Prabhavatigupta facts for kids

Prabhavatigupta was a powerful princess from the Gupta Empire. She became a queen in the Vakataka dynasty when she married Maharaja Rudrasena II. After her husband died, she took charge and ruled the Vakataka kingdom. She was a regent, which means she ruled for her young sons from about 390 to 410 CE.

Her Early Life

Prabhavatigupta was the daughter of a very important ruler, Chandragupta II. He was the emperor of the powerful Gupta Empire. Her mother was Queen Kuberanaga. Prabhavatigupta married Rudrasena II of the Vakataka dynasty. This happened when Rudrasena's father, Prithivishena I, was still king.

Rudrasena II ruled for only about five years before he passed away. Prabhavatigupta had three sons with him: Divakarasena, Damodarasena, and Pravarasena. When their father died, none of her sons were old enough to rule the kingdom on their own.

Becoming a Powerful Queen

Divakarasena was Prabhavatigupta's oldest son. He was the Yuvaraja, which means the Crown Prince or the next in line to be king. Since he was still a child, Prabhavatigupta stepped in to rule the kingdom for him. She was his regent.

We know she ruled for at least 13 years. One of her official records, called the Pune grant, says so. In this record, she proudly calls herself "Mother of the Yuvaraja Divakarasena." It seems Prabhavatigupta kept ruling even after Divakarasena turned 16. This was the age when he was no longer considered a child. There is no proof that Divakarasena ever became king himself. Prabhavatigupta might have continued to rule because of special reasons. Or, she might have simply enjoyed being in charge.

Gupta Influence and Family Ties

Divakarasena was later followed by his younger brother, Damodarasena, around 410 CE. It's possible that Prabhavatigupta also acted as regent for him for a short time. During Prabhavatigupta's rule, the Gupta Empire had a lot of influence over the Vakataka kingdom.

Prabhavatigupta's official writings often mentioned her own family history from the Gupta side. They showed how important her birth family was. Her gotra (a family lineage or clan name) was Dharana. This was the gotra of her father, the Gupta emperor. It was not the Vishnuvriddha gotra of the Vakataka royal family. For about 20 years, while Prabhavatigupta was regent, the Vakataka kingdom was almost like a part of the Gupta Empire.

Later Life and Faith

Prabhavatigupta stayed involved in public life for many years after her time as regent ended. We find her making a special gift of land in the 19th year of her son Pravarasena II's rule (around 420-455 CE). In this record, she is called "mother of the famous Maharajas Damodarasena and Pravarasena."

She was still alive four years later. At that time, Pravarasena II made a gift for his own spiritual well-being and for his mother's. This was to help them in this life and the next. Another record, the Patna Museum Plate, says that all the good deeds from Pravarasena's gift went to his Queen Mother. Prabhavatigupta cared a lot about religious matters. She was known as a devoted follower of Bhagavat, which is another name for the god Vishnu. She even issued an order from the feet of her favorite god, Ramagirisvamin. This god is believed to be at Ramtek, near the city of Nagpur.