The Period(A.D 275-550) 1. Introduction

• Early history of is shrouded in mystery due to the lack of sources. • The early rulers of this dynasty took the title of ‘Maharaja’, which indicates their feudatory status. But it is not clear to whom they were feudatories. • According to some historians,Guptas initially ruled from Prayaga as the feudatories of Kushans,later declared their independence and ruled from Pataliputra. Sources No. Author Name of the Book Information 1 Kamandaka Nitisara Gupta administration 2 Vajjika Kaumudi Mahotsava Coronation of 3 Sudraka Mrichchakatika Pious brahmin Charudatta falling in love with a prostitute named Vasantasena 4 Visakhadatta Devi Chandraguptam Marriage of Chandragupta II with Dhruvadevi 5 Somadeva Kathasaritsagara Spread of Indian Culture to SE Asian countries 6 ------Genealogy of the Guptas • Along with these literary works, the writings of Fa-Hien also give valuable information about the Guptas. • He was a Buddhist pilgrim from China who spent 15 years in between A.D 399 and 414 during the reign of Chandragupta II. • He was the first foreigner to mention about untouchability prevailing in India. • He described the social,economic,religious and educational disabilities imposed upon the untouchable castes. Fa-Hien (Faxian) ❑ Inscriptions • 42 inscriptions of Guptas have been found so far, which include (eulogies) and danashasanas (land charters). ❑ Important Inscriptions are: I. ’s inscriptions provide valuable information- Inscription’s of Samudragupta Information (UP) Written on an Ashokan pillar found in Allahabad by Harisena(Mahadandanayaka,Sandhivigrahak a in the court of Samudragupta);gives details of kingdoms conquered by Samudragupta Eran Prashasti (MP) Samudragupta’s conquests Copper Plate Inscription () Is a land charter, speaks about a village endowed by Samudragupta to a brahmin (the term Agrahara appears for the first time in the Nalanda copper plate inscription of Samudragupta). Gaya Copper plate inscription (Bihar) Tells us that Samudragupta granted a village to a Buddhist at Gaya and that the vihara was built by king Mahameghavarma of Sri Lanka. Pillar-Prayagaraj(Allahabad) II.Mehrauli (Delhi)Iron Pillar Inscription of Chandragupta II • Describes the victories of Chandragupta II. • The iron pillar on which the inscription was written, weighs about 6 tons and is 23 feet tall. • It is about 1600 years old and shows no sign of rust. • It is made of pure Wrought Iron (99.7 % iron, very low sulphur,very high phosphorous content) • 11th century inscription on it refers to Anangapala Tomar establishing Delhi. Mehrauli (Delhi)Iron Pillar Inscription of Chandragupta II III. ’s inscriptions provide the following information: 1) Junagarh Inscription (Gujarat):Prashasti of Skandagupta; says he got the Sudarsana lake repaired. (Earlier, the Saka king also gave the same information in his Junagarh inscription). 2) Bhitari Inscription (MP) :Prashasti of Skandagupta; mentions his wars with the . IV. Pune Copper Plate Inscription (Maharashtra): • This danashasana was issued by Prabhavatigupta (D/o Chandragupta II). • It provides some information about the land survey system. V. Eran Inscription of Bhanugupta (MP): • Recorded in A.D. 510. • It is the first inscription to mention about the practice of Sati. VI Mandasore Inscription of Yasovarman (MP): • The inscription is dated A.D.532. • Issued by Yasovarman, who ruled over Central India with Mandasore as his capital. • This inscription tells us that Yasovarman defeated the Guptas. ❑ Numismatic Sources • Coins provide lot of information about the Guptas. • Gupta rulers minted a large number of gold coins called ‘Dinars' and silver coins called ‘rupayas'. • Fa-Hien:Common people used shells as medium of exchange. 1) Queen Kumaradevi appears on the coins minted by Chandragupta-l. (Minting coins with the portrait of the royal women was an uncommon practice.) Queen Kumaradevi and King Chandragupta I on a coin 2) Samudragupta issued many types of gold coins such as:

Samudragupta as shown on his Corresponding title coins Playing the lute ‘Kaviraja’ Performing Ashvamedha sacrifice ‘Asvamedhaparakrama’ Hunting a tiger ‘Vyaghraparakrama’. Samudragupta on a coin Lyrist type & Gold Dinar type of coins: Samudragupta 3) Chandragupta-II was the first Gupta king to mint silver coins on the model of Sakas of Ujjain. • Titles like Simha Chandra, Narendra Simha and Simha Vikrama appear on them. 4) 1395 silver coins of Kumaragupta were found at Samand (Maharashtra). • He is shown performing Ashwamedha sacrifice and his title ‘Asvamahendra’ appear on them. and Conquests Political History

