Kaca Problem Solved

Summary

In the miscellany note 'Kaca Problem Solved', Parmeshwari Lal Gupta revisits the controversy over Kaca, a shadowy figure associated with early Gupta coins. Previous scholars, including N. N. Das Gupta and S. K. Majumdar, had suggested that Kaca was a step‑brother of Samudra Gupta and that coins bearing the legend ‘Kacha’ represented an interregnum ruler who briefly contested the throne. Gupta examines the textual evidence from Puranic narratives and compares them with numismatic findings. He notes that the Puranic account describing Kaca’s death at the hands of his half‑brothers is likely a spurious addition from a later period. He argues that Kaca’s supposed familial relationship with Samudra Gupta rests on weak grounds: the Puranas mention a younger brother of Samudra Gupta named Bhasma or Bhasmasura, not Kaca. Furthermore, lexicographers like Apte and Monier Williams gloss the word ‘kaca’ as a synonym for ash or straw, not as a proper name. Gupta also points out that in some lists of Gupta kings, Kaca is absent, indicating that the coin legend may refer to a slogan or title rather than a person. He concludes that there is insufficient evidence to identify Kaca of the coins with a step‑brother of Samudra Gupta and that the coins may have been issued by a local governor or a rebel who adopted the title ‘Kacha.’ The note thereby refutes the earlier hypothesis and suggests that further research is required to resolve the Kaca problem.