According to a clay seal discovered at Basarh, among the ruins of the ancient Vaishali city, Govindagupta was a son of the Gupta emperor Chandragupta II and his wife Dhruva-devi.
[5] An inscription discovered on a pillar in the courtyard of the Dashavatara Temple, Deogarh contains the phrase Keshavapura-svami-padaya Bhagavata Govindasya danam.
However, the Basarh clay seal describes the Gupta queen Dhruvasvamini as the mother of Maharaja Govindagupta, and does not mention her other son, Kumaragupta.
[3] Historian B. P. Sinha theorizes that during the later years of Chandragupta, Govindagupta was transferred to Central India, where he was appointed as the governor of the western Malwa region.
[5] The various theories about his political status include: The general view among modern historians is that Govindagupta was a younger brother of Kumaragupta: he was never the heir apparent, and did not ascend the Gupta throne.