Later Gupta dynasty

{{Short description|Early medieval dynasty in Magadha and Malwa}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2025}} {{Use Indian English|date=November 2025}} {{Infobox country | common_name = Later Gupta dynasty | conventional_long_name = Later Gupta dynasty | capital = [[Pataliputra]] | religion = {{plainlist| * [[Hinduism]] * [[Buddhism]]<ref name=Hazra95>{{cite book |last1=Lal Hazra |first1=Kanai |title=The Rise and Decline of Buddhism in India |date=1995 |publisher=Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers |isbn=978-81-215-0651-9 |pages=81–82 |url=https://archive.org/details/riseanddeclineofbuddhisminindiakanailalhazramrml_379_c/page/n46/mode/1up}}</ref> }} | government_type = [[Monarchy]] | year_start = {{Circa|490 CE}} | year_end = {{Circa|750 CE}} | image_coat = Swordsman type coinage of Mahasenagupta of the Later Gupta dynasty.png | coa_size = 300px | symbol_type = "Swordsman type" gold coin of [[Mahasenagupta]] from the 6th century CE. On the obverse, the King is shown holding a sword in his left hand. On the reverse, a Goddess is shown seated in a lotus pose.<ref name=Kumar2024>{{cite book |last1=Kumar |first1=Sanjeev |title=Treasures of the Gupta Empire: A Numismatic History of the Golden Age of India |date=2024 |publisher=Archaeopress |isbn=978-1-80327-796-7 |pages=491–514 |doi=10.2307/jj.17610828 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/jj.17610828}}</ref> | image_map = {{Location map+ |South Asia |overlay_image=Map of the Later Guptas.jpg | width=290  | float = center | border =none | nodiv = 1 | mini = 1 | relief = yes | places = {{Annotation|text-align=center|230|5|[[Template:South Asia in 600 CE|South Asia 600 CE]]|font-weight=bold|font-style=normal|font-size=10|color=#000000}} {{Annotation|text-align=center|90|110|[[Mori Rajputs|MORIS]]|font-weight=bold|font-style=normal|font-size=6|color=#000000}} {{Annotation|text-align=center|115|225|[[Pandyan dynasty|PANDYAS]]|font-weight=bold|font-style=normal|font-size=7|color=#000000}} {{Annotation|text-align=center|175|84|[[Licchavi (kingdom)|LICCHAVIS]]|font-weight=bold|font-style=normal|font-size=7|color=#000000}} {{Annotation|text-align=center|125|205|[[Chola dynasty|CHOLAS]]|font-weight=bold|font-style=normal|font-size=6|color=#000000}} {{Annotation|text-align=center|145|50|[[Zhangzhung|ZHANGZHUNG]]|font-weight=bold|font-style=normal|font-size=7|color=#000000}} {{Annotation|text-align=center|105|215|[[Chera dynasty|CHERAS]]|font-weight=bold|font-style=normal|font-size=6|color=#000000}} {{Annotation|text-align=center|215|125|[[Samatata|SAMATATAS]]|font-weight=bold|font-style=normal|font-size=6|color=#000000}} {{Annotation|text-align=center|220|110|[[Gauda Kingdom|GAUDA]]|font-weight=bold|font-style=normal|font-size=6|color=#000000}} {{Annotation|text-align=center|215|98|[[Kamarupa|KAMARUPA]]|font-weight=bold|font-style=normal|font-size=7|color=#000000}} {{Annotation|text-align=center|145|165|[[Vishnukundina dynasty|VISHNU- KUNDINAS]]|font-weight=bold|font-style=normal|font-size=6|color=#000000}} {{Annotation|text-align=center|125|185|[[Pallava dynasty|PALLAVAS]]|font-weight=bold|font-style=normal|font-size=7|color=#000000}} {{Annotation|text-align=center|105|195|[[Alupa dynasty|ALUPAS]]|font-weight=bold|font-style=normal|font-size=6|color=#000000}} {{Annotation|text-align=center|70|34|[[Nezak Huns|NEZAKS]]|font-weight=bold|font-style=normal|font-size=7|color=#000000}} {{Annotation|text-align=center|75|48|[[Alchon Huns|'''ALCHONS''']]|font-weight=bold|font-style=normal|font-size=7|color=#000000}} {{Annotation|text-align=center|155|155|[[Eastern Ganga dynasty|KALINGAS]]|font-weight=bold|font-style=normal|font-size=7|color=#000000}} {{Annotation|text-align=center|155|130|[[Panduvamshis of Dakshina Kosala|PANDUVAMSHIS]]|font-weight=bold|font-style=normal|font-size=6|color=#000000}}

