Gupta Dynasty

   

Guptas Empire 

 

Gupta Empire                         4th century CE–Late 6th century CE

Capital                                       Pataliputra

Common languages              Sanskrit (literary and academic); Prakrit (vernacular)

Government                            Monarchy

Religion

•          Hinduism

•          Jainism

•          Buddhism

 

• c. late 3rd century        Gupta (first)

• c. 540 – c. 550 CE        Vishnugupta

 

Preceded by

Kushan Empire

Western Satraps

Nagas of Padmavati

Mahameghavahana dynasty

Murunda dynasty

 

Succeeded by

Later Guptas

Maukhari

Maitraka

Vardhana dynasty

Mathara dynasty

Shailodbhava dynasty

Varman dynasty

Gauda Kingdom

Kalachuris

Gurjara kingdoms

Nala dynasty

Sharabhapuriya dynasty

Rajarsitulyakula

 

Gupta Empire      320 CE–550 CE

           

Gupta                         (c. late 3rd century)

Ghatotkacha               (c. late 3rd century - 319)

Chandragupta I           (c. 319 – 335/350)

Kacha                            (early 4th century?)

Samudragupta             (c. 335/350 – 375)

(Ramagupta)                (late 4th century?)

Chandragupta II          (380 – 413/415)

Kumaragupta I            (415 – 455)

Skandagupta                (455 - 467)

Purugupta                    (467 – 473)

Kumaragupta II           (473 - 476)

Budhagupta                 (476 – 495)

Narasimhagupta         (495 – ?)

(Bhanugupta)              (circa 510)

Vainyagupta                (circa 507)

Kumaragupta III         (circa 530)

Vishnugupta                (540 – 550)

Introduction:

• The political administration of Gupta dynasty attained an important and distinguished position in Indian History.
• After the downfall of the Kushanas and the Andhras, no great political power arose in India for some time.
• For about a century India was divided into a large number of independent states.
• In this situation, in the 1^st quarter of 4^th century A.D., Gupta Empire was established at Magadha and during that time in India there were several small kingdoms.
• During this period of political imbalance, Guptas had ruled for 200 years from 4^th A.D. to 6^th A.D. continuously by integrating all the smaller kingdoms in view of political, cultural, technological and fine arts. Thus, they achieved an overall development.
• Some of historians described the Gupta rule as a golden age of Indian History.

 

Historical Sources:

• The sources are available for the study of the history of the Guptas.
• These are both archaeological and literary.
• Some of the literary sources are the Puranas, Kamandaka, Dharmasastras, Nitisara written by Kamandaka, the kavya nataka literature, Devichandraguptam written by Vishakhadatta etc.
• Among the archaeological sources, the most important being the inscriptions of the Gupta period, especially the Bhitari pillar inscription of Skanda Gupta, Allahabad pillar inscription of Samudra Gupta, the Mathura Stone inscription, the Udaigiri cave inscription, the Sanchi stone inscription, the Mehrauli Iron pillar inscription of king Chandra.
• A large number of seals, which have been found from various places throw light on the provincial and local administration.
• The movements of the Gupta period illustrate the different centres of art and architecture of the Gupta period.
• The variety of coins with various inscriptions helps us to understand the religion and the hobbies of the Gupta kings.
• The Guptas origin is not clear.
• Perhaps, at the beginning, they were rich landlords and subsequently came to power in the Magadha region and hence, basically, did not belong to a royal family.

 

Rise — Extension — Decline:

