Narasimhagupta
{{Short description|Gupta Emperor from 495 to 530 CE}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2016}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2016}}
{{Infobox royalty
| succession = Gupta emperor
| image=300px
| caption =Coin of Narasinhagupta, Circa 414-455 CE.[https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=80151 CNG Coins] The name 12px12px Nara appears vertically under the left arm of the King.
| reign = {{circa|495|530 CE}}
| religion =Buddhism{{cite book |last=Singh |first=Upinder |title=A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century |year=2008 |publisher=Pearson Education India |page=521 |isbn=978-81-317-1677-9 |url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=H3lUIIYxWkEC&pg=PA521&redir_esc=y |quote=Narasimhagupta became a Buddhist monk and gave up his life through dhyana (meditation). Kumaragupta I and Budhagupta may have built monasteries at Nalanda. }}
Hinduism
| coronation =
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| predecessor = Budhagupta
| successor = Kumaragupta III
| spouse = Shrimitradevi
| issue =
| dynasty = Gupta
| father = Purugupta
| mother =
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{{Gupta Empire}}
Narasimhagupta (Gupta script: 12px12px16px16px14px12px Na-ra-si-ṅha-gu-pta){{cite book |last1=Allen |first1=John |title=Catalogue of the coins of the Gupta dynasties |date=1914 |page=[https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.47214/page/n279 137] |url=https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.47214}} Baladitya was the Gupta Emperor from 495 to 530 CE. He was son of Purugupta and probably the successor of Budhagupta.
Defeat of the Hunas
{{Main|Battle of Sondani}}
According to the Chinese monk Xuanzang, Narasimhagupta had to pay tribute to the Huna king Mihirakula."According to Hiuen-tsang, Narasimhagupta was forced to the humiliating position of paying tribute to Mihirakula." {{cite book |last1=Sen |first1=Sailendra Nath |title=Ancient Indian History and Civilization |date=1999 |publisher=New Age International |isbn=9788122411980 |page=221 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC&pg=PA221 |language=en}}{{cite book |title=Indian History |publisher=Tata McGraw-Hill Education |isbn=9781259063237 |page=396 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ORnlAAAAQBAJ&pg=SL1-PA396 |language=en}}
Finally, Baladitya along with Yasodharman of Malwa is credited with driving the Alchon Huns from the plains of North India according to the Chinese monk Xuanzang.Malwa Through the Ages, from the Earliest Times to 1305 A.D, Kailash Chand Jain [https://books.google.com/books?id=_3O7q7cU7k0C&pg=PA249 p.249] In a fanciful account, Xuanzang, who wrote a century later in 630 CE, reported that Mihirakula had conquered all India except for an island where the king of Magadha named Balditya (who could be Gupta ruler Narasimhagupta Baladitya) took refuge, but that Mihirakula was finally captured by the Indian king, who later spared his life. Mihirakula is then said to have returned to Kashmir to retake the throne.Rise and Fall of the Imperial Guptas by Ashvini Agrawal [https://books.google.com/books?id=hRjC5IaJ2zcC&pg=PA245 p.245]Early Buddhist Transmission and Trade Networks by Jason Neelis [https://books.google.com/books?id=GB-JV2eOr2UC&pg=PA168 p.168]
Narasimhagupta's governor in Malwa, Bhanugupta may also have been involved in this conflict.
Shramanic Philanthropy
The Guptas were traditionally a Hindu dynasty.A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India by Upinder Singh [https://books.google.com/books?id=H3lUIIYxWkEC&pg=PA521 p.521] Narasimhagupta Baladitya however, according to contemporary writer Paramartha, was brought up under the influence of the Mahayana philosopher, Vasubandhu. He built a sangharama at Nalanda and also a {{convert|300|feet|abbr=on}} high vihara with a Buddha statue within which, according to Xuanzang, resembled the "great Vihara built under the Bodhi tree". According to the Manjushrimulakalpa (c. 800 CE), king Narasimhsagupta became a Buddhist monk, and left the world through meditation (Dhyana).
The Chinese monk Xuanzang also noted that Baladitya's son, Vajra, who commissioned a Sangharama as well, "possessed a heart firm in faith".{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.24898 | title=The University of Nālandā | publisher=B. G. Paul & co. | author=Sankalia, Hasmukhlal Dhirajlal | author-link=Hasmukh Dhirajlal Sankalia | year=1934}}{{rp|45}}{{cite book |author=Sukumar Dutt |title=Buddhist Monks And Monasteries of India: Their History And Contribution To Indian Culture |year=1988 |orig-year=First published in 1962 |publisher=George Allen and Unwin Ltd, London| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lxRHYFd0fB4C |isbn=81-208-0498-8 }}{{rp|330}}
His clay sealing has been found in Nalanda. The name of his queen mentioned in the Nalanda sealing is Shrimitradevi. He was succeeded by his son Kumaragupta III.
Coinage
File:Narasimhagupta Baladitya Circa 495-530 CE.jpg|Coin of Narasimhagupta Baladitya, circa 495-530 CE.
File:Nalanda clay seals of Narasimhagupta.jpg|Nalanda clay seals of Narasimhagupta.
File:Toramana gold coin circa 490-515.jpg|A gold coin of contemporary Alchon Huns king Toramana with Lakshmi on the reverse (circa 490-515), inspired from contemporary Gupta coins, such as those of Narasimhagupta Baladitya.[https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=301345 CNG Coins][http://coinindia.com/Prakasaditya.pdf The Identity of Prakasaditya by Pankaj Tandon, Boston University]
References
{{reflist}}
Sources
- {{cite book
| last = Mookerji
| first = Radhakumud
| title = The Gupta Empire
| publisher = Motilal Banarsidass
| date = 1995
| location = Delhi
| page = 119
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=uYXDB2gIYbwC
| isbn = 9788120804401}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-reg}}
{{s-bef|before=Budhagupta}}
{{s-ttl|title=Gupta emperor|years=495 – 530}}
{{s-aft|after=Kumaragupta III}}
{{end}}
Category:5th-century Indian monarchs
Category:5th-century maharajadhirajas
{{India-royal-stub}}