{{Annotation|text-align=center|165|143|[[Shailodbhava dynasty|SHAILODBHAVAS]]|font-weight=bold|font-style=normal|font-size=6|color=#000000}} {{Annotation|text-align=center|102|40|[[Gonanda dynasty (II)|GONANDAS]]|font-weight=bold|font-style=normal|font-size=6|color=#000000}} {{Annotation|text-align=center|130|92|[[Maukhari dynasty|MAUKHARIS]]|font-weight=bold|font-style=normal|font-size=7|color=#000000}} {{Annotation|text-align=center|5|5|[[Western Turks|WESTERN TURKS]]|font-weight=bold|font-style=normal|font-size=8.5|color=#000000}} {{Annotation|text-align=center|160|3|[[Tocharians|TOCHARIANS]]|font-weight=bold|font-style=normal|font-size=7|color=#000000}} {{Annotation|text-align=center|60|125|'''[[Maitraka dynasty|MAITRAKAS]]'''|font-weight=bold|font-style=normal|font-size=7|color=#000000}} {{Annotation|text-align=center|55|95|[[Rai dynasty|RAIS]]|font-weight=bold|font-style=normal|font-size=7|color=#000000}} {{Annotation|text-align=center|80|97|[[Pratiharas of Mandavyapura|PRATIHARAS]]|font-weight=bold|font-style=normal|font-size=7|color=#000000}} {{Annotation|text-align=center|110|70|[[Pushyabhuti dynasty|PUSHYA- BHUTIS]]|font-weight=bold|font-style=normal|font-size=7|color=#000000}} {{Annotation|text-align=center|100|160|[[Chalukya dynasty|CHALUKYAS]]|font-weight=bold|font-style=normal|font-size=7|color=#000000}}

{{Annotation|text-align=center|110|125|[[Kalachuris of Mahishmati|EARLY KALA- CHURIS]]|font-weight=bold|font-style=normal|font-size=7|color=#000000}} {{Annotation|text-align=center|5|55|[[Sasanian Empire|SASANIAN EMPIRE]]|font-weight=bold|font-style=normal|font-size=8.5|color=#000000}}

{{Annotation|262|250|[[Template:South Asia in 500 CE| ◁ ]] [[Template:South Asia in 800 CE| ▷ ]]|text-align=center|font-weight=bold|font-style=normal|font-size=12|color=#000000}} |caption={{center|The later Gupta dynasty at its zenith, and its neighbours.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Schwartzberg |first1=Joseph E. |title=A Historical atlas of South Asia |date=1978 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |location=Chicago |page=146, map XIV.1 (i)|isbn=0-226-74221-0 |url=https://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/reference/schwartzberg/query.py?display_type=image_display&object=183#gsc.tab=0}}</ref>}} }} | image_map_caption = | image_map2 = | image_map2_caption = | p1 = Gupta Empire | p2 = Alchon Huns | p3 = Maukharis of Kannauj | p4 = Maukharis of Gaya | s1 = Varman dynasty (Kannauj) | s2 = }} The '''Later Gupta dynasty''', also known as the '''Later Guptas of Magadha''', were the rulers of [[Magadha (Mahajanapada)|Magadha]] and [[Malwa]] from the 6th to 8th centuries CE. The Later Guptas emerged after the disintegration of the [[Gupta Empire|Imperial Guptas]]. However, there is no evidence to connect the two dynasties and the Later Guptas may have adopted the -gupta suffix to link themselves with the Imperial Guptas.{{sfn|Karl J. Schmidt|2015|p=26}}

