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Golden age(320 AD to 550 AD)

- Founder- sri Gupta and many other Guptas mentioned in many inscriptions
such as shiva Gupta in Nashik inscription and puru Gupta in Karle
inscription.
Sri Gupta:
- Ruled 200AD-feudatory of kushanas- reliable source form account of
Chinese traveller I-tsing-who came in 672 AD- mentioned him as che-li-ko-
to and wrote that 500 yrs before his arrival this king had built a temple.
-
Chandragupta II (380-415 A.D.)
- Samudragupta was succeeded by his son Chandragupta II Vikramaditya
- But immediate successor of samudra was- ramgupta(elder brother)-drama
devichandraguptam of visakhadatta mentioned that ramagupta was badly
defeated by a saka chieftain- to secure the people,ramagupta agreed to
surrender his queen to sakas.chandragupta II killed ramgupta and married
his wife.
- He extended gupta empire by a combination of policy of diplomacy and
warfare
- And strengthened political power through matrimonial alliance
1) Married – Naga princess- kuberanaga.
2) He gave his daughter Prabhavati in marriage to the Vakataka prince
Rudrasena II- bcoz it is geographically strategic position in deccan
- This alliance served a useful purpose when Chandragupta-II undertook his
campaign in western India against the Sakas.
Conquest of western india:

- Greatest achievement of ChandraguptaII was- his war against Saka satraps

of western india
- Rudrasimha III –last saka ruler was defeated-killed-his territories in
western malwa and Kathiawar peninsula were annexed
- Performed horse sacrifice and assumed title- SAKARI-meaning destroyer of
sakas
- Conquest of western india reached upto Arabian sea-gaining access to
broach,sopara,cambay and other sea ports-enabled them to control trade
in western countries
- UJJAIN-became commercial city and alternative capital of guptas
- Fine cotton clothes of Bengal, Indigo from bihar, Silk from banares, Scents
of Himalayas, Sandal and spices from south brought to these ports
- Great wealth of gupta empire was manifest in the variety of gold coins
issued by Chandragupta II

Other Conquests:

- defeated confederacy of vangas

- Crossed river sindu and conquered Bactria
- kushans were subdued
- extended west- as far as malwa,Gujarat and Kathiawar
- north west-beyond hindukush upto bactria
- east-eastern Bengal
- south- narmada river formed the boundary
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Fahien’s visit:

- Chinese pilgrim-during the reign of Chandragupta II

- Out of 9 yrs in india- 6yrs-in guptan empire
- Came to india by land route-through khotan, kashgar, gandhara and Punjab
- Visited-Peshawar, Mathura, Kanauj, Sravasti, Kapilavastu, Kusinagara,
Pataliputra, Kasi and Bodh Gaya among other places.
- Returned via sea route- visiting Ceylon and java
- Main purpose- to see the land of Buddha and collect Buddhist manuscripts
- Stayed in pataliputra for 3 yrs studying Sanskrit and copying Buddhist texts

Info from fahien’s visit:

- Buddhism was flourishing in N-W,but in a state of neglect in gangetic valley
- Refered gangetic valley as land of Brahmanism
- Mentioned the unsatisfactory state of Buddhist holy places-kapilavastu and
kusinagara
- Economic condition was prosperous
- He did not mention the name of Chandragupta II
- Not interested in political affairs
- His interest was mainly religion
- He assessed everything from Buddhist angle, his observations on social
conditions are found to be exaggerated
Estimate of Chandragupta II:
- Patronised kalidasa
- Promoted artistic activity
- Bcoz of high level of cultural progress it achieved- known as golden age
Successors of Chandragupta II:

Kumaragupta: (415-455 AD)

- Son of Chandragupta II
- Reign was marked by peace and prosperity
- Issued number of coins
- Performed ashvamedha sacrifice
- Laid foundation of nalanda university
- At the end of his realm-a powerful wealthy tribe called pushyamitras
defeated the army
- Branch of Huns from central asia tried to invade
Skandagupta: (455-467 AD)
- He really faced the Hun invasion
- Fought successfully and saved empire from huns
- After him,his successors purugupta, narasimha gupta,buddhagupta and
baladitya could not save the empire from white huns
- Scholars guess that skandagupta had no male heir and was succeeded by his
half brother purugupta.
- Gupta power disappeared due to hun invasion and rise of yasodharman in
malwa
- The last of guptas work as feudatoried of the hunas

Gupta administration:
- Assumed titles paramabhattaraka, maharajadhiraja, parameswara, samrat
and chakravartin
- a/c to markendeya purana-primary duty of a king was to follow Rajdharma-
which put the duty to protect his subjects foremost
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- King assisted by council- CM+ senapati+other officials

