Gupta Empire|History, Rulers And Founder in Detail
At the beginning of the 4th century AD, no large organized state existed in India. Although the rule of the Kushan and Shaka rulers continued till the 4th century AD, their power was greatly weakened and the rule of the Satavahana dynasty ended before the middle of the 3rd century AD. The Gupta dynasty emerged in such a political situation. After the fall of the Kushanas, many monarchies and republics emerged in North India. Monarchies included Gupta, Naga, Abhir Ikshvaku and republics included Arjunayan, Malavas, Yaudheya Lichchhavi etc. The social structure of India for almost four centuries after the Kushanas. Religious, literary, scientific and technological development continued. Which is mainly related to the reign of Gupta kings.
The initial state of the Gupta dynasty was in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Perhaps Uttar Pradesh was a province of greater importance to the Gupta rulers than Bihar, as the earliest Gupta coins and inscriptions have been found mainly from Uttar Pradesh.
The Guptas were probably Vaishyas and had been feudatories of the Kushanas. Military techniques and matrimonial relations acquired from the Kushanas played an important role in the expansion and consolidation of the Gupta Empire.
Sources of History of The Gupta Dynasty
Following are the three important sources of knowing the history of the Gupta dynasty- (1) Literary sources (2) Archaeological sources and (3) Descriptions of foreign travelers.
literary source
Information about the Gupta rulers Ramagupta and Chandragupta II is obtained from Vishakhadatta's drama 'Devi Chandraguptam'.
Apart from this, the works of Kalidas (Ritusanhar, Kumarasambhavam, Meghdoot, Malavikagnimitram, Abhijnana Shakuntalam) and Shudrak's 'Mrichchakatikam' and Vatsyayan's 'Kamasutra' also provide information about the Gupta period.
archaeological sources
In archaeological sources, the history of the Gupta dynasty is known from inscriptions, coins and monuments.
Information about him is available from Samudragupta's Prayag Prashasti inscription.
Skandagupta's inner pillar gives information about the Hun invasion, while Skandagupta's Junagadh inscription gives information that he had reconstructed the Sudarshan lake. Gold, silver and copper coins of Gupta kings have been found. In this period, gold coins were called 'Dinar', silver coins were called 'Rupak' or 'Rupyak' and copper coins were called 'Mashak'.
The largest hoard of Gupta gold coins has been obtained from "Bayana" of Rajasthan province.
The temples include Vishnu Temple at Tigwa (Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh), Shiva Temple at Bhumra (Satna, Madhya Pradesh), Parvati Temple at Nachna Kuthara (Panna, Madhya Pradesh), Temple at Bhitargaon (Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh), Dashavatara Temple at Deogarh (Lalitpur, North State) etc. are particularly noteworthy.
Gupta period monuments, such as temples, idols, chaityagriha etc. give information about the contemporary art and architecture.
Some paintings of Ajanta and Bagh caves are also considered as Gupta period.
details of foreign travelers
Fahien: This was a Chinese traveler and came to India during the reign of Chandragupta II. It has described the middle country.
Hiuen Tsang: It mentions the Gupta rulers like Kumaragupta I, Budhgupta, Narasimhagupta 'Baladitya' etc. It is known from its description that Kumaragupta had established 'Nalanda Mahavihara'.
Major Rulers Of Gupta Period
Sri Gupta: The founder of the Gupta dynasty was Srigupta, who assumed the title of 'Maharaj'. Maharaj was the title of Samantas which shows that they ruled under some ruler.
According to the description of Itsing, he got a temple built in Magadha and donated 24 grams for the expenses of the temple. After Shrigupta, his son Ghatotkacha became the ruler of the Gupta dynasty. Even in Skandagupta's Supiya article (Rewa, Madhya Pradesh), the genealogy of the Guptas is considered to have started from the time of Ghatotkacha. Therefore, it is known from this that the political history of the Guptas started from the time of Ghatotkacha.
