A forged Purana-text on the Imperial Guptas

Summary

R. C. Majumdar examines a controversial passage from the Bhaviṣyottara Purāṇa used by some scholars to reconstruct Gupta history. In 1937 M. Krishnamachariar cited a section of the Kaliyuga‑vṛttānta which claimed that the Andhras ruled for five hundred years and were succeeded by a line of Guptas called the Śrīparvatiya Āndhrabhṛtyas. According to this passage, Chandragupta, grandson of a king named Gupta and son of Śrī‑Ghāṭotkaca, married Kumāradevī, daughter of the king of Nepal, and assumed imperial power. Bhattacharya later argued that this account solved all problems of Gupta chronology and criticised historians for ignoring Purāṇa evidence. Majumdar summarises the passage, then subjects it to historical criticism. He notes that the names and titles used (‘Śrīparvatiya’, ‘Prakāśitya’) do not occur in authentic early sources but appear in late nineteenth‑century scholarship. He traces the use of the erroneous form ‘Prakāśitya’ to Rapson, Bühler and Cunningham between 1893 and 1903 and demonstrates that the forged passage must have been composed during this period. Internal inconsistencies—such as describing Chandragupta as an Andhra vassal while making him a scion of the Gupta line—further undermine its authenticity. Majumdar warns that accepting such spurious texts leads to false identifications, including the claim that the Greek Sandrocottus was not Chandragupta Maurya but a Gupta king. He urges scholars to continue relying on coins, inscriptions and verified Purāṇa passages and to treat any new texts with caution.