The Age of the Guptas

l ~------
I
- •t•!!N=-,•~•----- · ~ Khi..~~ ta¥.,~ J _a ~_~e-F_e..!l!
on a p,ilgri rna ge
' The Age of the Gu pta s ! ~ath ~ ra....Ka_n na uj,...Ka pil
Sources: Ac cou nts of Fa-hi
ava stu 1 Ku s hi na ga r.,
Y£!,1shah Pa ta l1m .ur ,a !.....~ !:l_
a~ ~ aja gri h2 .(F e ·
r:_.1
en; All ah ab ad ma de ~ ~ 11L t,mbi asecLo.bs
Pillar Inscription. eJ:Yatians abo ut the
c on dit ion s at tha t tim e . Ac
Po liti cal his tor y an d ad
mi nis tra tio n
,,,,_ ~ ~ -- --
es c~:-1:1-t s: - -- u
cor din g to F; --h ien 's
(S am ud rag up ta an d Ch
Vi kra ma dit ya ); Co ntr ibu
an dr ag up ta • ~ ~gadb.~ 1: 1, _ PI QSP ~Q .U LC.o
tio n to the wit h lar ge tow ns, tee mi ng u n.tr y
fields of Ed uc ati on (N ala
Science (A rya bha tta ) an d
nd a Un ive rsit y), ~ Ron:-- -- -- - --- - - -
wit h we alt hy
Cu ltu re (w ork s • pat ali pu tra wa s a flo uri shi ng city wit
of Ka lid asa , De og arh tem ple h
).V edi c soc iet y nu me rou
and eco nom y. -a nosp1t. s cha rita ble ins titu tio ns, mclu din g
al ena owe_d by ben evo len t..c J .._ _,,
itiz.ens ;-- -1
• JJ th9 ugJ iJ tiu <;. 9p le we
re we alt hy, they
!ed si~ P~ .:_ :>..:_ gen er~ y
obs erv ing..!,h~
Bu dd his t rul es of con·du ct.
The period of abo ut two cen tur
cen tur y AD is kn ow n as the
ies from early fou rth --------
• Va ish nav ism , Sh aiv ism -·•
Imperial Age of the , Bu dd his m an d
Guptas. Th e rul ers of thi s dy Jai n ism .;e re the ma in ~ ligi
vas t empire com pri sin g alm ost
nas ty est abl ish ed a
the ent ire no rth ern ~
onS:
ver , had no ill-will tow ard s oth
Peopie:
India. In the pro ces s of car er seg s.
vin g suc h a hu ge
empire the y we re fac ilit ate d
by cer tai n ma ter ial
adv ant age s suc h as fertile lan
d in eas ter n UP an d
Bih ar and iro n ore fou nd
in Ce ntr al Ind ia and
Bihar, wh ich the y cou ld exploi
t to the ir adv ant age .
The ma ter ial pro gre ss thu s
gai ned ena ble d the m
to make pro gre ss in the field
of lite rat ure , art and
arc hit ect ure , sci enc e an d cul
tur e. Th is per iod is
therefore, als o kn ow n as the
"cl ass ica l age" or
the 'golden age ' of Ind ian his
tor y.
SOURCES
Th e ma in sou rce s of inf
orm ati on ab ou t the
Gu pta s are the following:
1T- ~-
l. Ac cou nts of Fa -hi en: [a.
-hi en wa s the earliest
Ch ine se pilgrim whQ_Yi sit ed
Ind ia on a rel igi ous
13!i ssion du rin g the rei gn
of Ch and rag µp ta II.
Fa-hien

