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KĀMARŪPA AND MĀLAVA
607
during his reign we do not hear of any struggle with that family. But a new danger threatened from the east. A strong monarchy was at this time established in Kāmarūpa by a line of princes who claimed descent from Bhagadatta. King Susthitavarman of this family came into conflict with Mahāsena Gupta and was defeated. "The mighty fame of Mahāsena Gupta," says the Aphsaq inscription, "marked with lionour of victory in war over the illustrious Susthitavarman......is still constantly sung on the banks of the river Lohitya.”
Between Malıāsena Gupta, the contemporary of Prabhākara-vardhana, and his younger or youngest son Madhava Gupta, the contemporary of Harslia, we have to place a king named Deva Gupta II ? who is mentioned by name in the Madhuban and Banskhera inscriptions of Harsha as the most prominent among the kings "who resembled wicked horses”, who were all punished and restrained in their evil career by Rājya-vardhana. As the Gupta princes are uniformly connected with Mālaya in the Harsha-charita there can be no doubt that the wicked Deva Gupta is identical with the wicked lord of Mālava who cut off Grahavarman Maukhari, and who was himself defeated “with ridiculous ease” by Rājva-vardhana.3 It is difficult
country in the latter part of the sixth and the first decade of the seventh century
A.D. (Dubreuil, A.H.D., 82). • 1 See the Nidhanapur plates. A writer in the JRAS (1928) revives the theory
that Susthitavarman was a Maukhari and not a king of Kāmarüpa. But no Maukhari king of that name is known. The association of Susthitavarman with the river Lohitya or Brahmaputra clearly shows that the king of that name mentioned in the Nidhanapur plates is meant.
2 The Emperor Chandra Gupta II was Deva Gupta I.
3 It is difficult to believe, as does a recent writer, that the Mälava antagonist of Grahavarman and Rajya-vardhana was Buddharāja of the Kalachuri (Katachchuri) family. Had that been the case then it is rather surprising that a shadowy figure like Deragupta, and not Buddha-rāja, would be specially selected in the epigraphic records of the time of Harsha, for prominent notice among "the kings who resembled wicked horses," who received punishment at the hand of Rajyavardhana. It is the 'Guptas' who are associated with Mālava in the Harsha
