“Daiva-putra-śahi-śāhānusāhi” in the Allahabad Pillar Inscription of Samudragupta
Summary
Dr. Buddha Prakash’s article explores the enigmatic compound title “daivaputra–śahi–śāhānusāhī” in the Allahabad Pillar inscription of Samudragupta. The author surveys the political landscape of northwest India and Central Asia after the collapse of early Kuṣāṇa power. He notes that by the mid‑third century the Kuṣāṇa realm faced simultaneous pressure from the Sakas, Śiladas, and Gadaharas in the Punjab and from the rising Sassanids under Ardashir I and Shapur I in Bactria and Afghanistan. According to the historian al‑Tabarī, the Kuṣāṇa king even acknowledged Sassanid suzerainty. Despite these setbacks, the Later Kuṣāṇas continued to rule in Bactria and the trans‑Indus region, using grand titles including “Sāhānusāhī” (king of kings) and “Devaputra” (son of God). Chinese sources refer to the king of Yue‑zhi as “son of Heaven,” while Indian inscriptions describe rulers styling themselves “śāhi‑śāhānusāhī.” Buddha Prakash contends that Samudragupta’s reference to “daivaputra–śahi–śāhānusāhī” therefore denotes the Later Kuṣāṇa rulers rather than the Sassanids or minor local chiefs. The article argues that the compound was widely used by the main branch of the Kuṣāṇas centred in Bactria and Afghanistan and that they continued to enjoy prestige even as their territory shrank. Samudragupta’s campaign lists the “devaputra–śāhi–śāhānusāhīs” among rulers who offered their daughters and sought his protection, implying that he acknowledged their high status while asserting his own supremacy. Buddha Prakash thus rejects earlier suggestions that the term referred to Sassanid shahs or to Shakas; he emphasises that the Kuṣāṇas, though reduced to vassalage, retained their ancient imperial titulature. The article also surveys coin legends and epigraphic evidence to show that the terms “devaputra” and “śāhānusāhī” appear only on Kuṣāṇa issues. By identifying the rulers named in Samudragupta’s inscription, the study clarifies the geopolitical context of the early Gupta empire and highlights continuity between earlier Central Asian empires and later Indian dynasties.
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Conclusion
By reinterpreting the title “daivaputra–śahi–śāhānusāhī,” Buddha Prakash situates the Allahabad Pillar inscription within the geopolitical aftermath of the Kuṣāṇa empire. He argues that Samudragupta’s list recognises the Later Kuṣāṇa kings, who still called themselves “sons of God” and “kings of kings” despite their diminished power. This interpretation underscores the Guptas’ awareness of Central Asian politics and their use of diplomatic language to claim supremacy without overtly humiliating former great powers. The study also clarifies that the compound does not refer to Sassanid or local rulers but to the residual Kuṣāṇa authority.