The Imperial GUPTAS

Introduction 

After the decline of the Kushanas, north India witnessed the rise of another imperial dynasty that ruled India, especially north from AD 300 to AD 550. They were the imperial Guptas, founded by Srigupta who probably belonged to Vaisya caste and hailed from either Magadha or Pragaya (Allahabad). The rulers of this dynasty were able to establish a vast empire that included almost the entire north India. The Guptas had certain material advantages that helped thme to carve an empire. They operated from eastern UP and Bihar which was very fertile. Also they could exploit iron ores of central India and Bihar to their advantage. Their period was marked by great progress in art, architecture and literature.

Srigupta was succeeded by his son Ghatokacha, who carried the title Maharaja. He appears to be a small king and his reign was almost event-less. Not much is written about him. He was succeeded by his son Chandragupta I who the first in the line of great Gupta kings and the real founder of the dynasty.

Chandragupta I (AD 319 – AD 334) 

The real founder of the Gupta Dynasty was Chandragupta I. The year of his accession in 319 AD marks the beginning of the Gupta era. He assumed the title maharajadhiraja, the king of kings. His kingdom included Saket (modern Ayodhya), Magadha (Bihar), and Pragaya (modern Allahabad) with his capital at Pataliputra (modern Patna). Like the great Bimbisara he strengthened his position by a matrimonial alliance with the powerful family of Lachchhavis, then ruling over Napal and north Bihar. He married Kumaradevi and brought with her strength, power and prestige besides lot of wealth.

It is believed that the Gupta era commencing from AD 320 originated with the accession of Chandragupta I to the throne. Prince Samudragupta, his son was nominated as his successor to the imperial throne at the assembly of Councillors and members of the royal family convened by the king himself.

Samudragupta (AD 335 – AD 375) 

Chandragupta I was succeeded by his son Samudragupta in AD 335. He followed a policy of conquest and enormously enlarged his kingdom. However, he adopted a different policy of conquest in different regions.

In the Ganga-Yamuna doab region, he followed a policy of annexation. He defeated nine Naga kings and annexed their kingdom into the Gupta empire. He then proceeded to conquer the forest kingdoms of central India, where he defeated the tribal kings and forced them into servitude. This area had a strategic value as it had the route to south India. It enabled Samudragupta to proceed to the south along the eastern coast conquering twelve kings  on the way and reached as far as Kanchi near modern day Chennai in the Tamil area. Samudragupta, instead of annexing their kingdoms liberated and reinstated these kings on the thrones. He adopted this policy of reconciliation for south India because he knew that it was difficult to keep them under control and subservience once he returned to his capital in north. It was enough for him that these kings recognized his suzerainty and paid him rich tributes.

According to the Allahabad inscription, neighbouring five frontier kingdoms and nine republican states of Punjab and western India were forced to pay tribute in lieu of promise of no conquest from Samudragupta.

It is generally believed that though he had spread his influence over a vast region, Samudragupta exercised direct administrative control mainly over Indo-Gangetic basin only. He celebrated his achievements by sacrificing horses called Ashwamedha Yagana.

Samudragupta was not only a conqueror but also a poet, a musician and a patron of learning. His court was full of intellects from the field of music, literature, poetry. His love for music is attested by his coins that represent him as playing on a vina (lute). It was his intense military and intellectual activity that brought about the political unification of Aryavarta and highest stage of development of the old Indian culture in all its varied aspects – religious, poetic and artistic.

Chandragupta II (AD 375 – AD 414) 

Samudragupta was succeeded by his son Chandragupta II also called  Chandragupta Vikramaditya. He not only extended his father’s empire but also consolidated his position through matrimonial alliances, with other royal dynasties of the period. He married Kuvernaga, a Naga princess. He also gave his daughter Prabhavati in marriage to Rudrasena  II of the Vakataka dynasty, and acquired a position of security from his enemies around him.

His greatest military achievement was his victory over the Shaka king who were ruling the western India for the last 300 years. The conquest made the Gupta empire reach up to the western coast.

Chandragupta II is also remembered for his patronage of art and literature. He is credited with maintaining nine luminaries (navaratna) in his court. The greatest Sanskrit poet Kalidasa was the most notable among them. The Chinese Buddhist pilgrim Fa Hien (AD 404 – AD 411) visited India during his reign. He has left an account of the life of people in India in the fifth century AD.

