text: indian history? kings (m)  vikramaditya an ideal king who was as wise as he was brave and strong. he did not want kingship, but when the people needed him, became king. matchless in war and matchless in forgiveness, an excellent ruler, he won the hearts of his people.  vikramaditya - the creator of an era about 850 years ago the 'chalukya- vikrama era' was in vogue in karnataka. vikramaditya the sixth came to the throne on the 26th of february 1077a.d. the chalukya-vikrama era commenced from that date. this shows his power and greatness. he defeated a number of kings and proved his valour. can we respect a person as a great man, just because he is physically very strong or because he has an army and is powerful? surely we cannot. the giants are said to have been very strong. all were afraid of them, but no one respected them. people hated them. one should have the wisdom to use one's strength for the benefit of others. a horse may be swift as the wind, but he needs reins to control him. in the same way power needs wisdom. vikramaditya was both valiant and able. in spite of constant wars during his reign, the subjects lived without fear. his motto was to rule solely for the welfare of the people. in addition to this he was generous and noble. he treated a king, jagaddeva by name, with such affection and grace that jagaddeva gave up his kingdom andcame away to vikramaditya's court. vikramaditya the sixth was second to none in valor. many kingdoms were under his thumb but he used his might to help the good and punish the wicked. in every way he was worthy to give an era his name.   harischandra with his vow to remain truthful at all times, harischandra successfully faced the rigorous challenge posed by vishwamitra. though a king. he sacrificed everything he had at the attar of truth, including his kingdom, and even his life and son. he took so lowly a job as that of the guard at burning ground; even in the case of his own son he demanded the prescribed fee for cremation, which his wife had no means of paying. on an order from the king, harischandra even prepared to behead his own wife. harischandra's character is indelibly etched in the mind of hindus.  the story of harischandra is of perennial interest. the story will last for as long a time as the value of truth lasts. it illumines our life. it was this story which helped yudhishtira to get over his adversities. again, it was this story which showed the path of truth to gandhiji. this story occurs in the vedas and also in the puranas, in poetry and in drama. it took its origin in the vedas, flowed through the puranas, ran into cascades of poetry, and has continued to enrich the life of our people.    ashoka the wheel which adorns the flag of free india has kept his memory green. lord of a vast empire, after a great victory sick of violence and took an oath never to fight again.he was an ideal ruler.  "all men are my children. i am like a father to them. as every father desires the good and the happiness of his children, i wish that all men should be happy always." these are the words of an emperor who lived two thousand and three hundred years ago. we see in history how even mere chieftains grew arrogant and used their powers selfishly and unjustly. but the emperor who said the above words ruled over the greater part of india. he had the power of life and death over millions of his subjects. is it surprising that free india remembers him with admiration? this emperor was ashoka (also called ‘devanampriya priyadarshi’). the wheel in the abacus of the pillar which he erected as a memorial at saranath now adorns the national flag of free india. --- ashoka  shivaji the hero who escaped from the prison of the mughal emperor himself, to become the ruler of a kingdom devoted to dharma and the service of the people. as a boy he dedicated himself to hindu dharma. he matched cunning against cunning, courage against courage; he was one of the wisest rulers as h