Narasimhagupta (

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 ...

''Na-ra-si-ṅha-gu-pta'') Baladitya was the

Gupta Emperor 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 ...

from 495 to 530 CE. He was son of

Purugupta Purugupta (Gupta script: ''Pu-ra-gu-pta'', ) (reigned 467–473 CE) was an emperor of the Gupta dynasty in northern India. Purugupta was a son of the Gupta emperor Kumaragupta I by his queen ''Anantadevi''. He succeeded his half-brother Skandag ...

and probably the successor of Budhagupta.

Hiuen TSang Xuanzang (; ; 6 April 6025 February 664), born Chen Hui or Chen Yi (), also known by his Sanskrit Dharma name Mokṣadeva, was a 7th-century Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveller, and translator. He is known for the epoch-making contribu ...

refers to him as the king of

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 ...

Defeat of the Hunas

According to the Chinese monk

Xuanzang Xuanzang (; ; 6 April 6025 February 664), born Chen Hui or Chen Yi (), also known by his Sanskrit Dharma name Mokṣadeva, was a 7th-century Chinese Bhikkhu, Buddhist monk, scholar, traveller, and translator. He is known for the epoch-making ...

, Narasimhagupta had to pay tribute to the Huna king

Mihirakula Mihirakula (Gupta script: , ''Mi-hi-ra-ku-la'', Chinese: 摩酰逻矩罗 ''Mo-hi-lo-kiu-lo''), sometimes referred to as Mihiragula or Mahiragula, was the second and last Alchon Huns, Alchon Hun king of northwestern region of the Indian subcont ...

. Finally, Baladitya along with

Yasodharman Yashodharman (Gupta script: ''Ya-śo-dha-rmma'', ) was a ruler of the Malava Empire in North India, from 515 until his death in 545. He belonged to the Second Aulikara dynasty. He conquered much of the Indian subcontinent between c. 530–540 ...

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 ...

is credited with driving 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 ...

from the plains of North India according to the Chinese monk

. In a fanciful account, Xuanzang, who wrote a century later in 630 CE, reported that

had conquered all India except for an island where the king of

named Balditya (who could be Gupta ruler Narasimhagupta Baladitya) took refuge, but that Mihirakula was finally captured by the Indian king, who later spared his life. Mihirakula is then said to have returned to

Kashmir Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...

to retake the throne.Early Buddhist Transmission and Trade Networks by Jason Neeli
p.168
/ref> Narasimhagupta's governor in

Bhanugupta 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. Only mentioned in the Eran inscription as a "Raja" and not a "Maharaja" or a "Mahara ...

may also have been involved in this conflict.

Shramanic Philanthropy

The Guptas were traditionally a

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

dynasty.A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India by Upinder Sing
p.521
/ref> Narasimhagupta Baladitya however, according to contemporary writer

Paramartha Paramārtha (Sanskrit, Devanagari: परमार्थ; ) (499-569 CE) was an Indian monk from Ujjain, who is best known for his prolific Chinese language, Chinese translations of Buddhist texts during the Six Dynasties, Six Dynasties era.Toru ...

, was brought up under the influence of the

Mahayana Mahāyāna ( ; , , ; ) is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, Buddhist texts#Mahāyāna texts, texts, Buddhist philosophy, philosophies, and practices developed in ancient India ( onwards). It is considered one of the three main ex ...

philosopher,

Vasubandhu Vasubandhu (; Tibetan: དབྱིག་གཉེན་ ; floruit, fl. 4th to 5th century CE) was an influential Indian bhikkhu, Buddhist monk and scholar. He was a philosopher who wrote commentary on the Abhidharma, from the perspectives of th ...

. He built a sangharama at Nalanda and also a high vihara with a Buddha statue within which, according to Xuanzang, resembled the "great Vihara built under the Bodhi tree". According to the '' Manjushrimulakalpa'' (c. 800 CE), king Narasimhsagupta became a Buddhist monk, and left the world through meditation (

Dhyana Dhyana may refer to: Meditative practices in Indian religions * Dhyana in Buddhism (Pāli: ''jhāna'') * Dhyana in Hinduism * Jain Dhyāna, see Jain meditation Other *''Dhyana'', a work by British composer John Tavener Sir John Kenneth ...

). The Chinese monk Xuanzang also noted that Baladitya's son, Vajra, who commissioned a

Sangharama Sangharama (Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor langu ...

as well, "possessed a heart firm in faith". His clay sealing has been found in

Nalanda Nalanda (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: , ) was a renowned Buddhism, Buddhist ''mahavihara'' (great monastery) in medieval Magadha (Mahajanapada), Magadha (modern-day Bihar), eastern India. Widely considered to be am ...

. The name of his queen mentioned in the Nalanda sealing is Shrimitradevi. He was succeeded by his son

Kumaragupta III Kumaragupta III (Gupta script: ''Ku-ma-ra-gu-pta'') was a later Gupta Empire, Gupta Emperor. He succeeded his father Narasimhagupta Baladitya, Narasimhagupta in about 530 CE. His silver-copper seal was discovered in Bhitari (Ghazipur district, ...

Coinage

File:Narasimhagupta Baladitya Circa 495-530 CE.jpg, Coin of Narasimhagupta Baladitya, circa 495-530 CE. File:Nalanda clay seals of Narasimhagupta.jpg, Nalanda clay seals of Narasimhagupta. File:Toramana gold coin circa 490-515.jpg, A gold coin of contemporary

king

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 ...

with

Lakshmi Lakshmi (; , , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, , ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the goddess of wealth, fortune, prosperity, beauty, fertility, sovereignty, and abundance. She along with Parvat ...

on the reverse (circa 490-515), inspired from contemporary Gupta coins, such as those of Narasimhagupta Baladitya.The Identity of Prakasaditya by Pankaj Tandon, Boston University
/ref>

References

Sources

* 5th-century Indian monarchs Gupta emperors 5th-century Hindus 5th-century maharajadhirajas {{India-royal-stub