A copper-plate document from Dhanaidaha (Bengal region) dated to Gupta Era year 113 (commonly equated with c. 432 CE) provides early Gupta-period evidence for written land transactions and donative transfers recorded in copper-plate form, a key medium for durable administrative recordkeeping.
A copper-plate from the Bengal area dated to Gupta Era year 120 (commonly placed c. 439 CE) illustrates the growing use of copper-plate charters for recording land-related decisions and associated administrative details during the mid-Gupta period.
The first Damodarpur copper-plate inscription (North Bengal) dated to Gupta Era year 124 (commonly equated with c. 443 CE) records a formalized land transaction and is part of a larger cluster of Damodarpur plates that illuminate provincial governance and documentation practices.
A subsequent Damodarpur copper-plate dated to Gupta Era year 128 (commonly equated with c. 447 CE) continues the Damodarpur series, showing recurring administrative procedures for land sale/purchase and subsequent donation, with named local offices and territorial units.
The Baigram copper-plate inscription (also dated Gupta Era 128; often placed c. 447–448 CE) records sale/transfer of measured plots and preserves the bureaucratic idiom used in district-level documentation, complementing the Damodarpur evidence for land administration in Pundravardhana-bhukti.
Another Damodarpur copper-plate, dated to Gupta Era year 129 (commonly equated with c. 448 CE), further illustrates standardized elements in Gupta-period land records (measurements, boundaries, valuation, and official endorsements).
By Gupta Era year 157 (commonly equated with c. 476–477 CE), Budhagupta is securely attested in dated records, anchoring the later Gupta administrative context in which multiple copper-plate land documents (notably from Bengal) are situated.
A land-related copper-plate from Paharpur dated to Gupta Era year 159 (commonly equated with c. 478–479 CE) contributes to the dossier of Bengal-region grants/transactions and supports reconstructions of direct Gupta authority and provincial administration in North Bengal.
A Damodarpur copper-plate dated to Gupta Era year 163 (early 480s CE) demonstrates continuity of the Damodarpur administrative record series into Budhagupta’s time, preserving details of land purchase/sale and religious donation practices within the provincial bureaucracy.
The Eran stone pillar inscription dated Gupta Era year 165 (commonly equated with 484–485 CE) is a key dated marker for Budhagupta’s reign and illustrates how Gupta administration and titulature appear across different epigraphic media alongside copper-plate land records.
The Shankarpur copper-plate inscription dated to Gupta Era year 168 (commonly equated with 487–488 CE) documents a donation in Budhagupta’s reign and is cited as a significant late reference point for the epigraphic visibility of later Gupta rulers in copper-plate form.
The Gunaighar copper-plate inscription (Tripura/Comilla region) dated to Gupta Era year 188 (commonly equated with 507 CE) records a land grant that explicitly supports Buddhist monastic provision and repairs, highlighting both administrative procedure and religious patronage in the late Gupta milieu.
Copper-plate land grants and administrative records of the Gupta period (c. 4th–6th centuries CE)
