GUPTA

DYNASTY
GUPTA EMPIRE
320 CE – 550 CE ~2 centuries

GOLDEN AGE

Founder – Sri gupta

Srigupta’s son - Ghatothchkacha

Both of them were called Maharaja

True founder ‘Maharajadhiraj’ – Chandragupta I

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SOURCES
➢ Puranas
➢ Devichadraguptam - Vishakhadutt
➢ Contemporary literary works (Kalidas)
➢ Fa hien
➢ Mehrauli Iron pillar
➢ Allahabad inscription – written over an Ashokan pillar Coins

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CHANDRAGUPTA I (320-330AD)
• 1st to be called as Maharajadhiraj (Great king of
kings)
• Married Lichhavi princess which gave him strength &
prestige
• Started the Gupta era as a mark of his ascension to
the throne

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SAMUDRAGUPTA (330-380BC)
• Greatest Gupta ruler - Napoleon of India
• Delighted in military conquest.
• Allahabad pillar inscription – Ashokan pillar
on which Military conquest of
Samudragupta are written in Sanskrit
(Nagari script) Later, Jahangir added on it,
too.
• Samudragupta never knew defeat &
conquered till Assam in east, Eastern
Afghanistan in west, Kashmir in north and
Tamilnadu in the south.
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SAMUDRAGUPTA
• He did not destroy and southern kingdoms. Instead, he defeated the rulers but gave them
back their kingdoms. He only insisted on them to acknowledge his suzerainty.
• Was a lover of art & literature

• Proficient in music (Veena player) and poetry (‘Kaviraja’)

• Patronised many poets & scholars along with famous poet Harisena who wrote the Allahabad
inscription.

• Ardent follower of vaishnavism but tolerant to other religions

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CHANDRAGUPTA II (380-415 AD)
• CHANDRAGUPTA ‘VIKRAMADITYA’

• High watermark of Gupta Empire

• Extended his empire by military conquests & marriage alliances

• Married his daughter to Rudrasena of Vakataka kingdom(Deccan)

• Defeated Shakas completely in Malwa & Gujrat – conquered western sea ports

• Ujjain became 2nd capital of Guptas, 1st being Pataliputra (Patna today)

• Exploits written on - Mehrauli Iron pillar Delhi

• His reign at Ujjain court saw numerous scholars like Kalidas & Amarsimha

• Navratnas – Nine eminent jewels in his court

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THROUGH MAPPING

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FA HIEN
• 9 years in India – 6 in Gupta empire

• Came by the land route through Khotan, Kashgar, Gandhara and Punjab.

• Visited Peshawar, Mathura, Kanauj, Sravasti, Kapilavastu, Kusinagara, Pataliputra, Kasi

and Bodh Gaya

• Returned by the sea route, visiting on the way Ceylon and Java.

• Purpose - to see the land of the Buddha and to collect Buddhist manuscripts

• 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. Empire was prosperous

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FA HIEN
• Buddhism in north-western India - Flourishing

• Buddhism in Gangetic valley - state of neglect. He refers to the Gangetic valley as the ‘land of
Brahmanism’

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KUMARGUPTA (415-455AD)
• General peace and prosperity.

• Issued a number of coins and his inscriptions are found all over the Gupta empire.

• Performed an Ashvamedha Yagya

• Foundation of Nalanda University which emerged an institution of international reputation.

• Huns from Central Asia made attempts to cross the Hindukush mountains and invade India.

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SKANDAGUPTA (455-467 AD)
• Multiple Hun (Hephthalites) invasions

• Repelled by Skandagupta

• Heavy strain on resources of empire

Decline of Gupta Empire by 550 AD

• Later rulers were weak

• Continued Hun invasion

• Rise of Yashodharman of Malwa

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ADMINISTRATION
Kings assumed titles like Parmeshwara, Maharajadhiraja,Chakravartin & Paramabhattaraka

Provinces - Bhuktis

Governors - Uparikas

District -Vishayas

District head- Vishayapati

Village head - Gramika

City administrator – Nagar Shreshti

Kumaramatyas & Ayuktas - To help King maintain close contacts with provincial administration

Foreign affairs minister - “Sandivigraha”

Villagers were subjected to forced labour called ‘’Vishti’’ for serving royal army & officials

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FA HIEN SAID
• Administration is liberal, mild and benevolent

• Very few crimes

• Punishment is mostly fines

• People are prosperous

• Roads are safe for travellers

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SOCIAL LIFE
• Caste system became rigid