Chandra Gupta I (319-350):
After Ghatotkacha, Chandragupta became the first king, who was a powerful ruler of the Gupta dynasty. Chandragupta I is considered the real founder of the Gupta dynasty. The date of his coronation is 319 AD. It is considered to be the beginning of the 'Gupta Samvat'.
Chandragupta (whose rule was earlier limited to some parts of Magadha) extended his kingdom up to Allahabad.
Chandragupta I assumed the title of 'Maharajadhiraja' and increased his power with the help of the Lichchavi by marrying Kumaradevi, the princess of the Lichchavi kingdom. This is confirmed by two proofs- 1. Gold coins, in which 'Chandragupta Kumaradevi type', 'Licchavi type',
There are 'king-queen type', 'marriage type' etc.
2. The second evidence is the Prayag inscription of Samudragupta, in which he has been called 'Licchavi Dauhitra'.
Chandragupta I obtained the kingdom of Vaishali by marrying the Lichchavi princess Kumaradevi. He got himself and Kumaradevi's name engraved on his gold coin. Lichhavayah (Licchavi) is engraved on the reverse side of these coins.
Chandragupta I is credited with the initiation of a new era in history. According to the calculations of the Fleet, this era was practiced in 319-20 AD.
Chandragupta I was the first ruler among the Gupta dynasty vec a rulers. The one who issued silver coins.
After making Samudragupta his successor, Chandragupta I took sannyasa.
Samudragupta:
Chandragupta I was succeeded by Samudragupta, who ascended the throne in 350 AD. He defeated 12-12 rulers of Aryavarta and Dakshinavarta. Due to these victories, Samudragupta was called 'Napoleon of India' by historian Vincent Smith.
Prayag Prashasti (Allahabad Prashasti) column written by Harishen
Samudragupta's court poet Harisena mentions the conquests of Samudragupta in the seventh stanza of the Prayag Prashasti article and in the fourth stanza Chandragupta I mentions the selection of Samudragupta as his successor.
Chandragupta adopted the invasion policy of victory for the expansion and strengthening of the Gupta power.
In 'Prayag Prashasti' Samudragupta is described as a great conqueror and the one who conquers the whole earth (Dharni Bandha). This pillar built by Ashoka was originally located in Kaushambi, which was installed by Akbar in Allahabad. Jahangir and Birbal are also mentioned on this pillar. (Ashok Samudragupta → Akbar Birbal Jahangir) The first mention of Bharatvarsha is found in Prayag Prashasti.
Eran Pillar Inscription, Gaya Copper Plate, Nalanda Copper Plate
In an inscription obtained from Eran, located in the Sagar district of Madhya Pradesh, Samudragupta has been considered as a more generous king than the kings of Prithu, Raghav etc. In this record his wife's name is mentioned as Dattadevi.
Mudras Implemented By Samudra Gupta
Mudras of Samudragupta We get a total of six mudras of Samudragupta. postures of
Sheds beautiful light on life and works.
Garuda Type: The Garuda type seals provide evidence of Samudragupta's victory over the Naga dynasty kings. In these mudras, Samudragupta is said to have won hundreds of battles. On the reverse of the coin is the word 'Parakramah' along with the enthroned goddess.
The archer type is inscribed on its reverse side with the title of Singhavahini Devi, Apratiratha. The king is standing with a bow and arrow on the face of the coin.
Parashu type, in this the king is wearing a parashu and his
The title Kritanta (Yam) Parshu' is inscribed.
Ashwamedha Type: This type of coins is the evidence of the Ashwamedha Yagya performed by Samudragupta. On his seal, the picture of a horse tied in the form of Yagya and the inscription 'Rajadhiraj' conquering the earth and conquering heaven by performing the Ashwamedhya Yagya, is engraved.
Vyagrahanana type: In this, Samudragupta is shown hunting a tiger. On the reverse, 'Makarvahi Ganga and Raja Samudragupta' are engraved as the victory of the Ganga valley.
