Logo

The present volume comprising 12 Chapters and six Appendices discusses Gupta history, based on the latest evidence. The problems discussed critically include: the name of the first king, the bearing of Chandragupta I's marriage with Lichchhavi princess; authorship of Chandragupta I-Kumaradevi coins; identification and chronological position of Kacha; the Nalanda and Gaya copper plates of Samudragupta; significance of the epithet Lichchhavi-dauhitra; Samudragupta's policy towards different powers; meaning of chir=otsan=asvamedh= ahartta; literary, numismatic and epigraphic evidences for the historicity of Ramagupta; marriage alliance of the Guptas with the Nagas and the Vakatakas; epigraphic and numismatic evidences for Chandragupta II's Saka conquest; identification of Chandra of Mehrauli inscription; the date, status and chronological position of Govindagupta; Ghatotkachagupta's marriage with a Vakataka princess, his status as governor of Kumaragupta I, his rebellion against him, and his short reign in Malwa; the struggle for, and the order of, sucession after Kumaragupta I ; the view of Skandagupta's identification with Purugupta and that of the division of empire between them; name and status of Skandagupta's mother; invasion of the Pushyamitras and the Hunas; Toramana's occupation of Eran; identification of Prakasaditya; genealogy and chronology of Gupta kings; relationship between Prakasadharman and Yasodharman who defeated Toramana and Mihirakula, respectively; identification of Baladitya, contemporary of Mihirakula; role of the Later Guptas, Maukharis, Hunas and Yasodharman in the downfall of the Gupta empire; evidence for three Kumaraguptas; king's name and date on the fifth Damodarpur copperplate; Jaina sources and epigraphs on the end of the Gupta rule.