There are several important sources of information regarding the Later Guptas including two epigraphs, the [[Aphsad inscription of Ādityasena]], which sets out the genealogy of the ruling family from Kṛṣṇagupta to Ādityasena, and the Deo Baranark inscription of Jīvitagupta II. The [[Harshacharita]] of [[Bāṇabhaṭṭa]] is also an important source of information as are the records of the Chinese pilgrims [[Xuanzang]] and [[Yijing (monk)|Yijing]] which also mentions them. The [[Gaudavaho]] of Vākpatirāja refers to the victory of King [[Yashovarman]] of the [[Varman dynasty (Kannauj)|Varman dynasty]] against the king of Magadha, with the scholarly consensus being that this is a reference to Jīvitagupta II.<ref name=Ghosh2021>{{cite book |last1=Ghosh |first1=Suchandra |title=The Encyclopedia of Ancient History |chapter=Later Guptas |date=2022 |pages=1–2 |doi=10.1002/9781119399919.eahaa00571 |isbn=978-1-119-39991-9 |chapter-url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/9781119399919.eahaa00571|chapter-url-access=subscription }}</ref>{{sfn|Sailendra Nath Sen|1999|p=246}}

==Origins== The general consensus among researchers of the period including [[John Faithfull Fleet]], [[Bindeshwari Prasad Sinha]] and [[Ram Shankar Tripathi]],<ref>{{cite book |last1=Chand Jain |first1=Kailash |title=Malwa Through The Ages |date=1972 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishing House |isbn=978-81-208-0824-9 |pages=259–261 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_3O7q7cU7k0C&dq=later+guptas+malwa+through+the+ages&pg=PA260}}</ref> is that the Later Guptas emerged from the [[Magadha (Mahajanapada)|Magadha]] region of what is now [[Bihar]] in [[India]]. The reasoning behind this is that all inscriptions relating to the dynasty have been found in this region. A [[Nepali language|Nepalese]] inscription also refers to King Ādityasena as the "Lord of Magadha". They were likely originally feudatories under the [[Gupta Empire|Imperial Guptas]] and came into possession of large territories in Magadha following the fall of the Empire.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Prasad Sinha |first1=Bindeshwari |title=The Original Home of the Later Guptas |journal=Comprehensive History of Bihar, Volume 1, Part 2 |date=1974 |pages=683–690 |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.534083/page/n705/mode/2up?q=%22later+guptas%22}}</ref>

[[Hans T. Bakker]] also agrees that the bulk of the evidence points to Magadha as the homeland of the Later Guptas.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bakker |first1=Hans |title=The Skandapurāṇa IIa |date=2023 |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-90-04-48840-3 |page=29 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fx54EAAAQBAJ&q=The+Skandapurāṇa+IIa}}</ref>

== History == {{Asia 576 CE|right|The Later Gupta and main polities in Central Asia and South Asia {{circa|576}}.|{{Annotation|150|101|[[File:Rectangle (plain).svg|35px]]}}}} After the decline of the [[Gupta Empire]], the Later Guptas succeeded them as the rulers of [[Magadha (Mahajanapada)|Magadha]] after originally being their vassals.{{sfn|Karl J. Schmidt|2015|p=26}} Krishnagupta was the first known member of the dynasty and probably assisted the Guptas in their battles against the [[Alchon Huns]] led by [[Toramana]] with his ''floruit'' being placed around 490 to 510 CE.{{sfn|Prasad Sinha|1977|p=87}} Krishnagupta's daughter is said to have married Prince Adityavarman of the [[Maukhari]] dynasty. He was succeeded by his son, Harshagupta, who was placed from 510 to 525 CE. Inscriptions have described him as "always displaying a glorious triumph" suggesting his participation in battles against [[Mihirakula]], the successor of Toramana.{{sfn|Prasad Sinha|1977|p=88}}

