| Maharajadhiraja, Sarva-rajocchetta | |
| Succession: | Possible Gupta Emperor |
| Reign: | 4th century CE |
| Successor: | Possibly Samudragupta |
Kacha (Gupta script: Kā-cha, IAST: Kāca, c. 4th century) was a king of India, possibly a member of the Gupta dynasty. He is known only from his gold coins, which are similar to those of the Gupta king Samudragupta.
Kacha's identity is a matter of debate among modern historians: two popular theories are that he was either same as Samudragupta, or that he was a brother of Samudragupta. According to the first theory, Kacha may have assumed the regnal name "Samudra-gupta" after extending his empire's borders up to the ocean ("samudra"). According to the second theory, Kacha probably contested Samudragupta's claim to the throne, and ruled for a brief period. Alternative theories identify him with other Gupta rulers, or as a non-Gupta usurper.
Kacha is known from some gold coins dated to the early Gupta period: these coins bear the legend "Kacha" under the king's image. However, he is not mentioned in the Gupta genealogies or any other source.
The obverse of these coins depicts the king dressed in a way similar to the standard type coins of Samudragupta. The king is seen holding a chakra-dhvaja (wheel-standard) in his left hand, and offering incense on an altar with his right hand. One variety of Kacha's coins also depict a Garuda-dhvaja (Garuda flag) in front of him. The circular legend (in Upagati metre) on this side reads Kacho gamavajitya divam karmabhir-uttamair-jayati ("Having conquered the earth, Kacha wins the heaven by excellent deeds").
The reverse side depicts a goddess (possibly Lakshmi) with a halo. She is seen wearing a sari, a bodice, an upper garment, ear-rings, a necklace and armlets. She stands on a carpet, and holds a cornucopia in her left hand. In most coins of this style, she holds a flower in her right hand; in a few coins, she holds a noose in her right hand. The legend on this side reads Sarva-rajochchhetta ("exterminator of all kings").
Kacha's coins have been unearthed at Tanda, Kasarva (or Kaserwa) in Ballia district, Kumarkhan in Ahmedabad district, Sakour (or Sakori) in Damoh district, Bayana, and Jaunpur.
Comparison of Kacha's coins with those issued by other Gupta kings suggests that he ruled sometime in the 4th century CE or first quarter of the 5th century. For example, Kacha's coins weigh between 111 and 118 grains. The coins of the early Gupta kings are closer in weight to Kacha's coins: for example, over 80% of the coins issued by Samudragupta and Chandragupta II, who ruled in the 4th century, weigh 121 grains. On the other hand, the coins issued by the 5th century Gupta kings weigh more: 75% of Kumaragupta I's coins weight 127 grains, while Skandagupta's coins weigh as much as 144 grains. Moreover, most of Kacha's coins have been found in hoards containing the coins of Chandragupta I, Samudragupta, and Chandragupta II.
There are two popular theories about Kacha's identity:
Several other theories have also been put forward, including that Kacha may have been a foreign invader.
According to one theory, Kacha was another name of Samudragupta: it is possible that he was earlier known as Kacha, and acquired the regnal name "Samudra" (literally "ocean") after extending his territory up to the ocean.
Arguments cited in favour of this theory include:
Critics of this theory argue that:
According to another theory, Kacha was a rival claimant to the throne, possibly a brother of Samudragupta. He probably occupied the throne for a brief period, before being dethroned by Samudragupta. A variation of this theory is that Kacha outlived Samudragupta, and took control of Magadha after his death, while the authority of Samudragupta's son Ramagupta was confined to Malwa.
Arguments cited in favour of this theory include:
Criticism of this theory includes:
The Ajanta Cave XVII inscription mentions a ruler named Kacha, who was the son and successor of Upendragupta. Historian M. J. Sharma speculated that this Kacha was related to Samudragupta through his wife Dattadevi, and helped Samudragupta in a war of succession following the death of Chandragupta I. According to Sharma's theory, the coins that depict Kacha were issued by Samudragupta as a mark of respect towards Kacha: one side of these coins mentions Kacha, the other side describes Samudragupta. The Gupta emperor appointed Kacha as his governor of Airikina (modern Eran).
Criticism of this theory includes:
Historian R. D. Banerji speculated that Kacha was a brother of Samudragupta, and died fighting "a war of liberation" against the Kushan Empire during the reign of their father Chandragupta I. According to this theory, the coins attributed to Kacha were actually commemorative medals issued by Samudragupta to commemorate his brother.
However, there is no proof that Magadha was a part of the Kushan Empire during the first quarter of the 4th century, when the Guptas rose to power. Moreover, there is no concrete proof that Samudragupta had a brother named Kacha, who died fighting against the Kushan forces. Finally, no ancient Indian kings are known to have stuck such commemorative medals.
Some scholars, such as K. P. Jayaswal and D. R. Bhandarkar, identified Kacha with Ramagupta, who according to the Sanskrit play Devichandraguptam, was a brother of Chandragupta II, and thus a son of Samudragupta.. The proponents of this theory argued that Kacha's coins are similar to the coins that were issued by Samudragupta during the later part of his reign, such as his Ashvamedha and tiger-slayer coins. However, there is no concrete evidence that Kacha's coins are of a later date than those of Samudragupta.
A. S. Altekar also once supported this identification, theorizing that the name "Kacha" (Kāca) was converted to "Rāma" because of scribal mistakes. However, he later withdrew his opinion after the discovery of coins attributed to Ramagupta, in Malwa. The discovery of three stone inscriptions referring to Ramagupta also nullified this theory.
James Prinsep identified Kacha with Ghatotkacha, the grandfather of Samudragupta, based on the similarity of two names. However, Ghatotkacha was a pre-imperial ruler of the dynasty, and it is unlikely that he issued any gold coins. The legend "exterminator of all kings" on Kacha's coins does not befit a non-imperial ruler like him.
Moreover, the Sanskrit words "Kacha" (Kāca) and "Ghatotkacha" (Ghaṭotkaca) have completely different meanings: there is little scope for contraction of the name "Ghatotkacha" to "Kacha".
B. S. Sitholey theorized that Kacha was a non-Gupta "political adventurer" who usurped the throne, when Samudragupta was busy in his southern campaigns, and was defeated by Samudragupta when the latter returned to the capital. Sitholey argues that the absence of Kacha's name in literary and epigraphic sources proves that he was an outsider.
However, there is no concrete evidence for this: it is common for princes of collateral branches to be excluded from royal genealogies, which describe the ancestry of the current king, not the succession of the previous kings. Also, whenever Kacha's coins have been discovered in a hoard, they have always been found among coins issued by other Gupta kings. For example, the Bayana hoard contains 1621 gold coins including 16 Kacha coins: all other coins in this hoard were issued by persons known to be Gupta kings. This suggests that Kacha was affiliated with the Gupta dynasty.