Union Minister of Home Affairs Shri Amit Shah addressed a seminar: Guptvanshak Veer: Skandagupta Vikramaditya at BHU, Varanasi. Also present on the occasion were the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath and Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Shri Mahendra Nath Pandey.

Shri Shah remembered the founder of BHU, Shri Madan Mohan Malviya and said that his legacy and the legacy of India’s glorious culture was kept alive by the institution. He emphasized upon the importance of educational institutions in preserving and promoting the culture of a society.

Noting India’s rich cultural and political growth under the Maurya and Gupta dynasties, Shri Shah remembered the contribution of both dynasties in ensuring the political stability of India. He remarked upon the role played by Gupta empire in the unification of India in ancient times.

Hailing the Gupta Era under Samudragupta as the Golden Era of India, Shri Shah said that the boundaries of India under Samudragupta stretched the entire length of the subcontinent in his time. He added that in every field from art and architecture to trade and literature, India had achieved the pinnacle of civilization in the Gupta Era. Shri Shah called for recognizing the contribution of Skandagupta in making the Indian culture reach its zenith. He also remembered the battle campaign waged by Skandagupta against Hun invaders, and said that Skandagupta was one of the few warrior kings to have defeated Huns.

Shri Shah hailed Skandagupta as not only a great warrior, but also a skilled administrator. He said that in spite of having saved the nation from invaders, and having freed the region around Kashmir, history has not registered the contributions of Skandagupta or given him his due. He said that the responsibility to correct this lies with the present society. He called for the chronicling of history from the standpoint of Indian culture. He gave the example of Veer Savarkar, who was the first to have referred to the 1857 rebellion as the First War of India’s Independence, and called for more such efforts to ensure the writing of history from a nationalistic perspective.

Shri Shah said that under the vision and leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, India has once again achieved prestige and respect on the global stage. He said that now India, as the largest democracy in the world, is recognized as an important voice in global affairs.

Shri Shah also launched a book on Skandagupta Vikramaditya on the occasion. He expressed hope that the legacy of BHU would be carried forward by the coming generations of students and scholars.