THE IMPERIAL GUPTAS : A Political History

• Pages: xvi + 476
• Format: Hardbound (HB)
• ISBN: 9788173054327
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Publisher: Aryan Books International
• Size: 19 cm x 25 cm
• Product Year: 2012

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 Vaka?akas; epigraphic and numismatic evidences for Chandragupta II?s Saka conquest; identification of Chandra of Mehrauli inscription; the date, status and chronological position of Govindagupta; Gha?otkachagupta's marriage with a Vaka?aka 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 H?u?as; Torama?a?s occupation of Eran; identification of Prakasaditya; genealogy and chronology of Gupta kings; relationship between Prakasadharman and Yasodharman who defeated Torama?a and Mihirakula, respectively; identification of Baladitya, contemporary of Mihirakula; role of the Later Guptas, Maukharis, H?u?as 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.