the Gupta Empire
Gupta Empire
By its end, you will know :-)
✔History of the Gupta Empire
✔Different rulers of The Gupta Dynasty
✔Adminstration of the Gupta Empire
✔Decline of the Gupta Empire
1. History of the Gupta Empire
The ruling dynasty of the empire was founded by the Noble king Sri Gupta; the most notable rulers of the dynasty were Chandragupta |, Samduragupta, Chandragupta | and Skandagupta. The 5th-century CE Sanskrit poet Kalidas credits the Guptas with having conquered about twenty-one kingdoms, both in and outside India, including the kingdom of Parasikas, the Hunas, the Kambojas, tribes located in the west and east Oxus Valley, the Kinaras, Kiratas, and others. Although Sri Gupta is the original founder of the Gupta empire but is not said to be the first important ruler of The Gupta Empire because it's Chandragupta |
his Grandson was a king of the Gupta Empire, who ruled in northern and central India. His title Maharajadhiraja ("great king of kings")suggests that he was the first emperor of the
dynasty It is difficult to how he turned his small ancestral kingdom into an empire, There is a widely
accepted the theory among modern historians that his marriage to the
Licchavi princess Kumaradevi helped him extend his political power.
Their son Samudragupta further expanded the Gupta empire he reigned from 330 to 380 in to was never defeated and so, also called Napolean of India during his rule
Kalidas The great Poet wrote many inscriptions found today.
then succeeded by his son Chandragupta || who reigned(375 to 415), also known by his title Vikramaditya, as well as Chandragupta Vikramaditya, was the third ruler of the Gupta Empire in India and was one of the most powerful emperors of the Gupta dynasty. Chandragupta continued the expansionist policy of his father Samudragupta, mainly through military conquest The Iron pillar of Delhi contains an inscription of a king called "Chandra". Modern scholars generally identify this king with Chandragupta II, although this cannot be said with complete certainty.
While alternative identifications have been proposed, there is strong evidence for identifying Chandra of the iron pillar inscription as Chandragupta II:Chandragupta's coins refer to him as "Chandra".
According to the iron pillar inscription, Chandra was a devotee of Vishnu Chandragupta was also a Vaishnavite and is described as a Bhagvat Gita (devotee of Vishnu) in the Gupta records.
The iron pillar is said to have been set up by king Chandra in honour of Vishnu, on a hill named Vishnu-pada, but the king seems to have died shortly before the inscription was engraved, as the inscription states that "the king has quit the earth and gone to the other world". A similar Vishnu-dhvaja (A flagpole in honour of Vishnu) was set up by the Gupta emperor Skanandagupta (a grandson of Chandragupta) after the death of his father Kumar Gupta I.
According to his Udayagiri inscription, Chandragupta went on a Digvijay ("conquest of all quarters") campaign. He is known to have been a powerful sovereign emperor, and this fits in well with the iron pillar inscription's description of king Chandra as someone who "attained sole supreme sovereignty in the world acquired by his own arm and (enjoyed) for a very long time".
The iron pillar inscription states that the southern ocean is "perfumed by the breezes" of Chandra's prowess. This may be a reference to Chandragupta's extension of the Gupta rule to the ARABIAN SEA after his conquest of the Western Kshatrapa territory. The Arabian Sea was located to the south of the Gupta empire, and thus, the term "southern ocean" applies to it in this context.
The iron pillar inscription states that "his name was Chandra and he was holding the glory of a full moon on his face". This is reminiscent of his descendant Skanandagupta's Mandasaur inscription, which describes Chandragupta as "a moon in the galaxy of Gupta kings with the famous name Chandragupta".
The iron pillar inscription credits Chandra with the following victories:an alliance of enemies in the Vanga country
Crossed the "seven faces" of the river Sindhu (Indus) during a war, and defeated the Vatika
his son Kumar Gupta was also the founder of one of the biggest universities in India
the Nalanda university. He had inherited a large empire built upon the conquests of his father Chandragupta and his grandfather Samduragupta. The inscriptions issued during his reign have been discovered in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Bangladesh; an inscription of his son has been discovered in Gujarat. In addition, his Garuda-inscribed coins have been discovered in western India, and his peacock-inscribed coins have been discovered in the Ganges valley. This suggests that he was able to maintain control over the vast territory that he inherited. Thus, even if his reign was militarily uneventful, he must have been a strong ruler for being able to maintain a stable government in a large empire, as indicated by epigraphic and numismatic evidence.
