6 The Golden Age of the Guptas

QUESTION BANK
VERY SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS
1. Who succeeded Chandragupta I?
Ans. Chandragupta I’s son Samudragupta was his successor to the throne.
2. What was the extent of Samudragupta’s empire in the north?
Ans. Samudragupta empire in the north extended upto the Chambal river by defeating Naga kings of Ahichhatra,
Gwalior and Mathura.
3. List the five frontier states which accepted Samudragupta’s suzerainty.
Ans. Samtata or modern Bengal, Devaka or modern north Assam, Kamrup or Assam, Nepal and Kartarpur or modern
Terai region.
4. Why is Samudragupta compared with Napoleon?
Ans. Samudragupta is compared with Napoleon due to his great military exploits.
5. Which Gupta king was known as Vikramaditya?
Ans. Chandragupta II who reigned from 380 to 412 CE.
6. Who was Chandragupta II?
Ans. Chandragupta II was the son and successor of Samudragupta.
7. What is the meaning of Vikramaditya?
Ans. Sun of Power.
8. During whose reign did Hunas invade India?
Ans. During the reign of Kumaragupta.
9. Why had Fa-hien visited India?
Ans. Fa-hien had come to India to visit the holy places associated with Lord Buddha.
10. When had Fa-Hien come to India?
Ans. Fa-Hien had come to India in 405 CE.
11. What place had Fa-Hien come from?
Ans. Fa-Hien was a Chinese who had crossed the Gobi Desert in Central Asia to reach India.
12. When did Fa-Hien return to China?
Ans. Fa-Hien returned to China in 414 CE.
13. Which places did Fa-Hien visit in India?
Ans. Fa-Hien visited Peshawar, Taxila, Mathura and Pataliputra in India.
14. What was the main source of income in the Gupta empire?
Ans. The main source of income in the Gupta empire was one-fourth of the produce which was charged as land revenue.
15. Which was the main religion under the Guptas?
Ans. Hinduism was the main religion under the Gupta.
16. Which play by Shudraka reflects the socio-cultural conditions of the Gupta era?
Ans. Mrichchhakatikam or the Clay Cart.
17. Which two works written in the Gupta period form the basis of two world famous tales?
Ans. Vishnu Sharma’s Panchatantra became the basis for Aesop’s fables while Sindbad the Sailor was based on
Brihat Katha Kosh.

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 18. Which work by Varamihira states that the Moon moves round the Earth and the Earth moves around the Sun?
Ans. Brihat Samhita.
19. What scientific law does Brahmagupta’s work Brahmashutika Siddhanta hint at?
Ans. The law of gravitation.
20. List two examples that show the high standard of metallurgy in the Gupta Era.
Ans.
(i) The Iron Pillar at Delhi near Qutub Minar which has not rusted or lost its lustre since its installation in about
415 CE.

(ii) The 80 feet high copper statue of Buddha at Nalanda.

STRUCTURED ESSAY TYPE QUESTIONS

1. (a)
Mention two features of the Gupta architecture. (b) Name two famous temples of the Gupta period.
(c) Describe the features of the Vishnu Temple at Deogarh.
(d) Mention two schools and some important features of the Gupta sculpture.
Ans. (a)
In the Gupta period, temples and other structures were built of stone as earlier, but many brick-made
structures have also been found. The temple at Bhitrigaon near Kanpur is a fine example of brick temple.
(b) The Vishnu temple at Deogarh (near Jhansi) and the brick temple at Bhitrigaon (near Kanpur) are two of
the famous temples of the Gupta period.
(c) This completely stone-made temple is built on a raised platform. There are stairs to reach up to the platform.
It has a spire, four porticos and a roof supported by pillars. The temple has a well decorated door way.
The walls are decorated with the scenes from the Ramayana.
(d) In the images created by the Gupta period, the sculptors present a beautiful figure, charming and dignified,
with a graceful pose and spiritual calmness. Secondly, they are characterised by symmetry, a sense of
proportion, exquisite beauty and skilled execution. There is no foreign influence of the earlier periods. In
Gupta period, there developed two (Mathura and Sarnath) schools of sculpture.
2. (a) Which period is called the Golden Age of Indian Culture?
(b) Why is Gupta Period called Golden Age of Indian Culture?
(c) What is the other name of this period? What was its span?
Ans. (a) The Gupta period is called the Golden Age of Indian Culture.
(b) It was under the Gupta period that India witnessed a long spell of peace, prosperity and progress after the
decline of the Mauryan empire. All the arts and sciences flourished in this period. Hence, it is called the
Golden Age of Indian Culture.
(c) The Golden (Glorious) Age of Indian Culture is also called the Age of Hindu Renaissance. It spanned from
320 CE to 540 CE.
3. (a)
Where do we find the best specimens of the Gupta painting?
(b) Name two of the paintings found in the Bagh caves.
(c) Mention any two paintings of Ajanta caves.
(d) What is the reason that the Avalokiteswara Padmahari paintings is so famous?
Ans. (a)
The best specimens of the Gupta painting are found in Ajanta and Bagh caves.
(b) One of the Bagh paintings depicts a procession of elephants while another depicts a woman dancer and
women musicians.
(c) The figure of Avalokiteshwara Padmahari and of an Apsara are two of the best specimens of the Ajanta paintings.
(d) This painting is located in the Cave No. 1 at Ajanta. It is world famous for its colour combination, design
and expression. The face of Padmahari clearly reflects his characteristic compassion and tenderness. The
Bodhisatva is depicted in a natural setting and flanked by Yakshas, Gandharvas, Apsaras and other celestial
beings, animals and trees. The jewelled crown, necklace and white lotus in right hand add lustre to the
whole scene.
4. (a) Who was called India’s Napoleon?
(b) What was the official language of the Gupta Empire?
(c) Kalidasa is known as the Shakespeare of India. Why?
(d) From the Gupta period, name :

