India has always been a country associated with rich culture and heritage right from the ancient times. The source of this comes from the pioneers who have led entire kingdoms to great glory through times of war and peace. By setting excellent examples through their lives, these kings have inspired generations of Indians to lead a pious and meaningful life.
Though the list of Kings that any Indian should be proud of cannot be contained in a few pages, there are still a few who deserve special mention for leading exemplary lives and setting awe inspiring standards through their lifestyle.
Samrat Ashoka Maurya (304 BC-232 BC)
Popularly dubbed as "Ashoka the Great", King Ashoka Maurya was the third descendent of the ruling clan of the Mauryan dynasty. King Ashoka was the descendent of the great King Chandragupta Maurya. At a young age, Ashoka showed immense prowess in learning whatever was set to him by teachers. Be it scriptures or even skills in warfare, Ashoka excelled in all paralleled by none. Ashoka was a just and brave warrior. It was this that made all his ministers vouch for his kingship rather than his elder brother Sushim. After close to three years of war with his brothers, Ashoka became the Samrat of Magadh. It is fascinating that the size of his empire was 1.5 times of the size of modern India.
He led the first and last battle of his life to conquer Kalinga, the modern day Orissa. Though he emerged victorious, the sight of heaps of corpses strewn across the battle field shattered his heart. The sight of children crying over their parents'dead bodies made Ashoka vow never to wage wars again. This was the turning point in his life and there after King Ashoka used his resources and status to spread peace by embracing Buddhism.
Prithviraj Chauhan (1149 CE -1192 CE)
Prithviraj Chauhan was the epitome of Rajput bravery. Also known as Rai Pithora, Prithviraj Chauhan ascended the throne of Ajmer at age 13. Prior to that he was imparted education in his Gurukul. Assisted by ministers and advisors till age 16, Prithviraj Chauhan learned the matters of the state in a swift three years and started independent administration. His role in unifying all Rajputs against Turkic invasions is still looked upon highly.
Even at age 16, Prithviraj Chauhan dreamt of expanding his kingdom, and started by conquering the smaller kingdoms of Rajasthan. He then led successful expeditions against the Chalukyas and Chandelas. His arch rival Mohammed Ghori was defeated by Prithviraj Chauhan in the first battle of Tarain in 1191. Prithvi and Ghori fought a bloody combat in which Ghori was defeated. He begged for his life and the Chauhan spared him as his Rajputi didn't permit him to slay an unarmed Ghori. However, Mohammed  Ghori invaded India again in 1192. Prithviraj challenged him with an even bigger army. Anticipating an imminent defeat Ghori attacked the Rajput camp at night. It was against the Indian tradition to fight after dusk and so the Rajputs weren't prepared to fight. This resulted in confusion in the Rajput camp and subsequent defeat.
King Prithviraj Chauhan is still remembered for his undaunted bravery and is famous for his "Prithviraj Raso", a folklore poem which chronicles his exploits as a King and a loving husband.
Maharana Pratap (1540-1597)
Maharana Pratap was the King of Mewar for close to 25 years. He was considered as one of the finest tacticians and his war strategies made him looked upon highly. During his time as King of Mewar he successfully defended his kingdom from numerous Mughal invasions. Through his courage, sacrifice and bravery he was able to keep the Mughals away from Mewar. He never submitted to the Mughal emperor Akbar. Rather, by the end of his reign, he was successfully able to free 90% of Rajasthan from Mughal rule. He was a brilliant strategist and a person of very noble and generous character. His humble nature and determination to take care of his subjects made him very popular throughout the country. He is considered to be one of the bravest and most skillful warriors. Even today, the people of India remember Maharana Pratap with great reverence.
Chhatrapathi Shivaji (1627-1680)
Chhatrapati Shivaji is hailed as a proto-nationalist and hero of Hindus. Though his formal role as a king was for a brief period of 4 years (1676-1680), he had acquired immense prowess in his teenage years. Shivaji was devoted to his mother who was deeply religious. This influenced Shivaji in a great manner and he studied and followed the ways of the Mahabharata and Ramayana throughout his life. He acquired great religious knowledge through Hindu and Sufi saints. He also excelled in war training by learning many war skills from his Father's commanders during war campaigning.
Even though Shivaji had immense luxuries at his disposal he stuck to the life of a simple man. He spread religious knowledge across his kingdom and bought about the concept of Hindavi swarajya.
India has been fortunate enough to have had kings like Pratap Singh, Ashoka, Prithviraj Chauhan who didn't merely believe in conquering territories and waging wars. Unlike the illiterate and ruthless Mughals, Tughlaqs, Afghans under whom India had witnessed mass genocide, loots, plunders, these sons of the land took care of the welfare of the people. What made the Indin kings stand out from the invaders were their morality, education and humble nature. These Emperors put their motherland above the rest and led a very pious and disciplined life.