THE GUPTA PERIOD

Historical Sources 

Literary Sources 

Devichandraguptam of Vishakhadatta, literary works of Kalidasa, Mrichchakatikam of Shudraka, Kamasutra of Vatsyayana and Nitisara of Kamandaka throws light on the Gupta empire. 

Gupta Dynasty

Srigupta

The Gupta dynasty was founded by Srigupta in the AD 3rd century. He used the title of Maharaja. 

Ghatotkachagupta

He succeeded Srigupta. He also took the title of Maharaja. 

Chandragupta I (AD 319-335) 

1. Ghatotkacha was succeeded by his son Chandragupta I (in about AD 320), who assumed the title of Maharaja Dhiraj. Like Bimbisara he strengthened his position by matrimonial alliance with the Lichchavis-then controlling portions of Bihar and Nepal. He married Lichchavi princess Kumaradevi. Special Kumaradevi type coins were minted to commemorate her marriage to Chandragupta I. 

2. Chandragupta I started the Gupta Era in AD 319, which marked the date of this accession. 

Samudragupta (AD 335-375) 

1. Samudragupta has been called the Indian Napoleon by VA Smith because of his extensive military conquests. He assumed the titles of Vikramanka and Kaviraja. 

2. Virasena was his commander in chief during Southern campaign. Vasubandhu, a famous Buddhist scholar was his minister. 

3. He subjugated five kingdoms in lower Bengal, upper Assam, Nepal and the territories farther West as well as number of republican clans. 

4. Samudragupta also advanced through the forest tract of Madhya Pradesh to the coast of Orissa and then moved up to Kanchi, the capital of Pallavas. 

5. Some coins of the Samudragupta represent him as playing on the Veena. He also performed Asvamedha sacrifice. 

6. He was a devotee of Vishnu through a follower of the Brahmanical religion, he was tolerant of other faiths he granted permission to the Buddhist King of Ceylon, Meghavarman, to build a monastery at Bodh Gaya. 

Chandragupta II (AD 380-412) 

1. Samudragupta was succeeded by Chandragupta II around AD 375. However, some historians put Ramagupta between Samudragupta and Chandragupta II. 

2. In the play Devichandraguptam of Visakhadatta , Ramagupta is the elder brother of Chandragupta II. It was during the rule of Ramagupta that Shakas attacked Gupta Empire. Finding his position precarious, Ramagupta agreed to surrender Queen Dhruvadevi to a Shaka ruler. 

3. Chandragupta II objected to it and saved the honour of the family by killing the Shaka chief and rescuing Dhruvadevi. He later on married her. However, the Gupta records do not refer to Ramagupta. 

4. Political marriages occupied a prominent place in the foreign policy of the Guptas. Chandragupta II followed the same policy when he conciliated the Naga chieftains of the upper and central provinces by accepting the hand of the princess Kubernaga and allied himself with the powerful family of the Vakatakas of the Deccan by marrying his daughter Prabhavati with Rudrasena II. 

5. He issued sliver coins (first Gupta ruler to issue silver coins) and adopted the title Vikramaditya and Sakari in memory of his victory. 

6. The Mehrauli iron pillar inscription near Qutub Minar enumerates the exploits of a king called Chandra. 

7. During his reign the Chinese pilgrim Fa-Hein (339-414) visited India. 

Kumaragupta I (AD 415-455) 

He performed the Ashwamedha sacrifice. AD But in the last years of Kumara Gupta I, the peace and prosperity of the empire was disturbed due to internal dissensions and external invasions. Among the chief enemies were the new invaders called Hunas. His son Skandagupta managed to defeat the Hunas as this mentioned in Bhitari inscription and Junagarh inscription of Skandagupta. Kumara Gupta I is said to have founded Nalanda University. 

Skandagupta (AD 455-467) 

He repulsed the ferocious Hunas attacks twice. The Heroic Act gave him the title Vikramaditya (Bhitari Pillar Inscription). The empire continued but central control weakened and local Governors became feudatory kings with hereditary rights. To the West of Varanasi, the Gupta emperors now exercised little more than titular control. In his religious outlook, Skanda Gupta was a Vaishnava, but followed the tolerant policy of his predecessors. He repaired the Junagarh lake in Gujarat. 

Successors of Skandagupta 

The line of succession after Skandagupta is uncertain. Purugupta, a son of Kumaragupta by the chief queen, ruled for sometime and was succeeded by his son Budhagupta whose earliest known as date is AD 477 and the latest AD 495. But, a king named Kumaragupta II is known as to have reigned in AD 474. This indicates internal dissension which continued after the end of Budha Gupta's reign. Narsimhgupta and Kumaragupta III were the last two Gupta kings. 

