History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v1.c7.s3.1

v1.c7.s3.1

We have next to determine who Deva Gupta or rather the Mālava king was who attacked Grahavarmā of Kanauj and who was killed in the battle with Rājya. The difficulties in this connection are numerous and troublesome. In the first place Bāṇa in the Harsha Charita distinctly says that it was a king of Mālava who attacked Kanauj: देवो ग्रहवर्मा दुरात्मना मालवराजेन जीबलोकं त्याजितः (H. C., p. 251); also कालायसनिगडनिश्रलीकृत-चरणयुगलं सकलमालवराजलोकम् (H. C., p. 303). Clearly therefore a king of Mālava attacked Grahavarmā, and Bhandi showed Harsha the people of that Mālava king enchained (the king himself being probably killed after his defeat by Rājya.) Now in the Madhubana inscription of Harsha Rājya is said to have punished kings like Deva Gupta. Rājya in his short life fought only two battles, one with the Huns and the other with the Mālava king who had murdered Grahavarmā. Putting the two together the name of this Mālava king, therefore, was clearly Deva Gupta. Now in the Aphsad inscription above mentioned, we have the names of members of a Gupta family who were the hereditary enemies of the Varmās of Kanauj and it contains also the name of Mādhava, the companion of Harsha. This family may, therefore, be taken to be the family of the Guptas of Mālava though in this inscription the country of the Guptas is not mentioned, nor unfortunately the name of Deva Gupta. And we may accept the ingenious guess made by Dr. Hoernle (J. R. A. S. 1904) that Deva Gupta was Mādhava's brother, with some changes to be noted further on.