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No. 7.]
DAMODARPUR COPPER-PLATE INSCRIPTIONS.
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We ended by Baladitya (identified with Narasimha-gupta of the Bhitari seal inscription. who belonged to the branch line of the early Guptas), makes it difficult to explain satisfaotorily the story of the Mandasor inscriptions referred to above. This Baliditya, a king of Magadha (according to the Chinese pilgrim), whose territory is said to have been invaded by the Hûna tyrant, ultimately succeeded in defeating Mihirakula and taking him prisoner; but he afterwards released the tyrant, and the Haņa chief's ultimate fate was that he took refuge in Kashmero, where he made himself ruler. These two conflicting stories of the defeat of Mihirakula, as described in the inscriptions and in the accounts of the Chinese pilgriin, cauge scholars to propound many suggestions as to the truth. According to Mr. Vincent Smith, “the native princes under the leadership of Bālāditya, king of Magadha (the same as Narasimhagupta), and Yasodharman, a raja of Central India, appear to have formed a confederacy against the foreign tyrant." But Mr. Allen, following the view of the late Dr. Fleets that "Mihirakula was overthrown by Yasodharman in the west, and by Bālāditya in the direction of Magadha," anggests that "Narasimha-gupta (i.e. the Bālāditya of Hinen Tsang) was simply successful in defending Magadha against Mihirakula's aggressions and that Mihirakula was afterwards utterly routed and taken prisoner by Yasodharinan." The boastful statements about Yasodharman in the Mandasor inscriptions lead us to believe that it was this powerful king who succeeded in finally breaking the Haņa power in India and in declaring himself independent samrät of all Northern India, making his supremacy felt by the represen. tatives of the two branches of the Gupta dynasty still in possession of some power in the east. Very likely Bhānu-gupta or his successor, if he had any, who may have retained some power in Pandavardhana especially, and also Bäläditya, or his successor Kumāra-gupta III, acknow. ledged the authority of Yasodharman. The rise of Yassdharman was, therefore, the cause of the downfall of the imperial Gupta rule in Northern India. No successor of Yasodharman is, however, known, whereas we have epigraphic records of a local dynasty of eleven Gapta rulers in Magadha, beginning with Krishņa-gupta and passing through Madhava-gupta (Harsha's contemporary) to Jivita-gupta II, who continued to rule as local chiefs in Magadha till about the middle of the eighth century A.D., probably till the rise of the Pāla Kings of Bengal, who bronght Magadha also under their rule.
A few more words on the system of provincial government during the Gupta rale in Northern India will not be out of place here. We know incidentally from the edicts of Asoka that the Maurya emperor appointed his owa viceroys to rule over the large provinces in the northwest, the south, the east and west, the central portion of the empire having probably been kept under the direct rule of the emperor at Pâtalipatra. A remarkable continuity in this policy seems to have prevailed among the rulers of India of later times, though belonging to different dynasties. The copper-plate inscriptions under notice have revealed to us the fact that it was the central Government under the Gupta emperors which used to appoint the provincial governors, who are described as being tat-pada-parigrihita (lit. Accepted by the imperial majosty's feet) and having right of use of such titles as uparika-mahārāja. Their position may be compared to some extent to that enjoyed by the Divisional Commissioners of the present day, if these were directly responsible to the Imperial Government. These provincial governors of the Gapta period had power to appoint the vishayapatis (district officers), who are described as tan-niyuktakas (lit. appointed by them) with the right of use of such titles as kumīrāmātya or ayuktaka. It is also a most interesting point that the vishayapatis had their head-quarters in adhishthānas (towns), where they had their own adhikaranas (offices
1 Vincent Smith, Early History of India, 3rd Edition, p. 318.
Allan, Indian Coins, Gupta Dynasties, Introduction, p. lix. Indian Antiquary, 1889, p. 228.
