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59 gMts, halting places, dharmasdlds, gardens, tanks and wells, to establish free ferries, and to endow institutions for charitable purposes, were acts which were deemed worthy of royal charity and benevolence. And lastly, we learn from this inscription that the Saurashtras undertook an expedition against the M&layas in order to help a race of friendly Kshatriyas the Uttama- bhadras. The most remarkable inscription of the Shah kings, however, is that on a bridge near Girnar, known as Rudra Daman's bridge, which was first read by James Prinsep, and revised and more correct readings have since been published. By referring to the list of kings given above, our readers will see that Rudra Daman was the fourth king after Nahapana and his successor Usavadata, and reigned in the middle of the second century A.D. The inscription is remarkable on account of its reference to Asoka the Great, and his grandfather Chandragupta, the contemporary of Alexander the Great. We are told in the inscription that the ancient bridge was swept away by an inundation ; that it was repaired by Puspagupta the chief artificer of the Maurya king Chandragupta, and then by Tushaspa the Yavana Raja of Asoka ; that it was then constructed by the great satrap (Mahakshatrapa) Rudra Daman in the year 72 (Saka Era, i e., 150 A. D.) In this inscription Rudra Daman boasts that having repeatedly overcome S£ta- karni, the lord of Dakshinapatha,he concluded an alliance Digitized 60 BUDDHIST PERIOD. [BOOK IV. with him. And he also boasts of having conquered Saurashtra, Kutch, and other places. If the reader will refer to the list of the Andhra kings of Magadha given in the last chapter, he will find that several kings of the name of Satakarni belonged to that dynasty ; and the above inscription of Rudra Daman would shew that the Shah kings of Saurashtra were often the rivals and connexions (by marriage) of the great Andhra kings. On the other hand, Gautamiputra of the Andhra line boasts in an inscription in a cave at Nassik, that he had conquered Saurashtra, Kutch, and other coun- tries and destroyed the race of the Khaharata. The date of this conquest of the Shah kings by Gautami- putra of the Andhra line forms the subject of much controversy, into which we are unable to enter. We have spoken of the invasions and conquests of three distinct races, viz., of the Bactrian Greeks in the 2nd century before Christ, of the Yue-Chi and other cognate Turanians in the 1st century after Christ, and lastly of their vassals the Shah kings who ruled in Saurashtra for three centuries. Other invasions followed in the wake, of which history scarcely keeps any note. The Bactrians, expelled from their country by the Tura- nians, appear to have penetrated far into India ; and the Cambojians, i the inhabitants of Cabul and Can- dahar, followed in the wake and entered into the country, where fertile and rich settlements could be carved out by adventurers by their strong right arm. Digitized by Google CHAP. IV.] KASHMIR AND GUJRAT. 6 1 And lastly, the great White Huns appeared on the scene in the 4th and 5th century of the Christian Era. Their locust hordes spread over Persia and com- pelled Bahram Gaur, king of Persia, to seek an asylum in India and an alliance with the king of Kanouj, whose daughter he married. It is probable that this royal maiden who espoused a Persian husband was a daugh- ter of the Gupta line, for the Gupta emperors were then ruling in Kanouj and were the paramount power in India. We will speak of them in the next chapter. Digitized by Google CHAPTER V. GUPTA KINGS. Half a century ago James Prinsep indicated the necessity of arranging all inscriptions found in India for the study of the ancient history of India, and he also suggested that the collective publication should bear the name of Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum. In 1877 General Sir Alexander Cunningham brought out the first volume of this proposed work, and this volume contains the inscriptions of Asoka which we have spoken of in the first chapter of this book. In 1888 Mr. Fleet of the Bombay Civil Service brought out the third volume of this work containing the inscriptions of the Gupta kings, and giving a his- tory of the controversy about the date of the Guptas which has been carried on during the last forty years in India and in Europe ! The second volume of the proposed work, which would contain the inscriptions of the Shah kings of Saur&shtra, has not yet been commenced. It is to be hoped that some able scholar and experienced archaeolo- gist will yet be employed on this work, and will com- plete the collection of Indian inscriptions which are invaluable for the elucidation of the Buddhist Period of Indian History. Digitized by Google CHAP. V.] GUPTA KINGS. 