GUPTA INFLUENCE IN KAMARUPA AS KNOWN FROM ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE

Author(s): R. D. Choudhury
Source: Proceedings of the Indian History Congress, Vol. 38 (1977), pp. 742-746
Published by: Indian History Congress
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/44139141
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 742

GUPTA INFLUENCE IN KAMARUPA AS KNOWN FROM

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE

R. D. Choudhury

It is known from archaeological evidences that, like other parts

India, Kamarupa also came under Gupta influence directly or indirec
The ancient name of Kamarupa was Pragjyotisa as is mentioned in t
Ramayana and the Mahabharata.1 After that for the first time
know this country as 'Kamarupu' from the Allahabad Pillar Inscrip
of Samudragupta. The mention of Kamarupa in this inscription of
century is an important fact. In this famous epigraph it is written
follows : "Samatata- Davaka- Kamarupa - Nepala - Kartripura a
pratyanta nrpatibhir

although Kamarupa did not from a part o

king of Kamarupa obeyed the orders of the
and honoured him.3
The Nilachal rock-cut inscription incised on a rock at the slope of
Nilachal hill, Gauhati, is also an important document. It was caused
to be incised dy king Surendravarman, who has been identified with
Mahendravarman. It does not bear any date. However, on the basis
of the character of the script, D. C. Sircar has placed it in Sth century
A. D.4 The character of the script of this inscription bears Gupta
style or atleast it is similar to the script that was used in North India,
which is derived from Brahmi.
The Doobi Copper plate inscription of Kumar Bhaskarvarman, the
most important ruler of Kamarupa in the 7th century A. D., also
reflects Gupta tradition. The character of the script used in this
inscription is quite similar to the script of the Gupta period that was
popular in North India in that time. From this copper plate inscrip-
tion it is learnt that King Bhutivarman of Kamarupa used the epithet
• Maharajadhirajď and performed a horse sacrifice6 which were nothing
but borrowed traditions from the neighbouring Gupta dominion.
Probably taking advantage of the decay of the Gupta might in the 6th
century, Bhutivarman threw up the yokes of the Gupta emperor and
used the epithet ' Maharajadhirajď .
Davaka, a place in the district of Nowgong, is identifiable with
'Davaka' of the Allahabad Pillar Inscription. In the Gupta period, as

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 743

N. K. Bhattasali thinks, Davaka was most probably a small but inde-

pendent kingdom. He further says, 'there is evidence to show that
Davaka, in the present district of Nowgong, was originally a separate
kingdom and in a way independent of Kamarupa.7 Sylhet and Nowa-
khali districts of Bangladesh and Tripura State (Tipera) were included
in the Samatata Kingdom and the Kapile, Yamuna and the Kollong
valleys were most probably included in the Davaka Kingdom. It is
possible that this small kingdom could exist at least upto 5th century
A. D, Afterwards, when the rulers of Kamarupa became more power-
ful, it could not, it is likely, continue its independence. It is learnt from
a Chinese account Shung Shu that an envoy of the King from Kapile
valley was sent to China in 428 A. D.9 In any case, it can be rightly
supposed that the Kingdom of Davaka was to the east of Kalang,
Kapile and Yamuna valleys and the Eastern limit of Kamarupa stood
there.

