Vishnugopa I (IAST: Viá¹£á¹Âugopa) was a ruler of the Pallava dynasty based in Kanchipuram during the 4th century. He was the son and successor of Buddhavarman.
Vishnugopa I is historically significant for his encounter with the Gupta Emperor Samudragupta during the latter's southern expedition (Dakshinapatha).
According to the Allahabad stone pillar inscription, Vishnugopa was one of the twelve southern kings defeated by Samudragupta but was subsequently released and reinstated as a tributary ruler, a policy known as grahana-moksha-anugraha (capturing, releasing, and favoring).
The inscription (lines 19âÂÂ20) mentions: