North Indian Inscriptions

POLITICAL HISTORY

merit of his father. There can be no doubt that this spot was hallowed with the memory of Kumāragupta. This may be seen also from the fact that numerous bricks inscription with his name were found in the fields by Cunningham as early as 1861-62.¹ And, in fact, the whole village of Bhitarī is situated on the Gāṅgī-nadī, apparently a branch of the Ganges. That seems to be the reason why Skandagupta erected this monument to his father on this holy spot. In fact, Bhitarī is studded with so many large mounds that it is not impossible that it was the mausoleum or pratimā-gṛiha of the Gupta family. The next record that we have to consider is the Junāgaḍh rock inscription which speaks of Skandagupta as having appointed, as his governor of Surāshṭra (Kāṭhiawāṛ), one Parṇadatta who, in turn, put his son, Chakrapālita in charge of the town, which from Rudradāman’s inscription, appears to be Girinagara. We are further told that the dam of the lake Sudarśana, which had been formed in the valley round the foot of Girnār, near where the inscription rock is situated, gave way on account of excessive rain on the night of the sixth day of Praushṭhapada (August-September) in Gupta year 136 (expired) =455-56 A.D. One cannot forget in this connection that the Sudarśana lake was first constructed by Vaiśya Pushyagupta, provincial governor (rāshṭriya), under Chandragupta, the founder of the Maurya dynasty and that it was afterwards furnished with conduits by the Yavana ruler, Tushāspa, under Aśōka.² During the reign of Rudradāman I and in Śaka 72=150 A.D. the dam burst out, but was repaired by Suviśākha, son of Kulaipa, Palhava minister (amātya) of that Mahākshatrapa. In the time of Skandagupta when Parṇadatta was the governor of Surāshṭra and his son Chakrapālita was in charge of Girinagara, the dam was renewed after two months’ work in the month of Āshāḍha in Gupta year 137 (expired) =456-57 A.D. The Junāgaḍh rock inscription further records that in Gupta year 138 (expired), Chakrapālita built a temple of Vishṇu named Chakrabhṛit, apparently after him, perched on Mount Ūrjayat and overlooking the town.

        The Bihār pillar inscription (No. 41 below) of Skandagupta’s time is highly mutilated, but it proves beyond doubt that his power remained intact over Magadha. The first part of this epigraph records apparently the erection of the temple of Bhadrāryā attended by Skanda and the Divine Mothers and a sacrificial post—both in Skandaguptabaṭa called after him. This seems to have been as agrahāra or inām village from which different shares were apportioned to different recipient, one of whom was Anantasēna. This grant was made for the spiritual merit of the king’s parents. The second part of the inscription records the grant of a plot of land according to the law of akshaya-nīvi. Unfortunately, it has not been at all well-preserved; otherwise it would have been interesting to compare its details with those of the Dāmōdarpur, and other land-sale documents. It refers to the village of Ajapuraka, one individual called Guhilasvāmin and the goddess called Bhadrāryyakā.

       The fourth record of Skandagupta’s reign that we have to take note of is the copper-plate inscription found at Indōr in the Bulandshahr District, Uttar Pradesh. It is dated Gupta year 146=465-66 A.D., when the Vishayapati Śarvvanāga was administering the District of Antarvvēdi which here cannot denote the big province intervening between the Ganges and the Jumna as Fleet takes it, but rather the small region of Kanauj between the Ganges and the Jumna known as Antarabēda and commonly called the Do’ ab. It records that the Brāhmaṇa Dēvavishṇu, who was a student of Sāmavēda (Chhandōga) and a Chaturvēdin or Chōbē of Padmā connected with Chandragupta, made an endowment for the permanent maintenance of a lamp in front of the Sun god, established in the eastern ward of Indrapura (Indōr) by two Kshatriya or Khatri merchants of the same town. The money was invested in a local
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¹ CASIR., Vol. I, p. 97 and pl. xxx.
² Ep. Ind., Vol. VIII, pp. 6 ff.