Purugupta was an important & powerful emperor of the Gupta dynasty, in northern India.
Purugupta was another son of the Gupta emperor Kumaragupta by his queen Anantadevi. He succeeded his half-brother Skandagupta. Kumaragupta 2 was his successor. Vishnugupta was grandson of Purugupta. Details of Puru-gupta are also available on Bhitari silver-copper seal of his grandson kumargupta 3, and Nalanda clay sealings of his sons Narasimha Gupta and buddhagupta.
Purugupta was succeeded by Kumaragupta 2.
Inscription number 32
Bihar stone Pillar Inscription of Purugupta.
Provenance: Northern gate of.the old fort at Bihar (i.e. Bihar sharif)..
Patna district, Bihar.
Script: Late Northern Brahmi.
Language: Sanskrit.
Metres
vv. 1, 3, उपेन्द्रवज्रा
w. 2 (defective at भुवि स्वा
and 4, 8-10 इन्द्रवज्रा
v.5, वंशस्थ
:vv. 6-7: Metre not clear. Fleet erroneously suggests गीति
Footnote 1
1. Some specimens of the Garuda type have the word वर्ष date behind the king’s head. The definite dates on his
silver issues are 146 and 148 (= 465-66 and 467-68 A D.). The date on Allan ‘s Category No. 527 is 148, not 145 as alternately suggested. The last digit resembles the figure on the coins of the Saka Kshatrapas of western
India.
2. Full legend has to be reconstructed from several coins.
On some issues Sivas bull figures in place of the altar and क्रमादित्य
In places of विक्रमादित्य
Some coins have in उपजाति
Metre the legend विजितावनिपतिर्जयति दिवं
स्कन्दगुप्तोयं or विजितावनिपति: or श्री स्कन्दगुप्तोयं दिवं जयति
3. Fleet assigns it to Skandagupta.
References
Rajindera lala Mitra, J.A.S.B, XXXV, and pp 269 ff. and 277 f, Fleet. C.I.I,. II, pp.47 ff. No.12, RC. majumdar.
Ind.Cultur, pp170 ff.3 D.C. Sircar. Slect.Inss, pp 325 ff. Bhandarkar’s List. no. 1548 (for other references)
Footnote 2
1. From the facsimile in C.I.I, III, Pl. v B, facing pp. 46
(wrongly printed vii) whicn contains only 11.1 to 25. LL26-83 from Fleet’s transcript with amendation. A.M. Broadley, A British magistrate removed the column from the original
Site and replanted it upside down nearby and got an english inscription engraved partly disfiguring tne original text.
2. In Part I the writing seems to have covered four faces of the column while in part II only three of them.
Each line of Part I contained a full verse of 44 akshra, except
1.5 which contained a verse of 48 syllables. About 22 aksharas, at the beginning of each line, i.e. the first
two padas of each verse, and about six aksharas at the end have peeled off. Each line in Part II, contained about
27 aksharas, of which about 18, from tne beginning are lost.
Footnote 2
1. Read पितृश्च
2. Read वरोच्र्छय See 1.11 below.where alomost full name Occurs
3. Restored by conjecture
4. Amarkosha enumerates seven T
ब्राहमी माहेश्वरी चैव कौमारी वैष्णवी तथा माहेन्र्दी चैव वाराहि
चामुंडा सप्तमातर
eventually the number increased to eight and then nine and even sixteen.
The Mothers are mentioned with swami Mahsena (i.e. skanda)
in the records of some early dynasities e.g the Kadambas and the Chalukyas. Skanda here evidently is an indirect
reference to the king himself.
Footnote 3
1. Fleet reads स्कन्दगुप्तवटे
2 Read अंशा:
3. The two parts of the record are demarkated by two parallel lines. The second part appears to be a copy of which lines. 14-23 represent the seal.
1yeTH
4. Read पृथिव्याम The lost words in 11. 14-23 are supplied from the other inscriptions and seals.
Footnote 4
1. Fleet reads स्कन्दगुप्त at both the places.
2.Fleet सा (?) मै आ मा Sircar: सामै (आ)मा
(2
3.
The reading presumably is, T-0-afoME –
4 Earlier referred to as भद्रायर्या in 11.8 and 11. Goddess is even now worshipped under the name भद्रकाली
The at Kurukshetra. An old temple of hers, stands in the precincts of Kalikamali dharmasala.
5. Beyond this the record is lost.
English Translation of the inscription
L1. A very moon of a man, equal in prowess to (the god vishnu)
the younger brother of Indra, unequalled in respect of virtuous qualities
L.2. moreover his son, docile towards (his) master on earth renowned by his own fame
L 3. whose sister. [was espoused !) by
Kamaragupta1, of unequalled prowess
L4. (both the deceased ancestors and the gods, with oblations to gods (havya) and oblations to ancestors
(kavya) – always things that are injurious to man
L.5. Caused to made a group of temples, incomparable in the world – -.
L.6. in Chandraguptabata assuredly, he erected a beautiful pillar,.and in Prabhasa a mandapa (pavillion)
L.7 — of the trees, with bunches pendant from the tips of whose crests bent with the weight of flowers,
L.8: the temple shines forth with (the pres ence) of Bhadrarya, like the sky freed from the cover of fresh clouds.
L9 headed by (the god) Skanda, and by the divine mothers, on the earth-
— – he having created the world,
L.10-11- he made. indeed, the erection of (this) Sacrificial post——
Bhadraraya and othere—-in (the village called) Chandraguptabata,
30 (and) 5 Shares-
L 12 —if there be any misdeed (i.e. sin) on the part of (his) father or his mother, let him share—
L13 – — -in the agrahara of —3 shares. .
Composed by Anantasena.
Sesond Part
L14-19. There was the Maharijadhira ja Samudragupta, –who was the enterminator of all kings, who was a matchless warrior in the world. whose
fame was tasted by the waves of the four oceans) who was equal to (the gods) Dhanada, and varuna and Indra and Yama, who was the very axe of the god Yama who was the giver of many million of lawfully acquired cows and gold, who was the restorer of the ashvamedha – sacrifice that had
been long in abeyance, who was the great-grandson of the
Maharaja Shri Gupta, who was the grandson of the maharaja Sri Ghatotkacha (and) who was the son of the maharajdhiraja, Sri Chandragupta (), (and) the daughter’s son of the Lichchhavis . begotten on the Mahadevi
Kumaradevi.
L.19-21 His son (was) the most devout worshipper of Lord vishnu, the Maharajadhirajaj Chandragupta 1, who was accepted by him (i.e. Samudragupta ) who was begotten on
the mahadevi Dattadevi (and) who was himself a matchless warrior.
L21-22. His son. who meditated on his feet(and) who was begotten on the Mahadevi Dhruvadevi, (was)the most
devout worshipper of Lord vishnu, the Maharajadhiraja Kumaragupta.
L1.22-23 His. son, who meditated on his feet. (is) the Maharajadhiraja S ri Purugupta, the most devout worshipper
of Lord vishnu
L1.24-31. the most devout worshipper
of lord Vishnu the Maharajadhiraja sri Purugupta, has donated in the village Samai? of Ajapura in the district of –
a village field in perpetual endowment-
– He commands
the uparikas, the Kumaramatyas,
the Drangikas, the merchants, the Paditarikas, the Agraharikas, the Saulkikas, the Gaulmikas and others such as vasikas etc who subsist in our favour.
L1-31-33
I have been infomed by– Verman that
by his grandfather Bhatta Guhilasvamin had established (the image of) Bhadrayaka.