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Hindu/Indian Golden Period
1.The fall of the Kushan Empire towards the middle of the 3rd century led to the establishment of the empire of the Guptas.
2.Although the Gupta Empire was not as large as the Mauryas, it kept North India politically united for more than a century.
3.Their period is generally regarded as the Golden Age of Hinduism.
Guptas belonged to the Vaishya caste.
4.Sri Gupta was the founder of the Gupta dynasty. Sri Gupta was followed by his son Chatotkacha and was followed by his son Chandragupta. Both assumed the title of Maharaja.
Chandragupta I (AD 319-335)
He greatly raised the power and prestige of his dynasty by his matrimonial alliances and conquests.
He married the Lichchhavi princess Kumara Devi and issued Chandragupta I Kumaradevi type gold coins (Dinaras).
Chandragupta-I is also said to have started a new era Gupta Era, which starts from 319 AD, the coronation date of Chandragupta I
He established his authority over Magadham Saketa and Prayaga.
He was the first Gupta king to adopt the title of Maharajadhiraja.
He issued gold coins.
Samudragupta
(AD 335-380)
Son and successor of Chandragupta I. He was a great conqueror.
The long inscription in the pillar of Allahabad (Prayag Prasasti) enumerated by his court poet Harisena informs about the people and the countries that were conquered by Samudragupta.
Because of his bravery and generalship, he came to be called the Napoleon of India by VA Smith.
Virasen was his Commander-in-chief during the Southern campaign. Vasubandhu, a famous Buddhist scholar, was his minister.
Samudragupta’s arms reached as far as Kanchi, Tamil Nadu, where the Pallavas were compelled to recognize his suzerainty.
Samudragupta annexed the territories after defeating the monarchs in North India, but did not annex territories in South India.
His authority over Java, Sumatra and Malaya Island proves that he maintained a strong navy.
Samudragupta is said to have composed numerous poems of high merit. Some of his coins represent him playing the Veena. He also performed Ashvamedha sacrifice.
The Allahabad pillar inscriptions mention the title Dharma Prachar Bandhu i.e he was the upholder of Brahmanical religion.
According to Chinese sources, Meghavarman, the ruler of Sri Lanka, sent a missionary to Samudragupta for a permission to build a Buddhist temple at Gaya.
He was a Vaishnavite.
Chandragupta II
(AD 380 - 415)
According to Devi Chandraguptam of Vishakhadutta, Samudragupta was succeeded by Ramagupta.
Ramagupta was a coward. He surrendered his queen Dhruvadevi to the Saka invader. He was also the only Gupta ruler to issue copper coins.
Chandragupta II, the younger brother of Ramagupta, invaded the enemy’s camp, killed the Saka ruler and Ramagupta; occupied the throne and married Dhruvadevi.
He proved to be a great ruler and extended his empire by conquests and matrimonial alliances. He married Kubernaga of the Naga dynasty and married his daughter Prabha-Vatigupta, with the Vakataka prince Rudrasena II.
Mehrauli Iron Pillar Inscription (Delhi) claims his authority over North-Western India and a good portion of Bengal. It says that the king defeated the confederacy of Vangas and Vilkas (Bulkh). Virasena’s Udaygirl cave inscription refers to his conquest of the whole world.
Chandragupta II conquered Western Malwa and Gujarat, from the Shaka Kshstrapas Rudra Simha III. The conquest gave Chandragupta the western sea coast, famous for trade and commerce. This contributed to the prosperity of Malwa and its Chief city Ujjain. Ujjain was made the second capital by Chandragupta II.
He issued silver coins (first Gupta ruler to issue silver coins) and adopted the title Vikramaditya and Sakari in memory of his victory.
The court of Chandragupta II at Ujjain was adorned by nine scholars known as Navaratna, including Kalidas and Amarsimha.
Harisena was the court poet and the minister.
Fa Hien – The Chinese pilgrim visited India at his time.
Kumaragupta (AD 415 – 455)
He founded Nalanda University.
Worshipper of Lord Katikeya.
In the last year of his reign, the empire was invaded by the Turko-Mongol tribe, the Hunas. During the war with the Hunas, Kumaragupta died.
Skandagupta (AD 455-467)
He repulsed the ferocious Hunas attacks twice. The heroic feat entitled him the title Vikramaditya (also mentioned in the Bhitari Pillar Inscription)
During his period Sudarshan lake was repaired and its embankments were rebuilt.
The continuous attack of the Hunas weakened the economy and the decline of the empire began soon after the death of Skandagupta.
GUPTA ADMINISTRATION
1.The Gupta Administration was highly decentralised and quasi-feudal in character.
Gupta Kings adopted pompous titles such as Parameshvara, Maharajadhiraj, Parambhattarka, which signify that they ruled over the lesser kings in their empire. The practice of appointing Kumara (crown prince) came in vogue.
2.Kings were assisted by Mantriparishad/ Mantrimandal (Council of Ministers) as referred to in the Prayag Prasasti.
City Administration: Paura was the council responsible for city administration. It included the President of the city corporation, Chief Representative of the guild of merchants, a representative of the artisans and the Chief Accountant. It was composed of local representatives.
Army Military: Chariots receded into the background and cavalry came to the forefront. The Gupta empire maintained a large standing army, but essentially the military organisation was feudal in character.