The Age of the Gu pta a

 • Hindu tznds and goddrs srs were depicte d REIGN OF GUPTA PERIOD
on c-oins and also in sculpt ures and The history of the first two rulers ()f
th,.
paintin gs. dynast y - Sri Gupta and hi s son Ghut;i ~'_-;
1
• The pt"nal code was mild and the offences is obscur e. So, it is be~ieve d that the Gup~~
wtn ordinar ily punish ed by fines only. origina ted with the reign of Chandragupta ;·
From the- above BC'C'ounts, it can be inferred
that the Gupta Empire was prospe rous and
Chandragupta-I
governed on e-nlightened princip les. Chandragupta I was the ~rst ~n~ependent l
2 . Th• Allah abad Pillar In script ion or with the title of Mahara1adhzra1a or 'the l
PraJIGla Prash asti: It is one of the import ant of kings'. After declari ng his independenCt
epigraphic eviden ces of the Imperi al Guptas . Magadha, Chandr agupta -I extend ed his en:~
compo sEd by Hanse na, ine court poet of throug h matrim onial allianc e by ffiarryir.
Samu dra~t a, Allaha baaAu ar inscription, also Lichch havi prince ss, Kumar adevi. This ev6e
known as yaga Prashasti, is written in praise is recorde d in a series of gold coins issued
of Samud ragupt a, arguab ly the most powerful Chand ragupt a-I.
of the Gupta rulers. It describ es the reign of the
'auptas in ancien t India. Besides, it provides an Samudragupta
impressive list of Kings and tn§a) [ep11 b]ics 1bat He was the son of Chand ragupt a I. Much
,:ere conquered by Samudragupta. The inscription the inform ation about him is obtaine d fro
is also impor tant becaus e of the politic al a long inscrip tion compo sed by his court po
geography of India that it indicat es by naming Harisen a. This inscrip tion is engrav ed on a P-:
at Allahabad. He was a great conque ror, an al
the differe nt kings and peoples who popula ted
statesm an as well as a patron
India in the first half of the 4th century AD.
of arts.
His empire extend ed from
An excerp t from the Prayag a Prasha sti Brahm aputra in the east to
He was without an antagonist on earth; he, by rivers Yamun a and Chamb al in
the overflo wing of the multitu de of (his) the west and from Himala yas
- many good qualities adorne d by hundre ds in the north to Narma da in
the south. It is becaus e of
of good. actions, has wiped off the fame
his bravery and genera lship that
of other kings with the soles of (his) feet;
he is known as the 'Napoleon
(he is) Purusha (the Supreme Being}, being of India'. He further extend ed
the cause of the prospe rity of the good his empire upto the Chamb al
and the destru ction of the bad (he is) river by defeat ing the Naga
incomprehensible; (he is) one whose tender kings of Mathu ra, Gwalior and
heart can be captured only by devotion and Ahich hatra. Like Alexan der
humili(y; (he is) posses sed of compassion; he was daring . Durin g his
(he is) the giver of many hundred-thousands famous Deccan campa ign he
covered more than 3,000 miles
of co:~"=;1e(his) mind has received ceremonial
throug h dense forests. Thoug h
initiat i~ for the uplift of the miserable, he defeat ed many power ful
the poor, the forlorn and the suffering; (he rulers , he did not annex
ia} resplendent and embodied kindne ss to 30uthe m territor ies. He made
mankin d; (he is) equal to (the gods) Kubera the southe rn kings accept his
(the god of wealth), Varuna (the god ofocean), author ity and allowed them to
Indra ~Iv god of rains) and Yama (the god rule.
of death) ... The Allah abad Pillar
Inscrip tion of Samud ragupt a

00 ~et..,
Total Hl■tory aa d C_::.::...,'
I
 btl four d,nr,rnt kmd ~ of rn lrr" IH1d t,-Jl '\
b(,Ut 5amudrA~ pt a'1 polu ir!I towr.ml , tlirrn
d("11("Tl ( 1I I, f r 1I Ii~~) I I I l ·1

u,• Tht nint rulrra of Aryamrta wr u • uprrn,t r,J

.
(Al nd thr ir kin~om1 were made a po rt llf
' .
Saffludragupta I empire.
The twrlve rulrrs of Dakshinputfu1 (South
{. t, ~ Ti •1 t.1 ?. ,J J, t "'
in11r r 1J,t1r,r1\ 1:1, ,,1,,,1, rL:,• 1 t .. :r 1
::.,~

11111" ,. ,. r1,. d t,, \ f :it L,,, . '. :sr, , • ·1 r :; , . ;, • ,

fi r i11twrit1·,J H,,. u11J. 1:,1 1 ii.' r.. ,·~ ,,' J • f . · ,,
. ;, • . : ';

(bl India), who surrend~red to Samudrngupts1 on,J ,-,ct,-,,,f ,-,J , .. ,. ,,.,,,t:,

I !f,;nt"" L; ",: ': ., .' ,,f

after being defeatrd , wrre liberatrd and hi, ,,wn . fir S1t1Ti'"Y.f•f t H,,. t,-,,,•,,: ,111/ ',.,/.,, ,,,
allowrd to rule again over their kingdom ,. Malwu , ( j11j;, r:1t :Jr,,J '. ,:, ,u:,·J,• r;, I ,,r, ! .. ii;,. ,, .• ...,
c) The inner circle of neighbouring s tates, given ,t,e tit I,; ',';of tJ rt' ,,r , ,,r,' , ,, :•,r ,,f ·,.;I' ; , ,
I including Assam, Coastal Bengal, Nepal and
Au:.<Jrd ing tr, r,,,t,-,J t,:~•r,1.:1r, I ,r '/,:.',.: •
number of gana sanghas (organisation of 1