Veena Playing Type: It shows Samudragupta being a music lover.
Get. In this, Samudragupta is shown playing Veena.
Military Operations
Samudragupta was a great commander and skilled warrior. As soon as he sat on the throne, he planned his victory campaigns for Digvijay.
Through this he established his dominance over the entire northern India. Aryavarta's first and second victory campaign, the victory of Dakshinapath, the victory of Atvik states were his main military campaigns. In the process of his Digvijaya, Samudragupta first defeated three powers in North India. During this campaign, he defeated Achyuta Nagasen and Kotkulaj rulers.
There were a total of 12 states in the states of Dakshinapath Kaushal Mahakantar Koral, Pishthapur, Kotur Erandapalla, Kancho Avamukt Vengi Palakka Devarashtra Kusthalpur.
Samudragupta adopted three policies for Dakshinapath victory. First, eclipse (power over the enemy); Second, Moksha (freeing the enemy) and third grace (returning his kingdom to the enemy).
After retiring from the campaign of Dakshinapatha, Samudragupta again fought a war in North India which was called 'Aryavarta's second war'. In the second war of Aryavarta, Samudragupta conquered 9 states. The king in the second war of Aryavarta was Rudradev Mattil Nagdatta,
Chandravarma Ganapatinag, Nagsen Achyut Nandi, Balavarma.
Samudragupta made the Atvik states his servants. According to Fleet, all these states were spread in the forest region from Ghazipur district of Uttar Pradesh to Jabalpur district of Madhya Pradesh. , The border states also used to pay all kinds of taxes to Samudragupta, in which the states of Flat Hawak, Kamrup, Kartripur and Nepal etc. were included.
Military Conquest Policies Of Samudragupta
Policy of State Prabhodharan: Magadha defeated the surrounding states and merged them into his state.
Policy of Universalisation: This policy was for the marginal areas. Servantised Policy: The policy of making Atvik (tribal) states servile.
Grahan Mokshanugrah: After defeating the union of 12 kings of South India, they were handed over their kingdoms again.
Kanyapayana: Marital relations with foreigners by defeating them
Ashvamedha Yagya
After his victory, Samudragupta performed Ashwamedha Yagya and assumed the title of 'Ashwamedha Parakram'.
Samudragupta established a vast empire which extended from the Himalayas in the north to the Vidhya Mountains in the south and from the Bay of Bengal in the east to Eastern Malwa in the west.
Except Kashmir, Western Punjab, Western Rajputana, Sindh and Gujarat, the whole of North India was included in it.
Note: Prior to the Guptas, Pushyamitra Shung had performed two Ashwamedha Yagyas.
Other Characteristics Of Samudragupta
Samudragupta was a conqueror as well as a poet, musician and patron of learning. On his coins, he is shown playing Veena and given the title of 'Kaviraj'.
Samudragupta assumed the titles Vyaghraparakramanka, Apratiratha, Parakramanka etc. which are found printed on his coins.
He patronized the famous Buddhist monk Vasubandhu.
Samudragupta was asked by Meghavarna, the ruler of Sri Lanka, for permission to build a Buddhist monastery at Gaya, which was granted. Which later developed into a huge Buddhist monastery.
Samudragupta has got the title of 'Param Bhagwat' in the copper plate.
Chandragupta II 'Vikramaditya' (375-415 AD)
The name of Chandragupta II is mentioned after Samudragupta in the Gupta dynasty, but the existence of a weak ruler named Ramagupta is also known between the two rulers.
The drama 'Devichandraguptam' composed by Visakhadatta shows that Ramagupta sat on the throne after Samudragupta. He was defeated by doubts and agreed to give his wife Dhruvadevi to them, Ramagupta's younger brother was Chandragupta II. He defeated the doubts and married the widow of Ramagupta.
An inscription inscribed on a hundred (Maka pillar) standing near the Qutub Minar in Delhi describes the fame of a king named 'Chandra' who is identified with Chandragupta II.