- Sandhivigraha-probably foreign affairs minister-mentioned in inscriptions
- King close conact with provincial admin- through a class of officials called
kumaramatyas and ayuktas
- Provinces-BHUKTIS
Provincial governors- UPARIKAS
- Bhuktis-subdivided into vishyas or districts- governed by visyapathis
- City administration-by nagara sreshtis
- Villages under-Gramikas

Fahien’s account:
- Characterises as mild and benevolent
- No restrictions on people’s movements and enjoyed large degree of
freedom
- No state interference in individual’s life
- Punishments not severe
- Imposing fine-common punishment
- No spy system
- Admin. So efficient-roads safe for travellers- no fear of thieves- able to
travelled without any fear throughout Gnagetic valley.
- Crimes negligible,people-prosperous
- Admin more liberal than mauryas

Social Life:
- Pre-Gupta period-series of foreign invasions
- During Gupta period-Caste system more rigid-brahmins occupied top ladder-
were given enormous gifts by rulers
- Practice of untouchability slowly began
- Fahien mentioned that chandelas were segregated- their miserable
conditions was elaborated by him
- Position of women:
1) Become miserable-prohibited from studying religious texts like puranas
2) Subjection of women to men- regularised
3) But insisted that they should be protected and generously treated by
men
4) Practice of swayamvara was given up
5) Manusmriti suggested early marriages for girls
- Religion:
1) Brahmanism reigned supreme-led to neglect of Buddhism and Jainism
-vasubandhu-buddhist scholar was patronised. In Western and southern
india Jainism flourished-great jain council @ vallabhi held and jain
canon of swethambaras was written.
2) 2 branches of brahmanism- vaishnavism and shaivism
3) Most guptans were vaishnavaites
4) Performed aswamedha sacrifices
5) Worship of images and celebration of religious festivals-made them
popular
6) Puranas were composed
Art and culture:
- Called it as period of renaissance-but it should be remembered there was
no dark period before Gupta rule- but a culmination of Indian intellectual
activities
Art and architecture:
- Both nagara and dravida styles developed
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- Most architecture lost due to foreign invasions

- Temple of deogarh near Jhansi and sculptures in temples at Garhwas near
Allahabad-specimens
- No influence of gandhara style
- Beautiful statue of standing Buddha at Mathura-little greek style
- Buddha statue @ sarnath-unique peace of guptan art
- Bhitari monolithic pillar of skandagupta is also remarkable
- Metallurgy made wonderful progress-craftsmen efficient in art of casting
metal statued and pillars
- Gigantic copper statue of Buddha-@ sultanganj @ brimingham museum
- Delhi iron pillar of Guptan period free form rust and rain
- Paintings:
1) Seen at bagh caves near Gwalior
2) Mural paintings of ajantha-illustrates life of Buddha depicted in jataka
stories
3) Paintings at sigiriya in srilanka-influenced by ajantha style
- Coinage:
1) Samudragupta issued 8 types of gold coins
2) Legend on them- achievements of kings
3) Figures inscribed- shows skill and greatness of gupta numismatic art
4) Issued gold,silver and copper coins

Literature:
- Sanskrit-became prominent- best of Sanskrit literature belonged to this
age
- Nagari script evolved form brahmi script
- Himself a great poet-patronised harisena
- Court of Chandragupta II – adorned by navaratnas
- Kalidasa-foremost among them
1) Master piece-sanskrit drama( to read)-shakuntala-one among the best
books of world
2) Wrote 2 other plays( seen)- malavikagnimitra and vikramorvasiyam
3) Epics-raghuvamsam and kumarasambhava
4) Lyrics- ritusamhara and meghaduta
- Visakadatta-author of 2 sanskrit dramas-mudrarakhshasa and
devichadraguptam
- Sudraka- renowed poet- book mrichchakatika-rich in humor and pathos
- Bharavi- kritarjuniya- story of conflict between arjuna and siva
- Dandin-author of kavya darsa and dasakumara charita
- Subhandhu-wrote vasavadatta
- Vishnusharma-panchatantra
- Buddhist author amarasimha-compiled lexicon called amarakosa
- 18 puranas-composed- bhagavatha, Vishnu,vayu,matsya
- Mahabharata and Ramayana were given final touches
Science:
- Aryabhata- mathematician and astronomer-aryabhatiya in 499 AD
1) deals with mathematics and astronomy
2) scientifically explained the occurrence of solar and lunar eclipse
3) first to declare earth was spherical and rotates on its own axis
4) these views were rejected by astronomers- varahamihara and
brahmagupta
- varahamihara-composed pancha siddhantika-5 astronomical systems
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1) work-brihadsamhita –sanskrit literature-deals with subjects

astronomy,astrology,geography,architecture,weather,animals,marriage and omens
2) brihadjataka-standard work on astrology
medicine:
- vagbhata-last of great medical trio of ancient india(others-charaka and susruta)
- vagbhata-author of ashtanagasamgraha (summary of 8 branches of medicine)