In addition to the Allahabad Pillar Inscription, the Nilachal rock-

cut inscription and Doobi plates, the Barganga rock-cut inscription of
King Bhutivarman of Kamarupa informs us that the king performed a
horse sacrifice and he used the epithet 'Maharajadhiraja'. The inscrip-
tion is incised in well cut Gupta Characters, and it bears a date in
Gupta era which corresponds to 554 A. D., according to N. K.
Battasali.10 The ruins at Mikirati, a village near Davaka, also bear
semi Gupta characteristic features. Here we find two types of sculp-
tures-the first having Gupta trait and the second bearing Pala features
of the 10th- 12 th centuries. The remains of brick built garbhagrha of a
temple at the site are noticed and the siva linga installed in it is in situ .
In addition to three broken pieces of three different stone images - two
female figures and the other a male figure - bearing Gupta modelling
bespeak of the influence of the great school of art that flourished in
that golden age. The two broken pieces of images do not provide any
clue to their identities. It is possible that they were damaged by some
iconoclasts. The first broken piece has already been removed to the
Assam State Museum. In addition to all these there is a Visnu image
(stone) in the tin shed where a few other stone images also have been
kept. This image is also sculptured in Gupta style possibly in early
Pala period. From the scattered ruins at Mikirati, one can very well
conclude that there were about four or five small temples. But whether

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 744

these small temples or shrines of pre-Ahom age is not known. It

deserves a thorough examination.11 Recently in a small excavation taken
up by the Department of Archaeology and Assam State Museum, a
few earthen pots were revealed. All the pots are full with some subs-
tances. After their examination in the Assam Forensic Laboratory, it
was found that the. substance in pots represent paste of rice. It is
possible that carbon-14 test may give some clues to the antiquity of the
pots.

Just near the Barganga rock-cut inscription near Hawraghat,

mentioned above, there is a rock-cut big sculpture representing a
Dvarapala. The style of the headgear and the anatomy of the figure
reflect Gupta traits. Behind the rock-cut inscription in the same site
remains of a plinth of a temple can be noticed. It is possible that the
temple was constructed in the same period to which the sculpture and
the inscription belong.

R. D. Banerji has placed the famous ruined temple dvara of

Daparnatia in the 5th/6th centuries A.D.12 P. Sarma has made a study
on the garbhagrha, mandapa etc., the plan of the original temple and
placed this ruined temple in the 5th century A.D. He al so has opined
that this is the first brick built temple in Gupta period.13 Sarma has
no doubt rightly drawn the plan of the temple but we beg to differ in
point of the antiquity of the temple. After the comparison of the
present temple dvara with the dvaras of the temples found at other
places belonging to the Gupta period, we are inclined to place the dvara
in the 6th century A. D., and so, in our opinion, the present ruined
temples cannot be the oldest brick built temple of the Gupta period.14
S. K. Sarasvati has revised his opinion and would like to place it in the
5th century A. D.15 While clearing the jungle at the site, R. D. Banerji
found a few terrocotta plaques which, on stylistic grounds, may be
placed in the 6th century A. D.16 On the whole, it can be safely concl-
uded that the ruined temple with the beautifully scupltured figures of
Ganga and Yamuna bears Gupta features both in architecture and art
as well.

Recently an image of Visnu was discovered at Kharamedhipara near

Dudhnoi in the Goalpara district. We conld see the image at the site.
Now the image has been preserved in the Assam State Museum,
Gauhati. Here Visun is shown holding Sankha and Padma with upper

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 745

hands while the lower hands are made to touch the head of Gadadevi
and Chakrapurusa, who are shown standing on either side of the deity.
The style of depicting gada and chakra, the two ayudhas of Visnu in
human form was evolved in the Gupta period. After the fall of the
Gupta empire also this style continued in various parts for some centu-
ries. Now it is clear that this pre-Pala or early Pala image in style
bears Gupta theme.
Gupta art style more or less penetrated as far east as Deopani, near
Golaghat. The inscribed Visnu image, the inscribed image of Harihara
(the bigger one), the headleas image of Visnu - all of which have been
preserved in the Assam State Museum and the images of Kevala Nara-
simha and Vamana preserved in the Deopani modern temple should be
dated c-8th-9th centuries A.D., and should be the product of Gupta art
formula, of course, with local tribal art style. The script of the Sarapa-
thar inscription" discovered in that region have the same type of
character that were in use in North India after the Gupta period.
A few years back quite a few gold coins were discovered at Paglatek
to the west of Goalpara town on the bank of the Brahmaputra.18 After
the fall of the Gupta Empire, the rulers of the small kingdom that
were so long acknowledging the suzerineity of the Gupta emperor,
threw off the yoke of the Guptas and independently started issuing coins
in imitation of the Gupta coins. Such type of imitated Gupta gold
coins have been found in Bangladesh, Tripura, etc., which are ascribed
to C.7 th century A.D.19
The Tezpur rock-cut inscription of King Harjjarvarman dated 510
G.E.*° is an eloquent testimony to the fact that Gupta influence or
tradition did continue in Kamarupa as late as 829-30 A.D. In Nepal and
Kathiawar also late inscriptions bearing Gupta era have been noticed.21
D.C. Sircar thinks the names of King Samudravarman and Queen Datta-
devi of Kamarupa were nothing but the imitations of the names of
Gupta Emperor Samudragupta and queen Dattadevi.22
From the above discussion, it appears true that although the Gupta
rulers did not conqur Kamarupa, the rulers of Kamarupa did acknow-
ledge the suzemairity of the powerful Gupta rulers. That Kamarupa
was not included in Gupta Empire is well documented.23 As in political
field, in the field of art and culture too Gupta tradition influenced
Kamarupa artists.

