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EPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
(VOL. XXVI.
belong to the so-called Eastern variety of the Gupta alphabet and closely resemble those of the Bhitarf and Nalanda seals of Kumāragupta II. M and h are of the developed Eastern type. S has both the looped and unlooped varieties, the former as in tasya (1.3) and the latter as in Narasimhao (1.2). The height of the letters varies between yo to is". The language is Sangkrit and the legend is in prose.
In respect of orthography the following points may be noted : (1) DK has been invariably doubled in conjuction with a following y as in pădānuddhyāto (1l. 2 and 3). (2) T is everywhere doubled in conjunction with a following r as in puttras (11.2 and 3). (3) The Upadhmāniya sign has been used in Onnah-Paramao (1.4).
The seal belongs to the Paramabhāgavala-Mahārājādhiraja Vishnugupta of the Imperial Gupta family. Like the other Gupta seals, it records the genealogy of a succession of Gupta kings ending with Vishnugupta. Up to the name of Kumāragup'a occurring in line 3, its legend, though only partially preserved, is identical with that on the Bhitari and Nālandă seals of Kumaragupta II, who was so far the last known sovereign in the connected genealogical succession of the Imperial Guptas. The present seal tells us that the issuer of this, viz. Vishnugupta, was the son and successor of Kumāragupta II, who in his turn was the son and successor of Narasimhagupta. The seal, therefore, is of great importance inasmuch as it carries the genealogy of the Gupta suvereigns & generation further than was hitherto known. It is unfortunate that the name of the mother of Vishnugupta and the wife of Kumāragupta II, which would, if known, have constituted a valuable addition to our knowledge, has been lost in the broken portion of the last line.
The seal also shows that the name of the father and predecessor of Narasimhagupta should be spelt as [P]a[rugupta*) (1.1) and not Puragupta as was hitherto done. The reading Parugupta is unmistakable on the fragmentary Nālandă seal of Narasimhagupta and is also fairly clear on the originals of those of Kumāragupta II. The medial ů sign in the first letter of the name Purugupta is indicated by an additional stroke attached to the base of the letter, besides the downward elongation of its right limb, the latter sign by itself denoting the short medial as in puttras (11.2 and 3). In the secund letter of the name, viz. ru, the medial u is shown by a small hook turned to left and joined to the foot of r. Palæographical considerations apart, the name Purugupta yields more plausible sense than Puragupta and fits better in the series of the grand and dignified names of the Gupta kinga. As has been pointed out by Mr. Jagannath, the first part of the Gupta nomenclature constituted the real or substantive name and yielded satisfactory meaning independently of the latter half, viz.gupta, which being family surname was a mere adjunct. Pura, by itself, is neither a complete nor & dignified name while Púru is both. Púru with the more common variant Puru may, like Vainya in Vainyagupta's name, either signify the homonymous epic hero of the lunar race who was the ancestor of the Kauravas and the Põndaves, or may alternately mean abundant or great.
The Gupta chronology as known from the joint testimony of the seals of Narasimhagupta, Kumäragupta II and Vishnugupta is drawn below in a table form. The other Gupta records do not take us very far in this respect, as they end the genealogical list with Skandagupta who is called therein as the son and successor of Kumăragupta I. Fortunately for us, the Mañjufrimú
1 J. 4. 8. B. Vol. LVIII, pt. 1, p. 89; Ind Ant., Vol. XIX, p. 225.
Hirnanda Bastri, loc. cit. pl. VIII, 6, 1.8.
Journal of U. P. Hidorical Society, Dec. 1940, p. 101. Dr. D. R. Bhandarkar also independently arrivo! at the reading Purugu fa
