History of Kanauj to the Moslem Conquest c9.s1.t11.4

c9.s1.t11.4

It is contended that as two generations of the Later Guptas, viz., Kumāragupta and Dāmodaragupta, were on terms of enmity with two successive Maukhari rulers—Īśānavarman and Sarvavarman—the opponent of the third Gupta king Mahāsena must necessarily have been a Maukhari. The conclusion, however, seems to be rather oversanguine, and even unwarranted for several reasons. In the first place, none of the epigraphs mentions Susthitavarman as a Maukhari, and the Aphsad inscription also does not say a word indicating that he belonged to the Maukhari lineage. Secondly, the description of Mahāsena’s victory as “still constantly sung on the banks of (the river) Lohitya” or Brahmaputra shows beyond doubt that the reference here is to his rivalry with some king of Assam, and not to a Maukhari ruler, as the Maukharis were never masters of the Brahmaputra valley. But it is not clear from the passage whether the Brahmaputra is mentioned as the farthest limit of Mahāsenagupta’s conquest or simply refers to the place where the actual battle was fought. In my humble opinion the latter interpretation seems more convincing.