The Age of the Imperial Guptas c4.177

c4.177

The imperial prerogative of issuing grants of land was also usurped by another family of feudatories. Hastin ruled over the country between Allahabad and Maihar and started issuing grants of land in his own name during the life time of Budhagupta. The earliest charter issued by this prince was discovered at Khoh, near Parasmania in the Nagod State of the Baghelkhand Political Agency and was issued in G.E. 156= 475-76 A.D. Hastin even assumed the royal prerogative of issuing coins in his own name and five silver coins bearing his name are preserved in the Indian Museum, Calcutta.² Hastin and his son Saṃkṣobha continued to issue grants of land in their own names up to G.E. 209 = 518-19 A.D., when the Guptas had long ceased to have any real power in Central India. Up to their last known date the Parivrājakas continued to render nominal homage to the Gupta dynasty by mentioning the name Gupta at the beginning: "In the enjoyment of sovereignty by the Gupta kings, in the glorious, augmenting and victorious reign."¹ This prerogative was usurped for the first time in the history of the Gupta empire by a feudatory chief named Lakṣmaṇa in G.E. 158 = 477-78 A.D. Though Lakṣmaṇa used the Gupta era he does not mention the Gupta Imperial family or any particular emperor by name.² The process of dissolution of the Gupta empire may therefore be stated definitely to have started immediately after the death of the emperor Skandagupta. It lasted till the death of the emperor Budhagupta or at the latest till the battle Eran in G.E. 191 = 510-11 A.D. Early in the 6th century the vast empire of Candragupta II and Kumāragupta I became divided into a number of petty kingdoms, among which the most important were:—