Later Gupta dynasty

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Later Gupta dynasty
c. 6th century CE–c. 8th century CE
Swordsman type coinage of Mahasenagupta of the Later Gupta dynasty.png
"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 kingdom at its zenith around c. 590 CE, and its neighbours. [2]
Capital Pataliputra
Religion
Government Monarchy
History 
• Established
c. 6th century CE
• Disestablished
c. 8th century CE
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Blank.png Gupta Empire
Blank.png Alchon Huns
Blank.png Maukhari dynasty
Pushyabhuti dynasty Blank.png
Kingdom of Gauda Blank.png

The Later Gupta dynasty, also known as the Later Guptas of Magadha, were the rulers of the Magadha region and partly of 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]

Contents

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

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

Map Asia physical (continental).png
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576
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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

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

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

The Aphsad inscription of Adityasena (r. c. 655-680 CE) establishes the genealogy of the Later Gupta dynasty down to Adityasena. Aphsad Stone of Adityasena (photograph).jpg
The Aphsad inscription of Ādityasena (r. c. 655-680 CE) establishes the genealogy of the Later Gupta dynasty down to Ādityasena.

Possible descendants

Guptas of Jayapura

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]

Related Research Articles

The Gupta Empire was an ancient Indian empire on the Indian subcontinent which existed from the mid 3rd century CE to mid 6th century CE. It was the seventh ruling dynasty of Magadha. At its zenith, from approximately 319 to 467 CE, it covered much of the Indian subcontinent. This period has been considered as the Golden Age of India by historians, although this characterisation has been disputed by some other historians. The ruling dynasty of the empire was founded by Gupta and the most notable rulers of the dynasty were Chandragupta I, Samudragupta, Chandragupta II, Kumaragupta I and Skandagupta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kumaragupta I</span> Maharajadhiraja

Kumaragupta I was an emperor of the Gupta Empire of Ancient India. A son of the Gupta emperor Chandragupta II and Queen Dhruvadevi. He seems to have maintained control of his inherited territory, which extended from Gujarat in the west to Bengal region in the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harsha</span> Emperor of Kannauj from 606 to 647

Harshavardhana was emperor of Kannauj from 606 until his death in 647 CE. He was the son of Prabhakaravardhana, the king of Thanesar who had defeated the Alchon Huns, and the younger brother of Rajyavardhana, son of Prabhakaravardhana and last king of Thanesar. He was one of the greatest kings of the Kingdom of Kannauj, which under him expanded into a vast realm in northern India.

Shashanka was the first independent king of a unified polity in the Bengal region, called the Gauda Kingdom. He reigned in the 7th century, some historians place his rule between c. 600 and 636/7 CE, whereas other sources place his reign between 590 and 625 CE.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maukhari dynasty</span> Royal dynasty of India

The Maukhari dynasty was the ruling house of the Kingdom of Kannauj and controlled the vast plains of Ganga-Yamuna for over six generations from their capital at Kannauj. They earlier served as vassals of the Guptas. The Maukharis established their independence during the mid 6th century. The dynasty ruled over much of Uttar Pradesh and Magadha. Around 606 CE, a large area of their empire was reconquered by the Later Guptas of Magadha. According to Xuanzang, the territory may have been lost to King Shashanka of the Gauda Kingdom, who declared independence circa 600CE.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kamboja Pala dynasty</span> Historical dynasty ruling parts of Bengal in the 10th-11th centuries

The Kamboja-Pala dynasty ruled parts of Bengal in the 10th to 11th centuries CE, after invading the Palas during the reign of Gopala II. The last Kamboja ruler of the Kamboja-Pala Dynasty Dharmapala was defeated by the south Indian Emperor Rajendra Chola I of the Chola dynasty in the 11th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingdom of Gauda</span> Classical period Indian subcontinent kingdom

The Gauḍa kingdom was a kingdom during the Classical era in the Indian subcontinent, which originated in the Gauda region of Bengal in 4th century CE or possibly earlier.