Jivitagupta I succeeded Harshagupta in 525 CE and carried out military expeditions in the Himalayan region and southwestern [[Bengal]].{{sfn|Sailendra Nath Sen|1999|p=247}} The inscriptions left by his descendants describe him as being "dreaded by the haughty foes living on the seaside shores and the Himalayas". These campaigns in Bengal were likely aimed at the [[Varman dynasty]] of [[Kamarupa]] and the [[Kingdom of Gauda]]. Jivitagupta I was likely the first king of the Later Gupta dynasty to claim independent status. He also brought the [[Maukharis of Gaya]] under his authority.{{sfn|Prasad Sinha|1977|p=89}}

During the reign of Jivitagupta's son, Kumaragupta, from 550 CE, the dynasty developed a rivalry with the [[Maukharis of Kannauj]] for control of the [[Ganges|Ganges valley]] after originally having cordial relations and marriage alliances.<ref name= Ghosh2021 /> Kumaragupta defeated the Maukhari king [[Ishanavarman]] in 554 CE, and extended his territory to [[Prayaga]] with Ishanavarman being forced to commit ritual suicide as a result of his loss.{{sfn|Prasad Sinha|1977|p=91}} His son Damodaragupta, who came to the throne probably around 560 CE, suffered reverses against the Maukharis and was pushed back into Magadha, with some historians claiming that he died on the battlefield.{{sfn|Prasad Sinha|1977|p=93}}{{sfn|Sailendra Nath Sen|1999|p=247}}

Damodaragupta's son, [[Mahasenagupta]], allied with the [[Pushyabhuti dynasty]] in response to the continued threats from the Maukharis in the West and the Varmans in the East. He also extended the domain of the Later Gupta dynasty into [[Malwa]], which had a power vacuum after the death of [[Yashodharman]].{{sfn|Prasad Sinha|1977|p=96}} His sister married the ruler [[Adityavardhana]]. He invaded [[Kamarupa]] and defeated [[Susthita Varman]].{{sfn|Sailendra Nath Sen|1999|p=247}} But he subsequently faced three invaders: the Maukhari king [[Sharvavarman]], the Kamarupa king [[Supratisthita Varman|Supratishthita-varman]], and the [[Tibetan Empire|Tibetan]] king [[Songtsen Gampo|Songtsen]]. His vassal [[Shashanka]] also abandoned him (and later established the independent [[Gauda Kingdom]]). The Maukhari king [[Sharvavarman]] is thought to have defeated Damodaragupta, invading Magadha circa 575 CE, which made him ruler of the entire [[Uttar Pradesh]].{{sfn|Prasad Sinha|1977|p=119-120}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mookerji |first1=Radha Kumud |title=Harsha: Calcutta University Readership Lectures 1925 |date=1 January 2016 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-0862-1 |page=55 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q30zEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA55 |language=en}}</ref> Under these circumstances, Mahasenagupta was forced to flee Magadha, and take shelter in [[Malwa]]. Subsequently, the Pushyabhuti emperor [[Harsha]] (ruled {{Circa|606|647 CE}}) restored the Later Gupta rule in Magadha, and they ruled as Harsha's vassals.{{sfn|Karl J. Schmidt|2015|p=26}} Mahasenagupta's grandson, Mahdhavagupta, redeclared the independence of the Later Guptas after Harsha's death.{{sfn|Prasad Sinha|1977|p=157}}

Madhavagupta was succeeded by [[Ādityasena]] who became the sovereign ruler of a large kingdom extending from the [[Himalayas|Himalayan]] foothills in the north to the [[Chota Nagpur Plateau|Chhota Nagpur]] in the south; and from [[Gomati River]] in the west to the [[Bay of Bengal]] in the east.{{sfn|Sailendra Nath Sen|1999|p=248}} Ādityasena's reign marked the end of the influence of the [[Tibetan Empire]] in [[Mithila (region)|North Bihar]], allowing him to incorporate the region into his domain. He was also the first Later Gupta ruler to use imperial titles and in his [[Mandar Hill]] inscription, he is referred to with the title of ''Paramabhattaraka Maharajadhiraja'' translating to "Supreme Lord, King of Kings".{{sfn|Prasad Sinha|1977|p=157}}

