1921.] The Successorsof Kumaragupta I: 251 
. Gupta ‘rulers seems:at first to be’ more reasonable. ~ There ‘is, 
however, one difficulty which Mr. Basak himself noticed ‘and 
tried to solve. ‘ ‘“‘ But with our present’stock of ‘knowledge, ” 
said he, “it is not very ‘easy to indicate the place where the 
branch line headed by Puragupta may have ruled; for;-as we 
T 
Budhagupta’s predecessor Kumaragupta [1 held im perial sway 
over the central and western provinces. It is indeed difficult 
to bring about a happy reconciliation between the epigraphic 
documents of the time of Kumaragupta II and Budhagupta and 
the Bhitari seal inscription. The rulers of the branch line 
through Skandagupta seem to have been more powerful than 
those belonging to the other branch ; for it will be shown that 
during Budhagupta’s reign the Gupta power was in full height 
even Mr. Bhattasali, who -otherwise agrees with him, was 
unable to accept it as satisfactory. He rightly observes: © It 
and such courtesy to a branch whose origin was by revolt is, 
to say the least; impolitic.” * mee Sf 
But Mr. Basak’s position is rendered. hopeless when we 
remember that, during the first half of the sixth century A.D., 
there was another dynasty of rulers who are to be located in 
the same area. These were the later Guptas, the founder of 
which, Krishnagupta, almost certainly lived about 500 A.D., 
asking Kumaragupta, fourth in succession from him, was a 
contemporary of Isanavarman and thus liv 
of the sixth century A.D. | 
The hereditary struggle of this dynasty with the Maukharis, 
and the inscriptions of the Jater kings, leave no doubt that 
they held Magadha in their possession. It is unfortunate that 
both Mr. Basak and Mr. Bhattasali have ignored their ex- 
istence, for one would like to know how they reconcile their 
theory with the existence of the kingdom of the later Guptas 
of Magadha. ‘ 
It will thus be observed that there is not only no sufficient 
evidence for the postulation of anew Gupta emperor Kumara- 
gupta (II), upheld by Mr. Basak and Mr. Bhattasali, but that 
ee 
| Op. cit., p. 120. 2 Op. cit., p. 52. 
