The historian V. A. Smith has called Samudragupta the ‘Napoleon’ of India because of his policy of war and conquest. He started with the conquest of his immediate neighbours and then by campaigns to the east and the south.
The rows of hearths were discovered at Atranjikhera and at Ahichchhtra both of which are in western Uttar Pradesh. The excavations show that these hearths were meant for communal feeding or for cooking the food of large families.