Senabhakta: It was a form of tax i.e. the army was to be fed by the people whenever it passed through the countryside.
3.Forced labour or Vishti was also practised in the royal army.
Revenue: Land revenue was the chief source of state’s income. It varied from 14th to 16th of the produce.
The number of taxes increased.
4.During the Gupta’s rule, land grants (Agarhara and Devagraha grants) also included transfer of royal rights over salt and mines, which were earlier states' monopolies during Mauryas. Judiciary For the first time, civil and criminal law were clearly defined and demarcated.
5.Coinage Guptas issued the largest number of gold coins, which were called dinaras in their inscriptions. Silver coins were called the Rupayakas.
Administrative Units and their Heads
RELIGION
Bhagavatism centred around the worship of Vishnu or Bhagavad.
Bhagavad Gita was written in the period. It preached the doctrine of incarnation or Avatar.
Idol worship in the temple became a common feature. The Gods were unified with their respective consorts. Thus, Parvati got associated with Shiva and Laxmi with Vishnu.
Gupta kings followed a policy of tolerance towards the different religious sects.
There was an evolution of Vajrayana as well and Buddhist tantric cult.
Buddhism no longer received royal patronage in the Gupta period.
Economy
Land was classified into five groups:
Khila – Waste land
Kshetra Bhoomi – Cultivate land
Vastu Bhoomi – Habitable land
Charagah Bhoomi – Pasture land
Aprahata Bhoomi – Forest land
Taxes
Bhaga: King's share in the produce, to be paid by cultivators.
Bali: (Earlier a voluntary offering) an additional and oppressive tax during Gupta Period.
Bhoga: Periodic supplies of fruits, fire woods etc., which the villagers had to furnish to the king.
Uparika: An extra tax levied on all subjects.
Gupta Art
The Gupta period is also called The Golden Age of Ancient India.
Samudragupta is represented on his coins playing the Veena and Chandragupta II is credited with maintaining in his court, nine luminaries or great scholars viz, Kalidasa, Amarsimha, Dhanavantri, Varahmihira, Vararuchi (Vartika-a comment on Ashtadhyayi), Ghatakarna, Kshapranak, Velabhatt and Shanku.
Over two metre high bronze images of the Buddha of Gupta period have been recovered from Bhagalpur.
For the first time, we get images of Vishnu, Shiva and some other Hindu Gods.
Buddha sitting in Dharmachakra mudra (Sarnath) and Buddha images of Bamiyan belong to this period.
Brahminical Image: The Great Boar (Varah) carved in relief at the tree entrance of a cave at Udayagiri.
Paintings: Ajanta paintings and paintings at Bagh (Madhya Pradesh) are of this time. They belong to Buddhist Art.
In this period the Gandhara School of Sculpture was replaced by regional centres at Banaras, Pataliputra and Mathura.
Stupas – Mirpur Khas (Sindh), Ratnagiri (Orissa) and Dhammekh (Sarnath).
Gupta Architecture
The Gupta age marks the beginning of the main style of temple architecture in India namely the Nagara and Dravida style (shikhar style) with Garbhagriha (shrine room in which the image of God is kept).
Square sanctum and pillared porch.
Astronomy (Science)
Aryabhatta, the great mathematician wrote Aryabhatiyam and Surya Siddhanta. He placed the value of first line number and the use of zero (‘0’)
Varahamihira wrote Panchasiddhantika and Brihadsamhita. He said the Moon moves round the Earth and Earth together with the Moon, moves around the Sun.
Brahmagupta was a great mathematician. He hinted at the law of gravitation in Brahma Siddhanta. Vagabhatta was a distinguished physician.
Dhanvantri was famous for his knowledge of Ayurveda.
Romaka Siddhanta, a book on astronomy was compiled.
Palakapya wrote Hastyagarveda, a treatise on the disease of elephants.
Bhaskara wrote Mahabhaskarya and Laghu Bhaskarya.
Kalidasa
Kalidasa, the greatest poet of the Gupta period, lived in the 4th century AD and was a contemporary of Chandragupta II.
Ritusamhara was his first production, although his earliest drama was Malvikagnimitram.
Meghaduta is a pioneer of Duty Kavya in Sanskrit literature.
# Malavikagnimitra It is a Sanskrit play that depicts the love story of the Sunga king, Agnimitra and Malvika, a maid.
# Abhijnanashakuntalam ,Vikramorvasiyam ,Raghuvansh ,Kumarasambhava,,Meghaduta
Vishakadatta
Vishakhadatta has composed two plays named Mudrarakshasa and the Devichandraguptam.
Vatsyayana
Vatsyayana was the author of Nyaya Sutra Bhashya, the first commentary work on Gautama’s Nyaya Sutras.
Kamasutra is a treatise on human sexual behaviour and forms a part of the Kamashashtra.
Vatsyayana compiled the "Kamasutra" based on earlier works and his own insights, aiming to provide a manual that encompassed the dharma (duties), artha (worldly pursuits), and kama (pleasure) aspects of life.
Given the time frame of Vatsyayana's life and the writing of the "Kamasutra," it is likely that his work was created during the reigns of Chandragupta I, Samudragupta, or Chandragupta II, who were key figures in the Gupta Empire's cultural and intellectual blossoming.
