Vainyagupta ( sa, वैन्यगुप्त) was one of the lesser known kings of the

Gupta dynasty The Gupta Empire was an ancient Indian empire which existed from the early 4th century CE to late 6th century CE. At its zenith, from approximately 319 to 467 CE, it covered much of the Indian subcontinent. This period is considered as the Gold ...

. He is known from the fragmentary clay sealing discovered at

Nalanda Nalanda (, ) was a renowned ''mahavihara'' (Buddhist monastic university) in ancient Magadha (modern-day Bihar), India.Gupta era The Gupta era is a historical calendar era that begins from c. 318–319 CE. It was used by the Gupta emperors, as well as their vassals and their successors in present-day northern India and Nepal. It is identical to the Vallabhi era (or Valabh ...

188 (507 CE). R. C. Majumdar considers him as son of

Purugupta Purugupta (Gupta script: ''Pu-ra-gu-pta'', sa, पुरुगुप्त) (reigned 467–473 CE) was an emperor of the Gupta dynasty in northern India. Purugupta was a son of the Gupta emperor Kumaragupta I by his queen ''Anantadevi''. He suc ...

. In the Nalanda fragmentary clay sealing he is mentioned as the ''Maharajadhiraja'' and a ''paramabhagavata'' (devout worshipper of

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...

), while the Gunaighar copper plate inscription mentions him as the ''Maharaja'' and a ''Bhagavan Mahadeva padanudhyato'' (devotee of

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one o ...

Vainyagupta had the first construction of Kashi Vishwanath temple between 500 CE - 508 CE during his reign.

Identification

Historians came to know about Vainyagupta after discovering the Nalanda clay seal, Gunaighar copper plate and coins belonging to his reign. The artifacts neither contain his father nor his grandfather's name. According to R.C. Majumdar, Vainyagupta's father was

. The Gunaighar copper plate mentions one Vainyagupta donating land to a Buddhist monastery at Gunaighar. Majumder and D.C. Ganguli amongst others feel that Vainyagupta mentioned in Gunaighar copper plate is same the Vainyagupta of the Nalanda clay seal who was a ruler of the

Gupta Empire The Gupta Empire was an ancient Indian empire which existed from the early 4th century CE to late 6th century CE. At its zenith, from approximately 319 to 467 CE, it covered much of the Indian subcontinent. This period is considered as the Gold ...

. However, Vainyagupta of the Gunaighar copper plate is a devotee of

and the Vainyagupta of the Nalanda seal is a worshipper of

Reign

Vainyagupta ascended the throne in . According to the Nalanda seal, his title was ''Maharajadhiraja''. However, according to the Gunaighar plate, his title was simply ''Maharaja''.

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vainyagupta Gupta Empire 6th-century Indian monarchs