There are some indications that Kumaragupta's reign was not devoid of wars and disturbances. For example, he worshipped the war god Karttikeya, and his gold coins suggest that he performed the Ashvamedha ceremony which was used by ancient kings to prove their sovereignty. However, since there is no concrete information available about any military conquest by him, it is not certain if this performance is indicative of any conquests
Different Rulers
1. Chandragupta |
the first important ruler of The Gupta Empire was Chandragupta |his Grandson was a king of the Gupta Empire, who ruled in northern and central India. His title Maharajadhiraja ("great king of kings")suggests that he was the first emperor of the
dynasty It is difficult to how he turned his small ancestral kingdom into an empire, There is a widely
accepted the theory among modern historians that his marriage to the
Licchavi princess Kumaradevi helped him extend his political power.
2. Samduragupta
Their son Samudragupta further expanded the Gupta empire he reigned from 330 to 380 in to was never defeated and so, also called Napolean of India during his rule
Kalidas The great Poet wrote many inscriptions found today.
The early portion of the Allahabad pillar inscription mentions that Samudragupta "uprooted" Achyuta, Nagasena, and a ruler whose name is lost in the damaged portion of the inscription. The third name ends in "-ga", and is generally restored as Ganapati-naga, because Achyuta-Nandin (presumably the same as Achyuta), Nagasena, and Ganapati-naga are once again mentioned in the later part of the inscription, among the kings of Aryavarta (northern India) defeated by Samudragupta. These kings are identified as the rulers of present-day western Uttar Pradesh. According to the inscription, Samudragupta reinstated these rulers after they sought his forgiveness.
It is not clear why the names of these three kings are repeated later in the inscription. According to one theory, these three kings were vassal rulers who rebelled against Samudragupta after the death of his father. Samudragupta crushed the rebellion and reinstated them after they sought his forgiveness. Later, these rulers rebelled once more, and Samudragupta defeated them again. Another possibility is that the author of the inscription thought it necessary to repeat these names while describing Samudragupta's later conquests in Aryavarta, simply because these kings belonged to that region
3. Chandraguta ||
Chandragupta || who reigned(375 to 415), also known by his title Vikramaditya, as well as Chandragupta Vikramaditya, was the third ruler of the Gupta Empire in India and was one of the most powerful emperors of the Gupta dynasty. Chandragupta continued the expansionist policy of his father Samudragupta, mainly through military conquest The Iron pillar of Delhi contains an inscription of a king called "Chandra". Modern scholars generally identify this king with Chandragupta II, although this cannot be said with complete certainty.
While alternative identifications have been proposed, there is strong evidence for identifying Chandra of the iron pillar inscription as Chandragupta II:Chandragupta's coins refer to him as "Chandra".
According to the iron pillar inscription, Chandra was a devotee of Vishnu Chandragupta was also a Vaishnavite and is described as a Bhagvat Gita (devotee of Vishnu) in the Gupta records.
The iron pillar is said to have been set up by king Chandra in honour of Vishnu, on a hill named Vishnu-pada, but the king seems to have died shortly before the inscription was engraved, as the inscription states that "the king has quit the earth and gone to the other world". A similar Vishnu-dhvaja (A flagpole in honour of Vishnu) was set up by the Gupta emperor Skanandagupta (a grandson of Chandragupta) after the death of his father Kumar Gupta I.
According to his Udayagiri inscription, Chandragupta went on a Digvijay ("conquest of all quarters") campaign. He is known to have been a powerful sovereign emperor, and this fits in well with the iron pillar inscription's description of king Chandra as someone who "attained sole supreme sovereignty in the world acquired by his own arm and (enjoyed) for a very long time".
The iron pillar inscription states that the southern ocean is "perfumed by the breezes" of Chandra's prowess. This may be a reference to Chandragupta's extension of the Gupta rule to the ARABIAN SEA after his conquest of the Western Kshatrapa territory. The Arabian Sea was located to the south of the Gupta empire, and thus, the term "southern ocean" applies to it in this context.
The iron pillar inscription states that "his name was Chandra and he was holding the glory of a full moon on his face". This is reminiscent of his descendant Skanandagupta's Mandasaur inscription, which describes Chandragupta as "a moon in the galaxy of Gupta kings with the famous name Chandragupta".
The iron pillar inscription credits Chandra with the following victories:an alliance of enemies in the Vanga country
Crossed the "seven faces" of the river Sindhu (Indus) during a war, and defeated the Vatika
Kalidas The great Poet wrote many inscriptions found today.
