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Later Gupta dynasty

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Later Gupta dynasty
c. 6th century CE–c. 8th century CE
"Swordsman type" gold coin of Mahasenagupta from the 6th century CE. On the obverse, the King is shown holding a sword in his left hand. On the reverse, a Goddess is shown seated in a lotus pose.[1] of Later Gupta dynasty
"Swordsman type" gold coin of Mahasenagupta from the 6th century CE. On the obverse, the King is shown holding a sword in his left hand. On the reverse, a Goddess is shown seated in a lotus pose.[1]
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The later Gupta dynasty at its zenith, and its neighbours.[2]
CapitalPataliputra
Religion
GovernmentMonarchy
History 
• Established
c. 6th century CE
• Disestablished
c. 8th century CE
Preceded by		 Succeeded by
Gupta Empire
Alchon Huns
Maukhari dynasty
Pushyabhuti dynasty
Kingdom of Gauda

The Later Gupta dynasty, also known as the Later Guptas of Magadha, were the rulers of Magadha and Malwa from the 6th to 8th centuries CE. The Later Guptas emerged after the disintegration of the Imperial Guptas as the rulers of Magadha and Malwa however, there is no evidence to connect the two dynasties and the Later Guptas may have adopted the -gupta suffix to link themselves the Imperial Guptas.[3]

There are several important sources of information regarding the Later Guptas including two epigraphs, the Aphsad inscription of Ādityasena, which sets out the genealogy of the ruling family from Kṛṣṇagupta to Ādityasena, and the Deo Baranark inscription of Jīvitagupta II. The Harshacharita of Bāṇabhaṭṭa is also an important source of information as are the records of the Chinese pilgrims Xuanzang and Yijing which also mentions them. The Gaudavaho of Vākpatirāja refers to the victory of King Yashovarman of the Varman dynasty against the king of Magadha, with the scholarly consensus being that this is a reference to Jīvitagupta II.[4][5]

Origins

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The general consensus among researchers of the period is that the Later Guptas emerged from the Magadha region of what is now Bihar in India. The reasoning behind this is that all inscriptions relating to the dynasty have been found in this region. A Nepalese inscription also refers to King Ādityasena as the "Lord of Magadha". They were likely originally feudatories under the Imperial Guptas and came into possession of large territories in Magadha following the fall of the Empire.[6]

History

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The Later Gupta and main polities in Central Asia and South Asia c. 576.

After the decline of the Gupta Empire, the Later Guptas succeeded them as the rulers of Magadha.[3] The daughter of the dynasty's founder Krishnagupta is said to have married prince Adityavarman of the Maukhari dynasty. According to the Aphsad inscription of Ādityasena, Krishnagupta's grandson Jivitagupta carried out military expeditions in the Himalayan region and southwestern Bengal.[7]

During the reign of Jivitagupta's son Kumaragupta, the dynasty developed a rivalry with the Maukharis for control of the Ganges valley.[4] Kumaragupta defeated the Maukhari king Ishanavarman in 554 CE, and extended his territory to Prayaga. His son Damodaragupta suffered reverses against the Maukharis and was pushed back into Magadha.[7]

Damodaragupta's son Mahasenagupta allied with the Pushyabhuti dynasty. His sister married the ruler Adityavardhana. He invaded Kamarupa and defeated Susthita Varman.[7] But he subsequently faced three invaders: the Maukhari king Sharvavarman, the Kamarupa king Supratishthita-varman, and the Tibetan king Songtsen. His vassal Shashanka also abandoned him (and later established the independent Gauda Kingdom). The Maukhari king Sharvavarman is thought to have defeated Damodaragupta, invading Magadha circa 575 CE, which made him ruler of the entire Uttar Pradesh.[8][9] Under these circumstances, Mahasenagupta was forced to flee Magadha, and take shelter in Malwa. Subsequently, the Pushyabhuti emperor Harsha (ruled c. 606 – c. 647 CE) restored the Later Gupta rule in Magadha, and they ruled as Harsha's vassals.[3]

After Harsha's death, the Later Gupta ruler Adityasena became the sovereign ruler of a large kingdom extending from the Ganges in the north to the Chhota Nagpur in the south; and from Gomati River in the west to the Bay of Bengal in the east.[10] However, he was defeated by the Chalukyas.[11]

