GUPTA EMPIRE

1. Introduction

• There are plenty of source materials to reconstruct the history of the Gupta Period. They include literary, epigraphically and numismatic sources. The Puranas throw light on the royal genealogy of the Gupta Kings.
• Contemporary literary works like the Devichandraguptam and the Mudhrakshasam written by Visakadatta provide information regarding the rise of the Guptas.
• The Chinese traveller Fahien visited India during the reign of Chandragupta II has left a valuable account of the social, economic and religious conditions of the Gupta empire.
• Apart from these literary sources, there are inscriptions like the Meherauli Iron Pillar Inscription and the Allahabad Pillar inscription. The first refers to the achievements of Chandragupta I.
• The most important source for the reign of Samudragupta is the Allahabad Pillar inscription.
• It describes his personality and achievements. This inscription is engraved on an Asokan pillar.
• It is written in classical Sanskrit, using the Nagari script. It consists of 33 lines composed by Harisena. It describes the circumstances of Samudragupta’s accession, his military campaigns in north India and the Deccan, his relationship with other contemporary rulers and his accomplishments as a poet and scholar.
• Gupta kings issued coins of legends and figures. These coins provide interesting details about the titles and sacrifices performed by the Gupta monarchs.

2. Chandragupta I (320-330 A.D.)

• The founder of the Gupta dynasty was Sri Gupta.  He was succeeded by Ghatotkacha.
• These two were called Maharajas. Much information was not available about their rule.
• The next ruler was Chandragupta I and he was the first to be called Maharajahiraja (the great king of kings). It indicates his extensive conquests.
• He strengthened his position through a matrimonial alliance with the Licchavis.
• He married Kumara Devi, a princess of that family to add to the power and prestige of the Gupta family.
• The Meherauli Iron Pillar inscription mentions his extensive conquests.
• Chandragupta I is considered to be the founder of the Gupta era which starts with his accession in A.D. 320.

3. Samudragupta (330-380 A.D.)

The three stages of a military campaign:

1. Against some rulers of North India
2. Dakshinapatha expedition against South Indian rulers
3. Second campaign against some other rulers of North India

Extant of Samudragupta’s Empire

• He extended his rule over the upper Gangetic valley, the greater part of modern U.P. a portion of central India and the Southwestern part of Bengal. These territories were directly administered by him.
• In the South, there were tributary states. The Saka and Kushana principalities on the west and northwest were within the sphere of his influence.
• The kingdoms on the east coast of the Deccan as far as the Pallava Kingdom, acknowledged his suzerainty.

Estimate of Samudragupta

• His military achievements remain remarkable in the annals of history.
• He was equally great in his other personal accomplishments.
• The Allahabad Pillar inscription speaks of his magnanimity to his foes, his polished intellect, his poetic skill and his proficiency in music.
• It calls him Kaviraja because of his ability to compose verses.
• His image depicting him with veena is found in the coins issued by him.
• It is proof of his proficiency and interest in music. He was also a patron of many poets and scholars, one of whom was Harisena.
• He must be credited with a share in the promotion of Sanskrit literature and learning, characteristic of his dynasty.
• He was an ardent follower of Vaishnavism but was tolerant of other creeds.
• He evinced a keen interest in Buddhism and was the patron of the great Buddhist scholar Vasubandu.

4. Chandragupta II (380-415 A.D.)

• Samudragupta was succeeded by his son Chandragupta II Vikramaditya.
• But according to some scholars, the immediate successor of Samudragupta was Ramagupta, the elder brother of Chandragupta II.
• Chandragupta II inherited the military genius of his father and extended the Gupta Empire through his conquests.
• He achieved this through a judicious combination of the policy of diplomacy and warfare.
• Through matrimonial alliances, he strengthened his political power.
• He married Kubera Naga, a Naga princess of central India.
• He gave his daughter Prabhavati in marriage to the Vakataka Prince Rudrasena II.
• The political importance of this marriage lies in the fact that the Vakatakas occupied a geographically strategic position in the Deccan.
• This alliance served a useful purpose when Chandragupta-II undertook his campaign in western India against the Sakas.

Conquest of Western India

• The greatest of the military achievements of Chandragupta II was his war against the Saka satraps of western India.
• Rudrasimha III, the last ruler of the Saka satrap was defeated, dethroned and killed.
• His territories in western Malwa and the Kathiawar Peninsula were annexed into the Gupta Empire.
• After this victory he performed the horse sacrifice and assumed the title Sakari, meaning, destroyer of Sakas.  He also called himself Vikramaditya.
• As a result of the conquest of western India, the Western boundary of the Empire reached the Arabian Sea gaining access to Broach Sopara, Cambay and other seaports.
• This enabled the Gupta Empire to control trade with Western countries.
• Ujjain became an important commercial city and later became the alternative capital of the Guptas.
• The fine cotton clothes of Bengal, Indigo from Bihar, silk from Banares, the scents of the Himalayas and sandals and species from the south were brought to these ports without any interference.
• Western traders poured Roman gold into India in return for Indian products.
• The great wealth of the Gupta Empire was manifest in the variety of gold coins issued by Chandragupta II.