• Untouchability entered social order- Chandals segregated

• Brahmans formed the top ladder & receive numerous gifts

• Brahmanism reigned supreme during Gupta period & had 2 branches mainly, Vaishnavism &
Shaivism, with the former being more prevalent

• Religious festivals celebrated with elaborate rituals

• Image worship

• Women’s position deteriorated – not allowed to study scriptures

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ART & CULTURE
• Gupta age is called golden age of India in field of art, science & literature
• Nagara & Dravidian styles of art evolved during this period
• Temple sculptures and cave paintings flourished
• Delhi iron pillar, Copper Buddha statue - Metallurgy
• Deogarh temple, Jhansi
• Mural paintings of Ajanta depict life stories of Buddha as told by
• Jataka tales
• Bagh caves – rock cut Buddhist Vihars , murals painted on walls
• Udaygiri caves – Varaha avatar of Vishnu

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ART & CULTURE

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LITERATURE
• Sanskrit became primary language
• Writings in epic, lyrics, drama and prose style
• Brahmi script to NAGARI script

• Many Puranas + Ramayana & Mahabharata were compiled during this period
• Mudrarakshasa and Devichandraguptam – Vishakhadutt
• Mrichchakatika – Sudrak
• Kavyadarsa and Dasakumaracharita – Dandin
• Vasavadatta - Subhandhu

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KALIDAS
• Drama – Abhigyanshakuntalam

• Play – Vikramorvashi and Malvikagnimitra

• Epics- Raghuvamsa and Kumarasambhava

• Lyrics - Ritusamhara and Meghadoot

• Panchatantra - Vishnusarma

• Amarakosa, thesaurus of Sanskrit – Amarsimha

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SCIENCE
• The Gupta period witnessed brilliant activity in the sphere of mathematics, astronomy, astrology
and medicine
• Aryabhatta - Aryabhatiyam , Suryasidhhanta

• Varahmira -

1. Panch Sidhant (5 astronomical system)

2. Brihat - Jataka (Astrology)

3. Brihat- Samhita (astronomy, astrology, geography, architecture ,weather etc)

4. Vagbhata – Ashtang sangraha (compendium of 8 branches of Ayurvedic Medicine)

5. Charaka – Charak samhita

6. Sushruta – Sushruta samhita

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HARSHAVARDHAN
• 606 - 647 CE

• After Guptas decline Pushyabhuti family, a

feudatory of Guptas from Thanesar (Haryana)
extended their rule over Northern India

• Prabhakarvardhan was first important ruler

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QUESTION PRACTICE
The head of the traders in the Gupta period was called as
a) Shresthi
b) Kulika
c) Sarthavaha
d) Samaharta

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QUESTION PRACTICE
Who of the following described Samudragupta as 'Indian Napolean'?
a) V.A. Smith
b) Mortimer Wheeler
c) A.L. Basham
d) Max Muller

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QUESTION PRACTICE
Which of the following pairs is correctly matched?
a) Mehrauli iron pillar inscription ... victories of Chandragupta I
b) Eran inscription of Samudragupta ... first to mention sati
c) Nalanda copper plate inscription ... first reference of Agrahara
d) Allahabad inscription ... victories of Chandragupta-Il

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QUESTION PRACTICE
Match the following by using the codes given below.
A) Indian Shakespeare 1) Brahmagupta
B) Indian Newton 2) Acharya Nagarjuna
C) Indian Einstein 3) Asvagosha
D) Indian Milton 4) Kalidasa
Codes:
a) A-1, B-4, C-2, D-3
c) A-4, B-1, C-3, D-2
b) A-1, B-4, C-3, D-2
d) A-4, B-1, C-2, D-3

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QUESTION PRACTICE
Who among the following Gupta kings had another name Devagupta?
A) Chandragupta I
B) Samudragupta
C) Chandragupta II
D) Kumargupta

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QUESTION PRACTICE
The Gupta ruler who defeated the Hunas was
A) Samudragupta
B) Chandragupta II
C) Kumargupta
D) Skandgupta

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QUESTION PRACTICE
Who among the following is known as the 'Napoleon of India'?
A) Chandragupta Maurya
B) Samudragupta
C) Chandragupta II
D) Harshvardhan

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QUESTION PRACTICE
The first inscriptional evidence of Satipratha has been found from
A) Eran
B) Junagarh
C) Mandsaur
D) Sanchi

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