A newly discovered copper plate from the Gupta Era, dated to Gupta Saṃvat 58 (376-77 CE), has emerged as a significant archaeological find in Gujarat. The artifact, inscribed in Sanskrit using the Gupta Brahmi script, was initially photographed by an anonymous individual who shared the image with archaeologist Tamanna Mishra.
Recognizing its historical importance, Mishra forwarded the photograph to epigraphist Rudra Vikrama Srivastava, who then collaborated with research scholar Pritam Kumar to transcribe the five-line inscription.
The copper plate is believed to have been issued by Īśvarasena, a probable local governor or feudatory under the Gupta Empire, a period often regarded as India’s Golden Age due to its cultural and scientific advancements. The charter shares similarities with other Gupta-era land grant records, such as the Valkha copper plates found in Madhya Pradesh in 1982, reflecting the decentralized administrative practices of the time. The Gupta script on the plate, an evolution of Brāhmī, displays the 4th-century shift toward more cursive and symmetrical forms, a precursor to scripts like Kutila and Nagari.
Kushagra Aniket (economist and sanskrit scholar) is currently working on translating the inscription, aiming to uncover deeper insights into the Gupta period’s land tenure and governance systems.
Srivastava and his team are preparing to publish their findings, adding a valuable chapter to the history of ancient India. This discovery highlights Gujarat’s rich archaeological landscape and the enduring legacy of the Gupta Empire.
