378 On the Epoch of the Gupta Dynasty. [No. 5. 



he says : " In the 5th of the years Yuan-Ma, in the reign of the 

 Emperor Wen ti of the Soung (428 A. D.), Yu ai, king of Kia pi li 

 in Thian-chu, sent an embassy to the Emperor * * under the 

 Emperor Ming-ti of the same dynasty, the second of the years 

 Thdi-chi (A. D. 466,) Kia pi li again sent an ambassador to China 

 bearing tribute. The Ly-tai-lci-szu also mentions an embassy from 

 the king of Kia pi li in the year 428 of our era."* 



The recognition of the existence of a kingdom of Kapila as one of 

 any mark or prominence whatever at or about the periods indicated 

 in the above — is singularly at variance with the facts supplied by 

 both Ea Hian and Huen Tshang. The former in his itinerary 

 speaks of the capital city in these terms. " In this town there are 

 neither king nor people ; it is literally a vast solitude. This is the 

 site of the ancient palace of the king Pe-tsing" [Sakya Muni's father] 

 * * " The kingdom of Kia- wei-lo- wei [identified as Kapila] is a 

 great solitude ; the people are scattered, and white elephants and 

 lions are to be apprehended on the roads. "t 



Two centuries later Huen Tshang reports the result of his obser- 

 vations to the following effect, " Ce royaume a quatre mille li de 

 tour ; on y compte dix villes desertes dont le sol est convert de 



ciled by supposing them to be the same person under different names or titles, 

 this supposition is confirmed by the coins of Chandra Gupta> on the reverses of 

 which we find, that he took the titles of Vikrama and Vikramaditya. A cave 

 Inscription at Udayagiri of the Samvat year 1093 or A. D. 1036 oouples the name 

 of Chandra Gupta with the kingdom of Vikramaditya (Vikram.aditya Rdjyam). 

 In the Raja Tarangini also it is mentioned that Matri Gupta was placed on the 

 throne of Kashmir by Vikramaditya, king of Ujain. 



According to my corrected chronology of the Raja Tarangini, this happened in 

 A. D. 430. The Satrunjaya Mahatmya (Wilford, Res. As. Soc. IX. 156, and Wilson, 

 ibid. XV. 39 note) also places the 3rd Vikramaditya in Samvat 466, or A. D. 409, 

 From this accumulation of evidence it seems to me certain that a " Chandra Gupta 

 with the title of Vikramaditya was the sovereign of Malwa in the early part of the 

 5th century of our era." — Bhilsa Topes, pp. 142 to 143. 



* I extract this passage from Mr. Laidlay's translation of the Foe Kone Ki. 

 I have not the original at command. 



f Laidlay's translation, p. 189. 