The early portion of the Allahabad pillar inscription mentions that Samudragupta "uprooted" Achyuta, Nagasena, and a ruler whose name is lost in the damaged portion of the inscription. The third name ends in "-ga", and is generally restored as Ganapati-naga, because Achyuta-Nandin (presumably the same as Achyuta), Nagasena, and Ganapati-naga are once again mentioned in the later part of the inscription, among the kings of Aryavarta (northern India) defeated by Samudragupta. These kings are identified as the rulers of present-day western Uttar Pradesh. According to the inscription, Samudragupta reinstated these rulers after they sought his forgiveness.
It is not clear why the names of these three kings are repeated later in the inscription. According to one theory, these three kings were vassal rulers who rebelled against Samudragupta after the death of his father. Samudragupta crushed the rebellion and reinstated them after they sought his forgiveness. Later, these rulers rebelled once more, and Samudragupta defeated them again. Another possibility is that the author of the inscription thought it necessary to repeat these names while describing Samudragupta's later conquests in Aryavarta, simply because these kings belonged to that region
3. Chandraguta ||
Chandragupta || who reigned(375 to 415), also known by his title Vikramaditya, as well as Chandragupta Vikramaditya, was the third ruler of the Gupta Empire in India and was one of the most powerful emperors of the Gupta dynasty. Chandragupta continued the expansionist policy of his father Samudragupta, mainly through military conquest The Iron pillar of Delhi contains an inscription of a king called "Chandra". Modern scholars generally identify this king with Chandragupta II, although this cannot be said with complete certainty.
While alternative identifications have been proposed, there is strong evidence for identifying Chandra of the iron pillar inscription as Chandragupta II:Chandragupta's coins refer to him as "Chandra".
According to the iron pillar inscription, Chandra was a devotee of Vishnu Chandragupta was also a Vaishnavite and is described as a Bhagvat Gita (devotee of Vishnu) in the Gupta records.
The iron pillar is said to have been set up by king Chandra in honour of Vishnu, on a hill named Vishnu-pada, but the king seems to have died shortly before the inscription was engraved, as the inscription states that "the king has quit the earth and gone to the other world". A similar Vishnu-dhvaja (A flagpole in honour of Vishnu) was set up by the Gupta emperor Skanandagupta (a grandson of Chandragupta) after the death of his father Kumar Gupta I.
According to his Udayagiri inscription, Chandragupta went on a Digvijay ("conquest of all quarters") campaign. He is known to have been a powerful sovereign emperor, and this fits in well with the iron pillar inscription's description of king Chandra as someone who "attained sole supreme sovereignty in the world acquired by his own arm and (enjoyed) for a very long time".
The iron pillar inscription states that the southern ocean is "perfumed by the breezes" of Chandra's prowess. This may be a reference to Chandragupta's extension of the Gupta rule to the ARABIAN SEA after his conquest of the Western Kshatrapa territory. The Arabian Sea was located to the south of the Gupta empire, and thus, the term "southern ocean" applies to it in this context.
The iron pillar inscription states that "his name was Chandra and he was holding the glory of a full moon on his face". This is reminiscent of his descendant Skanandagupta's Mandasaur inscription, which describes Chandragupta as "a moon in the galaxy of Gupta kings with the famous name Chandragupta".
The iron pillar inscription credits Chandra with the following victories:an alliance of enemies in the Vanga country
Crossed the "seven faces" of the river Sindhu (Indus) during a war, and defeated the Vatika
4. Kumar Gupta
Kumar Gupta was one of the biggest universities in India he reigned from 415 to 455 CE
the Nalanda university. He had inherited a large empire built upon the conquests of his father Chandragupta and his grandfather Samduragupta. The inscriptions issued during his reign have been discovered in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Bangladesh; an inscription of his son has been discovered in Gujarat. In addition, his Garuda-inscribed coins have been discovered in western India, and his peacock-inscribed coins have been discovered in the Ganges valley. This suggests that he was able to maintain control over the vast territory that he inherited. Thus, even if his reign was militarily uneventful, he must have been a strong ruler for being able to maintain a stable government in a large empire, as indicated by epigraphic and numismatic evidence.
