Narasimhagupta (Gupta script: Na-ra-si-ṅha-gu-pta) Baladitya was the Gupta Emperor from 495 to 530. He was son of Purugupta and probably the successor of Budhagupta. Hiuen Tsang refers to him as the king of Magadha.
Defeat of the Hunas
According to the Chinese monk Xuanzang, Narasimhagupta had to pay tribute to the Huna king Mihirakula."According to Hiuen-tsang, Narasimhagupta was forced to the humiliating position of paying tribute to Mihirakula."
Finally, Baladitya along with Yasodharman of Malwa is credited with driving the Alchon Huns from the plains of North India according to the Chinese monk Xuanzang.=PA249 p.249 In a fanciful account, Xuanzang, who wrote a century later in 630, reported that Mihirakula had conquered all India except for an island where the king of Magadha named Balditya (who could be Gupta ruler Narasimhagupta Baladitya) took refuge, but that Mihirakula was finally captured by the Indian king, who later spared his life. Mihirakula is then said to have returned to Kashmir to retake the throne.Rise and Fall of the Imperial Guptas by Ashvini Agrawal p.245Early Buddhist Transmission and Trade Networks by Jason Neelis p.168
Narasimhagupta's governor in Malwa, Bhanugupta may also have been involved in this conflict.
Shramanic Philanthropy The Guptas were traditionally a Hindu dynasty.A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India by Upinder Singh p.521 Narasimhagupta Baladitya however, according to contemporary writer Paramartha, was brought up under the influence of the Mahayana philosopher, Vasubandhu. He built a sangharama at Nalanda and also a high vihara with a Buddha statue within which, according to Xuanzang, resembled the "great Vihara built under the Bodhi tree". According to the Manjushrimulakalpa (c. 800 CE), king Narasimhsagupta became a Buddhist monk, and left the world through meditation (Dhyana).
The Chinese monk Xuanzang also noted that Baladitya's son, Vajra, who commissioned a Sangharama as well, "possessed a heart firm in faith".
His clay sealing has been found in Nalanda. The name of his queen mentioned in the Nalanda sealing is Shrimitradevi. He was succeeded by his son Kumaragupta III.
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