Gupta Empire: Origin, Kings and Administration

The Gupta Empire existed from the early 4th century CE to the late 6th century CE. The Gupta Empire covered almost all of the Indian subcontinent from 319 to 467CE. This period is also known as the “golden age” of Indian history. The first two rulers of the Gupta dynasty— Sri Gupta and his son Ghatotkacha’s history are obscure therefore the dynasty is believed to have originated with the reign of Chandragupta I.

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Some theories conflict with each other regarding the homeland of the Guptas dynasty.

The Gupta family’s ancestry and early background are unknown, which has inevitably led to a lot of speculation. According to a theory, the Guptas originated in regions of modern-day Uttar Pradesh. While another theory suggests that the homeland of the Guptas was the modern-day Bengal.

The records don’t mention the varna or the social class of the dynasty. Some historians have put forward their theory of the Guptas belonging to the Vaishya class. This is because some ancient Indian texts mention the title ‘Gupta’ to be a member of the Vaishyas varna. Critics of the Vaishyas theory have to say that the suffix ‘Gupta’ appears after the name of many non-Vaishyas during the Gupta period. Therefore the origin, as well as the class of the Gupta dynasty, can be said to be inconclusive.

Popular Kings:

Chandragupta-I (320–330 AD)

• Chandragupta-I is viewed as the forefather of the Gupta period, which begins with his reign in AD 320
• He was the principal Gupta pioneer to accept the title of ‘Maharajadhiraja’ which means the king of kings
• He also made matrimonial alliances to extend his empire by marrying a Lichchavi princess. , Kumaradevi
• He gave an exceptional sort of coin called Chandragupta-Kumaradevi type

Samudragupta (330-380 AD)

• Samudragupta was the son of Chandragupta I
• Samudragupta was one of the supreme leaders of the Gupta dynasty
• Much of the information about him has been acquired from the Allahabad Pillar inscription
• His most noteworthy accomplishment was the political unification of the majority of India
• The Allahabad Pillar inscription/ Prayaga Prashasti provides a clear account of his reign which is written by his court poet Harisena
• In South India, he remained content with his victories alone – he liberated those who surrendered to him and allowed them to rule again over their kingdoms
• Samudragupta’s military missions legitimize his portrayal as the ‘Napoleon of India’
• He granted permission to the Buddhist king Meghavarman (King of Ceylon) to build monasteries at Bodh Gaya
• He was also a musician and poet as he is shown playing veena in one of his coins
• Unique sorts of Gold Coins (Dinars) were: Garud type, Dhanurdhari i.e Archer type, Axe type, Ashvamedha type, Vyaghrahanana, for example, Tiger killing sorts, Veena Vadan and woodwind playing type

Chandragupta-II ‘Vikramaditya’ (380-414 AD)

• Chandragupta II succeeded his father, Samudragupta
• Chandragupta-II inherited his father’s military prowess and used his conquests to expand the Gupta Empire
• According to the inscription on the Mehrauli Iron Pillar, the king defeated the Vangas and Vahilkas confederacy
• Through matrimonial alliances (with the Nagas and Vakatakas) and conquests, Chandragupta-II expanded the empire’s boundaries
• Chandragupta-II seems to have made Ujjain the second capital
• He annexed the territories of Sakas of Malwa, Gujarat, and Saurashtra
• Therefore he was given the title ‘Sakari’ or the conqueror of Sakas. Fa-Hien visited India during his reign
• He favored Navaratna poets and scholars, one among them was Kalidasa
• The marriage of Chandragupta’s daughter, Prabhavati with the Vakataka ruler Rudrasena II helped him to get influence in the Deccan

Kumaragupta-I (415-455 AD)

• Kumaragupta-I, Chandragupta-II’s son, succeeded him
• He laid the foundation for Nalanda University
• Kumaragupta was a worshiper of God, Kartikey
• His Rhino-slayer type variety of coins is unique and features a Rhino for the first time in Indian numismatic art
• A section of the Hunas from Central Asia tried to invade India during his reign for the first time

Skandagupta (455- 467 AD)

• Last ruler of the Gupta dynasty
• During his rule, the Hunas invaded the Gupta Empire for the second time
• He was successful in defeating the Huna, but the empire was weakened by the Hunas’ constant assaults, which had a negative impact on the empire’s economy

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Administration

• During the Gupta period, monarchy was the prevailing form of government
• The rulers of the Gupta dynasty had their own councils
• The council of ministers was known as  Mantri Parishad
• It consisted of high officials like the kumaramatya and the sandhivigrahika
• The empire was divided into provinces which were known as ‘bhuktis’
• The bhuktis were further divided into ‘Vishyas’
• Each bhukti was under the control of an ‘uparika’ and the Uparikas were appointed by the king
• The vishayas were under the control of Vishayapatis who were appointed by the provincial governor or sometimes the king himself
• The bhuktis were further divided into ‘vishayas’, which was under the charge of a Vishayapati
• The village administration was managed by the headman of the village
• Unlike the Mauryan times, the administration in the Gupta period seems to have been managed from grassroot levels

Important officials

Conclusion

This was the scenario of administration  during the Gupta period. Although the origin of the Gupta dynasty is still inconclusive. The reign of the Gupta empire kings was also remarkable as this period is known as the ‘golden age of Indian history.

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