Shri Gupta is the first Gupta ruler that we know of. He may not have been the first Gupta but we know of him because he left behind a temple built for Chinese Buddhists pilgrims to Bihar. read more
Shri Gupta’s son was Ghatotkacha Gupta, who we also know only from inscriptions. Ghatotkacha’s son was Chandra Gupta (Chandra Gupta I), who would go on to be called the founder of the Gupta dynasty. For a few reasons: Gupta chronology was taken to start from his date of accession (around 320 AD). read more
The Poona copper inscription of Prabhavati Gupta, a daughter of Chandragupta II, describes "Maharaja Sri-Gupta" as the founder of the Gupta dynasty. Sri Gupta is identified with the king Che-li-ki-to mentioned in the writings of the Chinese traveller Yijing, who wrote around 690 CE, and described the king as having ruled 500 years earlier. read more
However Gupta Empire records and Chinese records provided by the later I-Tsing, furnished the names of the first three rulers of the Gupta Dynasty: Maharaja Sri Gupta, Maharaja Sri Ghatotkacha and Ghatotokacha's son, and Maharajadhiraja Sri Chandragupta, who is considered the first Gupta emperor. read more