8 Smith, "th~ ann,-,,,;;t,,,ri ,,t: ,:,·,,,,.,; ,•r:, :;:.'! ~/.;, , ..,

manY kings) in the north-west paid tribute,
followed his orders and attended his court.
nr,t CJnly bdrJ,:d tr, fhr: r-rr.;.11rr: , r-,r 1,·1.:.- 1: , ,,!
(d) nie nuers of the outlying areas submitted to exr...cpti<Jn:11 Wt:Jlth ur, 1J f1·r•:!,t 1 , f, .• ,,;,1r.• -~ ·,;,
him and offered their daughters in marriage. access t1, th,: p<,rh <,( , ~.r: ·JJt•'.,t,-r r, r,r,;, ·: ; :;:. •; •: . . ~
plac;ed Chc1ndrc.1~ur,t:J If in dir1• 1,t t.r, .;' L ·,,. · r, ·:-:
According to Samudragupta's court
seaborne turnrn,:-ru; with t ;r,,;J#: t~.r,, ,;,,:i 1-,v.-:;,• "
1
poet Harisena, Samudragupta performed
an Ashvamedha Yajna or horse sacrifice . Chandn,gupta II critr;rr:rJ ir,• 1, r.::.,•r.r:.',;.,:; ;
5amudragupta was not only a brave warrior and alliance s t:iS a pc,rt ,,r hh fr.1r1:w;; v,:.'.j'. H-:
conqueror but also a great ruler, a musician and married Kubenin;.,ga c,f th": :;;;¥..:, for{ ... 1. "i' r.,;
8
poet In one of his coins he is shown playing Nagas were a powerful rulir.~ ,,!:; ri :,r.'.1 • ;., ~
the ueena. Sarnudragupta issued eight types of matrimonial alliance helr1r:d th,; c ,;;.,•;_, r~~•~r
coins made of gold. His court was full of great in expanding hi s emr.,ire. Tb~ r:-i::irri:,~•: d
scholars and literary persons. Chandragupta's daugh tF:r, f"n,U ..:.,·1:,•1 ·H:•r. t :.-:
Samudragupta was a follower of Brahmanism Vakataka ruler, P.udra::::~na II t•;!;,,d ~ ':'~• •,,
and worshipped Lord Vishnu. He also had faith establish his political influ1::ni:..1; in t~-"= U':'J.h:-•.