• The name Gupta occurs in the records of the Shungas and Satavahana period.
• The founder of Gupta lineage was Sri Gupta.
• He ruled from Pataliputra and neighbouring areas independently and attained the title of Maharaja.
• His son was Ghatotkacha Gupta, who ruled up to 319 A.D. and Chandra Gupta – I was his son.
• Among the Gupta dynasty Chandra Gupta – I was the first independent ruler and had the title 'Maharajadhiraja'.
• This title exemplifies his independent rule.
• He got the support of Kshatriyas as he married princess of Licchavi namely Kumara Devi.
• It is because of this alliance that the Gupta dynasty attained a permanent base.
• From the gold coins of this period, it is known that the economic condition of the kingdom was sound and prosperous.
• Samudra Gupta was the most popular king of Gupta dynasty as he was a powerful empire builder.
• He was an efficient politician and warrior.
• After his father's reign, he ascended the throne of Gupta empire.
• His aim was to become an overlord of India.
• He waged several wars successfully.
• Allahabad pillar inscription by Harisena describes the successful campaign of Samudra Gupta and discusses these victories and contemporary political situations of that period.
• As part of his military campaign, Samudra Gupta, at first, waged war on Aryavarta and defeated Achyuta, Nagasena and Ganapatideva.
• Soon after he waged war on Dakshinapatha and Defeated 12 kings and made them his feudatory kings by returning their kingdoms.
• During his southern campaign, he directed his attention to the tribal territories.
• Both in North and South India, he defeated 18 tribal kingdoms and annexed their areas.
• Hearing about the victories of Samudra Gupta, the neighbouring kingdoms like Davaka, Samatata, Nepala, Kamarupa and Kartipura recognized his Sovereignty.
• The republican states like Malavas, Arjunayanas, Yaudheyas, Madrakas, Abhiras, Prarjunas, Sarakinakas, Kavas and Kharaparikas also recognized the sovereignty of Samudra Gupta.
• After all the military campaigns, Samudra Gupta performed an Ashwamedha sacrifice and issued gold coins depicting the figure of a sacrificial horse on them.
• One historian described Samudra Gupta as 'Indian Napoleon'.
• After death of Samudra Gupta his son Rama Gupta was the ruler.
• Chandragupta II was one of the prominent rulers of India.
• He loved high sounding titles and his favourite title was Vikram Aditya.
• He was identified with the Vikram Aditya of the Indian legends.
• Chandragupta II strengthened his position by matrimonial alliances.
• The kingdom of Chandragupta II extended from Kathiawar in the west to Bengal in the east and from Himalayas in the North to Narmada in the South.
• Chandragupta-II was a strong and vigorous ruler and well qualified to govern.
• Chandragupta's coins are found in large numbers.
• The Guptas could establish commercial contact with Europe through Egypt.
• During the reign of Chandragupta, India was visited by Fahien, the Chinese traveller.
• After that, Kumara Gupta, the son and successor of Chandragupta-II, ruled for a period of forty years.
• The coins of Kumara Gupta show the extension of his empire.
• Expansion towards the south is indicated by the coins found in the Satara district.
• The imperial army was at first defeated but later on the crown prince retrieved the fortunes of the empire.
• With the reign of Kumara Gupta, the greatness of the Guptas started declining.
• Kumara Gupta was succeed by Skanda Gupta in 455 A.D.
• From the beginning of his reign, he had to face a number of problems.
• After the death of Skanda Gupta, the decline of the Guptas had started.
• The frequent invasions of Pushyamitras and Huns further weakened the empire.
• Skanda Gupta was succeed by his brother Puru Gupta.
• Jivita Gupta II was the last known king of the Gupta dynasty.
• Petty Gupta princes continued to rule even during the 12^th and 13^th centuries A.D.
• Slowly, the house of the Imperial Guptas disappeared.

 

Decline of the Gupta Empire:

• In the Gupta period, political unity of Northern India was achieved.
• Gupta Empire enjoyed a long period of peace and prosperity.
• They achieved all aspects of development.
• But the empire was not destined to continue forever.
• Gradually and slowly the empire started declining.
• The causes for the decline of the Gupta empire were both internal and external.
• The extensive empire of the Guptas could be maintained only by rulers of great ability.
• But the later Gupta monarchs were inefficient and their weakness led to confusion in the state.
• The Gupta army lost its vigour and vitality and the military resources had deteriorated.
• The powerful officers and feudatories were therefore encouraged to declare their independence.
• The financial distress is indicated by the debasement of coinage.
• The main cause for the decline of the Gupta empire was that the later Guptas rulers neglected the frontiers.
• This enabled the Huns to invade India and shatter the strength of the empire.
• The decline and downfall of the Gupta empire was brought about by the same causes which operated in the case of the Mauryan empire and the Mughal empire in their later days.

 

Gupta Administration system:

• In India, Guptas had not only established their empire in a large part, but also introduced an efficient system of administration.
• The Guptas followed the monarchical form of Government.
• The king was the head of the Government.
• Kingship was hereditary.
• The king was assisted by a council of ministers.
• Guptas, for administrative convenience, divided the kingdom into many provinces called the Bhukth.
• It was controlled by an administrator called Uparika who was connected with the royal family.
• Bhuktis were sub-divided into Vishayas and the officer-in-charge was called Vishayapati.
• Village or Grama was the lowest unit of administration.
• The person-in-charge of the village was called Gopa and in case of a city he was called Nagarpati.
• Land revenue was the principal source of income to the state.
• It was normally 1/6th of the produce and also certain duties at ports.
• Ferries and fortified stations were also charged.
• Taxes could be paid either in cash or kind.
• Judicial system of the Gupta age was in a developed state.
• The Guptas maintained a strong army, which was well trained and well equipped.
• The army consisted of infantry, elephantry, chariotry and cavalry.
• Horses were used to draw the chariots.
• Navy was unknown to the rulers of the Gupta dynasty.
• The horses were brought from Arabia.
• The Guptas maintained a spy system.
• The police duties were looked after by the Dandanayakas.
• The Gupta administration was well organized, both at the centre and in the provinces.
• The Government looked after the material welfare as well as the spiritual welfare of its subjects.
• The Gupta administration mainly focused on the security and safety of its people.