There are some indications that Kumaragupta's reign was not devoid of wars and disturbances. For example, he worshipped the war god Karttikeya, and his gold coins suggest that he performed the Ashvamedha ceremony which was used by ancient kings to prove their sovereignty. However, since there is no concrete information available about any military conquest by him, it is not certain if this performance is indicative of any conquests
Administration of the Gupta empire
A study of the epigraphical records of the Gupta empire shows that there was a hierarchy of administrative divisions from top to bottom. The empire was called by various names such as Rajya, Rashtra, Desha, Mandala, Prithvi and Avani. It was divided into 26 provinces, which were styled Bhukti, Pradesh and Bhoga. Provinces were also divided into Vishayas and put under the control of the Vishayapatis. A Vishayapati administered the Vishaya with the help of the Adhikarana (council of representatives), which comprised four representatives: Nagarasreshesthi, Sarthavaha, Prathamakulika and Prathama Kayastha. A part of the Vishaya was called Vithi. The Gupta also had trading links with the Sassanid and Byzantine Empiresprofessions. The four-fold varna system was observed under the Gupta period but the Pradeshcaste system was fluid. Brahmins followed non-Brahmanical Kshatriyas as well. Kshatriyas were involved in trade and commerce. The society largely coexisted among themselves
Following Skandagupta's death, the empire was clearly in decline, and the later Gupta coinage indicates their loss of control over much of western India after 467–469. Skandagupta was followed by Purugupta (467–473), Kumargupta || (473–476), Buddhagupta (476–495), Nara(495—530), Kumargupta ||| (530—540), Vishnugupta (540—550), two lesser-known kings namely, Vainygupta and Bhanugupta.
In the 480s the Alchon Huns under Toramana and Mihirakul broke through the Gupta defences in the northwest, and much of the empire in the northwest was overrun by the Huns by 500. According to some scholars, the empire disintegrated under the attacks of Toraman and his successor Mihirakul. It appears from inscriptions that the Guptas, although their power was much diminished, continued to resist the Huns. The Hun invader Toramana was defeated by Bhanugupta in 510. The Huns were defeated and driven out of India in 528 by King Yashodarman from Malwa, and possibly Gupta emperor Narashimagupta.
These invasions, although only spanning a few decades, had long-term effects on India, and in a sense brought an end to Classical Indian Civilization. Soon after the invasions, the Gupta Empire, already weakened by these invasions and the rise of local rulers such as Yashodarman, ended as well. Following the invasions, northern India was left in disarray, with numerous smaller Indian powers emerging after the crumbling of the Guptas. The Huna invasions are said to have seriously damaged India's trade with Benares and Central Asia. In particular, Indo-Roman Trade relations, which the Gupta Empire had greatly benefited from. The Guptas had been exporting numerous luxury products such as silk, leather goods, fur, iron products, ivory, pearl, and pepper from centres such as Nasik, Paithan, Patliputra, and Benares. The Huna invasion probably disrupted these trade relations and the tax revenues that came with them.
Furthermore, Indian urban culture was left in decline, and Buddhism, gravely weakened by the destruction of monasteries and the killing of monks by the hand of the vehemently anti-Buddhist Shaivist Mihirakula, started to collapse. Great centres of learning were destroyed, such as the city of Taxila, bringing cultural regression. During their rule of 60 years, the Alchons are said to have altered the hierarchy of ruling families and the Indian caste system. For example, the Hunas are often said to have become the precursors of the Rajputs.
The succession of the 6th-century Guptas is not entirely clear, but the tail-end recognised ruler of the dynasty's main line was king Vishnugupta, reigning from 540 to 550. In addition to the Hun invasion, the factors, which contribute to the decline of the empire include competition from the Vatakas and the rise of Yashodarman in Malwa.
The last known inscription by a Gupta emperor is from the reign of Vishnugupta (the Damodarpur copper-plate inscription), in which he makes a land grant in the area of Kotivarsha (Bangarh in West Bengal) in 542/543 CE. This follows the occupation of most of northern and central India by the Aulikara ruler circa 532 CE.
A 2019 study by archaeologist Shanker Sharma has concluded that the cause of the Gupta empire's downfall was a devastating flood which happened around the middle of the 6th century in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
Kumar Gupta was one of the biggest universities in India he reigned from 415 to 455 CE
the Nalanda university. He had inherited a large empire built upon the conquests of his father Chandragupta and his grandfather Samduragupta. The inscriptions issued during his reign have been discovered in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Bangladesh; an inscription of his son has been discovered in Gujarat. In addition, his Garuda-inscribed coins have been discovered in western India, and his peacock-inscribed coins have been discovered in the Ganges valley. This suggests that he was able to maintain control over the vast territory that he inherited. Thus, even if his reign was militarily uneventful, he must have been a strong ruler for being able to maintain a stable government in a large empire, as indicated by epigraphic and numismatic evidence.
