all time. His biography has been translated into 78 different languages of Wikipedia.
Aurangzeb (c. 1618 – 3 March 1707) was the sixth emperor of the Mughal Empire, ruling from July 1658 until his death in 1707. Under his emperorship, the Mughals reached their greatest extent with their territory spanning nearly the entirety of South Asia.
Widely considered to be the last effective Mughal ruler, Aurangzeb compiled the Fatawa ‘Alamgiri and was amongst the few monarchs to have fully established Sharia and Islamic economics throughout South Asia.
6. Chandragupta (HPI : 72.11)
With an Historical Popularity Index of 72.11, Chandragupta Maurya is ranked 6th among the most popular Indian kings of all time. He is one of the Top 10 greatest Indian kings. His biography is available in 81 different languages on Wikipedia. According to the Historical Popularity Index (HPI), Chandragupta is the 24th most famous Indian Personality of all time.
Chandragupta Maurya (350-295 BCE) was a ruler of Iron Age ancient India who expanded a geographically-extensive kingdom based in Magadha and founded the Maurya dynasty. He reigned from 320 BCE to 298 BCE.
The Maurya kingdom expanded to become an empire that reached its peak under the reign of his grandson, Asoka, from 268 BCE to 231 BCE. The nature of the political formation that existed in Chandragupta’s time is not certain. The Mauryan empire was a loose-knit empire. He is one of the most powerful Indian Rulers in History.
Top 5 Famous Kings of India
5. Shah Jahan (HPI : 72.34)
With an HPI of 72.34, Shah Jahan is ranked 5th among the most popular Indian kings of all time. He is one of the Top 10 greatest Indian kings ever. His biography has been translated into 89 different languages of Wikipedia.
According to the Historical Popularity Index (HPI), Shah Jahan is ranked 23rd among the most famous Indian personalities of all time.
Shah Jahan (5 January 1592 – 22 January 1666) was the fifth emperor of the Mughal Empire, reigning from January 1628 until July 1658. Under his emperorship, the Mughals reached the peak of their architectural achievements and cultural glory.
He commissioned many monuments, including the Red Fort, Shah Jahan Mosque and the Taj Mahal, where his favorite wife Mumtaz Mahal is entombed.
4. Babur (HPI : 73.87)
With an Historical Popularity Index of 73.87, the emperor Babur is ranked 4th among the most Famous Kings in India of all time. His biography is available in 88 different languages on Wikipedia. According to the Historical Popularity Index (HPI), Babur is the 21st Most Popular Person in Indian History.
Babur (14 February 1483 – 26 December 1530) was the founder of the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent. He was a descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan through his father and mother respectively. He was also given the posthumous name of Firdaws Makani (‘Dwelling in Paradise’).
He ranks as a national hero in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Many of his poems have become popular folk songs. He wrote the Baburnama in Chaghatai Turkic; it was translated into Persian during the reign (1556–1605) of his grandson, the Emperor Akbar.
3. Shivaji (HPI : 74.13)
With an Historical Popularity Index of 74.13, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is ranked 3rd among the most Famous Indian Kings of all time. His biography has been translated into 61 different languages of Wikipedia.
According to the Historical Popularity Index (HPI) 2022, Shivaji is the 19th most famous Indian of all time, as well as the 2nd most Famous Person from Maharastra. Shivaji Maharaj is the Most Famous Hindu King in the country of India.
Shivaji Shahaji Bhonsale (19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680), also referred to as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle Maratha clan.
Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the declining Adilshahi sultanate of Bijapur which formed the genesis of the Maratha Empire. In 1674, he was formally crowned the Chhatrapati of his realm at Raigad Fort. He considered as one the great Hindu Kings of India.
2. Akbar (HPI : 78.33)
With an Historical Popularity Index of 78.33, Akbar is ranked 2nd among the most Famous Indian Kings of all time. His biography is available in 145 different languages on Wikipedia.
According to the Historical Popularity Index (HPI), the emperor Akbar is the 11th most famous person in India of all time, as well as the 2nd Most Famous Muslim Person in Indian History.
Akbar (25 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), also known as Akbar the Great, was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun, under a regent, Bairam Khan, who helped the young emperor expand and consolidate Mughal domains in India.