GUPTA EMPIRE

,
I

~ Ace of the Ouptu 65

 l durina the reign nf C.:hnndrugup~o II
tha: :! Chintee pilgrim Fa -hirn vi s1tnl
India. Fa-hien doe• nut mrntlnn 1hr. num~ ~l
Chandrqupta ll in hl1 accounts, l>ul he ~1vcs
intere1tin1 information on the life •_lf the ll<'OI ,It·
and the aeneral condition of the k111gdom.
Like Samudragupta, he issued a wide vurlrty
of aold coin,. The ditTerences in design l>rlW('l'll
the coina of the two rulr-rs ore significont.
Chandragupta II is represented as slaying a lion
on 10me coins with the legend simlia-vikrama
whereat Samudragupta is shown as slaying u
ti1er. Coins of lho Guµl ,1 Purlotl
On many of his coins, Cho.ndrc1gupta II hu s
the title Vikramaditya. His court is said to hove milit ury an d j ud irln l field ~. T h<"y Wt•r~ Ii
been adorned by 1nine gems' including Kalid nso , eo111111l111drrs-in-chief of 11 1<' 11ni ry . S: 11111 1drugur,
Varahamihira and Amarslmho. Chnnd rnguptLI II nncl Sim 11d11g11 ptu pnson~
He was succeeded by Kumarogupto. It wns led their urmics. The l<i11 gs 11ppoi11ll'd ull ~
during Kumaragupta's reign that Hunas, u gove rnors nn<.l imporl imt 111i litmy 11 11d r ivi l ollirl'r
barbarian tribe of Central Asia invaded lncl io for ThC' governors un d their offi cers !ind to w01
the ftrst time. At the time of the next attack the u nder the co nl ro l t1 11 d g11id n11 n• of lite kiri
crown prince Skandagupta had ascended the Li kewise, the cen trn l St'nl' t11ri11t ul:-w wor~,
throne. He gave the Hunas o. crushing clefcnt und er I he s upervision of 111<' ki11g. Tlw king111
and they did not dare attack India in the next the sourre ofo ll honours 1111d l iti< ·s. /\II luntl in ~
50 years.
rnuntry wus Ille pro1wrty of' 1111' king who mill
GUPTA ADMINISTRATION give uwoy tile s: 111Ie lo rn1ybody Ill' plt'mwd. H
~·ou ld cnnstruc l du111s , give slidtt-r to fi>rt" igrw~
The Gupta period saw the gradual disappearance 11111JUS(', n'('OVt'I" UIH.I rc111it ILI X(' S 1111d give justia
of the Republican form of government. However,
If t1 11y properly W/IS llll<'l:ti11 1nl, tl 111t Wt'll f' i11loln
unll_ke th~ Mauryan Empire, the Gupta coffl' rs of the king.
administration was decentralised in 111;tture. It
means that feudatories, i.e., local kings and . Despit e the divi1w <" l1•111t· 11t s u lt ril>trtl'd to Gt1pt
1mallar chiefs ruled a large part of the empire. ktngs, the uru li111 u11 s us tlr <" d1 id ' t·i1 st11diu11
These chiefs and rulers adopted the titles likt" ond interpret er s of lnws, t'Xt'rl'i s l'd
II
rlwrk UI
royal powt·r.
raja and maharaja, wh"reas the imp"rial Guptu
rulers adopted pompous titles like parameshvura
THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS
maharajadhiraja and paramabhattarul..-a, '
The Gupta rulers hnd their rnundl s. K1.1/idi,s1
MONARCHY t.h
e rrn~wnf'd poet, ref<"rs to the Mmtn: J'<1 ri:-;/ 1(1(.
Mo~archy was the prt>voiling form of government It rons1sted of the prin<'l", th<" hi~h ofli cinls nn,
d~~tng the Gupta period. Th e theory of th e the fl'udatorit>s . Among the high oflkers wcrr
d1v1~ity of kings became pnpulnr durin1,1; this th e kumciromutyll und th e s~r, 11 . . .A
Tl k - ' I llt'l1/r<l 111 ,l
P~rtod. The Gupta Kings were compared to H' -un~ora mutyus for111 r d the r hi; f cud rt
~fTerent Goda auch as Yuma, Vunma, Inclra and for l"('('rtllting high fu11ct ionurirs . S01111" of tllf
u~ra. Th~ were compart'd to Viiilmu os rt>gun.ls kumu ra rna tyns ft111c·1· , I · •
. . _ . 1ont l Ill Ih<'tr own rit(hl
their func-t1on of preeiervin~ and prutel'tin~ the und mumt a m<·d tlw1 r rc·gul..ir oflin .·.
people. Lakshmi, the gudde!'ls of prosperity Tht" office of th e ~11r1tl11il'iqr11hi~u (ministr rJ
ap~ar1 on many Gupta coins. ' PC'O('t' nnd war) fi n:1t O - . I '
1d I ppr, u 1•1 u11dr- r ~urnudra~'l.1pta
The G~pta kings rnjoyr-cJ a lurg~ nurnbt"r nf ~~ stlnd l,-ll·i s_r r~ u ht"ld thi s tith•. Tht" ma in du ty
powrrs whirh l'UVf'N"d tht" J>olitirnl, odministrutivr _htvi~ruhiku was tu d eul with tht
I ft'tll.luton t"s I . 1 1· •
• · n Uul 111011 lo th t-se ofticrrs, rht•l"I'

Total IH1tor, and CfYie•-~

,.,r ,, , , f ', ,' ' ,l ' , /' 1 • f ,' .I . I r ( " Cl , , •r ~:. . . ,. ·--.. ;,--:-. s .~. • :. C: . . . :- · .:J E.::- - -• ·~ .&: - - - ::.~ • .: ,

:.:~: .\: r~r,:t~~;,~:~-~\: ~~-;~~\

, II -~ ' • .. • • ' , • <.
, , II ,. ·, •, ,

Ill ,,,.,11:1,:11•··",,u·,,-,, .. I ' ' (,

.I
t • ., .., •, r,I
,. , ~
r , •..
•• ,,
r,, •• , •.
. . . ., • ,

lf!r f '''~lf •I/. i1l 1j>'1Jf;1 r,1,. t,f' :;·,:,.;-/ ,·, S ~; ;,-,, :-.. , •J
tiv 111':,h ftf,,J " •''' rii,' 1',r.·, r,, ·,.! ,.::., ~ .c::·, _, :-.
.. , "
J /Jff1f_}r(J "1(J'1JrJ ', ' ,.•,
,,,
1 1/IJ ' ' ,, ..,. t

military fur,,,,,,,, , ,,r v.;, rr: fJrr,:-;,,,·,::!