Prabhakaravardhana was a king of Thanesar in northern India around the time of the decline of the Gupta Empire. According to the historian R. C. Majumdar, he was the first notable king of the Vardhana dynasty but the fourth ruler from the family, who are also referred to as the Pushpabhutis. He had been preceded by his father, Adityavardhana, grandfather Rajyavardhana I and great-grandfather, Naravardhana, but inscriptions suggest that Banabhatta, the seventh-century bard and chronicler of the Vardhanas, may have been wrong to call these earlier rulers kings and that they may instead have been mere feudatory rulers of minor significance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pushyabhuti dynasty</span> Classical Indian dynasty (c.500–647 CE)

The Pushyabhuti dynasty, also known as the Vardhana dynasty, was the ruling dynasty of the Kingdom of Thanesar and later the Kingdom of Kannauj in northern India during the 6th and 7th centuries. The dynasty reached its zenith under its last ruler Harsha Vardhana, whose empire covered much of north and north-western India, extending till Kamarupa in the east and Narmada River in the south. The dynasty initially ruled from Sthanveshvara, but Harsha eventually made Kanyakubja his capital, from where he ruled until 647 CE.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalachuris of Mahishmati</span> Early Medieval dynasty in India from 550 to 625

The Kalachuris of Mahismati, or the Early Kalachuris, were an early medieval Indian dynasty that ruled present-day Maharashtra, as well as parts of mainland Gujarat and southern Madhya Pradesh. Their capital was located at Mahishmati. Epigraphic and numismatic evidence suggests that the earliest of the Ellora and Elephanta cave monuments were built during the Kalachuri rule.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhanugupta</span> Gupta Ruler

Bhanugupta was one of the lesser known kings of the Gupta dynasty. He is only known from an inscription in Eran, and a mention in the Manjushri-mula-kalpa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alchon Huns</span> 370–670 CE nomadic people who invaded India

The Alchon Huns, also known as the Alkhan, Alchono, Alxon, Alkhon, Alakhana, and Walxon, were a nomadic people who established states in Central Asia and South Asia during the 4th and 6th centuries CE. They were first mentioned as being located in Paropamisus, and later expanded south-east, into the Punjab and Central India, as far as Eran and Kausambi. The Alchon invasion of the Indian subcontinent eradicated the Kidarite Huns who had preceded them by about a century, and contributed to the fall of the Gupta Empire, in a sense bringing an end to Classical India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ishanavarman</span> Maharajadhiraja

Iśanavarman was the first independent Maukhari king of the Kingdom of Kannauj. He was a very powerful king, and adopted the title of Maharajadhiraja.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharvavarman</span> Maharajadhiraja

Sharvavarman was the Maukhari ruler of the Kingdom of Kannauj from 560 to 575 CE.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aphsad inscription of Ādityasena</span> Indian inscription

The Aphsad inscription of Ādityasena is an Indian inscription from the reign of the Later Gupta dynasty king Aditya-sena. The inscription was found in 1880 by Markham Kittoe in the village of Apasadha, Bihar, and is now located in the British Museum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gauda–Gupta War</span>

The Gauda–Gupta War was a conflict between Gopachandra on one side with Ishanavarman and Jivitagupta I on the other side. The war resulted in the defeat of the Gauda Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingdom of Malwa (Aulikara)</span> Kingdom in Central India

The Kingdom of Malwa, or from 515, the Malwa Empire or the Malava Empire, was a kingdom in Central India ruled by the Aulikara dynasty during the classical era and the early medieval era. It was established by Jayavarman in 350 and vastly expanded during the reign of Yashodharman, the last king.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingdom of Kannauj</span> Kingdom in Northwest India

The Kingdom of Kannauj was a kingdom in Northern India during the early medieval era. It was established by Harivarman in 510 as a vassal state of the Gupta Empire. During the reign of Harshavardhana, the kingdom of Kannauj expanded into a vast realm that spanned across northern India in the early seventh century. In the early ninth century, the city was conquered by Nagabhata II of the Pratihara dynasty after the Tripartite Struggle who proclaimed himself King of Kannauj. His descendents ruled Kannauj until Ghaznavid invasions.

Devagupta was a king of Malwa in the western part of what had been the Magadhan Empire prior to the conquest of its eastern part by the Kingdom of Kannauj. He was the eldest son of Mahasenagupta and a member of the Later Gupta dynasty. Devagupta is known for having engineered a Malwa–Gauda alliance with Shashanka of Gauda to counter the Thanesar–Kannauj alliance. The alliance was initially successful, and Devagupta's forces reached Kannauj and killed the king of Kannauj. However, the king of Thanesar defeated Malwa and killed Devagupta, but was himself killed in the war with Gauda. Harsha succeeded him and repelled the Gauda invasion.

Mahasenagupta was Emperor of Magadha from 562 until his defeat in 575 and thereafter the King of Malwa until his death in 601. He belonged to the Later Gupta dynasty of Magadha.

References

  1. 1 2 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. 1 2 3 Karl J. Schmidt 2015, p. 26.
  4. 1 2 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. 1 2 3 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. 1 2 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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