1. Srigupta 2. Chandragupta I 3. Samudragupta 4. Chandragupta II 5. Kumaragupta 6. Skandagupta 7. Baladitya 8. Vishnugupta 1. Srigupta (A.D. 275- 300) o Founder of the dynasty o Took the title ‘Maharaja’ ( hence historians believe that he might be a feudatory). o According to the Chinese traveller Itsing, Srigupta built a Buddhist vihara at Mrugasikhavana. 2. Chandragupta-I (A.D. 320- 335) o Assumed the title ‘Maharajadhiraja’(hence scholars opine that he might have declared himself independent) o Chandragupta-I married the Lichchavi princess Kumaradevi and with their support, he might have become independent. 3. Samudragupta (A.D. 335- 380): • Greatest of the dynasty • Allahabad inscription gives a detailed account of his victories. According to it, Samudragupta conquered the following kingdoms: i. 8 Aryavarta Kingdoms (ie,land between Himalayas and Vindhyas). o 8 kings of Aryavarta were defeated by him of which Ganapatinaga, the ruler of Padmavati (Gwalior) was most eminent. ii. 5 Pratyanta Kingdoms: He conquered 5 border states namely Kamrupa (Assam), Dhavaka (Assam), Kartipura (Kashmir), Samatata () and . iii.18 Atavika Rajyas: Samudragupta conquered 18 tribal kingdoms located in Vindhya Mountains. iv. 9 Gana Rajyas: He conquered 9 republican states that had elected governments. Notable among them were Malava, Abhira, Yaudheya and Arjunayana states. v. 12 Dakshinapada Kingdoms: o Samudragupta defeated 12 southern states located between the rivers Mahanadi and Kaveri. o The important among them were- i. Mahendra (king of Kosala-Orissa) ii. Hastivarma (king of VengiAndhra Pradesh) iii. Vishnugopa (king of Kanchi -Tamil Nadu). o Samudra adopted the policy of 'grahana- moksha-anugraha’ towards the South Indian rulers, according to which their kingdoms were returned and they were made his feudatories. o Thus, Samudragupta transformed the small Gupta kingdom into a mighty empire. o British historian,Vincent A. Smith called Samudragupta as 'Indian Napoleon". Samudragupta’s Dakshinapatha Campaign 4. Chandragupta-II (A.D. 380- 412) • In A.D. 388, Chandragupta-II occupied Ujjain by defeating the Saka king Rudra Simha III. Thereafter, he assumed the titles of Sakari (destroyer of Sakas) and . • Ujjain became the second capital of Guptas. • Rudra Simha-III can be considered as the last Saka king in India. • Chandragupta strengthened the Gupta Empire through matrimonial alliances. • He married Kuberanaga (d/o Ganapatinaga) and married his daughter Prabhavati Gupta to Rudrasena-II, the king of Vakatakas. • According to a tradition, 9 distinguished poets named Navaratnas adorned his court. (but history doesn't support this claim as these scholars belonged to different periods) 1. : o Greatest among the Navaratnas Author Literature type Name 1.Kalidasa Drama i) Abhijnana Shakuntalam-Story of marriage of Shakuntala (D/o sage Vishwamitra & Menaka) with king Dushyanta Drama ii )Malavikagnimitram-love story and marriage of Agnimitra ( Sunga king) with Malavika Drama iii) Vikramorvasiyam-marriage of a warrior Vikramaditya with Urvasi Above 3 are called ‘NATAKATRAYA’ Poem iv) Kumarasambhava-birth of Kumaraswami to Shiva & Parvati Poem v) Meghadoota-A Yaksha living in Vindhya mountains sends a message of passionate love to his wife in the Himalayas through a passing cloud. Poem vi) Ritusamhara-describes different seasons in India Poem vii) Raghuvamsa-story of Rama,is an incomplete poem S.No Author Literature type Name Uniqueness . 2 Sharma Short story Panchatantra Was later translated into Arabic by Ibn al Muqaffa under the name Calila-e-Dimna 3 Amarasimha lexicon Amarakosa ------4 Vararuchi Grammar Prakrita Prakasa Only Prakrit poet among the Navaratnas 5 Dhanwantari Dictionary on ------Ayurveda 6 Susrutha ------Susruta Samhita A book on surgery 7 Aryabhatta Astronomy Surya Siddhanta Talks about Heliocentric theory, revolution of earth, causes of solar & lunar eclipses etc Mathematics Aryabhattiyam Decimal system and ‘0’ S.No Author Literature Name Uniqueness . type 8 Varahamihira Poem Brihat Samhita Encyclopedia of Indian sciences poem Pancha Siddhantika 5 theories related to Astronomy 9 Brahmagupta ------Khandanakadya He is called ‘Indian Newton’ for discussing the gravitational force of the earth. 5. Kumaragupta o During his reign,Huns invaded India for the first time. o Introduced worship of god Kartikeya in North India. o Performed an Ashwamedha and assumed the title of Mahendraditya. o He founded Nalanda University, the most famous institution. o According to Hiuen Tsang, 8300 students and 1500 instructors were present at Nalanda University. Nalanda University-Bihar o It also had 3 libraries namely Ratnadhadhi, Ratnaranjaka and Ratnasagara. o Nalanda University was headed by distinguished scholars like Dharmapala, Shilabhadra and Dharmakirti. o It was destroyed in the Turkish attacks of the late 12th century. 6. Skandagupta (455-467 AD) • He and his successors had to fight against the Huns who came from Central Asia. • He defeated the Huns and erected a victory pillar at Bhitari near Allahabad. • The Junargarh rock inscription informs us that his Governor Chakrapalita also repaired the Sudarshana lake. 7. Narasimhagupta Baladitya o He was one of the last rulers of the Gupta dynasty. o According to Hiuen Tsang, he embraced and built a Mahavihara at Ratnagiri. o He defeated (Huna king) and pardoned him. 8. Vishnugupta o He was the last ruler of the Gupta dynasty. ❑ By 550 AD, the Guptas had lost all their territories. ❑ The rise of feudatories and decline of foreign trade undermined the Guptas. ❑ Break up of North India after the Guptas Dynasty Area of rule Remarks Huns ,parts of Central India Later of Malwa defeated them Maukharis Bihar,UP (Capital:Kanauj) ------Later Guptas Parts of Bihar (Capital: ) ------Maitrakas of Valabhi W.India (Gujarat) ------Chandras Bengal ------Administrative Divisions: Empire

