Bhanugupta

Bhanugupta
Male head, northern India, 5th-6th century CE.
? Gupta Ruler
Reign	c. 510 – c. ? CE
Predecessor	?
Successor	?
Dynasty	Gupta

Bhanugupta was one of the lesser known kings of the Gupta dynasty. He is only known from an inscription in Eran, and a mention in the Manjushri-mula-kalpa.

Only mentioned in the Eran inscription as a "Raja" and not a "Maharaja" or a "Maharajadhiraja" as would be customary for a Gupta Empire ruler, Bhanugupta may only have been a Governor for the region of Malwa, under Gupta Emperor Narasimhagupta.

Bhanugupta is known from a stone pillar inscription in Eran, Malwa. The inscription was translated by John Faithfull Fleet in 1888, and then a second time in 1981, leading to different interpretations.

According to the initial translation of the Eran inscription (by John Faithfull Fleet in 1888), Bhanugupta participated to an non-specific battle in 510 CE (Line 5).

This translation was the basis for various conjectures about a possible encounter with Toramana, the Alchon Huns ruler. It has been suggested that Bhanugupta was involved in an important battle of his time, and suffered important losses, possibly against the Hun invader Toramana, whom he may or may not have defeated in 510. Mookerji actually considers, in view of the inscription, that Bhanugupta was vanquished by Toramana at this 510 CE Eran battle, so that the western Gupta province of Malwa fell into the hands of the Hunas at that point. Toramana would then have made his Eran boar inscription, claiming control of the region.

A new revised translation was published in 1981. Verses 3-4 are markedly differently translated, in that ruler Bhanugupta and his chieftain or noble Goparaja are said to have participated in a battle against the "Maittras" in 510 CE, thought to be the Maitrakas (the reading being without full certainty, but "as good as certain" according to the authors). This would eliminate the suggestion that Bhanugupta alluded to a battle with Toramana in his inscription.