Adityasena's son, Devagupta, came to the throne around 680 CE. He held the same imperial titles as his father, indicating that there was no reduction in the size of the territory ruled by the Later Guptas during his reign.{{sfn|Prasad Sinha|1977|p=162}} He did however, have an encounter with the [[Chalukya]]s on or around 696 CE which ended in defeat.{{sfn|Alain Daniélou|2003|p=151}} The Chinese monk, [[Yijing (monk)|Yijing]] also visited the region during his reign and referred to him as the "King of Eastern India".{{sfn|Prasad Sinha|1977|p=163}} Devagupta's son was Vishnugupta who came to the throne around 700 CE and it seems during his rule that the territory of the kingdom saw a substantial reduction. An inscription of his has been found in [[Buxar]].{{sfn|Prasad Sinha|1977|p=165}}

Jivitagupta II, the last known ruler of the dynasty, still ruled Magadha, parts of Bengal and possibly up to [[Varanasi]] into the beginning of the 8th century.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Asher |first1=Frederick |title=The Art of Eastern India: 300 - 800 |date=1980 |publisher=University of Minnesota Press |isbn=978-1-4529-1225-7 |page=69 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d-gGxzx6wxIC}}</ref> He appears to have been defeated by [[Yashovarman]] of the [[Varman dynasty of Kannauj]] circa 750 CE.{{sfn|Sailendra Nath Sen|1999|p=248}} The details of his defeat were recorded in the 8th century poem, the ''[[Gaudavaho]]''. The end of the Later Guptas marked the end of the [[Magadha]] region as a centre of Indian political power and the end of a period known as ''Pax Magadhica''.{{sfn|Prasad Sinha|1977|p=167}}{{sfn|Thaplyal|1985|p=48}} Epigraphic records do however indicate that a ruler known Rāmagupta established his rule over Tirhut after Jivitagupta II's death, indicating the continuation of the Later Gupta line however they were "insignificant" in relation to the other powers of the time.{{sfn|Thaplyal|1985|p=48}}

==Archaeology== [[File:7th century Vishnu temple Aphsad.jpg|thumb|Remains of a Vishnu temple built by King Adityasena of the Later Gupta dynasty in Aphsad, [[Nawada district]]]] The remains of a 7th-century temple dedicated to [[Vishnu]] were found by the [[Archaeological Survey of India|ASI]] in the area of Apshad in modern-day [[Nawada district]] of Bihar during excavations between 1973 and 1983.<ref name=Greavesweb>{{cite web |last1=Rose Greaves |first1=Laxshmi |title=The Viṣṇu Temple of Ādityasena at Aphṣāḍ, Bihar |url=https://theartofsouthasia.com/2019/04/11/the-viṣṇu-temple-of-adityasena-at-aphṣaḍ-bihar/ |website=The Art of South Asia |date=11 April 2019 }}</ref> The building of the temple has been connected to King Ādityasena of the Later Gupta dynasty on the basis of an inscription in nearby [[Mandar Parvat]] which attributes the building of a Vishnu temple from the same period to Ādityasena. The temple measured 15 metres in height, composed of five stories and was described as being a "rectangular pyramidal brick structure".<ref name= Greavesweb /> Within the temple are [[stucco]] reliefs depicting scenes from the [[Ramayana]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rose Greaves |first1=Lakshmi |title=The Art of Storytelling: Scenes from the Rāmāyaṇa on Panels from a Lost Post-Gupta Temple at Rājaona, Bihar |journal=Religions of South Asia |date=2022 |volume=16 |url=https://journal.equinoxpub.com/ROSA/article/view/24404}}</ref> Sculptures including a well-preserved Vishnu have also been found in and around the site of Apshad from the Later Gupta period.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Chandra |first1=P |title=Aspects of Indian Art |chapter= Some Remarks on Bihar Sculpture from the Fourth to the Ninth Century|date=1972 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-64443-4 |pages=59–64 |url=https://brill.com/edcollchap/book/9789004644434/B9789004644434_s011.xml}}</ref> Many of the shrines within the modern village of Aphsad contain statues dating back to the Later Gupta period which are still used for worship amongst the locals to this day.<ref name= Greavesweb /> [[File:Northeastern India, Bihar, Aphsad, early Pala period, 7th Century - Personification of the Discus - 1945.367 - Cleveland Museum of Art.tif|thumb|Later Gupta period sculpture of Vishnu from Apshad]]

