According to the Puránas [167] the original seat of the Guptas was between the Ganges and the Jamna. Their first capital is not determined. English writers usually style them the Guptas of Kanauj. And though this title is simply due to the chance that Gupta coins were first found at Kanauj, further discoveries show that the chief remains of Gupta records and coins are in the territory to the east and south-east of Kanauj. Of the race of the Guptas nothing is known. According to the ordinances of the Smritis or Sacred Books, [168] the terminal gupta belongs only to Vaisyas a class including shepherds cultivators and traders. Of the first three kings, Gupta Ghatotkacha and Chandragupta I., beyond the fact that Chandragupta I. bore the title of Mahárájádhirája, neither descriptive titles nor details are recorded. As the fourth king Samudragupta performed the long-neglected horse-sacrifice he must have been Bráhmanical in religion. And as inscriptions style Samudragupta's three successors, Chandragupta II. Kumáragupta and Skandagupta, Parama Bhágavata, they must have been Smárta Vaishnavas, that is devotees of Vishnu and observers of Vedic ceremonies. [The Founder Gupta, A.D. 319-322(?).] The founder of the dynasty is styled Gupta. In inscriptions this name always appears as Srí-gupta which is taken to mean protected by Srí or Lakshmí. Against this explanation it is to be noted that in their inscriptions all Gupta's successors, have a Srí before their names. The question therefore arises; If Srí forms part of the name why should the name Srígupta have had no second Srí prefixed in the usual way. Further in the inscriptions the lineage appears as Guptavamsa that is the lineage of the Guptas never Sríguptavamsa [169]; and whenever dates in the era of this dynasty are given they are conjoined with the name Gupta never with Srígupta. [170] It may therefore be taken that Gupta not Srígupta is the correct form of the founder's name. [171] [Ghatotkacha, A.D. 322-349(?).] Gupta the founder seems never to have risen to be more than a petty chief. No known inscription gives him the title Mahárájádhirája Supreme Ruler of Great Kings, which all Gupta rulers after the founder's grandson Chandragupta assume. Again that no coins of the founder and many coins of his successors have been discovered makes it probable that Gupta was not a ruler of enough importance to have a currency of his own. According to the inscriptions Gupta was succeeded by his son Ghatotkacha a petty chief like his father with the title of Mahárája and without coins.