Gupta Administration

Central Administration

1. Through, the king possessed extensive powers, he did not rule in a tyrannical manner. A Council of Ministers and several civil officers assisted the king. The most important officers in the Gupta empire were the Kumaramatyas. 

2. The royal seal bore the imprint of Garuda. Started in the Deccan by the Satavahanas, the practice of granting land and fiscal administrative concessions to priests and administrators became regular affairs in the Gupta times. 

3. A new office of Sandhivigrahaka first appears under the Gupta ruler Samudragupta. He was the minister of peace and war. Harisena held this title. 

Provincial and Local Administration

The empire was divided into Bhuktis headed by Uparika, Bhuktis into districts called Vishayas head by Vishyapati, Vishayas into Vithis and Vithis into villages. 

City Administration

Paura was the council responsible for city administration. It included President of the city corporation, chief representative of the guild of merchants a representative of the artisans and the Chief Accountant. Unlike the Mauryas city committee was not appointed by the government under the Guptas. It comprised of local representatives. 

Judiciary

1. For the first time civil and criminal law were clearly defined and demarcated. The king acted as the fountain head of justice and decided all disputes in general, punishments were light and mild. 

2. The supreme judicial power was vested to the king. He was assisted by the mahadandanayaka (Chief Justice). 

Army 

1. The King's standing army was supplemented by the forces occasionally supplied by the feudatories. Senabhakta was a form of tax i.e. the army was to be fed by the people whenever, it passed through the countryside. Forced lab our or vishti was also practiced in royal army. 

2. Horse archery became. Prominent in military tactics. 

3. Chariots receded into background and cavalry came to the forefront. 

Gupta Economy

Land revenue which was the chief sources was generally fixed at on- sixth of the produce. Compared to the earlier period, we notice a decline in long distance trade. South-East Asia gained importance as a centre for Indian trade. Ports on West coast to trade with Mediterranean and West Asia were Bharoach, Chaul, Kalyan and Cambay. Ports on East coast to trade with South-East Asia were Tamralipti, Ghantashala and Kandura. 

Agriculture

1. According to Paharpur, copper plate inscription of Buddhagupta, state was the exclusive owner of land. Poona plates of Prabhavatigupta refers to the land survery conducted during this period. 

2. Pustapala was the officer incharge for maintaining records of all land transactions. During Gupta, land grants (Agarhara and Devagrahara grants) also included transfer of royal rights over salt and mines, which were earlier states monopoly during Mauryas. 

Coinage System 

1. The Guptas issued the largest number of gold coins, which were called Dinaras in their inscriptions, but they were not a common currency. After the conquest of Gujarat, the Gupta issued a good number of silver coins, mainly for local exchange. 

2. Cowries, according to Fa-Hein, became a common medium of exchange. In contrast to those of the Kushanas, the Gupta copper coins are very few. 

Gupta Society 

1. The Brahmanas became richer because of land grants and claimed many privileges which are listed in the Narada smriti AD 5th century. There was a great increase in the number of castes and sub-castes with the large-scale absorption of foreigners and tribals. 

2. The position of the Shudras improved slightly; they were permitted to listen to the epics and Puranas, to worship a new God called Krishna and to perform certain domestic rites such as probably paying fees to the priests. 

3. Shudras were now considered as agriculturists rather then servants and slaves. There were four types of retired forest life in this period: 

(I)   Audambara Men who took their wives along with them, but observed strict celibacy. 

(II)  Vaisanchi Men who did not accompanied with their wives. 

(III) Balakhilya Life free of mental attachments to the world. 

(IV) Hermits Who led a very strict life ? 

Position of Women 

1. In the Gupta period, women were also allowed to listen to the epics and the Puranas and to worship Krishna. But women of higher orders did not have access to independent sources to livelihood in pre-Gupta and Gupta times. 

2. They lacked property right. However, the gifts of jewellery, ornaments, garments and similar other presents made to the bride on the occasion of her marriage were considered her property. Gupta and post-Gupta law books substantially enlarged the scope of these gifts which were known as Stridhana. 

3. Katyayana, a law-giver of the 6th century, holds that she could sell and mortgage her immovable property along with her Stridhana. This clearly implies that women received shares in landed property, but generally a daughter was not allowed to inherit landed property in the patriarchal communities of India. 

