Gupta Empire - Study

Notes

History

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Gupta Empire

Gupta Empire: Origin

The Gupta Empire rose to unmistakable quality in 320 AD and spread to huge parts of northern India, focal and little pieces of southern India.

The organizer of the Gupta administration is Sri Gupta.

The first homeland of the Guptas isn't known without a doubt. In any case, they may have started from Bengal. A few researchers think they are from P

They are believed to be either Brahmins or Vaishyas

Proof on the origin of the Gupta administration is restricted. The Gupta rulers appear to have ascended from the humble inceptions.

Chandragupta I, who was the third leader of the Gupta Dynasty wedded Kumaradevi, a Lichchavi princess.

The marriage is referenced in the records of his replacements with satisfaction demonstrating that this would have helped to the rise of Guptas.

Lichchavi was an old, built up gana-sangha and its region lay between the Ganges and the Nepal Terai.

As per Allahabad column engraving Samudragupta, the distinguished child of Chandragupta I, had conquered the entire prolific fields west of Prayag to

The Puranas notice Magadha, Allahabad and Oudh as the Gupta domains.

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Timeline

Important Kings of Gupta Dynasty

Chandra Gupta - I (320-335 AD)

Chandra Gupta was First Independent Ruler of Gupta's dynasty.

He was most remarkable ruler and accepted the title of "Maharajadhiraj".

Chandra Gupta started “Gupta Era” in 319 AD.

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He was married to Lichchhavi princes Kumara Devi and introduced new gold coin famous as a "King and Queen" type of coin.

Samudra Gupta (335 - 380 AD)

His wife was - Datta Devi.

He called himself as "Lichchhavi Duhitra" (daughter's son of the Lichchhavi's).

He has been known as the "Indian Napoleon" by V.A.Smith

He was first ruler who attacked South India (Commander Veersena).

The “Prayaga - Prasasti” (Allahabad Pillar) composed by Harisena, his court poet, the inscription is in very simple and polished Sanskrit and is in Champu

He was first Gupta king, who performed Ashvamedha- Sacrifice and except the title of “Ashvamedha - Parakrama”.

He was an extraordinary supporter of art, received the title of "Kaviraj".

He is depicted in his coins Playing "Veena”.

Chandra Gupta - II (380 - 414 AD)

His another name was – Dev Raj or Dev Gupta (in Mahruli Iron pillar, Delhi)

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Chandra Gupta had two wives -

1.

Dhruva Devi – Mother of Kumar Gupta - I

2.

Kubera Naga – Mother of Prabhavati

Prabhavati married to the Vakataka crown - prince Rudra Sena II.

The conquest of the Saka’s is the most important significant event of his reign.

He killed the Saka chief Rudra Sena III and annexed his kingdom.

After this Chandra Gupta Il adopted the title of "Vikramaditya".

Chandra Gupta Il made Ujjain his second capital city.

He was follower of Vaishnava religion (Madhvacharya) and adopt the title of "Param - Bhagavata".

Chinese traveler "Fa - Hien" (Fo-Ko-Ki) had visited India during the time of Chandra Gupta II.

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Court Physician – Dhanvantri.

Court Poet – Kalidasa.

He was known as "Indian Shakespeare".

Points to Remember
Chinese visitors came to ancient india

Fa Hsien (399AD)

Sung Yun (518AD)

Hsuan Tsang (630AD)

I Tsing (End of 7th century)

Kumara Gupta - II (380 - 414 AD)

He adopted the title of "Mahendraditya”.

Kumar Gupta was second Gupta king who performed “Ashvamedha Sacrifice”.

Nalanda University was established by Kumar Gupta.

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Skanda Gupta - II (455 - 467 AD)

He was faced invading Hunas, from the northwest.

Hunas was defeated by Skanda Gupta.

He assumed the title of kramaditya.

He was succeeded by Puru Gupta (468 – 473 A.D).

Last king of this dynasty was Vishnu Gupta.

Administrative system of Guptas

The Kings

During the Gupta age, political chains of command can be distinguished by the titles embraced.

Kings accepted titles, for example, maharajadhiraja, parama-bhattaraka and parameshvara.

They were additionally associated with divine beings through designations, for example, parama-daivata (the principal admirer of the divine beings) and

A few antiquarians have recommended that the Gupta Kings asserted awesome status. For instance, Samudragupta is contrasted with Purusha (Suprem

Ministers and Other Officials

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Seals and engravings make a notice of authentic positions and assignments, whose exact importance is regularly certain.

The expression "kumaramatya" happens in six Vaishali seals, which recommends that this title spoke to a high-positioning official related with an office

The position "amatya" happens on a few Bita seals, and the "kumaramatya" appears to have been pre-famous among amatyas and proportionate in sta

Kumaramatyas were appended to the King, crown ruler, income division or an area.

One of the Vaishali seals refers to a kumaramatya who appears to have been accountable for the support of the hallowed royal celebration tank of the

People holding the positions of kumaramatya once in a while had extra positions too, and such positions were inherited.

Council of Ministers

The Gupta ruler was helped by a gathering of ministers. The Allahabad prashasti refers to a get together or assembly, which was known as the Sabha.

The different high-positioning functionaries incorporated the sandhivigrahika or mahasandhivigrahika (serve for harmony and war), who appears to ha

High-positioning authorities were called dandanayakas, and mahadandanayakas were high-positioning legal or military officials.

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One of the seals makes reference to a mahadandanayaka named Agnigupta.

The Allahabad prashasti refers to three mahadandanayakas. All these propose that these posts were innate ordinarily.

Someone else had an desiganted mahashvapati (authority of the mounted force), demonstrating military capacities.