63 We have seen that the controversy relating to the date of the Guptas has gone on for well nigh forty years, and many of tle ablest oriental scholars have engaged themselves in this controversy. The history of this remarkable controversy occupies over 30 folio pages of Mr. Fleet's valuable work ! Happily it is a contro- versy which is now at an end, and the conclusion arrived at is beyond reasonable doubt. Alberuni wrote in the 1 1 th century that the Gupta Era was posterior to the Saka Era by 241 years, or in other words, the Gupta Era begins with 319 A. D. All the facts collected during recent years confirm this statement, and we can now read the dates in the Gupta coins and inscrip- tions, remembering that we have to add 319 to them to find out the dates of the Christian Era. Mr. Fleet, with a pardonable partiality for his own labours, main- tains that the Mandasor inscription which he has dis- covered finally settles the controversy. Scholars are pretty well agreed on this point, and the Mandasor inscription probably confirms the conclusion. We give below a list of the Gupta kings with their coin and inscription dates and the corresponding years of the Christian Era : — Coin and Inscription Dates. (Maharaja) Gupta. Ghatotkacha. Chandra Gupta I Digitized by Google 64 BUDDHIST PERIOD. [ B00K IV. Coin and Inscription A. D. Samudra Gupta. Chandra Gupta II \ ( 401, 407, (or Vikramaditya. ) J I412, 414. Kumara Gupta ^ J415, 417, (or Mahendraditya)) A 9 *' " 9 > I3 °- {448, 449. Skunda Gupta ... I' 3 *' ' 37 ' I38 ' I4 '' '44. (455. 456, 457, 460, 1 145, 146, 148, 149. U°3. 464, 465, 467, 468. Buddha Gupta ... 165,175,180 ... 484,494,499. Bhanu Gupta, It will be seen from the list given afcrjve that Samu- dra Gupta reigned in the latter end of the 4th century. The famous Gupta inscriptioa on the Allaha- bad Ldt of Asoka throws much light on the extent of this great king's power and influence. Whose great good fortune was mixed with, so as to be increased by, his glory produced by the favour shown in capturing and then liberating Mahendra of Kosala, Vyaghraraja MaMk&ntara, Mantaraja of Kerala, Mahendra of Puhlapura, Svamidatta of Kottura on the hill, Damana of Erandapalla % Vishnugopa of K&ncht, Nilaraja of Avamukla, Hasti- varman of Vengi % Ugrasena of Palakka^ Kuvera of Devardshtra^ Dhananjaya of Kutthalapura % and all other kings of the region of tht South ; Who abounded in majesty which had been increased by violently exter- minating Rudradeva, Matela, Nagadatta, Chandravarman, Ganapatinaga, Nagasena, Achyuta, Nandin, Balavarman, and many other kings of Ary&varia, who made all the kings of the forest countries to become his servants ; Whose imperious commands were fully gratified by the payment of taxes and the execution of his orders by the frontier kings {Pratyanta Nripati) of Samatata % Davdka, A'dmanlpa, NepAla, Kartripura % and other countries; and by the Md/avas t Arjundyanas> Yaudheyas % Mddrakas t Digitized by Google CHAP. V.] GUPTA KINGS. Abkiras, Mjmmu, Sanaktimkas, K6kas t Kharaparikas, and other tribes; Whose tranquil fame pervading the whole world was generated by establishing again many royal families fallen and deprived of sovereignty, whose binding together of the whole world, by means of the ample vigour of his arm, was effected by acts of respectful service, — such as offering themselves as sacrifices, bringing presents of maidens, giving Garuda tokens, surrendering the enjoyment of their own terri- tories, soliciting his commands, &c. rendered by the Daivaputras, ShaJtis, Shahanushahh , Sa&as, Murundas, and by the people of Sinhala, and all other dwellers in islands. Here we have an elaborate and perhaps somewhat exaggerated account of the immense power of one of the early Gupta emperors. We learn that he con- quered the kings of Kanchi, Kerala, and other countries in Southern India ; that he exterminated the kings of Aryavarta or Nortlurn India ; that frontier kings of Samatata (East Bengal), Kamarupa (Assam), Nepal, and other places, and nations like the Maiavas, Madra- kas, and Abhiras obeyed his orders and paid him tribute ; and that even the Shahs and Shahinshahs of western countries, and the people of Ceylon sent him tribute in offerings and gifts, and handsome maidens from their lands. We are told towards the close of this inscription that this great king was * the son of the son's son of the Maharaja the illustrious Gupta,"— "the son's son of the Maharaja the illustrious Ghatot- kacha,"— " the son of Maharajadhiraja the glorious Chandragupta * — * begotten on the Mahadevi Kumara* devi," a daughter of the Lichchavi royal house. K. C. D., A. I.— HI. 5 Digitized by Google 66 BUDDHIST PERIOD. [BOOK IV.