गुप्त अभिलेख संग्रह (जे. एफ. फ्लीट - गुप्त सम्राटों एवं परवर्ती नरेशों के ऐतिहासिक पाषाण व ताम्रलेख)

18 CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM, VOL. III.
because there is at least a strong possibility that they were descended from the same stock,
though their connection with each other, and with Skandagupta, has not as yet been
made clear; and because the date of Budhagupta, at least, has always been accepted as
bearing on the chronological question. The dates are taken partly from the inscriptions,
and partly from the silver coins, on which I have published a note in the Ind. Ant. Vol.
XIV. p. 65 ff. Thus, the coins supply the dates of Gupta-Saṁvat 94 or 95, for Chandra-
gupta II.; 130 odd, for Kumâragupta;¹ 144, 145, 148, and 147 or 149, for Skandagupta:
and 175, and possibly also 180 odd, for Budhagupta. The secondary names of the kings
are taken partly from the silver coins, and partly from the gold coins, on which a very
exhaustive and valuable treatise has been published by Mr. V. A. Smith, in the Jour.
Beng. As. Soc. Vol. LIII. Part I. p. 119 ff., noticed by me in the Ind. Ant. Vol. XIV. p.
92 ff. The names of Vikramâditya, Mahêndrâditya, and Kramâditya, for respectively
Chandragupta II., Kumâragupta, and Skandagupta, are supplied by the silver coins; and
the first two, in the abbreviated forms of Vikrama and Mahêndra, occur also on some of
the gold coins; as also, perhaps does the full name Kramâditya, for Skandagupta. And
Vikramâṅka, which is of constant occurrence as a synonym for Vikrama and Vikramâ-
ditya, occurs on a silver coin which seems undoubtedly to belong to Chandragupta II. As
regards Chandragupta I., it is still a moot point whether certain gold coins, which bear the
name of Vikrama and Vikramâditya, are to be allotted to him, or to his grandson; but I
myself do not see any difficulty about allotting them to him, and in understanding, there-
fore, that he also had these same secondary names; I have, however, inserted them in
brackets, as being open to the possibility of doubt. Kâcha, as a possible second name
of Samudragupta, is taken from some gold coins on which I have commented at page 27,
note 4; this, however, is also bracketed, as being not yet quite certain. The coins, both
gold and silver, present many other points of considerable interest, some of which I have
briefly alluded to in my notes to the Texts and Translations; but the full consideration of
them belongs to the Historical Chapters.
The genealogy, as given by Mr. Thomas in his edition of Prinsep's Essays, Vol. I.
p. 245, includes the name of Dêvî, a daughter of Mahâdaitya, as one of the queens of
Samudragupta; and, as a son of Skandagupta, a young prince, whose name is suggested
to be Mahêndragupta. The entry of Dêvî and Mahâdaitya, appears also in the same list
as republished by Mr. Thomas in the Archæol. Surv. West. Ind. Vol. II. p. 19, and again in
the Jour. R. As. Soc. N. S. Vol. XIII. p. 533; in each of which places we also find, as an-
other wife of Samudragupta, a queen, name unknown, the daughter of an independent
princess ‘Sanhârikâ.’ The second list repeats the name of Mahêndragupta; but, in the
third, there are substituted the words “royal issue expected at the date of this inscrip-
tion,” i.e. of the Bhitarî pillar inscription of Skandagupta. The existence of the supposed

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¹ Archæol. Surv. Ind. Vol. IX. p. 24, and Plate v. No. 7.