A strong personality and a successful general, Akbar gradually enlarged the Mughal Empire to include much of the Indian subcontinent. His power and influence, however, extended over the entire subcontinent because of Mughal military, political, cultural, and economic dominance. Akbar is one of the most powerful Indian Rulers in History.
1. Ashoka (HPI : 82.44)
With an Historical Popularity Index of 82.44, the emperor Ashoka is ranked 1st among the most Famous Indian Kings of all time. His biography is available in 150 different languages on Wikipedia.
According to the Historical Popularity Index (HPI), Chakravartin Samrat Ashoka is the 3rd most famous Indian of all time, as well as the 2nd Most Famous Buddhist Person in Indian History.
Ashoka (304 – 232 BCE), popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was the third emperor of the Maurya Empire of Indian subcontinent during c. 268 to 232 BCE. His empire covered a large part of the Indian subcontinent, stretching from present-day Afghanistan in the west to present-day Bangladesh in the east, with its capital at Pataliputra.
A patron of Buddhism, he is credited with playing an important role in the spread of Buddhism across ancient Asia. He is the most powerful Indian Ruler in History.
The national emblem of the Republic of India has been adopted as the Lion Capital of Ashoka. The Ashoka Chakra (Transl: Ashoka’s wheel) is an Indian symbol which is a depiction of the Dharmachakra. The most visible use of the Ashoka Chakra today is at the centre of the National Flag of India, where it is rendered in a navy blue colour on a white background. The Ashoka Chakra medal is the highest Indian award for gallantry in peacetime.
Ashoka the Great is considered as one of the best rulers in the world. Also many scholars consider him to be the greatest Indian after Gautama Buddha. Ashoka is the Most Famous Indian King of all time. He is also considered as the greatest ruler in the history of India.
About the Historical Popularity Index (HPI)
These Top 30 Famous Indian Kings, Emperor, Rulers or Monarchs are ranked according to Pantheon’s Historical Popularity Index (HPI) 2022. Pantheon aggregates information about individuals’ online popularity. HPI is currently made of five components: the “age” of a biography’s character (e.g. the Emperor Ashoka is more than 2,300 years old), number of Wikipedia language editions in which the biography has a presence (L), the concentration of the pageviews received by a biography across languages (L*), the stability of pageviews over time (CV), and the number of non-English pageviews received by that biography.
Classifications of the 30 Famous Indian Kings
Female rulers
Among the top 37 rulers (male + female) of India, there are only seven women – Chennamma, Nur Jahan, Razia Sultan, Mahaprajapati Gautami, Mumtaz Mahal, Lakshmibai, and Maya.
Religion
47% of the 30 most famous rulers in Indian history are from the Muslim community. After Muslims, most rulers come from Hindu and Buddhist religions.
Jain King in India (1) : Chandragupta Maurya
Sikh King in India (1) : Ranjit Singh
Buddhist Kings in India (7) : Ashoka, Harsha, Porus, Shuddhodana, Bimbisara, Kanishka, and Ajatashatru. (+2 Buddhist Queens : Mahaprajapati Gautami and Maya)
Hindu Kings in India (7) : Shivaji, Samudragupta, Chandragupta II, Maharana Pratap, Bindusara, Prithviraj Chauhan, and Sambhaji (+2 Hindu Queens : Lakshmibai and Chennamma)
Muslim Kings in India (14) : Akbar, Babur, Shah Jahan, Aurangzeb, Alauddin Khilji, Jahangir, Tipu Sultan, Humayun, Bahadur Shah Zafar, Qutb ud-Din Aibak, Sher Shah Suri, Muhammad bin Tughluq, Asaf Jah I, and Bahadur Shah I (+3 Muslim Queens : Razia Sultana, Nur Jahan, and Mumtaz Mahal)
Summary
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Sources
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Raja raja cholan has left the chat..
Rajaraja Chola is a great king but his historical popularity index is 55.88, so he is not included in these 30 most famous kings.
Truee
The most famous 30 kings popularly in the ancient historical India were ruled India long back, But the most popularly ranked 30 Indian among them the first king is the Chakravarthin Samrat Ahsoka. With an Historical Popularity Index of 82.44, the emperor Ashoka is ranked 1st among the most Famous Indian Kings of all time. His biography is available in 148 different languages on Wikipedia.
According to the Historical Popularity Index (HPI), Chakravartin Samrat Ashoka is the 3rd most famous Indian of all time, as well as the 2nd Most Famous Buddhist Person in Indian History.