There are some indications that Kumaragupta's reign was not devoid of wars and disturbances. For example, he worshipped the war god Karttikeya, and his gold coins suggest that he performed the Ashvamedha ceremony which was used by ancient kings to prove their sovereignty. However, since there is no concrete information available about any military conquest by him, it is not certain if this performance is indicative of any conquests
Administration of the Gupta empireA study of the epigraphical records of the Gupta empire shows that there was a hierarchy of administrative divisions from top to bottom. The empire was called by various names such as Rajya, Rashtra, Desha, Mandala, Prithvi and Avani. It was divided into 26 provinces, which were styled Bhukti, Pradesh and Bhoga. Provinces were also divided into Vishayas and put under the control of the Vishayapatis. A Vishayapati administered the Vishaya with the help of the Adhikarana (council of representatives), which comprised four representatives: Nagarasreshesthi, Sarthavaha, Prathamakulika and Prathama Kayastha. A part of the Vishaya was called Vithi. The Gupta also had trading links with the Sassanid and Byzantine Empiresprofessions. The four-fold varna system was observed under the Gupta period but the Pradeshcaste system was fluid. Brahmins followed non-Brahmanical Kshatriyas as well. Kshatriyas were involved in trade and commerce. The society largely coexisted among themselves
The decline of the Gupta empire
Following Skandagupta's death, the empire was clearly in decline, and the later Gupta coinage indicates their loss of control over much of western India after 467–469. Skandagupta was followed by Purugupta (467–473), Kumargupta || (473–476), Buddhagupta (476–495), Nara(495—530), Kumargupta ||| (530—540), Vishnugupta (540—550), two lesser-known kings namely, Vainygupta and Bhanugupta.
In the 480s the Alchon Huns under Toramana and Mihirakul broke through the Gupta defences in the northwest, and much of the empire in the northwest was overrun by the Huns by 500. According to some scholars, the empire disintegrated under the attacks of Toraman and his successor Mihirakul. It appears from inscriptions that the Guptas, although their power was much diminished, continued to resist the Huns. The Hun invader Toramana was defeated by Bhanugupta in 510. The Huns were defeated and driven out of India in 528 by King Yashodarman from Malwa, and possibly Gupta emperor Narashimagupta.
These invasions, although only spanning a few decades, had long-term effects on India, and in a sense brought an end to Classical Indian Civilization. Soon after the invasions, the Gupta Empire, already weakened by these invasions and the rise of local rulers such as Yashodarman, ended as well. Following the invasions, northern India was left in disarray, with numerous smaller Indian powers emerging after the crumbling of the Guptas. The Huna invasions are said to have seriously damaged India's trade with Benares and Central Asia. In particular, Indo-Roman Trade relations, which the Gupta Empire had greatly benefited from. The Guptas had been exporting numerous luxury products such as silk, leather goods, fur, iron products, ivory, pearl, and pepper from centres such as Nasik, Paithan, Patliputra, and Benares. The Huna invasion probably disrupted these trade relations and the tax revenues that came with them.
Furthermore, Indian urban culture was left in decline, and Buddhism, gravely weakened by the destruction of monasteries and the killing of monks by the hand of the vehemently anti-Buddhist Shaivist Mihirakula, started to collapse. Great centres of learning were destroyed, such as the city of Taxila, bringing cultural regression. During their rule of 60 years, the Alchons are said to have altered the hierarchy of ruling families and the Indian caste system. For example, the Hunas are often said to have become the precursors of the Rajputs.
The succession of the 6th-century Guptas is not entirely clear, but the tail-end recognised ruler of the dynasty's main line was king Vishnugupta, reigning from 540 to 550. In addition to the Hun invasion, the factors, which contribute to the decline of the empire include competition from the Vatakas and the rise of Yashodarman in Malwa.
The last known inscription by a Gupta emperor is from the reign of Vishnugupta (the Damodarpur copper-plate inscription), in which he makes a land grant in the area of Kotivarsha (Bangarh in West Bengal) in 542/543 CE. This follows the occupation of most of northern and central India by the Aulikara ruler circa 532 CE.
A 2019 study by archaeologist Shanker Sharma has concluded that the cause of the Gupta empire's downfall was a devastating flood which happened around the middle of the 6th century in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
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