Gwalior inscription of Mihirakula
The Gwalior Inscription of Mihirakula is a Sanskrit inscription recording the construction of a Surya temple from stone on the Gopa hill of Gwalior. Though now referred with the name of Mihirakula, the temple and the inscription was commissioned by Matricheta. The original temple is lost, and the inscribed red-sandstone slab was found in 1861 by Alexander Cunningham in the porch of another temple, and published in 1861. This inscribed stone from Gwalior was moved shortly after its discovery to the Kolkata museum for preservation. Several translations of it have been published thereafter. It is damaged, its script is the northern class of ancient Gupta script and the entire composition is in poetic verse.
Gwalior inscription of Mihirakula. Actual photograph
Portrait of Mihirakula from his coinage. He is mentioned in line 3 of the Gwalior inscription.
Portrait of Toramana, mentioned in line 2 of the Gwalior inscription.
Image: Mihirakula in the Gwalior inscription
Toramana also called Toramana Shahi Jauvla was a king of the Alchon Huns who ruled in northern subcontinent in the late 5th and the early 6th century CE. Toramana consolidated the Alchon power in Punjab, and conquered northern and central India including Eran in Madhya Pradesh. Toramana used the title "Great King of Kings", equivalent to "Emperor", in his inscriptions, such as the Eran boar inscription.
Toramana
The Eran boar (left) on which an inscription relating to Toramana can be found.
The Eran boar inscription.
A rare gold coin of Toramana with Lakshmi on the reverse (c. 490–515), inspired from contemporary Gupta coins, such as those of Narasimhagupta Baladitya. The obverse legend reads "avanipati torama(no) vijitya vasudham divam jayati": "The lord of the earth, Toramana, having conquered the earth, wins Heaven".