Later Guptas and the Decline 

 Chandragupta II was succeeded by his son Kumaragupta (AD 415- AD 455) who was able to maintain the empire built up by his father but during the later part of his reign there was a threat from the Hunas of central Asia. His son Skandagupta, who later succeeded him, defeated the Hunas but repeated Hun invasion DESTROYED THE Gupta empire.

Besides the Huna invasion there was also a gradual decline in economic prosperity of the empire. In the time of later Guptas, there was shortage of gold coins and so the kings had to pay in land grants. This led to the shrinking of the crown land and less of taxation, adversely affecting the empire.

The decline of the Gupta empire resulted in the emergence of numerous ruling dynasties in different parts of northern India. The prominent among them were the Pushyabhutis of Thanesar, Maukhsries of Kannauj, and Maitrakas of Valabhi.

Gupta Polity 

The Gupta Empire was a decentralized administration. The local feudatories or the chiefs ruled a large part of the empire in their own areas. The kingship was normally hereditary. The king was the focus of administration. Princes, ministers and advisors assisted the king in running the kingdom.

The whole kingdom was divided into provinces called Desha, with their ruling heads Aparika. The provinces were sub-divided into a number of districts called pradesha, under Vishayapati, the head administrator. The districts were further subdivided into villages, each village headed by the village headman called Gramadhyaksha. The artisans and merchants took an active part in the town administration. The Gupta bureaucracy was less elaborate as compared to that of the Mauryas. The high level central officers under the Guptas were called the Kumaramatyas. Important functionaries’ like mantra, senapati etc. were all recruited from that cadre. Administrative posts were also hereditary.

During the Gupta period land taxes increased considerably. The land tax called Bali varied from 1/4^th to 1/6^th of the produce. Two new agricultural taxes that was forced in Gupta times were Uparikara and Udranga. Their exact nature is not known.

The judicial system was far more developed under the Gupta rulers. For the first time civil and criminal laws were clearly demarcated. Disputed connected with various types of property was considered in civil law. Elaborate laws were laid down for inheritance. Theft and adultery fell under criminal law. The guild of merchants and artisans were governed by their separate laws.

Gupta Society 

The structure of the society during the Guptas was undergoing a change with the increasing supremacy of the Brahmans who along with the king exploited the common people. Caste proliferation also happened in this time. With the extension of Brahmanical culture in distant and different areas, a large number of tribals were assimilated in the brahmanical social structure of varna system fold, as were some foreigners like the Hunas. While the foreigners and the tribal heads were included as Kshatriyas, the ordinary tribals were given the status of shudras.

The position of the Shudras however improved somewhat in this period. They were allowed o listen to the epics and the puranas. They could also perform some domestic rituals in their homes. A distinction was made between the shudras and the untouchables. The untouchables were referred to as Chandals. They lived outside the village and dealt in unclean jobs like scavenging or butchery.

The staus of women continued to slide down in the Gupta period. The main reason for this was their complete dependence on men for their livelihood. The women were not entitled to inherit property.

Economy in the Gupta Period 

The Gupta period witnessed a comparative decline in country’s trade and commerce. Agriculture was the main stay of the empire, but the peasants continued to suffer tremendous tax burden. Till 550 AD India continued to have some sort of trade with the eastern Roman Empire to which it exported mainly silk and spices.

Art and Literature 

The Gupta Period is considered as the Golden Age of Art and Literature. A huge body of religious and secular literature was compiled in this period. The two great epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata were finally completed in the fourth century. Both Rama and Krishna came to be considered the incarnation of Lord Vishnu. This period also marked the beginning of the writing of the literature called Puranas. These texts refer to the stories about the Hindu gods and mention the ways to please them throughfasts and pilgrimages. The major Puranas written in this period are the Vishnu Purana, Vayu Purana and Matsya Purana.

The literatuee in Gupta period was witten in Sanskrit. The greatest of all the works were Meghadutam, Abhijana Shakuntalam, Raghuvamsha, uKumarasambhava and Ritusmahara, all written by Kalidasa, the celebrated poet.

Architecture   

Ancient Indian art was mainly inspired by religion.  The finest example of Buddhist art during Gupta Period are the paintings of Ajanta Caves. Depicting the life of Buddha and the Jataka stories, these paintings with lustrous colours have not faded even after fourteen centuries. A life size image of Buddha in copper were made in Mathura and Sarnath. The Gupta coins were also pieces of art.