===Coinage=== Coinage from the reign of the Later Gupta kings has been relatively scarce. So far the only coins discovered are from the period of [[Mahasenagupta]] who ruled from 562-601 CE. The numismatic evidence makes it clear that the Later Guptas were devout [[Shaivism|Shaivites]] with depictions of [[Nandi (Hinduism)|Nandi]] replacing the depictions of [[Garuda]] that were present in the coinage of the imperial Guptas. Two types of coinage from Mahasenagupta's reign have been discovered, the "archer type" and the "swordsman type".<ref name= Kumar2024 />

==Foreign relations== The Later Guptas maintained marital ties with their neighbours. One inscription in [[Pashupatinath Temple]] in [[Kathmandu]] records the marriage of the granddaughter of Adityasena to [[Shivadeva II]] who belonged to the [[Licchavis of Nepal]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bakker |first1=Hans |title=Holy Ground: Where Art and Text Meet: Studies in the Cultural History of India |date=2019 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-41207-1 |pages=538–539 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NPb7EAAAQBAJ&q=later+guptas+nepal}}</ref>

During the reign of Jivitagupta in 539, the Later Guptas received a delegation of Buddhist monks sent by the [[Liang dynasty|Liang Emperor]] [[Emperor Wu of Liang|Wu]] who came with the purpose of collecting and translating original copies of [[Mahayana sutras]] to take back to [[China]]. The delegation was warmly received by Jivitagupta, who assigned the task of translating the texts to the monk, [[Paramartha (Chinese monk)|Paramartha]].<ref name=Hazra95 /> During the reign of [[Adityasena]] in the latter half of the 7th century, a Chinese Buddhist monk named Hwui Li visited the Later Gupta kingdom. Hwui Li translates Adityasena's name as "Sun Army" and records that he built a "Chinese temple" (tohina) specifically to house visiting priests from China. It is speculated that Adityasena himself may have been a Buddhist.<ref name=Hazra95 />

During the time of the Later Guptas, the [[Tibetan Empire]] had influence to the north of Magadha in [[Mithila (region)|Tirhut]] until around 703 CE. The threat of the Tibetans may have pushed the Later Guptas to ally with the Maukharis and Licchavis for a time. Once the Tibetans had left Tirhut, it was probably annexed by the Later Guptas during the reign of Jivitagupta II.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sinha Prasad |first1=Bindeshwari |title=Comprehensive History of Bihar, Vol 1, part 2|chapter=Political History of North Bihar (550-1200 AD) |date=1974 |publisher=KP Jayaswal Research Institute |pages=286–287 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.534083/page/286/mode/1up?q=tibet}}</ref>

== List of rulers == The known Later Gupta rulers include:{{sfn|Ronald M. Davidson|2012|p=35}}{{sfn|Sailendra Nath Sen|1999|pp=247-248}}{{sfn|Hans Bakker|2014|p=83}} * ''Nrpa Shri'' Krishnagupta (Kṛṣṇagupta), r. {{Circa|490}}-505 CE * ''Deva Shri'' Harshagupta (Harṣagupta), r. {{Circa|505}}-525 CE * ''Shri'' [[Jivitagupta I]], r. {{Circa|525}}-550 CE * ''Shri'' [[Kumaragupta (Later Gupta dynasty)|Kumaragupta]], r. {{Circa|550}}-560 CE * ''Shri'' Damodaragupta, r. {{Circa|560}}-562 CE * ''Shri'' [[Mahasenagupta]], r. {{Circa|562}}-601 CE * ''Shri'' [[Devagupta]], r. {{Circa|601}}-605 CE (As king of eastern part of the Later Gupta kingdom after defeat of his father) * ''Shri'' Madhavagupta, r. {{Circa|601}}-655 CE (Queen: Shrimati) * ''Maharajadhiraja'' [[Ādityasena]], r. {{Circa|655}}-680 CE (Queen: Konadevi) * ''Maharajadhiraja'' Devagupta, r. {{Circa|680}}-700 CE (Queen: Kamaladevi) * ''Maharajadhiraja'' Vishnugupta (Viṣnugupta) (Queen: Ijjadevi) * ''Maharajadhiraja'' Jivitagupta II