Jivitagupta II, the last known ruler of the dynasty, appears to have been defeated by Yashovarman of the Varman dynasty of Kannauj circa 750 CE.[10]

Coinage

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Archer type coinage of King Mahasenagupta of the Later Gupta dynasty, c. 6th century CE

Coinage from the reign of the Later Gupta kings has been relatively scarce. So far the only coins discovered are from the period of Mahasenagupta who ruled from 562-601 CE. The numismatic evidence makes it clear that the Later Guptas were devout Shaivites with depictions of Nandi replacing the depictions of Garuda that were present in the coinage of the imperial Guptas. Two types of coinage from Mahasenagupta's reign have been discovered, the "archer type" and the "swordsman type".[1]

List of rulers

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The known Later Gupta rulers include:[12][13][14]

The Aphsad inscription of Ādityasena (r. c. 655-680 CE) establishes the genealogy of the Later Gupta dynasty down to Ādityasena.
  • Nrpa Shri Krishnagupta (Kṛṣṇagupta), r. c. 490-505 CE
  • Deva Shri Harshagupta (Harṣagupta), r. c. 505-525 CE
  • Shri Jivitagupta I, r. c. 525-550 CE
  • Shri Kumaragupta, r. c. 550-560 CE
  • Shri Damodaragupta, r. c. 560-562 CE
  • Shri Mahasenagupta, r. c. 562-601 CE
  • Shri Madhavagupta, r. c. 601-655 CE (Queen: Shrimati)
  • Maharajadhiraja Adityasena, r. c. 655-680 CE (Queen: Konadevi)
  • Maharajadhiraja Devagupta, r. c. 680-700 CE (Queen: Kamaladevi)
  • Maharajadhiraja Vishnugupta (Viṣnugupta) (Queen: Ijjadevi)
  • Maharajadhiraja Jivitagupta II

Possible descendants

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Guptas of Jayapura

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A small kingdom that ruled the area around Lakhisarai district during the 11th and 12th centuries bore the name Gupta and have subsequently been linked as a surviving line of the Later Guptas.[15] Evidence of their rule comes from the Panchob copper-plate inscription which was discovered in 1919.[16]

References

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  1. ^ a b Kumar, Sanjeev (2024). Treasures of the Gupta Empire: A Numismatic History of the Golden Age of India. Archaeopress. pp. 491–514. doi:10.2307/jj.17610828. ISBN 9781803277967.
  2. ^ Schwartzberg, Joseph E. (1978). A Historical atlas of South Asia. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 145, map XIV.1 (i). ISBN 0226742210.
  3. ^ a b c Karl J. Schmidt 2015, p. 26.
  4. ^ a b Ghosh, Suchandra (2022). "Later Guptas". The Encyclopedia of Ancient History: Asia and Africa: 1–2. doi:10.1002/9781119399919.eahaa00571. ISBN 978-1-119-39991-9.
  5. ^ Sailendra Nath Sen 1999, p. 246.
  6. ^ Prasad Sinha, Bindeshwari (1974). "The Original Home of the Later Guptas". Comprehensive History of Bihar, Volume 1, Part 2: 683–690.
  7. ^ a b c Sailendra Nath Sen 1999, p. 247.
  8. ^ Sinha, Bindeshwari Prasad (1977). Dynastic History of Magadha, Cir. 450-1200 A.D. Abhinav Publications. p. 119-120.
  9. ^ Mookerji, Radha Kumud (1 January 2016). Harsha: Calcutta University Readership Lectures 1925. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 55. ISBN 978-81-208-0862-1.
  10. ^ a b Sailendra Nath Sen 1999, p. 248.
  11. ^ Alain Daniélou 2003, p. 151.
  12. ^ Ronald M. Davidson 2012, p. 35.
  13. ^ Sailendra Nath Sen 1999, pp. 247–248.
  14. ^ Hans Bakker 2014, p. 83.
  15. ^ Chakrabarty, Dilip (2010). The Geopolitical Orbits of Ancient India: The Geographical Frames of the Ancient Indian Dynasties. Oxford University Press. p. 38. ISBN 9780199088324.
  16. ^ Kumar, Anil (2000). "THE PANCHOBH COPPER-PLATE OF SAMGRAMA GUPTA: A STUDY". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 61: 1316.

Bibliography

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