"
r c,,-t, • - c,,I
,.,, . ... ., ..... . - ...

··1 r:-.~ r::::-.L ~::·;/;.~--t:s/=\ ~--~ ~~/;_~~;~ c~:. \:~~~~~:~~

of hi~h m1l1t,Jry ,,ffiu·n. e:.:.
i:-.. .a: :r. a 5 c.::. L-:-:;>: :-~: r:~.\71 u-~. e:-e t::e:-e
~r'=-p ,,=.;::;. -c•A .:-=..:.:.::s c:- a.-~s~-:s ,;_:.:: ~~...: a::~ G:-
Th"'" w,.,,., ,,f!Jf ,-r:; v,nr.c;C'F;d ·.r.·;:h :E:;.1 :--~-...- '-:?:"'-, r ~.r.,....c,}- •;..._:·.
tran...at tir,n . St,m,: ,,f th 1 : ·,~ rn;:,;r, •;,;i~r.i::d rec0:-i:; r.,f
Jan,t, ,ak, a11rJ r,tb 1 :r rer,r,r,:h c.0r.r.F;c:F;d ·..-.--:::. j;:.:L rrrnAL :·AITP..: or Po:.ITY
~rvrnu,., miyJ-,t h>J ·,e tf_;f:n u,t:ec.:ed :r.c.:.:::, TI:e c:. --,-e- c~ c....J- =- =-~::.:::1 c:_.:!e:,;\·e::: seH:•:-;il
... - - . : - -- ............i

in kind; but rich pf; c1 ScJT,ts r-,r0~a~)~J paid in c~_a_:-_g~s c_~er r:..e G:..:.;::a..s.
, " ~h. The cJhc.er u.1nnr:r.1~d with tl-.e cc.!.:ecton The ~-~aur;;a:1 state is credited wtth
,,f tolJ• on comm,JC.l iti(;S i3 knr:.o.-n as shaulb.r..a. "co"---,?:-e:-.er.s:";~e-cc=;:e:er:.:e based c:1 ce:i::r:Lsed
control"', wr...:ch, :::y taxe been tn.1e of its ru:e i.."1
PRovu,cIAL AJ1D LocAL ADm::usTRATion tJ:e co:-e area o: tl:e rr::.:!~e Ga..-:g.1 p13i..-is . The
The Gupta rulers evolved the first systematic G:i;i~ period shows the p~ess of the de\\_•l~ti0:1
provincial and local administrati on, v;hich of the state au:...1.or:.:\·. The fu..r-_ctioris of ("0:lcl..'tion
waa primarily concerned with the collection of of ra.;:es, regt:.:ado; of mir.es. a~culture et(' ..
revenues and maintenance of law and order. togetl1er mth. tl:.ose o:· L"le r:i.L"l.tenan("e of Llw
Provincial Administrat ion: The core of the and order an.d defence. which were e.ulier
Empire directly controlled by the Guptas was performed by the state officials . were n0w
gradually delegated. Erst to the priestly cL1ss
divided into bhuktis, each of which was placed
and later to the warrior class .
under the charge of an uparika. The uparika
was a governor appointed by the king. THE GOLDEN AGE OF INDIAN CULTURE
The bhuktis were divided into vishayas,
The Gupta period is described as the °'-.1:dt.:n
placed under the charge of the vishayapati. Age of Jndiarz cu:.:ire because of the high kwl L1 f
The vishaya was divided into smaller units . ci\ilisation and culrure of this periL1d . .-\.kmg \\ith
This pattern, however, was present mainly in the re,i,-al of Hinduism. the power of cre.1tiY1ty
the territories directly governed by Gupta kings. was unleashed in the fields of edm-ati0n.
Elsewhere, there existed different fiscal and literature. arts. architecture and science. Thi:s
administrative units such as desa, mandala, bhoga, period also saw the extension of this influence
etc., especially in central and western India. beyond India ·s frontiers.
VWace Administration: The village administration
was managed by the village headman. The Gupta EDUCATION
inscriptions refer to the participation of leading During the Gupt.1 _-\ge. educ:.itiLHl ,,·:.is gi\·c:'n
local elements in the administratio n of the ,illage utmost importance. Thi:s is e\·ident frLHll tlw
or small towns called vithis. No land transactions intellectual output in ,·arious fidd:s like litt'r.1turt·.
could be effected without their consent and this science, mathematics. astronomy. astwk1K-Y ,rnd
may have been also true of other important medicine. There were m..:my crntn.·s L)f k.1n,in~ 1n
affairs. Thus, while villages in Mauryan times cities like Pataliputra, \'abbhi . Llij,,in. AyL,dh~ ,\
were managed from above , those in the Gupta and Nasik . According to the insl-riptil 1 ns. tile
times Beem to have been managed from the teachers were learned Brnhm:m.1s, \\'l\l) \\ nc
grasaroot level. known as Acllliryas a nd l 1pd.i l1J1llJ1t1~ .111d
10•11 Administrat ion: There were various sometimes they were olso gi\<'11 the title L1 f
t~ns Oanapadas), which issued their seals _and Bhatras. These teachers wt>rf" suppMt t'd l 1y the
coina. They were administered by a committee ~rant of \'ill.1gt'S , called thf' agmhnms, give n by
of five. Some towns were being administered by tht- Gupta mlt'rs und chtu-itit's givt'n by ~t·1wnn 1s
some kind of parishnds. public. The- d1sciplt's, t·ttllt'd shishylls had to k .1rn

