The Vakataka–Gupta Age (circa 200–550 A.D.) c3.3

c3.3

The reader of the modern or mediaeval history, whether of India or Europe, will no doubt find the narrative of the political history in this volume rather meagre and sketchy. But in the present state of our knowledge it is not possible to give a fuller account. In spite of the discovery of a large number of coins, inscriptions and monuments, it has to be confessed that there are some dynasties in our period where even the names of most of its rulers are unknown to us. Such, for instance, is the case with the Nāgas of Mathura and the Ābhīras of northern Mahārāṣṭra. Sometimes we know the names of the kings of a dynasty, but are ignorant of their dates and inter-relations, as for example, the Later Kuṣāṇas and the early Pallavas. Sometimes the evidence is so indecisive that the historian cannot state with certainty whether a particular event did or did not occur, or whether a certain personage, *e.g.*, king Rāma-gupta, is or is not a historical figure. Sometimes the evidence is so scanty and dubious that it lends itself to diverse interpretations and the historian finds it difficult to choose between two or more possible alternatives. Such, for instance, is the case with the history of the successors of Skanda-gupta. If, therefore, the picture appears at places to be hazy, the account scanty and the discussions inconclusive, the fault lies primarily with the original sources and not the writers who have attempted to reconstruct the history. As a matter of fact, the first part of the period dealt with in this volume, *viz.*, 200 to 300 A.D., is usually known to be the 'Dark Period' of ancient Indian history. An effort has, however, been made to elucidate it as best as possible.