Other Conquests

• Chandragupta II defeated a confederacy of enemy chiefs in Vanga.
• He also crossed the river Sindh and conquered Bactria.
• The Kushanas ruling was subdued by him.
• With these conquests, the Gupta Empire extended in the west as far as western Malwa, Gujarat and Katiawar.
• In the northwest, it extended beyond the Hindu Kush up to Bactria.
• In the east, it included even eastern Bengal and in the South, the Narmada River formed the boundary.

Fahien’s visit

• During the reign of Chandragupta II Chinese Pilgrim, Fahien visited India.
• He spent six years in the Gupta Empire out of his nine years stay in India.
• He came to India by land route through Khotan, Kashgar, Gandhara and Punjab.
• He visited Peshawar, Mathura, Kanaui, Sravasti, Kapilavastu, Kusinagara, Pataliputra, Kasi and Bodh Gaya among other places.
• He returned by sea route, visiting on the way Ceylon and Java.
• The main purpose of his visit was to see the land of the Buddha and to collect Buddhist manuscripts from India.
• He stayed in Pataliputra for three years studying Sanskrit and copying Buddhist texts.
• Fahien provides valuable information on the religious, social and economic condition of the Gupta Empire.
• According to him, Buddhism was in a flourishing condition in northwestern India but in the Gangetic valley, it was in a state of neglect.
• He refers to the Gangetic valley as the “land of Brahmanism”.
• The unsatisfactory state of some of the Buddhist holy places like Kapilavastu and Kusinagara
• The economic condition of the empire was prosperous.
• Although his account is valuable in many respects, he did not mention the name of Chandragupta II.
• He was interested in religion not in political affairs and assessed everything from the Buddhist angle.
• His observations on social conditions are found to be exaggerated.
• Yet, his accounts are useful to know the general condition of the country.

Estimate of Chandragupta II

• The power and glory of the Gupta Empire reached their peak under the rule of Chandragupta II Vikramaditya.
• He also contributed to the general cultural progress of the age and patronized great literary figures like Kalidasa.
• He promoted artistic activity and the Gupta Period was generally referred to as a golden age because of the high-level cultural progress that was achieved during his period.

The successor of Chandragupta II

• Kumaragupta was the son and successor of Chandragupta II. His reign was marked by general peace and prosperity.
• He issued several coins and his inscriptions are found all over the Gupta Empire.
• He also performed an asvamedha sacrifice and laid the foundation of Nalanda University.
• At the end of his reign, a powerful wealthy tribe called the Pushyamitras defeated the Gupta army.
• A branch of the Huns from Central Asia made attempts to cross the Hindu Kush Mountains and invade India.

5. Skandagupta

6. Gupta Administration

• Several inscriptions indicate that the Gupta kings assumed titles like Paramabhattaraka, Maharajahiraja, Paraeswara, Samrat and Chakravartin.
• The king was assisted in his administration by a council consisting of a chief minister, a Senapati or Commander-in-chief of the army and other important officials.
• The higher official called Sandivigraha was mentioned in the Gupta inscriptions, most probably the minister for foreign affairs.
• Kumaramatyas and Ayuktas are the class of officials in the provincial administration maintained by the King.
• Provinces in the Gupta Empire were known as Bhuktis and provincial governors as Uparikas. They were mostly chosen from among the princes.
• Bhuktis were subdivided into Vishyas or districts. They were governed by Vishyapatis.
• Nagara Sreshtis were the officers looking after the city administration.
• The villages in the district were under the control of Gramikas.
• Fahien characterizes the Gupta administration as mild and benevolent.
• There were no restrictions on people’s movements and they enjoyed a large degree of personal freedom.
• There was no state interference in the individual’s life. Punishments were not severe and fines were a common punishment.
• There was no spy system and administration was so efficient that the roads were kept safe for travellers and there was no fear of thieves.
• He mentioned that people were generally prosperous and the crimes were negligible.
• The efficiency of the Gupta administration was able to travel without any fear throughout the Gangetic valley.
• The whole administration was more liberal than that of the Mauryas.

7. Art and Culture

• The Gupta period witnessed tremendous progress in the field of art, science and literature and on account of this it has been called “a golden age”.
• A few scholars even call this period a period of renaissance.
• But it should be remembered that there was no dark period before the Gupta Rule.
• The cultural progress witnessed during the Gupta period may be called the culmination of Indian intellectual activities.
• In the history of Indian art and architecture, the Gupta period occupies an important place.
• Both the Nagara and Dravidian styles of art evolved during this period.
• Due to foreign invasions, most of the architecture like Huns of this period was lost.
• The remaining temples, sculptures and cave paintings provide an idea about the grandeur of Gupta art.
• The temple at Deogarh near Jhansi and the sculptures in the temple at Garhwas near Allahabad remain important specimens of Gupta art.
• There was no influence of the Gandhara style.
• But the beautiful statue of a standing Buddha at Mathura reveals a little Greek style.
• The Buddha statue unearthed at Saranath was a unique piece of Gupta art.
• The Bhitari monolithic pillar of Skandagupta is also remarkable Metallurgy also made wonderful progress during the Gupta period.
• The Craftsmen were efficient in the art of casting metal statues and pillars.
• The gigantic copper statue of Buddha found at Sultanganj now kept at Birmingham museum, was about seven and a half feet in height and nearly a ton of weight.
• The Delhi Iron Pillar of the Gupta period is still free from rust though completely exposed to sun and rain for so many centuries.

8. Literature

9. Science