~Ace of the Gupta■

~
sections of scien ce (cha turda savid ya),
"'• the four Veda s, six Vedangas, the
Th e s u ·ert~ of s tud ,
re a ll th e four VP '
■
aamr-t he Mimansa, Nyay a and D_h~ rma,
= =\y!karana {As~ tadhy ayi of Pa~ ~~r~ :.
the Sata sahaslvi-samhita or the Mah a .
O<i,
. .
. d
In the Gupta peno , the Jain and Bud dhis t un1v ers1t y. 1t was a post-as n'it ar, pr<.
a tema of educ ation assu med a d1·ne_ren t
c1r"
. h a d m1ss
to w h 1c · 10n · graduat~ ',
. . was 'bt; i
ye i Bud dhis t mon aste ries adm itted adm1 ss1o n, an exam inationvery d'1 lt.-,
w fh,.1ir <,f
dime ns on. •
stud ents for ten year s. Lear ning b
ega
n with Jl@c.
d)y 2 ° ents as lrj 1 h 1
- '--drin t
the oral meth od. Late r they shift ed . to the re1ec ted. -...._...._,_,..,;:,.~....i.l!.: r
read ing of litera ry texts . The mon aste nes ~ad to the U . ~
libra ries. Impo rtant man uscr ipts were .cop~ ed ~
Nala nda cont inue d to be ab Ar
and store d. Stud ents from othe r coun tnes h~e upto 12th cen u . eac,JJ'. , ac
Chin a and Sout h-Ea st Asia came to the Budd ~1st
mon aster ies for educ ation . The mon aste_ nes
qy Moh amm ad-
f Moh amm ad dbo . lb
were norm ally main taine d by gran ts from king s its ma E1
and the rich merc antil e class . They attra cted ce and gl -
scho lars from far and near . Fa-h ien also spel' lt SCI ENC E ~
several year s in the mon aster y at Pata liput ra,
stud ying Bud dhis t relig ious book s. Duri ng the Gup ta perio d, great con, w
was mad e in man y bran ches of I~ -o 1
High er educ ation was given equa l impo rtanc e Sc~ -
like astro nom y , med icine , metallu rgy
duri ng the Gup ta Age as is evid ent from a
Vara ham ihira was a grea t astronomet !!
num ber of univ ersit ies whic h exist ed duri ng
prov ed that moo n rotat es round the ear~
this perio d. The two popu lar univ ersit ies were
the eart h rotat es roun d the sun. The 9 1
Taks hila and Nala nda. The Taks hila univ ersit y
Sam hita of Vara hmih ira deals with astron C
was one of the first few cent res in the worl d
bota ny, natu ral histo ry and physicalgeo~
whic h offer ed high er educ ation . This univ ersit y
Bra hma gup ta was a mathematician. 1'-
was howe ver, esta blish ed befo re the Gup ta
astro nom er. He desc ribed the law of gra~B r
Emp ire came into exist ence .
seve ral cent uries befor e Newton. Charaka
Wala nda Univ ersit y: It was the mos t reno w Sush ruta were famo us scholars of A'jill'iOO
educ ati
Meta llurg y or the scientific study of.rrt
ocat ed at Na]aocla in Rajagriha in Biha r. A lot had reac hed an adva nced stage dunni
of infor mati on abou t the Nala nda Univ ersit y is Gup ta perio d. This is evident from tbe
given in the inscr iptio ns and in the acco unts of 1