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 746

REFERENCES

1. B. C. Law, "Pragjyohsa" Journal of Uttar Pradesh Historical Society : Vol

XVIII Part MI, pp. 43.
2. Fleet, Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum , Vol. III, 1963, p. I.
3. Ibid, p. 14.
4. Epigrophia Indica Vol. XXXI, pp. 67-69.
5. Journal of the Assam Research Society . Vol. VIII, p. 138 and Vol. X, pp, 63-
6. Epigraphia Indica , Vol. XXVII, p. 19.
7. Ibid.
8. Ibid. Also P. C. Choudary, The History of Civilization of the people of Assam,
1959, p. 146.
9. Ibid.
10. Journal of Assam Research Society , Vol. VIII, No. 4, p, 139.
11. Professor S. K. Sarasvati visited the site in the company of Mr. B. Dey of
Gauhati University and the present author. He was of the opinion that the
three broken pieces of sculptures found at the site bear Gupta features. At his
advice one of these pieces was removed to the Assam State Museum. I am
deeply grateful to him.
12. Annual Report of Archaeological Survey of India , 1923-1924, pp. 98-99.
13. Bullitin of the Assam State Museum, No. I, pp. 36-40.
14. Ibid., No. 2, pp. 52-69.
15. Last Year (1976) when he visited the ruined temple in the company of Mr. B.
Dey, of Gauhati University P. sarma Dept. of Archaeology & S.M. Gauhati, and
the present author he opined this, also the Assam Tribune (a daily) 23 Dec.
1976, P- I.

16. C. C. Das gupta, The origin and Development of India Clay Sculpture, 1944, p.
228. also Annual Report of Archaelogical Survey of India, 1923-24, pp. 98-99.
17. P. C. Choudhury, Sarupathar Stone inscription, Journal of the Assam Research
Society , Vol. XX.

18. R. D. Choudury & M. C. Das, A find of gold coins from Paglatek, Assam,
Journal of Numismatic Society of India Vol. XXXV, 1973, pp. 171-175.
19. «Money in Pre Ahom Assam and its neighbourhood ? D. C. Sircar read this
paper in Shillong session of Numismatic society of India conference, 1977.
20. P. Bhattacharji, 'Kamarupa SasanavaW Bengali Edn. pp. 180-192.
21. Marshall, Annual Report of Archaeological Survey of India, 1902-03, p. 229.
22. Journal of the Assam Research Society, Vol. X, Nos. 3 & 4 p. 66.
23. In the Mandasor Pillar Inscription of Jasodharma of 6th Century A. D. it is
mentioned that he extended the limit of his kingdom as far east as the Lauhitya.
But it lacks corborative evidence and hence, it is nothing but an exaggeration.
See, Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum , Vol. Ill, pp. 142-148, also P. C. Choudury,
op. cit. p. 157.

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