According to some stories in the Sanskrit text Ashokavadana, he was the spiritual teacher of the Mauryan emperor Ashoka.

Due to the absence of his name in Theravada literature it is assumed that Upagupta was a Sarvāstivādin monk.

In South East Asian countries and Bangladesh Upagupta is a great cult figure.

In the lone city, Upagupta goes beyond the precincts and finds Vasavdatta severely deformed by a disease with pustules covering her body.

[5] In Transmission of Light, Keizan describes Upagupta as a great teacher who helped many people.