Budhagupta (

Gupta script The Gupta script (sometimes referred to as Gupta Brahmi script or Late Brahmi script)Sharma, Ram. '' 'Brahmi Script' ''. Delhi: BR Publishing Corp, 2002 was used for writing Sanskrit and is associated with the Gupta Empire of the Indian subcon ...

''Bu-dha-gu-pta'', ) was a Gupta emperor and the successor of Kumaragupta II. He was the son of Purugupta and was succeeded by Narasimhagupta.Raychaudhuri, H.C. (1972). ''Political History of Ancient India'', Calcutta: University of Calcutta, p. 522

Rule

Budhagupta had close ties with the rulers of

Kannauj Kannauj (Hindustani pronunciation: ənːɔːd͡ʒ is a city, administrative headquarters and a municipal board or Nagar Palika Parishad in Kannauj district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city's name is a corrupted form of the cla ...

and together they sought to run the

Alchon Huns The Alchon Huns, ( Bactrian: αλχον(ν)ο ''Alchon(n)o'') also known as the Alchono, Alxon, Alkhon, Alkhan, Alakhana and Walxon, were a nomadic people who established states in Central Asia and South Asia during the 4th and 6th centuries CE. ...

( Hunas) out of the fertile plains of Northern India. Northern India, and in particular the area of Eran, was next invaded by the

ruler Toramana, who set up his own inscription there, the Eran boar inscription of Toramana, circa 510-513 CE.

Inscriptions

Eran Budhagupta pillar built circa 476–495 CE

The Damodarpur copper-plate inscription informs us that Pundravardhana bhukti (the present-day

North Bengal North Bengal ( bn, উত্তরবঙ্গ/উত্তর বাংলা) is a term used for the north-western part of Bangladesh and northern part of West Bengal. The Bangladesh part denotes the Rajshahi Division and Rangpur Division. Gen ...

) was ruled by his two viceroys (''Uparika Mahararaja'') Brahmadatta and Jayadatta. The Eran stone pillar inscription of two brothers, Matrivishnu and Dhanyavishnu mentions Budhagupta as their emperor (''Bhupati''), under whom ''Maharaja'' Surashmichandra was governing the land between the

Yamuna The Yamuna (Hindustani: ), also spelt Jumna, is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a height of about on the southwestern slopes of Ba ...

and the Narmada The Budhagupta inscription on the Eran column is on the west face towards the bottom of the lower and square part of a large monolithic red-sandstone column situated near the ruined group of temples at Eran. The inscription refers to the reign of Budhagupta over the area "between the rivers Kâlindi and Narmadâ", and it is dated 484–485 CE. The object of it is to record the erection of the column, which is called 'dhvajastambha' or flag staff of the god Vishnu. This pillar is about 48 feet high. This inscription was discovered by T.S. Burt in 1838. A pedestal of a Buddha statue found at Govindnagar near

Mathura Mathura () is a city and the administrative headquarters of Mathura district in the states and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located approximately north of Agra, and south-east of Delhi; about from the to ...

bears an inscription "in the reign of Budhagupta in year 161" (circa 480 CE). This is the only known epigraphic evidence showing that Budhagupta's authority extended to Mathura in the north.: Two standing Buddha images from

Sarnath Sarnath (Hindustani pronunciation: aːɾnaːtʰ also referred to as Sarangnath, Isipatana, Rishipattana, Migadaya, or Mrigadava) is a place located northeast of Varanasi, near the confluence of the Ganges and the Varuna rivers in Uttar ...

are known, with bear dated inscriptions mentioning the "Gift of Abhayamitra in 157 in reign of Buddhagupta" (157 of the Gupta era being 477 CE). There are also stone inscriptions in

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

and Eran and a seal from

Nalanda Nalanda (, ) was a renowned '' mahavihara'' ( Buddhist monastic university) in ancient Magadha (modern-day Bihar), India.