Provinces (Bhuktas)-Uparika

Districts (Vishayas)-Vishayapatis

Village-Grama ▪ Cities-adminstered by Nigamasabhas(merchants) ❑Gupta Administration

▪ Important Sandhivigrahaka In charge of Foreign Affairs Officials Kumaramatya Higher officials employed in different departments Mahabaladhikrita Commander of military forces Bhataswapati Commander of cavalry Katuka / Pilupati Commander of the elephantry Dandapasadhikarana Head of Police Department Shaulkika Customs Officer Hiranika & Audrangika Tax collectors Mahadandanayaka Chief Justice ❑Religious Conditions o Significant developments took place in the religious sphere. o Bhakti-centric evolved in its fullest form. o Most of the religions of Ancient India were merged into Hinduism. o Within Hindu religion, Vaishnavism and Shaivism were born as two major sects. ❑ Vaishnavism: o Guptas were followers of Vaishnavism. o Varaha (one of the incarnations of Vishnu)became their family deity. o The concept of ‘Dashavatara’ became very popular during the Gupta period. o According to Hindu mythology Lord Vishnu in order to save humanity took ten different incarnations. They are : No. Incarnation Attribute

1 Matsya Lord Vishnu as a gigantic fish saved Manu from flood in order to save the human race from extinction 2 Kurma Lord Vishnu as Tortoise carried the Mandara mountain when gods and demons were churning the ocean for elixir (amrut) 3 Varaha Lord Vishnu took the form of a Wild Boar to eliminate demon Hiranyaksha to protect mother earth. 4 Narasimha Lord Vishnu incarnated as Man-Lion to kill demon king Hiranya Kasipa 5 Vamana Lord Vishnu took the form of Vamana to send Bali, a demon king of Kerala to the abyss (Malayalis celebrate Onam in memory of emperor Bali) 6 Parasurama Lord Vishnu as Warrior-Sage with an axe who terminated the Kshatriyas by killing their king Kartavirya No. Incarnation Attribute 7 Sri Rama Lord Vishnu took a human form as king Rama holding a bow and killed Ravana,the demon king of Lanka 8 Lord Vishnu incarnated as Krishna and killed Kamsa,the ruler of Mathura to preserve Dharma 9 Buddha Lord Vishnu took the human form of Buddha to preach non- violence and social equality to mankind 10 Kalki According to the Puranas Lord Vishnu would appear as Kalki at the end of Kaliyug to safeguard dharma. ❑Shaivism