 

Social conditions:

• Fahien described the social conditions of the period when he visited India during the time of Chandragupta Vikram Aditya II.
• He wrote that the people possessed good character, were calm going and well-to-do; cities were crowded with population, most of the people were vegetarians and preferred non-violence.
• The society was based on caste distinction.
• The society witnessed an increase in the population of Brahmins who were provided with social rights.
• The revival of Brahmin religion increased the differences between caste variation of people and those who did not follow were excommunicated and faced punishments.
• The Hindu dharma sastra, namely, Manu dharma sastra was abridged.
• It was king's duty to protect the Varnashrama dharma system.
• Fahien described that the people were moral, followed non-violence and never used receipts while exchanging goods.
• There were no thefts and people never locked their houses, according to Fahien.
• Families formed due to marriage relations in those days.
• Father was the head of the family in this paternal system.
• Women’s status had decreased in society during this period.
• Child marriage existed but not widow marriages.
• Women’s education was restricted.
• The women of higher society were educated but had no property rights.
• Sati came into existence and there is a reference to this custom in the Eran inscription.
• It seems that slavery existed during the Gupta period.

 

Economic Conditions:

• According to Fahien, it is known that during the reign of Guptas the country was prosperous.
• Agriculture was the main occupation of the people and it was encouraged by the Government.
• The people were rich and generous when it came to giving donations. They were considerate towards others and enjoyed the pleasures of life by spending their wealth.
• As agriculture was critical, brahmanas and government employees were given lands generously.
• This ultimately led to the land lordship.
• The principal food grains and fruits of the Gupta period were wheat, rice, barley, sugarcane, ginger, oil-seeds, melon, mustard, plantation, coconut, vegetables, peaches, oranges etc.
• The textile industry seems to have been highly developed during this period.
• The metal industry was also developed and bronze was used abundantly.
• The coppersmiths of India were also skilful during this time, as they built a large number of images.
• It appears that there were separate guilds or Nigamas for each profession. They were connected to trade, industry, banking or any other occupation.
• Many small-scale industries were established in the Gupta period.
• These guilds became training centres for the youth.
• In the Gupta period, the national and international trade was rapid and active as the empire extended from east to west.
• Even though the government was getting enough revenue through land tax, due to encouragement of government, the business personnel and merchants were also paying taxes generously, which helped in the economic progress of the country.
• Most of the big cities were connected with national highways and thus, facilitated business and commerce.
• Gaya, Ujjain, Kasi, Madhura, Prayaga were important business centres and rivers such as Godavari, Krishna, Ganga and Brahmaputra contributed significantly in the development of trade.
• In Gupta period, innumerable number of gold coins were issued, which indicates the economic prosperity of the empire.
• Thus, along with gold coins, several silver and copper coins were also in circulation.
• The gold coins were known as `Dinars’ and the silver coins were known as `Rupaka'.

 

Religion:

• Revival of Hinduism took place during the period.
• Gupta emperors were sympathetic towards Brahmanism.
• The kings and their subjects were attracted to act of performing sacrifices.
• Samudra Gupta and Kumara Gupta performed Aswamedha sacrifice.
• Guptas patronage and affection brought Hinduism a new spirit.
• However, traditional Brahmanism changed into modern Hinduism during the period and people were attracted to incarnation of Vishnu.
• As a result, a nation had emerged during the period with the view that lord Vishnu can protect the people through his ten incarnations.
• Temple became an important centre for religion.
• Vishnu, Siva, Krishna, Kartikeya, Ganesha, Parvathi, Lakshmi, Durga and Bhavani were the principal deities of that period.
• Gupta period pasupatha branch became popular among the saiva religion and yoga mudra siva was worshipped during the Gupta period.
• Siva was worshipped in the form of Linga and Nandi.
• Fahien’s writings state that Hindus and Buddhists were friendly to each other. Guptas supported Hinduism but they also showed equal affection towards Jainism and Buddhism.
• Guptas offered jobs to Buddhists.
• Samudra Gupta patronized the Buddhist scholar, Vasubandha.
• Chandragupta II appointed a Buddhist, Amrakardava as his army general.
• Kumara Gupta I established the Nalanda Buddhist University.
• The salient features of Indian philosophy ‘Shad Darshanas' emerged in this period.
• Finally, the Dharmartha kamamokshas became the objectives of human life.

              

Cultural Achievement of the Gupta period:

• Gupta age is compared with the Augustan Age in the history of Rome and Elizabethan Age in the history of England.
• The age of the Guptas was the brightest interlude in the history of Ancient India.
• Political unity of the north was achieved.
• There was both material prosperity and cultural progress during this period.
• The Guptas succeeded in establishing the greatest empire in India since the days of Asoka.
• The government took special care in the construction of works of public utility.
• People were free from the tyranny of officials.

