CIVIL SERVICES (PRELIMS) SPECIAL

Quick Revision Notes

on Indian History
The Imperial Guptas
Ashokas death left a vacuum in India for the next 600
years, during which, several
foreign tribes overran India.
With the ascent of the Gupta
power, the northern States were
merged into a single empire.
This national revival yielded an
excellent administration and
trade, all-round development
with prevailing order and
peace. The tax-burden was low
compared to the Mauryan rule
and the State provided for safe
roads for trade. The period saw
the revival of religion, sanskrit
literature, art and architecture
too.
1. After the Mauryas,
the two main powers were
the Satavahanas in the Deccan and the Kushanas in the
north. They carried on brisk
trade with the Roman
empire. These powers were
replaced in the middle of the
3rd century A.D. by the Guptas. The Guptas were
Vaishyas by caste and followed Vaishnavism.
2. The main centres of
Gupta activity were Magadha (Pataliputra), Prayag
(Allahabad), Ujjain (M.P.,
considered as their second
capital), Saket (Ayodhya,
U.P.), and Sarnath (Benaras,
Varanasi, U.P.).
3. Sri Gupta and his son
Ghatotkacha Gupta were the
first definite rulers of this
dynasty, who also used the
term Maharaja. However,
no definite place is assigned
to them over which they
ruled.
4. Chandragupta-I is

considered real founder.

He started the Gupta Era
(320 A.D.). His marriage
alliance with the Licchavi
(North Bihar) princess
Kumaradevi enhanced his
status and he ruled over
Oudh, Magadh and Prayag.
5. Samudra Guptas
campaigns have been mentioned by his court poet
Harisena in the Prayag
Prasasti, which is a valuable
source of information for the
various States, tribes and
their rulers. His victory over
the
Nagas,
Hunas,
Vakatakas, etc gave him the
title of Indian Napoleon
(for his conquests), especially the Vakataka ruler
Pravarasena (of Berar, Deccan) and Tamralipti (Bengal).
6. The Guptas were secular rulers and offered religious freedom to the society.
7. Chandra Gupta-II
(Vikramaditya) defeated
his elder brother Ramagupta
and the Saka chief Basana,
because Ramagupta had
agreed to offer his wife
Dhruvadevi to save the
kingdom from Basana. To
strengthen his position further, he married his daughter Prabhadevi, by his wife
Kuber Naga, to the Vakataka
king Rudrasena II. The
Vakatakas helped him to end
the power of the Sakas of
Western India.
8. Vikramaditya is identified with king Chandra of
the iron pillar inscription
near Qutab Minar, Delhi.
9. The reign of Vikramaditya also saw the visit of the

Chinese monk Fahien, who

wanted to secure some
copies of Buddhist manuscripts from India.
10. Skanda Gupta is
famous for saving the
empire from the Huna tribe,
which had overran Asia and
Europe. They suffered a terrible defeat in India.
11. Skanda Gupta
appointed Parnadatta as
governor to the Sakas at
Saurashtra. The famous
Junagarh rock inscription in
Girnar hills, Kathiawar, refer
to the repair of the embankment of the Sudarshan Lake
by Parnadatta and his son
Chakrapalita.
12. The last important
Gupta ruler was Vishnu
Gupta.
13. Archaeological
sources of Gupta history are
available as prasastis
(charters recording land
grants, etc). They are called
Tamra sasanas or Tamrapatras (copper plates).
14. Gupta coins were
first issued by Samudra
Gupta, as the golden
Dinara. He also issued
Chandragupta and Kumaradevi
type coins to commemorate his
fathers marriage to the Licchavi princess.
15. The first silver coins
were issued by Chandragupta-II, on imitation of the
western Satraps. Copper
coins were also issued.
16. Brahmanical faith,
which had been eclipsed for
long by the new sects of
Buddhism and Jainism,
achieved immense splen-

557 ! JANUARY 2004 ! THE COMPETITION MASTER

dour under the Vaishnavite

Guptas, who also encouraged to revive use of Sanskrit.
17. Devi worship in various forms achieved importance during Gupta period.
Lakshmi was worshipped as
consort to Vishnu and Parvati
to Shiva.
18. Emergence of Bhakti
cult, stressing on worship,
devotion and love towards a
personal God, gained importance during the Gupta
period.
19. Literature and intellectual progress also manifested unparalleled progress.
Sanskrit was honoured as
the State language.
20. Some important
scholars/works of the
period are:
( a ) Vi s h n u s h a r m a
wrote Panchatantra, a collection of moral stories.
(b) Harisenaauthor of
Prayag (Allahabad) prasasti
(insciption)gives account
of Samudraguptas campaigns.
(c) Vishakhadutta
wrote Mudra Rakshas (on
Mauryas and Nandas) and
Devichandragupta
(on
Chandragupta-II and Dhruva Devi).
(d) Shudrakawrote
Mricchakatika (a drama on
a
Brahmin
merchant
Charudutt and a courtesan
Vasantsena, portrays city
life).
(e) Bharaviepic poem
Kirtarjuneya (Arjuna and the
disguised hunter Shiva).
(f) DandinDasaku-

