A complete connected history of the Guptas -the Imperial Guptas and the Later Guptas of Malwa and Magadha- has long been a desideratum.

In 1935 I wrote and submitted to the University of Bombay an essay on the “Inscriptions of the Gupta Period and the Light thrown by them on the History of the Period”. It was eventually approved of by the University for the award of the “Pandit Bhagwanlal Indraji Gold Medal and Prize”.

While lecturing on the subject to my postgraduate students, after my return from Germany in 1938, I found it necessary to make a few alterations and additions in the original essay. It is now being published in its modified form at the instance of my students.

In addition to my own critical and exhaustive study of the Gupta inscriptions and other historical sources, I have been greatly profited also by the very valuable and original work already done in this field by several scholars. To them, whether they are named in this book or not, I owe a good deal.

An exhaustive index and a map of India, included in this book, will be found useful. Fuller references are purposely omitted in obvious cases. It is hoped that this book will adequately meet the long-felt need.

The publication of this book in these difficult days is entirely due to the great enterprise of Dr. N. G. Sardesai of the Oriental Book Agency, who has already put students of Indology under great obligation by publishing a good number of works on Indological subjects in the Poona Oriental Series. I sincerely thank him. I must also thank my colleague and friend, Prof. C. B. Devadhar, for the sympathetic interest which he has been taking in all my work.

 

Department of Sanskrit and Ancient Indian Culture

Fergusson College, Poona.

POONA

1941