• Shaivism is the second important sect of Hinduism. • Many sub-sects (both extreme and moderate) evolved within Shaivism during the ancient period. • Important Extreme Shaiva sects are seen in the following table. Sect Founder Importance Pasupata Lakulisa of Gujarat in 2nd He wrote a book called century AD Pancharthavidya Kapalika & Kalamukha ------These 2 sects were born from Pasupata in the 4th & 5th centuries AD Aghora Shaivism Aghora Shivacharya in 12th This sect is still found in Kasi century AD region.Aghoras eat human excreta and dead bodies Moderate Shaiva cults

No. Sect Founder Place 1 Trika Abhinavagupta Kashmir 2 Pratyabhigna Vasugupta Kashmir 3 Spandasastra Kallata & Somananda Kashmir 4 Shuddha Shaiva/ Srikantha Shivacharya Central India Shivadvaita 5 Virasaiva Basavanna/Basaveshwara Karnataka • Traditional historians-Gupta period- “Golden Age” due to brilliant developments in fine arts and literature. • Modern historians-Golden Age cannot be decided just based on development of Art and Literature. • A golden age is one in which every manifestation of life reaches to its peak of excellence, which is never seen in any of the periods of Indian history. Hence, the golden age is a myth. • Undoubtedly, the Gupta period witnessed magnificent development’s in the field of literature, painting, art and architecture. Hence, it can be termed as ‘Classical Age'. Architecture: o Even though the Guptas were followers of Hinduism, they gave equal importance to all religions. o Buddhist and Hindu architecture developed equally during the reign of the Guptas. Buddhist art and architecture

• Under Gupta patronage, a new style known as ‘Sarnath school of art’ which is primarily Buddhist was developed. • It was centered at Sarnath near Kasi. • Noteworthy specimen of Sarnath art-Sculpture of Buddha in the ‘Dharmachakra-parivartana-mudra' • 7 feet tall copper statue of Buddha found at Sultangunj in Bihar belongs to the Gupta period (now Birmingham museum, England). • Many Buddhist caves were built by the Guptas which served as both and . • Some of the rock-cut caves at Ajanta (Maharashtra) and 9 caves at Bagh (MP) were built by the Guptas. Hindu Art and Architecture o Guptas constructed the earliest Hindu temples in India. o They built both cave and structural temples of Hindu religion. ▪ 20 Hindu cave temples of both Shaivism and Vaishnavism were built at Udayagiri (Vidisa dt,MP) by the Guptas. o They are the earliest Hindu cave temples in India and showcase beautiful sculptures. o Their structural temples are in the Panchayatana style. o 5 ft statue of Varaha saving the earth is the most remarkable among all the sculptures of Udayagiri. Varaha saving the earth Questions

1. Zero was invented by (1995) a) Aryabhatta* b) Varahamihira c) Bhaskara I d) An unknown Indian 2.Match the following (1996) A. Vishakhadatta i) Medicine B. Varahamihira ii) Drama C. Charaka iii) Astronomy D. Brahmagupta iv) Mathematics a) A-i,B-iii,C-iv,d-ii c) A-ii,B-iii,C-i,D-iv* b) A-ii,B-i,C-iii,D-iv d) A-iii,B-iv,C-i,D-ii 3.The silver coins issued by the Guptas were called:(1997) a) Rupaka* b) Karshapana c) Dinara d) Pana 4.Which one of the following ports handled the north Indian trade during the Gupta period?(1999) a) Tamralipti* b) Broach c) Kalyan d) Cambay 5.From the 3rd century AD, when the Hun invasion ended the Roman empire, the Indian merchants relied more and more on the : (1999) a) African trade b) West European trade c) South-east Asian trade* d) Middle eastern trade 6.With reference to Indian history, which of the following is/are the essential element/s of the feudal system? (2015) i. A very strong centralized political authority and a very weak provincial or local political authority. ii. Emergence of administrative structure based on control and possession of land iii. Creation of lord-vassal relationship between the feudal lord and his overlord. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? a) 1 and2 only b) 2 and 3 only* c) 3 only d) 1,2 and 3 7.Why did Buddhism start declining in India in the early medieval times? (2010) i. Buddha was by that time considered as one of the incarnations of Vishnu and thus became a part of Vaishnavism. ii. The invading tribes from Central Asia till the time of last Gupta king adopted Hinduism and persecuted Buddhists iii. The kings of Gupta dynasty were strongly opposed to Buddhism. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? a) 1 only* b) 1 and 3 only c) 2 and 3 only d) 1,2 and 3 8.Who of the following Gupta kings performed Asvamedhayaga? 1. Samudragupta 2. Chandragupta I 3. Chandragupta II 4. Kumaragupta a) 1,2,3 c) 1 and 4* b) 2 and 4 d) 1 only 9.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* END