==Possible descendants== ===Guptas of Jayapura === A small kingdom that ruled the area around [[Lakhisarai district]] during the 11th and 12th centuries bore the name ''Gupta'' and has subsequently been linked as a surviving line of the Later Guptas.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Chakrabarty |first1=Dilip |title=The Geopolitical Orbits of Ancient India: The Geographical Frames of the Ancient Indian Dynasties |date=2010 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-908832-4 |page=38 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EIAyDwAAQBAJ&dq=khayaravala+pithi&pg=PT115}}</ref> Evidence of their rule comes from the Panchob copper-plate inscription which was discovered in 1919.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kumar |first1=Anil |title=THE PANCHOBH COPPER-PLATE OF SAMGRAMA GUPTA: A STUDY |journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress |date=2000 |volume=61 |page=1316}}</ref>

==Gallery== <gallery mode="packed" heights="150px"> File:Later Gupta Four Armed Goddess.webp|Four Armed Goddess from the Later Gupta period excavated from [[Mundeshwari Temple]] and currently kept at the [[Bihar Museum]] File:Later Gupta Vishnu Purushottama.webp|Sculpture of [[Vishnu]] from the Later Gupta period found in Benisagar in [[Singhbhum district|Singhbhum]], [[Jharkhand]] File:Archer type coinage of King Mahasenagupta of the Later Gupta dynasty.png|Archer type coinage of King Mahasenagupta File:Aphsad Stone of Adityasena (photograph).jpg|The [[Aphsad inscription of Ādityasena]] (r. {{Circa|655}}-680 CE) establishes the genealogy of the Later Gupta dynasty down to Ādityasena. </gallery>

== References == {{reflist|30em}}

=== Bibliography === {{ref begin}} *{{cite book |last1=Thaplyal |first1=Kiran Kumar |title=Inscriptions of the Maukharīs, Later Guptas, Puṣpabhūtis, and Yaśovarman of Kanauj |date=1985 |publisher=Indian Council of Historical Research |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I5svAAAAMAAJ&q=maukharis+and+later+guptas}} *{{cite book |last1=Prasad Sinha |first1=Bindeshwari |title=Dynastic History of Magadha, Cir. 450-1200 A.D. |date=1977 |publisher=Abhinav Publications |isbn=9780883868218 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V3KDaZY85wYC}} * {{cite book |author=Alain Daniélou |title=A Brief History of India |url=https://archive.org/details/briefhistoryofin00dani |url-access=registration |page=[https://archive.org/details/briefhistoryofin00dani/page/151 151] |year=2003 |publisher=Inner Traditions / Bear & Co |isbn=978-1-59477-794-3 }} * {{cite book |author=Hans Bakker |title=The World of the Skandapurāṇa |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6p2XCgAAQBAJ |year=2014 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-27714-4 }} * {{cite book |author=Karl J. Schmidt |title=An Atlas and Survey of South Asian History |publisher=Routledge |year=2015 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BqdzCQAAQBAJ |isbn=978-1-317-47681-8 }} * {{cite book |author=Ronald M. Davidson |title=Indian Esoteric Buddhism: A Social History of the Tantric Movement |publisher=Columbia University Press |year=2012 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nwyeIyWTlEMC |isbn=978-0-231-50102-6 }} * {{cite book |author=Sailendra Nath Sen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC&pg=PA246 |title=Ancient Indian History and Civilization |publisher=New Age |year=1999 |isbn=978-81-224-1198-0 }} {{ref end}}

[[Category:Later Gupta dynasty| ]] [[Category:Kingdoms of Bihar]] [[Category:6th-century establishments]] [[Category:8th-century disestablishments]] [[Category:States and territories disestablished in the 8th century]] [[Category:Medieval Indian dynasties]] [[Category:Hindu states]]