Religious Life 

1. Buddhism no longer received royal patronage. Importance of Vishnu increased. Idol worship in the temples became a common feature of Hinduism from the Gupta period onwards. Religious toleration was, however, prevalent. The Shakti cult gave rise to consorts to Gods and Goddesses like Lakshmi, Parvati and Durga and etc appeared. Tantricism also became popular in the 5th century. 

2. The schools of Hindu philosophy were enunciated in this period. By the AD 4th century Bhagavad-Gita was finally complied, which taught devotion to Lord Krishna and stressed the performance of the functions assigned to each Varna. Hence fourth, the concept of Bhakti developed; worship superseded sacrifice.

Gupta Art and Crafts 

1. In art, architecture, sculpture, painting and terracotta figurines, the Gupta period witnessed unprecedented activities and development all over India. That is why, the period is also referred to as the Golden Age of Ancient India. 

2. The brick temples of the Gupta period include those of Bhitargaon in Kanpur, Bhitari in Ghazipur and Deogarh in Jhansi. The Buddhist University at Nalanda was set-up in the 5th century. 

3. An over 2m high bronze image of the Buddha has been recovered from Sultanganj near Bhagalpur. Of the stupas built during this period, the one at Mirpur Khas in Sind and Dhamekh at Sarnath deserve mention. Of the tall Stupa of Sarnath near Varanasi, now little more than the inner core remains.

4. The rock-cut architecture of the period is represented by the two conventional types  the Chaityas and the Vihara. They are mostly found at Ajanta, Ellora, Bagh and Udaigiri caves of Orissa. The most characteristic feature of the Chaitya is its emphasis on the colossal image of Buddha seated between two standing attendants. The Vihara was planned in the form of rows of cells round a central court. The most numerous Viharas are to be found at Ajanta.

5. Gupta age marks the beginning of the main style of temples architecture in India namely the Nagara style and Dravida style. The finest example of temple architecture is the Dasavatara temple at Deogarh. It is also an example of early stone temple with a Shikara. It has a square grabhagriha with exquisitely carved doorway. Other examples of temple architecture are Parvati temple at Nachna Kuthara, Shiva temple at Koh, Cave temple at Udaigiri etc. 

Science and Technology

Physics 

1. They knew the existence of atoms and molecules even before the Greeks. Vaiseshika school elaborated the atomic theory. 

2. Brahmagupta (later 6th and early 7th centuries) anticipated Newton by declaring that "All things fall to Earth by law of nature", for it is the nature of the Earth to attract things. 

Chemistry

There was great development in Metallurgy with large-scale production of various metals like gold, silver, copper, iron, brass and other alloys. Post-Mauryan period steel products were exported to the West. Gupta period copper statue of Buddha from Sultanganj and Iron pillar of Mehrauli at Delhi are finest examples. 

Mathematics

1. Indians made three distinct contributions regarding notation system, decimal system and zero usage. 

2. Indian Notation System was adopted by Arabs and numerals are called Arabic in English. They are found in Ashokan inscriptions. 

3. Indians were the first to use the decimal system. Earliest epigraphic evidence in AD 5th century. The famous mathematician Aryabhatta was acquainted with it. 

4. Zero was discovered by Indians in 2nd century BC Alberuni says that it was Brahmagupta, who gave zero its status in mathematics. 

5. Knowledge of Geometry is reflected in the Sulvasutras of 5th century BC. Aryabhatta (Surya Siddhanta) formulated the rule for finding out the area of a triangle which led to the origin of Trigonometry. 

Astronomy

1. Jyotisha Vedanga (500 BC) is the earliest sources dealing exclusively with astronomy. It contains rules for calculating the position of new and full Moon amongst the 27 Nakshatras. 

2. Aryabhatta explained the true cause of solar and lunar eclipses, stated the Sun is stationary and the Earth rotates around the Sun. He gave the value of π = 3.1416, he stated that the Earth was spherical in shape in his book called Aryabhattiya (AD 499). 

3. Varahamihira in his book Brihat Samhita (AD 6th century) stated that the Moon rotates round the Earth and the Earth rotates around the Sun. 

Medicine

1. Hymns in Atharvaveda associated with Ayurveda. Charaksamhita of Charaka (AD 100) refers to various diseases with cure and treatments also about prevention and control through diet. 

2. Susrutasamhita of Susruta refers to various kinds of diseases and operation with anesthesia, surgical instruments, cataract and rhinoplasty etc. 

Decline of the Gupta Empire 

Guptas started declining after the death of Skandagupta. The reason for the end was weak rulers and the rise of Yashodharman in malwa. Threats from the Vakatakas contributed to their decline. Another reason for the decline was the invasion by the Hunas and to face them, there was no large professional army to maintain vast empire.