Gupta Empire : The Golden Age Of India

THE GUPTA EMPIRE

• It was an ancient Indian empire existing from the mid-to-late 3^rd century CE to 543 CE.

• This period is considered as the Golden Age of India by some of the historians.

• The Gupta Period produced scholars such as Kalidasa, Aryabhata, Varahamihira and Vatsyayana.

• Many of the literary sources, such as Mahabharata and Ramayana were canonized in this period.

History

• After the fall of the Mauryan Empire, the Kushans and the Satavahanas had held power. Gupta Empire replaced the Kushans in the North and gave political unity for more than a century.

• It was founded by Sri Gupta.

• Sri Gupta ruled from Patliputra (like the Mauryas).

• Sri Gupta was succeeded to the throne by his son Ghatotkacha.

• The Gupta records do not mention the dynasty’s Varna (social class).

Chandragupta I

• He was the son of Ghatotkacha.

• He was called Maharajadhiraja (king of kings).

• He married the Lichchhavi princess Kumaradevi, which helped him to extend his political powers and dominions.

• The original type of gold coins Dinars was issued.

Samudragupta

• He succeeded his father around 335 or 350 CE and ruled until 375 CE.

• He was a military genius and continued the growth of the kingdom.

• He was very attentive to Rajdharma (duties of a king) and took special care to follow Chanakya’s Arthashastra closely.

• He was also a poet and musician.

• He donated large sums of money for various purposes including the promotion of education.

• An inscription, probably commissioned by subsequent Gupta kings, known as the Allahabad Pillar is most eloquent about his human qualities.

• He also believed in promoting goodwill among various religious communities.

• Meghavarman, the ruler of Sri Lanka, sent a missionary for the permission to build a Buddhist temple at Gaya.

• He is called as Napoleon of India.

Ramagupta

• He became king because he was the eldest son of Samudragupta.

• He was overthrown because he was considered unfit to rule, and his younger brother Chandragupta II took over.

Chandragupta II

• He adopted the title Vikramaditya.

• He extended his control from coast to coast, established a second capital at Ujjain and was the high point of the empire.

• His court was adorned by the Navratnas including Kalidasa.

• His exploits are glorified in Iron Pillar at Qutb Minar.

• Faxian, a Chinese Buddhist was one of the pilgrims who visited India during his reign.

Coin of the Gupta king Chandragupta II

Kumargupta

• He assumed the title Mahendraditya.

• He ruled until 455.

• He was the founder of Nalanda University which on 15 July, 2016 was declared as a UNESCO world heritage site.

Skandagupta

• He was the son and successor of Kumargupta I and is generally considered to be the last of the Gupta rulers.

• He assumed the title of Kramaditya and Vikramaditya.

• He defeated the Pushyamitra threat but then was faced with invading Kidarites from the northwest.

• He repelled a Huna attack around 455 CE, but the expense of the wars drained the empire’s resources and contributed to its decline.

Life in the Gupta Age: 

System of Administration

• The kings maintained discipline and transparency in the bureaucratic process.

• Criminal law was mild, capital punishment was unheard of and judicial torture was not practiced.

• Samudragupta acquired a far great part of southern India than he cared to incorporate into his empire. Therefore, in quite a few cases, he returned the kingdom of the original kings and was satisfied only with collecting taxes from them.

• Grant of fiscal and administrative concessions to priests was also in practice.

Socio-economic conditions

• They preferred vegetarianism and shunned alcoholic beverages.

• Gold and silver coins were issued in great numbers.

• Silk, cotton, spices, medicine, pearl, priceless gemstone, metal and steel was exported by sea.

Religion

• The Guptas were traditionally a Hindu dynasty.

• There were orthodox Hindus but did not force their beliefs as Buddhism and Jainism also were encouraged.

• Sanchi remained an important center for Buddhism.

Literature, Science and Education

• Ramayana, Mahabharata, Vayu Purana was re-written.

• Dignaga and Buddhaghosa were certain Buddhist literature written in this period.

• Kalidasa created such epics as Raghuvansham, Kumarsambhav, Abhijnana Shakuntalam, and Malavikagnimitram.

• Harisena composed Allahabad Prasasti.

• Vishakhadutta created Mudrarakshasa.

• Aryabhata wrote Surya Siddhanta.

• Dhanvantari’s discoveries helped the Indian Ayurveda become more efficient.

• Varahamihira wrote Brihat-Samhita and also contributed to the fields of astronomy and astrology.

• People were encouraged to learn the nuances of Sanskrit literature, intellectual debate, music, and painting.

Art, Architecture, and Culture

• The finest examples of painting, sculpture, and architecture of the period can be found in Ajanta, Ellora, Sarnath, Mathura, Anuradhapura, and Sigiriya.

• The Hindu Udayagiri Caves actually record connections with the dynasty and the Dashavatara Temple at Deogarh is a major temple, one of the earliest to survive.

• The period is generally regarded as a classic peak of North Indian art for all the major religious groups.

• Stone studded golden stairways, iron pillars; jewelry and metal sculptures speak volumes about the skills of metalsmiths.

• Carved ivories, wood and lac-work, brocades and embroidered textile also thrived.

• Practicing vocal music dance and seven types of musical instruments including veena and flute were a norm rather than the exception.

• Dhamek Stupa of Sarnath, Ratnagiri Stupa of Orissa, Mirpur Khas in Sindh developed in this period.

The decline of the Empire

• Huns invasion during the reign of Skandagupta and his successors greatly weakened his empire.

• Competition from the Vakatakas and the rise of Yashodharman in Malwa were also the factors which contributed to the decline.

• The rise of feudatories and Governors becoming independent led to the disintegration of the empire. Loss of western India had crippled them economically.

• A 2019 study has concluded that the cause of the Gupta Empire’s downfall was a devastating flood that happened around the middle of the 6^th century in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.