The Udayagiri cave inscription also mentions the victories of Chandragupta II, The pillar inscription of Mathura is the first authentic Gupta inscription in terms of chronology during his reign, in which the date is mentioned.
Matrimonial relations and expansion of empire
Chandragupta II expanded the extent of the empire both through matrimonial alliances and conquests.
He established matrimonial ties with the Naga dynasty by marrying the Naga princess Kubernaga and later married his daughter Prabhavati to King Rudrasena II of the Vakataka dynasty. He married his son Kumaragupta I to the daughter of Kadamba ruler Kakutsayan.
As a result of matrimonial relations, Chandragupta II established dominance over western Malwa and Gujarat by indirectly influencing the Vakataka state located in central India. With this victory, Chandragupta II got the western seaboard, which was famous for trade and commerce. This made Malwa and its main city Ujjain prosperous.
He made Ujjayini the second capital while the first capital was Pataliputra.
Chandragupta II and Shaka
Chandragupta II defeated Rudrasimha III, the last Saka ruler of Ujjayini. Probably Chandragupta II assumed the title of 'Vikramaditya' only after his victory over the Shakas. The meaning of Vikramaditya is - Sun of might.
Indian legends remember him as 'Shakari' (conqueror of doubts).
Chandragupta II minted tiger style silver coins in the Malwa region to commemorate his victory over the Shakas and used to weigh about 33 grains.
Other Names And Titles
Other names - Devagupt, Devraj and Devashree, Titles Vikramank, Vikramaditya Param Bhagwat etc.
Art And Literature
The reign of Chandragupta II is remembered not because of the wars but because of his deep affection for art and literature.
A group of nine scholars resided in his court, which has been called 'Navratna'. Among them were scholars like Kalidas, Dhanvantari Kshapanak Amarsingh, Shanku Vetalbhatta Ghatakpar Varahmihir and Varruchi, During his reign Chinese traveler Fahiyan (399-414 AD) came to India.
Kumaragupta I or Mahendraditya (415-455 AD)
Chandragupta II was succeeded by his son Kumaragupta but before Kumaragupta the name of another ruler appears, that ruler was Govindagupta, son of Devi (Ramagupta's wife). This is a controversial topic.
Information about his reign is obtained from Kumargupta's Bilsad inscription, Mandsaur inscription, Karamdanda inscription etc. Most of the Gupta records have been received from the time of Kumaragupta I.
The description of his well-organized rule is found in his 'Mandsaur inscription'. This inscription is in the form of a praise which was composed by 'Vatsabhatta'.
coins
Silver coins were introduced in Central India during this period.
Kumaragupta engraved the figure of peacock in place of Garuda on the coins. The figure of a king feeding a peacock is engraved on the face of this type of currency and the figure of Kartikeya sitting on the reverse side is engraved.
The coins of Kumaragupta show that he performed Ashwamedha Yagya.
Titles
Kumaragupta assumed titles such as Mahadraditya, Sri Mahendra and Mahendra Ashwamedha.
Other characteristics
In the last days of Kumaragupta I, castes named Pushyamitra attacked. Skandagupta was successful in defeating Pushyamitra.
Kumaragupta I had established Nalanda University. Nalanda University is called 'Oxford of Mahayana'.
Skandagupta (455-467 AD)
Kumaragupta was succeeded by Skandagupta, According to the inner pillar, the first Huna invasion took place during this time. According to the Junagarh inscription, Skandagupta had repulsed the invasion of the Hunas. In the Junagarh inscription, the Huns have been called 'Plechha'.
Hun
Hran's kingdom was spread from Persia to Khatan. Whose main capital was Bamiyan in Afghanistan.
The first Huna invasion took place during the time of Skandagupta under the leadership of Khushnawaz. Torman and Mihirkul became famous Hun rulers, Mihirkul has been called a hater of Buddhism and an idolater.