 

Literary Development:

• The Gupta period was marked by a great outburst of literary development.
• There existed a sound and varied system of education during the Guptas period.
• Vallabhi, Kashi, Ujjain, Pataliputra Nasik, Mathura and Kanchi were some of the important centres of learning.
• The university of Nalanda became famous all over Asia in the 6th century.
• The universities provided both secular and religious education to students.
• The Gupta period is usually called the Augustan Age of Sanskrit literature.
• Hindu, Buddhist and Jain scholars produced many works during this period.
• The Kavya style in Sanskrit became popular in this period.
• The Ramayana and Mahabharata received their present shape during this period.
• The puranas and smritis were compiled in this period.
• Dipavamsa and Mahavamsa were the popular works in the Pali language.
• Secular writings also made tremendous progress in this period.
• The greatest poet and play-wright of this period was Kalidasa.
• "Sakuntala" written by him, is among the hundred best books of the world.
• Amongst the prominent works of this age, the most notable are Vasavadatta by Subandhu, Ravanavadha by Bhatti, Mudrarakshasa by Vishakadatta, Kiratarjuniya by Bharavi, Kamasutra by Vatsyayana and Dashakumaracharita by Dandin.
• Virsasena Sava was a prominent grammarian of the time.
• Harisena, the author of Prayaga Prasasti/Allahabad Pillar inscription, flourished in the court of Samudra Gupta.
• Panchatantra, the wonderful storehouse of fairy tales and fables is assigned to the period 300 A.D. to 500 A.D.

 

Progress in science:

• Remarkable progress was made in the field of science.
• Aryabhata was a great scientist and mathematician belonging to this age.
• He wrote Aryabhattiya.
• He found solutions to many problems of Geometry, Algebra and Trigonometry.
• He was the first Indian astronomer to discover that the earth rotates on its axis.
• The theory of zero was formulated during this period.
• Aryabhata made great contributions in the field of mathematics.
• Varahamihira's `Brihat Samhita' contained subjects such as geology, geography, astrology and botany.
• Varahamihira's `Pancha-Siddhantika’ explained geography, whereas his 'Brihat Jataka', `Laghu Jataka' were famous voluminous works of that period.

 

Progress in Medicine:

• The science of medicine also flourished during this age.
• "Navanitakam" is a famous book on medicine from this time.
• The treatises such as "Hastyayurveda" and "Asvasistra" on the diseases of animals proves that veterinary science was not neglected in this period.
• Siddha Nagarjuna, the great Buddhist scholar, was a student of medicine, metallurgy and chemistry.
• He discovered many new medicines.

 

Progress in Metallurgy:

• The science of metallurgy also progressed during this age.
• The famous Iron pillar near Delhi belongs to this period.
• It did not gather rust though it stood exposed to rain and sun.
• This is an example of the metallurgical progress of the Gupta period.

 

Development of Fine Arts:

• The Gupta coins reveal the artistic skill of the artisans.
• These coins were engraved with the images of the kings, queens, animals and birds.
• Hindu deities such as Vishnu, Surya, Kartikeya, Durga, Ganga and Yamuna were also engraved on some of the coins.
• The Gupta emperors built iron and stone pillars.
• Drama and Dance were patronized by the Gupta rules.
• The art of terracotta was most popular and refined during the Gupta period.
• The sculptures of Gupta period were refined, elegant, natural in character and simple in style.
• The pivot of Gupta sculptural art is the human figure.
• Sarnath, Pataliputra and Mathura were the primary centres of this art.
• The construction of stupas, chaityas, monasteries and cave temples continued during the Gupta period.
• However, most of them have perished.
• Some of the famous Hindu temples are found at Udayagiri, Dasavatara temple at Deogarh, Bhitargaon near Kanpur.
• Most of these temples were built out of stone, but a few were built using bricks as well.
• The Gupta art was typically Indian in spirit.

 

Conclusion:

• The political administration of Gupta dynasty attained an important and distinguished position in Indian History.
• Gupta Empire was established at Magadha and during that time in North India there were several small kingdoms.
• The founder of Gupta empire was Sri Gupta.
• Among the Gupta dynasty, Chandra Gupta – I was the first independent ruler and had the title `Maharajadhiraja’.
• Samudra Gupta, was the most popular ruler of the Gupta dynasty, as he was a powerful empire builder, efficient warrior and skilful politician.
• Chandragupta Vikram Aditya was a famous emperor, not only among the emperors of the Gupta dynasty, but also among all those emperors who ruled India at one point or another.
• Guptas had not only established their empire in a large part of India, but also introduced an efficient system of administration.
• There was tremendous progress in the social, economic, religious and cultural conditions during the Gupta period.

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