Political History of Ancient India, from the Accession of Parikshit to the Extinction of the Gupta Dynasty c18.s4.9

c18.s4.9

⁵ Devotion to Vishṇu may suggest identification with Chandra-Gupta I, or preferably, Chandra II. But then we have to explain the significant omission of the termination -gupta in this memorable *praśasti* and the epithet Dhāva, especially as Chandra-Gupta II is known as Devagupta or Devarāja and not Dhāva. One should note also the claim to have acquired *adhirājya* and victory over a Trans-Indus people by his own prowess and not as a sequel to the power and prestige won by a line of distinguished ancestors. The Vishṇuite association of this great King precludes the possibility of identification with Chandra Kanishka. Identification with the first Maurya is fantastic in view of the date of the epigraph and recorded achievements of the hero which do not include the overthrow of the Nandas and clash with the Yavanas.