According to the Junagarh inscription, Skandagupta entrusted the task of reviving the Sudarshan lake to Chakrapalit, the son of Parnadatta, the governor of Saurashtra. He also got a Vishnu temple built on the banks of Lake Pi.
Note: Pushyamitra Vaishya (at the time of Chandragupta Maurya), Tusasap (at the time of Ashoka) and Suvishakh are related to all three Sudarshan lakes of Rudradaman.
Hiuen Tsang has mentioned the name of 'Shakraditya' among the rulers who built Nalanda Sangharam. From which the proof of helping Nalanda Sangharam by Skandagupta is given.
Skandagupta issued new coins of Taurus style. Skandagupta sent an ambassador to the court of the Chinese Emperor Song in 466 AD.
other rulers
After Skandagupta, Purugupta Narasimha Gupta, Baladitya Kumar Gupta II, Budhgupta Bhanugupta Vainya Gupta Kumar Gupta became the third ruler.
Buddhagupta donated money to Nalanda Mahavihara. Narasimha Gupta had defeated Hun Naresh Mihirkul.
The first epigraphic evidence of the practice of sati comes from the Eran inscription of Bhanugupta (510 AD).
Vishnugupta III was the last ruler of the Gupta Empire.
With the decline of the Guptas, new dynasties emerged, among them Maitrak of Ballabho, Maukhari of Kannauj and Pushyabhuti dynasty of Thaneshwar were prominent.
The rule of the Guptas continued till 550 AD, but the declining power was of no importance.
Gupta Administration
The Gupta rulers built a vast empire. Pataliputra was the capital of this vast empire. The Gupta Empire had a well-organized administrative system, which was applicable even in the areas over which they had firm control. Gupta administrative system is as follows-
In the Gupta period, the king was at the head of the administration. Heavy titles were adopted by the Gupta kings, such as 'Maharajadhiraja', 'Parambhattaraka' etc.
It was the duty of the king to ensure the policy of the state in times of war and peace. It was the duty of the king to protect the people from any attack.
In the Gupta period, the king was the supreme judge. Therefore, he looked after the administration of justice according to religious rules and rituals.
In this period, the governance system was monarchical and hereditary, but elements like seniority are rarely visible.
council of ministers and other officials
Both Kamandak and Kalidas have mentioned the Mantrimandal or Council of Ministers.
In the Gupta period, the ministers were selected by the king on the basis of their personal merit, from among prince Samto and high officials. The biggest officers were 'Kumaramatya'. The king used to appoint them in his province and they used to get cash salary. Mr. Altekar is of the opinion that Kumaramatya is the modern I.A.S. They were like office bearers of the class. Kumaramatyas were provincial officials who functioned somewhere between the local administration and the center.
Harisena (Sandhi Vigrahik of Samudragupta), Virasena (Sandhi Vigrahik of Chandragupta II), Shikharswami (Minister of Chandragupta II), Prithvishena (Minister of Kumaragupta), Parnadatta and Chakrapalit (Minister of Skandagupta) were the main officers of the Gupta period.
In the Gupta period, an officer used to hold several posts simultaneously. From this period, positions also became hereditary, as many generations of the same family used to hold high positions. Its information is available from 'Karamdanda inscription'.
Province, district and local (village) government
For administrative convenience, the entire empire was divided into Rashtras or Bhuktis. The names of some Bhuktis are also found in the Gupta records, such as Pundravardhana Bhukti in Bengal, under which the region of North Bengal came.
The province or bhukti was further divided into districts (pradesh or vishya), whose head was called 'vishaypati' (kumaramatya).
There was a Zilla Parishad at the district level. It was called 'Subject Council'. Similarly, each city had a city council, in which the regional business group was predominant. were included in this council.
Nagar Shresthi Leader of the capitalist class Sarthavaha Leader of the merchants of 'subject'
head of the first kulik artisan community
head of first kayastha scribes
The smallest unit of administration was the village, which was administered by the Gram Sabha. The work of the Gram Sabha was to make security arrangements for the village, to do construction work and to collect revenue.