Hiue n Tsan g, a Chin ese Bud dhis t scho lar, who Pilla r at Meh ra uli near Qutu b M'lilar afti
1!1

visite d India durin g the reign of Hars hava rdha na. Delh i whic h has not gathe red ru st even
The Univ ersit y of Nala nda had impo sing
build ings. Ther e were at least eight colle ges built
by diff eren t patr ons incl udin g one by
Bala putr adev a, King of Sum atra. Acco rding
to Hiue n Tsan g the whol e univ ersit y area was
enclo sed by a brick wall.
The Nala nda Univ ersi vided vario us
· ities to the stud entsfor their stud ies. ere
were three :;ea t libr!! ;;e~ ~al}!
Ratnodadhi _tj &urr._ r:a J .. ere mere 0kain asaa ar,
fu fo
~%f}£liE5/!fi&Jh~ex;;:r Ruins of Nalaocia
UniversitY

cJfi~
,..sci
Tota l 11isto rf
 any centuries. The bronze imugcs of Budc.Jl1 □
mroduced on a c-nnsiderable srn l<' in th e pNiotl
p also an example of advanced trC"hn ology. Th e
~utiful paintings of Ajanta prove thot the art
making rolours was quite advanced durin g
of . d
the Gupta ~no .
Arv•h"•U• : He was a great astronom an ·,
~croefici 0n. · urin the rei n ,) . ~ ,I
g1DPpte d~mesf¥ His two famous books include I •

axw supr
I

Aruabhattiynm \Siadhanta. His main

achievements were the ollowmg:
(11 lie said !be! !be eac!b _move,s round
the sun. It was several centupes before the
Vishnu Temple at Deogarh
~wreers said rbe seroe rbiog
(ill He discovered the rule for finding the to another. There was political stab ili ty so
fu-ea of a tnangle. trade and commerce flourished. This econorr..i,:
(iii) He calculated the exact value of pi which prosperity allowed people to pursue various arts
was ';llual to 3. 1416. The credit for develo11ment and crafts and literary activities. Thus , the ideal
fil_ tn_2p2we!IY sb211 14 actual& go to him. conditions available in the Gupta Age , led to the
unprecedented development of Indian culture .
(it.; In hj§ work Surya Sid4ban!a be ewJaioe{J.
the exact causes of solar apd hmar
erJirses During the Gupta period temples were built
with elaborate details. Unlike the earlier period,
(v) Aryabhatta was acgnajpted ~WJ tb,e
decimal system and use of 'zero'. when wood or other perishable material was
used for temple construction, the temples in
Gupta period were built of solid material like
CULTURE Re.Q.d. 0~
bricks and stone. These temples were built in the
The Gupta empire was a well-organised state architectural style known as Nagara. Two of these
under a succession of versatile and mighty temples, one made of stones at Deogarh in Jhansi
rulers who led it from one point of achievement and the other made of bricks at Bhitargaon in
Kanpur have been found in Uttar Pradesh.
T Vishnu Temple at Deogarh: The Vishnu
temple , also calle as ava ara Temple , is
one of the finest examples of Gupta afchi£ecrure.
It is about 125krp from Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh.
lt is one of the earliest Hmdu stone temples to
survive till date . It was the first Naub India □
tern le with a Shikhara or tower although a part
• of it has disappeared. Inspite o Its ap1 ate
condition, the temple Fias a compelling presence.
llJC !ewple was huilt on a 1.5 metre high
g)@Uorw Four stairways outside the platform
provide access to the temple . Its exterior is
--All decorated with scenes from Ramayana. The
entrance and pillars are adorned with countless
~ aintin s and carvm s. Ihe front entrance has
scu ~tures of various Gods an God esses m
.\;
I,, moo s v mg from con tern latipn to a f ~
an a ave em 1s 1s nu an ed by two of his
" I; avataras Naras1mTh mm cimaha. Qd P vb ~"
the three sides of e temp e, a niche is made
Iron Pillar, Delhi