First Buddha statue with inscription of Budhagupta

A statue of the standing Buddha found in

has a dated inscription (year 157) in the name of Budhagupta. The content is partially preserved, but essentially identical to an inscription on a second statue, made by the same donor, allowing for reconstruction. File:Buddha statue inscribed reign of Budhagupta year 157 (476 CE) Sarnath Museum.jpg, Buddha statue inscribed "Gift of Abhayamitra in 157 in the reign of Buddhagupta" (476 CE) Sarnath Museum. File:Buddha inscription of Budhagupta in the Gupta Era year 157.jpg, Buddha inscription of Budhagupta in the Gupta Era year 157, with extrapolation and English translation.

Second Buddha statue with inscription of Budhagupta

A second statue of the standing Buddha found in

has a dated inscription (year 157) in the name of Budhagupta. This statue is defaced, but the devotees at the feet of the Buddha are beautifully preserved. The content is partially preserved, but essentially identical to an inscription on the first statue, made by the same donor, allowing for reconstruction. File:Buddha statue with inscription of Budhagupta in the Gupta Era year 157 (second statue).jpg, Buddha statue with inscription of Budhagupta in the Gupta Era year 157 (second statue). File:Buddhist devotee on a statue of Buddha standing inscribed Gift of Abhayamitra in 157 GE (477 CE) in reign of Buddhagupta.jpg, Buddhist devotee on the second statue of the standing Buddha (fragment), inscribed "Gift of Abhayamitra in 157 in the reign of Buddhagupta" (477 CE). Sarnath Museum. File:Buddha inscription of Budhagupta in the Gupta Era year 157 (second statue).jpg, Buddha inscription of Budhagupta in the Gupta Era year 157 (second statue), with extrapolationa and English translation.

Other inscriptions of Budhagupta

File:Inscribed Pedestal of Buddha Image Installed in the Reign of Budha Gupta - Circa 480 CE - Govind Nagar - ACCN 82-240 - Government Museum - Mathura 2013-02-23 5537.JPG, Inscribed pedestal of Buddha installed "in the reign of Budhagupta in year 161" (circa 480 CE). Govind Nagar. Mathura.Description and translation of the inscription in: File:Eran Budhagupta inscription.jpg, Budhagupta pillar inscription at Eran. File:Budhagupta.jpg, Copper-plate charter of Budhagupta, dated Gupta year 168 File:Malwa. Budhagupta. Circa AD 476-495.jpg, Coin of Buddhagupta in

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 Vind ...

, derived from the style of the

Western Satraps The Western Satraps, or Western Kshatrapas (Brahmi:, ''Mahakṣatrapa'', "Great Satraps") were Indo-Scythian (Saka) rulers of the western and central part of India ( Saurashtra and Malwa: modern Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Madhya Prade ...

."Evidence of the conquest of Saurastra during the reign of

Chandragupta II Chandragupta II (r.c. 376-415), also known by his title Vikramaditya, as well as Chandragupta Vikramaditya, was the third ruler of the Gupta Empire in India, and was one of the most powerful emperors of the Gupta dynasty. Chandragupta continu ...

is to be seen in his rare silver coins which are more directly imitated from those of the Western Satraps... they retain some traces of the old inscriptions in Greek characters, while on the reverse, they substitute the Gupta type ... for the

chaitya A chaitya, chaitya hall, chaitya-griha, (Sanskrit:''Caitya''; Pāli: '' Cetiya'') refers to a shrine, sanctuary, temple or prayer hall in Indian religions. The term is most common in Buddhism, where it refers to a space with a stupa and a rounded ...

with crescent and star." in Rapson "A catalogue of Indian coins in the British Museum. The Andhras etc.", p.cli

References

External links

Eran Stone Pillar Inscription of Matrivishnu and Dhanyavishnu
{{s-end 5th-century Indian monarchs 490s deaths Gupta Empire Year of birth unknown