Economy

Agriculture

Farming thrived in the time of gupta's because of foundation of water system works.

Aside from the state and individual cultivators, Brahmins, Buddhists and Jain sanghas brought waste lands under development when they were given to

Cultivators were approached to keep up their crop properly from harms and the individuals who got their crops harmed were punished.

In the gupta period land were divided into five groups:

Kshetra Cultivatable land

Khila Waste land
Aprahata Jungle or waste land
Vasti Habitable land
Gapata Saraha Pastoral land

Different land tenures :

Types of Tenures Nature of Holding

Endowment of land under a kind of trusteeship was

Nivi dharma
prevalent in North and Central India and Bengal.
Nivi dharma A perpetual endowment. The recipient could make use of
aksayana income derived from it.

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Income from land could be enjoyed, but the recipient is

Aprada dharma not permitted to gift it to anyone. The recipient has no
administrative rights either.
Right of ownership acquired by a person making barren
Bhumichchidranyaya land cultivable for the first time. This land was free from
any rent liability.
Taxes

Tax Nature

King’s customary share of the produce normally

Bhaga amounting to one-sixth of the produce paid by
cultivators.

Periodic supply of fruits, firewood, flowers, etc.,

Bhoga
which the village had to provide to the king .

A periodic tax levied on the villagers (not a part of

Kara
the annual land tax)

A voluntary offering by the people to the king, but

Bali later became compulsory. It was an oppressive
tax.
Either a sort of police tax for the maintenance of
Udianga police stations or a water tax. Hence, it was also
an extra tax.

Also an extra tax. Scholars give different

Uparikara
explanations about what it was collected for.

Literally, it means tax payable on gold coins, but in

Hiranya practice, it was probably the king’s share of
certain crops paid in kind.

Different kinds of cess for maintenance of rites

Vata-Bhuta
for the winds (vata) and the spirits (bhuta)

A plough tax paid by every cultivator owning a

Halivakara
plough.

A royal share of merchandise brought into a town

Sulka or harbour by merchants. Hence it can be
equated with the customs and tolls.

Klipta and
related to sale and purchase of lands.
Upakilpta

Trade and Commerce

Exchange was carried on both through the land and costal routes.

India had exchange relations with both the eastern and the western nations.

India kept up the connection with Sri Lanka, Persia, Arabia, Byzantine Empire, Africa, and considerably further west.

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India additionally created business relations with China, Burma, and South East Asia.

The significant exchange things were silk, flavors of different kind, materials, metals, ivory, ocean produce, and so on.

Some significant sea ports of the Gupta time period were −

 Tamralipti,
 Arikamedu,
 Kaveripattnam,
 Barbaricum,
 Muziris,
 Pratishthana,
 Sopara, and
 Brighukachchha

As per Fa-Hien, individuals of the 'Center Kingdom' were prosperous and cheerful in the start of the fifth century and he additionally referenced the com

Individuals were keeping up an exclusive expectation of living and extravagance of the town life.

The land awards were given to Brahmans, sanctuaries, viharas, mathas to run the instructive organizations and other social government assistance exe

The convention of land awards for the beneficent purposes proceeded into the medieval period also. These were known as Madad-I-squash, Suyarghal,

Art and Architecture

By advancing the Nagara and the Dravida styles, the Gupta craftsmanship introduces a developmental and inventive age throughout the entire existence o

Rock-cut

The stone cut caverns proceed with the old structures by and large however have striking curiosity by realizing broad changes in the ornamentation of

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The most outstanding gatherings of the stone cut caverns are found at Ajanta and Ellora (Maharashtra) and Bagh (Madhya Pradesh). The Udayagiri cave

Ajanta Rock - Cut C

Structural temples

The structural temples have the following qualities:

(1)flat-roofed square temples;

2.

level roofed square temples with a vimana (second story);

3.

square temple with a curvilinear tower (shikara) over;

4.

rectangular temple; and

5.

round temple.

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The second gathering of temples shows a significant number of the trademark highlights of the Dravida style.

The significance of the third gathering lies in the advancement of a shikhara that tops the sanctum sanctorum, the principle highlight of the Nagara sty

Stupas

Stupas were likewise worked in many numbers yet the best are found at Samat (Uttar Pradesh), Ratnagiri (Orissa) and Mirpur Khas (Sind).

Sculptures

Stone Sculpture

A decent example of stone sculpture is the erect Buddha from Sarnath.

Of the puranic pictures, maybe the most noteworthy is the incomparable Boar (Varaha) at the passage of a cavern at Udayagiri.

Metal Sculpture

The innovation of making sculptures on large scale process by artist during the Gupta Period with incredible workmanship.

Two amazing examples of Gupta metal sculpture are: (1) a copper picture of the Buddha around eighteen feet high at Nalanda in Bihar and (2) the Sulta

Decline of Gupta

The Gupta decline began during the rule of Skandagupta, the grandson of

Chandragupta II. He was successful in fighting back against the Huns and the Pushyamitras, however his realm was depleted of funds and assets along

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The last known king of the Gupta dynasty was Vishnugupta who ruled from 540 to 550 AD.

Inside battling and disagreements among the royal family became one of the reason of decline of gupta dynasty

During the rule of a Gupta King, Budhagupta, the Vakataka ruler Narendrasena of western Deccan invaded Malwa, Mekala and Kosala. Later on, anothe

During Skandagupta's rule, the Huns attacked northwest India yet were confined. Be that as it may, in the 6th century, they involved Malwa, Gujarat, Pun

The later Guptas' following of Buddhism instead of Hinduism dissimilar to their ancestors likewise debilitated the domain. They didn't concentrate on do

By the start of the 6th century, the gupta empire had deteriorated and was administered by numerous local chieftains.

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