Bhanugupta was one of the lesser known kings of the

Gupta dynasty The Gupta Empire was an Indian empire during the classical period of the Indian subcontinent which existed from the mid 3rd century to mid 6th century CE. At its zenith, the dynasty ruled over an empire that spanned much of the northern Indian ...

. He is only known from an inscription in Eran, and a mention in the Manjushri-mula-kalpa. Only mentioned in the Eran inscription as a "Raja" and not a "Maharaja" or a "Maharajadhiraja" as would be customary for a Gupta Empire ruler, Bhanugupta may only have been a Governor for the region of

Malwa Malwa () is a historical region, historical list of regions in India, region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic plateau, volcanic upland north of the ...

, under Gupta Emperor

Narasimhagupta Narasimhagupta (Gupta script: ''Na-ra-si-ṅha-gu-pta'') Baladitya was the Gupta Empire, Gupta Emperor from 495 to 530 CE. He was son of Purugupta and probably the successor of Budhagupta. Xuanzang, Hiuen TSang refers to him as the king of Mag ...

Eran inscription of Bhanugupta

Bhanugupta is known from a stone pillar inscription in Eran,

. The inscription was translated by

John Faithfull Fleet John Faithfull Fleet C.I.E (1847 – 21 February 1917) was an English civil servant with the Indian Civil Service and became known as a historian, epigraphist and linguist. His research in Indian epigraphy and history, conducted in India ove ...

in 1888, and then a second time in 1981, leading to different interpretations.

Initial translation (J.F Fleet 1888)

According to the initial translation of the Eran inscription (by John Faithful Fleet in 1888), Bhanugupta participated to a non-specific battle in 510 CE (Line 5). This translation was the basis for various conjectures about a possible encounter with

Toramana Toramana also called Toramana Shahi Jauvla ( Gupta script: 𑀢𑁄𑀭𑀫𑀸𑀡 ''To-ra-mā-ṇa'', ruled circa 493-515 CE) was a king of the Alchon Huns who ruled in northern India in the late 5th and the early 6th century CE. Toramana co ...

, the

Alchon Huns The Alchon Huns, ( Bactrian: ''Alkhon(n)o'' or ''Alkhan(n)o'') 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 centurie ...

ruler. It has been suggested that Bhanugupta was involved in an important battle of his time, and suffered important losses, possibly against the Hun invader

, whom he may or may not have defeated in 510. Mookerji actually considers, in view of the inscription, that Bhanugupta was vanquished by Toramana at this 510 CE Eran battle, so that the western Gupta province of

fell into the hands of the Hunas at that point. Toramana would then have made his Eran boar inscription, claiming control of the region.

New translation (1981)

A new revised translation was published in 1981. Verses 3-4 are markedly differently translated, in that ruler Bhanugupta and his chieftain or noble Goparaja are said to have participated in a battle against the "Maittras" in 510 CE, thought to be the Maitrakas (the reading being without full certainty, but "as good as certain" according to the authors). This would eliminate the suggestion that Bhanugupta alluded to a battle with

in his inscription. Bhanugupta in the inscription is only mentioned as a "Raja" and not a "Maharaja" or a "Maharajadhiraja" as would be customary for a Gupta Empire ruler. Therefore he may only have been a Governor for the region of

, under Gupta Emperor

.The Gupta Empire, Radhakumud Mookerji, Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 195
p.120
/ref>

Manjushri-mula-kalpa

According to a 6th century CE Buddhist work, the Manjushri-mula-kalpa, "after the death of Budhagupta, two kings in Gupta line were crowned, one in Gauda and the other in

Magadha Magadha was a region and kingdom in ancient India, based in the eastern Ganges Plain. It was one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas during the Second Urbanization period. The region was ruled by several dynasties, which overshadowed, conquered, and ...

", the latter being probably

. According to this work, after Bhanu Gupta had lost Malwa,

continued his conquest to

, forcing Narasimhagupta Baladitya to make a retreat to

Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...

. Toramana is said to have crowned a new king in

Benares Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges, Ganges river in North India, northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hinduism, Hindu world.* * * * The city ...

, named Prakataditya, who is presented as a son of Narasimha Gupta.Early history of Jammu region, Raj Kumar, Gyan Publishing House, 201
p.538
/ref> Toramana then died in

as he was returning westward.

References

Sources

* {{cite book , last=Fleet , first=J. F. , author-link=John Faithfull Fleet , year=1888 , title=Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum , volume=3 , publisher=Government of India, Central Publications Branch , location=Calcutta 6th-century Indian monarchs Gupta monarchs