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maracharita (stories of 10
princes).
(g) SubandhuVasavdatta (story of prince Kandarpketu and princess
Vasavdatta).
(h) Banabhattaa later
date writerwrote Harshacharita and Kadambarihe
was court poet of Harsha
Vardhana.
(i) Amarsimhaa lexicographerhe wrote Amarakosa, he listed various
metals and alloys.
(j) KamandakaNitisara (on Chandragupta-Is
polity and administration)
is parallel to Kautilyas
Arthasastra.
(k) Puranasreligious
literature was made more
appealing. Puranas were
finally written down.
(l) Kalidasagreatest
literary scholarwrote the
dramas Abhijnanasakuntalam
(Shakuntala), Vikramorvasiya,
Malvikagnimitra; The epics
Raghuvamsa and Kumarasambhava; The poetries
Meghaduta and Ritusamhara.
21. Nalanda (Rajagriha,
Bihar) was founded by
Kumaragupta (A.D. 450) and
was famous for its tests.
There was free education. It
had 10,000 students, 1,500
teachers and 300 classrooms, a big three-storeyed
library. Huen Tsang who
came later, during Harsha,
studied here for five years.
Itsing (A.D. 675) records a
donation by Sri Gupta, for the
University.
22. Guptas started using
bricks for temples (E.g. Bhitargaon temple, Kanpur). The
Dasavatara temple, dedicated
to Vishnu, at Deogarh, Jhansi
shows a transitory State from
flat roof temples to the
shikhara style.
23. In sculpture, purely
indigenous patterns were
adoptedinstead of the

Kushana period Buddha

with shaven head, we have
the Buddha with curly hair
now, and transparent drapery was used along with various mudras (postures). The
main centres were Sarnath
(Benaras), Mathura, Pataliputra (Patna).
24. Some famous sculptures of Gupta period are:
The seated or preaching Buddha, giving his first
sermon, discovered in sandstone, at Varanasi.
The standing Buddha,
at Mathura, in red sandstone.
The great boaras
Vishnus incarnationUdaigiri caves.
25. The art of painting
reached its zenith during the
Gupta period and is manifested at Bagh caves
(Gwalior, M.P.) and Ajanta
caves (Maharashtra).
26. Aryabhattamathematician and astronomer of
Gupta periodwrote Aryabhattiya and Surya Siddhanta. He explained the
eclipses, shape of earth, its
rotation and revolution and
gave important results in
maths too.
27. Brahmaguptaof
Ujjainhad an observatory.
28. Varahmihir wrote
Jyotishsastra and Pancha siddhantika on astronomy.
29. VagabhattaPhysicianwrote Astangasangraha.
30. The central administrative system of the Gupta
era
comprised
the
Mantri/Sachiv (modern Chief
Minister), Bhatasvapati (commander of infantry and cavalry), Kataka (commander of
elephants), Dandapasadhikaran (police chief), Kumaramatyas and Ayuktas (provincial heads).
31. Each province was
called bhukti and was under

such officials as uparikas, bhojikas, goptas, rajasthaniyas, etc.

32. The provinces were
divided into vishyas, under
charge of Vishyapatis. The
lowest division (village) was
under the gramika (village
headman).
33. Land was properly
classified into kshetra (cultivable), khila (wasteland),
donations for brahmins
(agrahara grants), donations
for religious purposes
(Devagrahara land grants)
and so on.
34. The land revenue
system was put in charge of
Dhruvadhikaranika. The
pustapala was an officer
especially appointed to
record various land transactions.
35. The receivers of land
grants had the right to enjoy
land revenue from the farmers. They could even punish
and try thieves. Thus, there
was serfdom (forced work) and
oppression of the peasantry.
36. A number of taxes
had to be paid to the king.
These were: Bhaga (1/6th of
produce). Bhoga (taxes in
kind fruits, wood, flowers,
etc.). Kara (periodic tax on
farmers). Uparikara (extra
taxes). Udianga (probably
water tax). Sulka (modern
customs tax). Klipta and
Upaklipta (purchase and
sales taxes).
37. There were two
classes of merchantssettled (sresthi) and caravan
traders (Sarthavaha). The
group of merchants called as
puga constituted the advisory council in cities. Its
president was the Nagarsresthi. Town mayor was
called Purupala.
38. The Guptas spread
Indian culture to the S.E.
Asian countries, especially
Mahayana Buddhism and
Hinduism.

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39. The Srenis (traders

unions or guilds) had
immense powers. Not only
did they perform economic
functions but also judicial
and executive ones. Some of
them even issued seals and
coins and had their own
militia (called Srenibala, in
the Kalachuri inscriptions).
40. Narada and Brihaspati smritis lay down the
rules for merchants. The normal rate of interest was 15%
per annum.
41. The most important
metal of the Gupta age was
iron.
42. The blacksmith
acquired the second most
important place in the village economy. The iron pillar
(of Chandra Gupta-II) is a
fine example of iron workers
of Gupta period.
43. The term golden age
can be applied mainly for
the economically upper
classes, and that too in
Northern India only. Though
art and architecture flourished, it was confined as a
State art. There was flourishing trade with the southeast, but, on the whole, there
was decline of trade centres
and towns. Sanskrit literature, undoubtedly, made immense progress, but it was
more of a state language,
limited to the learned ones.
44. The caste-system
became rigid during this
period. Manu, for instance,
had put several restrictions
on the woman and the shudras. In no way was the taxburden on the common man
low. The flourishing moneyeconomy during their
predecessors (Kushanas and
Satvahanas)also slowly
broke down. Fahien mentions use of cowries
(shells) as the common
medium of exchange, indicating shortage of coins.