The Puranas on the Imperial Guptas
Summary
This note compares Puranic accounts of the early Gupta kingdom. The Vāyu, Viṣṇu and Bhāgavata Purāṇas list different territories under Gupta rule; for example, the Vāyu includes Ayodhya and Pundra, while the Viṣṇu omits Pundra but adds Kosala. The author argues that these discrepancies arise because the Puranas were compiled by various authors with regional biases. He advises caution in using them as historical sources and recommends relying on inscriptions like the Allahabad pillar inscription of Samudragupta, which provides a contemporary list of conquered kings and regions. The note concludes that while the Puranas are valuable for religious and genealogical information, historians should not treat their territorial lists as accurate political records.
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Conclusion
The note highlights contradictions among the Vāyu, Viṣṇu and Bhāgavata Puranas concerning Gupta territories and argues that their compilers inserted local information and prejudices. It recommends relying on contemporaneous inscriptions, particularly the Allahabad pillar, when reconstructing Gupta political history.