King Candra of the Mehrauli Iron Pillar Inscription

Summary

R.C. Kar addresses the long‑standing question of who the ‘king Candra’ named in the Mehrauli iron‑pillar inscription really was. Drawing on literary and epigraphic sources, he reviews rival identifications—Candragupta Maurya, Kaniṣka, Naga and Devaraksita rulers, Candravarman of Puskarana, Candragupta I and even an unnamed Gupta prince—and finds each chronologically or geographically implausible. He shows that Candravarman was a local chief and that Candragupta I’s realm did not extend across the Indus or into Bengal as the inscription claims. Turning to Candragupta II, Kar notes that the title ‘paramabhagavata’ (devotee of Viṣṇu) used in the inscription matches the emperor’s epithets, and that the recorded conquests—victories over the Vanga country and across the seven mouths of the Indus—fit the achievements of Candragupta II rather than his father or other candidates. The phrase that Candra attained sovereignty through his own prowess echoes the Devī‑Candraguptam story in which Candragupta II overthrows the Western Kṣatrapas after his brother Ramagupta’s weakness imperilled the empire. Kar therefore identifies king Candra with Candragupta II Vikramāditya, dating the inscription to the late fourth century. The article illustrates how careful analysis of titles, conquest lists and political context can resolve historical puzzles and reinforce the chronology of the Gupta dynasty.