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Sudarshan Kumar Sharma
Harga ia alliance with Madhayagupta son of Mahäsenggupta and uncle Harga, Adityasena being his younger cousin. Hence Malavarāja Devagupta was the real king of Malava deposed by Prabhakarąvardbaca whom Rajyavardhana killed later on along with his two sons raising heads after the death of Prabhakaravardhana, Madhavągupta being an uncle of Rajyavardhana and Harşa, Adityagena being their cousin having Bhāskaravarma king of Kamarūpa confederating with Harsa for the consolidation of suzerainty in Thanesar, Kadauj, Mālava and Gauda. This contention of ming in corroborated by Dr. R. C. Majumdar'l who says :
"The probability, therefore, is that the later Guptas had got founded any distinct kingdom until after the overthrow of the Gupta empire and then they fought with the Mąukharis and other powers for a share of the spoils. They probably retained as much of it as they could and may be regarded as the residuary legatee of the Gupta Empire. Magadha and Nor thern Bengal which were the last strong-holds of the Gupta emperors, wero probably seized by them. They also probably held claims to other parts of the empire including Malwa of which they might have got possession even some. what earlier after the downfall of the short-lived empire of Yasodharman. Later, when Saśāöka established an independent kingdom in Gauda the later Guptas were confined to Mālawa. But Dr. Majumdar's contention of later Guptas having been confined to Malwa does not appear to be very conclusive 48 confessed by the worthy scholar himself. Later Guptas were decidedly the rulers of Magadha as clearly evidenced by the Aphsąd inscription of Ādi., tyasega. Dr. R. C. Majumdar's contention pertaining to Damodaragupta the latec Gupta monarch of Magadha, the son of Kumāragupta and father of Mabāsega-Gupta that he defeated the Maukharis though he himself probably died of was seriously wounded (Samm Urcchịtah)"? strikes me as holding parallel to the description of Daņdi in wbich Rājahansa the king of Magadha was lost to sight and came to light only after his son Raja. vabapa had been born to Vasumati who on the verge of committing a suicide had been rescued by the ministers baving been dissuaded from her resolve. Rajayāhana of Daņại may be compared to Mabāsça-Gupta who made a chivalrous effort towards integration of the entire country under one sceptre by defeatiog Susthitavarmā of Kāmarüpa and by entertaining matrimonial alliance with Adityavardhana father of Prabhākaravardhana in the foçm of marriage of Mahāsec agupta his sister with Adityavardhana Isangvarma Maukhari may be identified as Mānasara of Malavā who had Devagupta and others killed by Rājyavardbana as his successors aspiring for thợ resurrection of regnal glory. Kautilya in Arthasāstra identifies Asmaka, with Mahārāstra while Pāņioi referą, to the pair names of
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