Allahabad Inscription of Samudragupta is not posthumous
By B. Ch. Chhabra
Summary
This study analyses the Allahabad pillar inscription of the Gupta emperor Samudragupta. Historians had suggested that the eulogistic inscription was composed after his death by his minister Hariseṇa, but the author argues otherwise. The genealogy in the inscription ends with Samudragupta and does not mention his successor Chandragupta II, implying that it dates from Samudragupta’s reign. The inscription also omits reference to his later Aśvamedha sacrifice, suggesting it was written before that event. The paper argues that court poets did not normally eulogise deceased rulers without acknowledging their successors and that the style conforms to contemporary epigraphic conventions. It concludes that the inscription was a contemporary record commissioned by Samudragupta himself and is therefore a reliable historical source.
Conclusion
By examining omissions and stylistic conventions, the author shows that the Allahabad inscription is a contemporaneous document rather than a posthumous composition. This reinforces its value for reconstructing Samudragupta’s reign and underscores the need for caution when attributing epigraphs to later editors.