CHAPTER-25 : Life in the Gupta Age
Ancient History of India
OLD NCERT
Short Notes or Revision Notes
Gupta Administration
Central Rule:
- Hereditary monarchy with titles like “parameshvara” (supreme lord).
- Limited primogeniture (eldest son not guaranteed succession).
Taxes and Labor:
- Increased focus on land taxes compared to trade.
- Royal taxes ranged from 1/4th to 1/6th of produce.
- Forced labor (vishti) existed in central and western India.
Bureaucracy:
- Less elaborate than the Mauryan system.
- Kumaramatyas: Key officers appointed by the king.
Provincial and Local Administration:
- Empire divided into bhuktis (provinces) led by uparikas.
- Bhuktis further divided into vishayas (districts) under vishayapatis.
- In eastern India, vishayas subdivided into vithis and villages.
Guilds:
- Evidence suggests artisans, merchants, and guild heads formed governing bodies in towns.
- Examples: Vaishali, Kotivarsha (Bangladesh), Mandasor (Malwa), Indore, Bulandshahar (UP).
- Guilds, especially merchant guilds, likely had certain privileges.
Feudatory System:
- Empire partly ruled by subjugated chiefs with obligations to the Gupta king.
- Feudal chiefs on the borders had three main obligations (unspecified in excerpt).
- Grants of fiscal and administrative power to priests and administrators became common.
Trade and Economy under the Guptas
Coinage:
- Guptas issued most gold coins (dinaras) in ancient India.
- Regular size and weight, depicting Gupta kings.
- Increased silver coins after conquering Gujarat, for local trade.
Silk Trade:
- India exported silk to the Eastern Roman Empire until 550 AD.
- Romans learned silk production from China, hurting Indian exports.
- Silk weavers’ guild in Gujarat migrated due to slackening demand.
Landownership:
- Rise of priestly landlords in eastern and central Madhya Pradesh.
- Land grants to Brahmanas increased their wealth and influence.
Social Developments:
- Brahmanas claimed privileges based on landownership (listed in Narada Smriti).
- Hunas eventually assimilated into Rajput clans.
- First recorded instance of sati (widow self-immolation) in 510 AD.
- Segregation of “untouchables” and certain professions outside cities.
Buddhism under the Guptas
- Reduced Royal Support:
- Buddhism didn’t receive significant royal patronage during the Gupta era.
- Fa-hsien’s account may overstate its prominence compared to Ashoka and Kanishka’s reigns.
- Continued Activity:
- Some stupas and viharas (monasteries) were still constructed.
- Nalanda emerged as a center of Buddhist education.
- Iron Pillar of Mehrauli:
- A remarkable monument showcasing Indian craftsmanship (7.2 meters high, 1500 years old).
Rise of Bhagavatism
- Origin:
- Developed after the Maurya Empire, centered around Vishnu worship.
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- Vishnu: Minor Vedic god (sun, fertility) merged with Narayana (tribal god).
- By 200 BC, these merged into Bhagavatism (Vaishnavism).
- Key Tenets:
- Bhakti: Loving devotion, similar to loyalty to a leader.
- Ahimsa: Non-killing of animals, suited agricultural society.
- Surpassing Buddhism:
- By Gupta times, Bhagavatism overshadowed Mahayana Buddhism.
- Introduced the concept of avatars (incarnations) of Vishnu.
- History seen as a cycle of Vishnu’s ten incarnations.
Gupta Art and Literature
- Golden Age:
- Gupta period considered a golden age for Indian art and literature.
- Rulers like Samudragupta and Chandragupta II were patrons.
- Sculpture:
- Life-size copper Buddha statue (Sultanganj, 6+ feet).
- Beautiful Buddha images at Sarnath and Mathura.
- Ajanta paintings: Lifelike depictions of Buddha’s life and Jataka tales.
- Architecture:
- Limited architectural achievements compared to other art forms.
- Brick temples in UP (Bhitargaon, Bhitari, Deogarh).
- Nalanda University’s early brick structures.
Gupta Literature
- Secular and Religious Works:
- Increased focus on secular literature, including ornate court poetry.
- Playwright Bhasa:
- Early Gupta period, wrote 13 plays in Sanskrit and Prakrit.
- Drama “Dradiracharudatta” (later adapted as “Mrichchhakatika”).
- Used the term “yavanika” for curtain, suggesting Greek influence.
- Kalidasa (4th-5th Century):
- Considered the greatest classical Sanskrit poet.
- Famous work: “Abhijnanashakuntalam” (love story of King Dushyanta and Shakuntala).
- Religious Literature:
- Growth in religious works, with epics and Puranas nearing completion by 4th century AD.
- Ramayana, Mahabharata compiled by Brahmanas, reflect Kshatriya tradition.
- Sanskrit Grammar and Lexicons:
- Development of Sanskrit grammar based on Panini and Patanjali’s work.
- Amarasimha’s “Amarakosha” – a lexicon for Sanskrit students.
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