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 (i) Three dramatists (ii) Three poet, (iii) Two grammarians
(iv) Two important centers of learning (v) Three scientists (vi) Two physicians
Ans. (a) Samudragupta was called India’s Napoleon because of his victories.
(b) Sanskrit was the official language of the Gupta Empire.
(c) Kalidasa wrote many outstanding plays in Sanskrit. This is what that earned him the title ‘Shakespeare of
India.’
(d) (i) Kalidasa, Shudraka and Vishakhadatta were the three important dramatists (playwrights) of the Gupta period.
(ii) Kalidasa, Harisena and Bhasa
(iii) Panini and Patanjali. (iv) Vallabhi and Vikramshila.
(v) Aryabhatta, Brahmagupta and Varahamihira (vi) Charaka and Dhanavantari.
5. (a)
Which important Sciences flourished during the Gupta period?
(b) Modern India named one of its satellites after an astronomer of the Gupta period. Who was he?
(c) Mention the importance of Panchatantra.
(d) Give a list of famous Indian scientists from the Gupta period.
Ans. (a)
Medicine, mathematics and astronomy were among the important sciences that flourished during the Gupta
period.
(b) Aryabhatta is the astronomer of the Gupta period after whom an Indian satellite was named.
(c) This collection of animal stories is full of wit and humour. These stories were composed to teach statecraft
to disinterested princes. Later many of the stories found place in Aesop’s Fables and the Arabian Nights.
(d) Scientist Field Works
Vaghabhatta Medicine Ashtanga Hridaya
Aryabhatta Maths and Astronomy Aryabhattiya
Varahamihira Maths and Astronomy Brihat Samhita
Pancha Siddhantika
Brahmagupta Maths and Astronomy Brahmashutika Siddhanta
Charaka Medicine Charaka Samhita
Sushruta Surgeon Sushruta Samhita
6. With reference to the Allahabad Pillar answer the following questions :
(a) Why is the Allahabad Pillar Inscription important?
(b) What makes it clear that Samudragupta was a wise statesman?
(c) Explain the conquests of Samudragupta.
Ans. (a) The Allahabad Pillar Inscription is composed on the Ashokan pillar in Allahabad fort. The inscription in Sanskrit
was composed by poet Harisena. It was this which proved to be the first vital and most informative source
about Samudragupta. In thirty three lines the inscription vividly describes Samudragupta’s conquests.

(b) As all kings, Samudragupta also wanted to extend his empire. On his Deccan campaign he covered a
distance of 3000 miles through dense forests. On his way to the Deccan he defeated many kingdoms.
Even after a successful campaign he did not annex any portion of the Deccan. It was a wise decision to
make the Southern rulers accept his suzerainty. He knew that it would be too large an empire for him to
be able to control.
(c) Samudragupta was the son of Chandragupta I. His efforts to extend the Gupta empire really bore fruit.
Samudragupta had defeated the principalities of the Eastern Himalayan states, the Ganga Yamuna Doab
and frontier states such as Assam, Bengal and Nepal. Some Republics had also been conquered. They
included Punjab, forest kingdoms in the Vindhya regions and twelve rulers of Deccan and South India who
had accepted his suzerainty after being defeated. The Sakas and Kushanas, the Shahis of the Punjab and
the King of Srilanka had friendly relations with Samudragupta. All these conquests had earned Samudragupta
the title ‘Napoleon of India’ The inscriptions classify that Samudragupta had defeated 17 kings from the Ganga
valley to lay foundation of his empire and he had performed Ashvamedha sacrifice to assert his sovereignty.

58 ICSE History and Civics – IX

 7. (a) How is Chandragupta II, otherwise known as?
(b) What were the qualities of Samudragupta as a person?
Ans. (a) Chandragupta II was son and successor of Samudragupta. He was otherwise popular as Vikramaditya or
‘Sun of Power’ He is known to have had the famous Nav Ratnas or Nine gems, Scholars from various
fields in his royal court. After defeating the Shaka he was called Shakari.
(b) Other than being a king and a conqueror, Samudragupta was a lover of art and literature. He is known to
have been an expert Veena player. This is seen even in the coins issued in his reign. It is believed that
he was a learned scholar and a great poet. He was a Hindu but showed tolerance for all religions.

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