The Ac• of the Gupta■ 69

 1. Can•ed int o thr m ar r dra ma The nu pt u /\g c w11 ~ di 1-11i111
tic •.11 h l1('<1 l,y
r IS lll • \Hr tlll l. Ill ms
. nu mb er of writers, wlio~r
co11 I I tlJtJ I i1111 :1 v,,,, '.'
u as t'f' on t r rm o t 1e enrirh<'d the diffrr l'n t lin t1 11
giant se rp rn t ral led Shes l<' l ll' :-i ,,1 1,,r1 , ~
aga. titeraturr . These ind ud l'd /\u 1
/ic/,1 s11 , .c,·1111,,,A'.''
• The niche at the ba ck sho Bh as a, lfa ri st' rta , Dnn,lir!
ws the co nc ep t of , _Su/,~111</11 11 11 ,,;;
Na r .tfifo1;4ma ~r the iusizn
hu ma n. Th e thi rd mc _ of
he ep 1d s
@t2~%'~ ;f.
r Ll i
Dharatii. Out th r 111o st s h111
co urs e, Kulida su, the fumnu
111 i: l1glrt w,, 11 01
s pod mi d cl1 11111ul i:i1.
co mm g' to the aid of the
Ga ja in the fam ou s sto ry of
tra pp ed ele ph an t, Kplidesa: Kal~dn sa is r~·gn rck d ."~~I 11· l~n-·u~
Gajendra mo ksh a. ort an d In rt ht lnd m hm
Un for tun ate ly, the idol of , l Vl I prod111 ·,·tl.
the dei ty ins ide the inc en t Sm ith hn s ri htf11l
tem ple is mi ssi ng . l y comJ2_11rc-d lh,,
u ta e w, t the l~li w rt rnn ,1·1 ii11
The Da sha va tar a tem ple is e 'story oC 1,:nglnncl . Ac
locally kn ow n
as the Sagar mm,e Wllldt Fin co rd ing to liin,, '
tem ple on the tank , a na me
fil@ifiliy fti@ah§, ti~
it ge ts from the
Ind ia all the les se r lig hts
by the bri llia nc y of Ka lid as
arc ou tsh on e
a as in f.i:nglund
'
sq ua re wa ter pool cu t int o all the sm all er au tho rs
the roc k in front. are ov crs hu do wr d
by Sh ak esp ea re.". ~ p . o
LITERATURE c t i~ l l ' < ':
Ritusamh ara , Ra
Th e Gu pta age co ns titu tes
an im po rta nt ph ase umar ' 1 ~
. Th e Mc> harluta, t lw Cloud
in the his tor y of Sa ns kri t lite essenger) is an ou ts tan ing lyn
rat ure . It rep lac ed c, po eti c work.
Pr ak rit no t on ly in ins cri
pti on s bu t als o in The thr ee dra rna tk wo rks of
rel igi ou s an d ph ilo sop hic al Ka lid nsa were:
lite rat ure . Sa nsk rit Vikra morvashruam, Ma la vilrn,w
be cam e the lan gu ag e of the lea !.,un ,_Lrqa:1-;nd
rne d an d ret ain ed Ab hiJ na na sh ak un tal am . Hi s
its su pre me po sit ion for dr am ati c work
a tho us an d ye ars . Abh nanasha{s~al.a.IJJ...l!.a rr; tes -th
Gu pta s ma de Sa ns kri t the
official lan gu ag e for .~.L!S.!lliL!2£ e ~e smry
ad mi nis tra tiv e pu rpo ses . Sa ~_h y~n.~~-·~ n ~ ~~1 l~ no
nsk rit wa s us ed in ~:.;.;_.ara=ta.a.:.:,;
..la1 ~ beQaIPIMlJe ml q. se son
official do cu me nts as well -
as in ins cri pti on s. A no tab le featµr,t of Kalid
Th e cla ssi cal Sa ns kri t lite as a's ~v.orks is
rat ure tha t flowered tha t
du rin g the Gu pta pe rio d fhe ch arg cte cs be[gnging tg
co nsi ste d of ep ics , spe ak in S,m§kr;it whj)c 1bO hl -c as te s
poetry, dra ma , lyrics an d pro £C oL
an d sec ula r lite rat ure exi ste
se. Both religious and women spe ak in Pra krit. ThislQw ~ st es
sho ws tha t
d side by side. tlie sta tus of women declliied 1

The Gu pta period ma rke d the du rin g the Gu pta

beginning of the period.
writing of im po rta nt wo rks kn
own as Puranas like All the wo rks of Ka lid asa spe
Vi shn u Pu ran a, Vayu Pu ran cia lly dra ma tic
a, Va rah a Pu ran a, wo rks have be en tra nsl ate d int o
Na rsi mh a Pu ran a, Va ma n Pu ma ny ma jor
ran a, Shiva Pu ran a languages of the world.
an d Ma tys a Pu ran a. Th e tex
ts refer to the stories Although the sub jec t-m att er
rel ate d to different Go ds an d of Ka lid asa 's
me nti on the ways to wo rks
ple ase the m thr ou gh fas ts an is love, na tur e an d be1:1uty, they
d pilgrimages . Some · give reliab nevertheless
Sm riti s or the law bo ok s le information ab ou t the go ver
were also compiled in society an d religion of the Gu nm ent
the Gu pta period. pta period. Besides '
they also contain traces of pol
itical history. '