The Gram Sabha was called 'Panchmandali' in Central India and 'Gram Janapada' in Bihar.
military system
The military administration was headed by a commander whose highest authority was the 'Mahabaladhikrit'.
In the Gupta period, the king had a standing army. There were four main parts of the army- (1) Padati, (ii) Ratarohi. (iii) Cavalry and (iv) Gajasena. Ordinary soldiers were called 'Chaat'.
Among the officers of the police department, there were major posts like Uparik, Dashapradhik, Chaurodharnik, Dandpashik, Bodyguard etc.
The intelligence officer was called 'Doot' and the police officer was called 'Bhat' (Bhat).
The Ranbhadagarik (officer who arranged the goods) used to arrange the logistics.
source of revenue
The income from land revenue was the main source of income in the Gupta period. The land was generally considered to be owned by the emperor. He was entitled to 1/6th of the produce produced by the land. That's why Kalidas has called the emperor 'sixth instinct'.
The land which was donated to temples and Brahmins. It was called Agrahara'. This type of land was tax free and the holders had complete control over it. The only purpose of such land grants was educational and religious.
Kulyavap and Dronavap were related to the unit of land measurement in North India in the Gupta period.
Gupta Society
The Gupta society was traditionally divided into four varnas. The basis of the four varnas was birth, not virtue and karma. Brahmins had the highest position in the society. The main work area of Kshatriya Varna was defense and military service. The main work of Vaishya Varna was agriculture and business. Due to the decline of commerce and business, their social status declined. The fourth character remained.
The smallest unit of the Gupta social system was the family. It is known from the description of Fahiyan that there was an untouchable class in the Gupta period. They have been called 'Antyaj' and 'Chandal'.
Hiuen Tsang has mentioned the Shudras as a cultivator (agriculturist) class. The economic condition of the Shudras improved during this period. Now the Shudras were also adopting the military profession. Apart from this, Rahas also got the right to read Ramayana and Mahabharata during this period.
Chandal had the lowest position among the four varnas. Chandal people used to do the work of fishing, hunting and selling meat.
The Kayasthas arose because of the practice of land grants among castes. The first mention of Kayasthas is found in 'Yagyavalkya Smriti'.
In this period, justice was done on the basis of caste system and caste discrimination was maintained in punishment. According to Manusmriti, the highest punishment was given to the the and the least punishment to the Shudra, whereas the Shudra accused of murder was punished the most and the Brahmin got the least. In fact the Brahmin was free from the death penalty.
commerce and trade
Textile industry was the most important industry of this period. 'Amarkosh' refers to spinning, weaving, handloom, thread etc.
During this period, the industry of making pottery and clay idols and preparing stone and metal articles also developed. The 'Iron Pillar of Mehrauli' is considered to be the best example of Gupta period metal construction art.
There were corporations, guilds and unions of artisans and businessmen. During this period, the seals of the categories, Sarthavahas, first Kulikas etc. from places like Nalanda, Vaishali etc. demonstrate the organizational activities of the craftsmen.
In the Mandsaur inscription, the Pattvaya category and in the Indore article, the mention of the Tailik category has come.
It is known from the Mandsaur inscription that a class of silk weavers had built a grand temple.
Division of commercial bodies on the basis of their actual function or nature.
shresthi kulik nigam
Poog Group of merchants of different castes. Category – A group of traders belonging to the same caste.
Nigam The association of traders was called 'Nigam'. Its chief was Shresthi. According to 'Amarkosh', Nigam was an association of merchants who used to live in the same city and do business.
By this time Roman trade had declined, but trade with Southeast Asia and China increased. Tamralipti was the main port of eastern India while Bhrigukachchha (Bharuch) was the main port of western India. Apart from this, Chaul Ghatshala and Kadura were also important ports.
During this period silk (Chinanshuk), ivory from Ethiopia and horses from Arab Iran and Bactria were imported.
Delhi Sultanate
Indus Valley Civilization
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