Age of the Guptas Flashcards
Who was Samudragupta??
- Son of chandragupta I
- He was a great conqueror, musician and poet.
- Extended his empire till the rivers chambal and Yamuna
- Made the southern parts accept his authority and allowed them to rule
- Covered 3000 miles in his deccan campaign
- Allahabad Pillar inscription is written about him.
- Showed playing the veena on a coin
- issued 8 types of coins
- Performed the Ashvameda Yajna or the horse sacrifice
- Followed Brahmanism and worshipped Vishnu.
- Known as the Napoleon of India for his bravery.
Who was the Shaulkika?
Tax collector.
State the functions of the Kumaramatya and Sandhivigrahika.
The Kumaramatya is the cheif cadre for recruiting high functionaries.
The sandhivigrahika is the minister of pease and war. His main job was to deal with feaudatories.
Who took care of village administration?
Taken care by local leading elements.
Write a SN on gupta monarchy.
- Theory of divinity of kings was present.
- They were compared to Vishnu as to how they could protect and preserve their people
- Lakshmi the goddess of prosperity was depicted on many coins.
- Samudragupta, Chandragupta II and skandagupta personally led their own armies.
- All land belonged to the king even the unclaimed land and he could do whatever he wanted with it.
- He could construct dams,give shelter to foreigners, etc.
- Brahmans kept a check on the kings.
What do we know about the accounts of Fa hien?
Fa hien was a chinese pilgrim who visited India during Chandragupta II’s reign. He stated that -
1. Magatha was a prosperous country with a large population
2. Patliputra was a flourishing city with many charitable institutions.
3. People respected all religions and sects
4. People led simple lives
5. Penal code was mild and they were punished by fines only.
6. Hindi gods and goddesses were depicted on coins and sculptures.
Who was Chandragupta I ?
Chandragupta I is regarded as the founder of the Gupta empire as the reign of the 2 kings before him is uncertain. He was given the title Maharajadhiraja or the king of kings. He extended his empire by marrying a lichchhavi princess, Kumaradevi.
SN on provincial government.
The provinces are divided into Bhuktis governed by Uparikas which are further divided into Vishayas governed by Vishayapatis.
This method was mainly present were the Gupta kings ruled directly.
what do we know about the Allahabad pillar inscription.
It was written by Harisena, the court poet during Samudragupta’s reign.
The Allahabad pillar inscription talks about the people and kings who populated the Gupta empire in the 1st half of the 4th century AD. Also talks about the king and tribal republics conquered by Samudragupta.
Who was Chandragupta II Vikramaditya?
- Son of Samudraguta
- Annexed the territories of Sakas of Gujarat, Malwa and Saurashtra. By doing so he gained access to the westerns ports which put him in direct contact with Europe through Egypt. For this he was given the title of Sakari.
- Married Kuberanaga of the Naga family
- His daughter Prabhavati and her husband Rudrasena II helped him extend his empire
- Was given the title Vikramaditya.
SN on town administration.
- They were administrated by a committee of 5.
- Some were administrated by a parishad.
- Gupta kings often placed a Purapala to help the locals with administration.
- The leading locals often belonged to guilds of traders and craftsmen.
Name a town where their were guild for artisans and traders. State another name for the same.
Vaishali, in Bihar
Artisans - kulkika
traders - Shreshthi
Why is the gupta period also known as the golden age of india?
The gupta period is known as the golden age of India as it revived hinduism and unleashed the power of creativity in fields like arts, architecture, literature, etc.
What do we know about the education during the Gupta period??
- Acharyas and Upadhyayas who were sometimes given the title of Bhattas.
- Agraharas were the charities given by kings and the generous public
- The disciples had to learn the 4 vedas, 6 vedanganas, Puranas, Nyaya, Minansa, Mahabharata, etc.
- Buddhist monastries admitted students for 10 years
- Higher education was equally important. There were 2 renowned universities - Takshila and Nalanda.
https://en-media.thebetterindia.com/uploads/2014/09/nalanda-university3.jpg
What is this? write a short note on it.
Ruins of the Nalanda university.
it is a prestigious university
Has an acceptance rate of only 20%
Has 3 great libraries - Ranaranjak, Ratnasagar, Ratnodadhi.
Had to study the 4 vedas, 6 vedanganas, logic, grammar, etc.
Who was varahamihira ??
He was a great astronomer.
The Qutub minar in Delhi has not rusted uptill this date. What does this tell us about the gupta period?
That their metallurgy and study on metals had reached an advanced stage.
State the 5 achievements of aryabhata.
- He found the exact value of pi
- he stated the earth moves around the sun much before the Europeans.
- Discovered the rule to find the area of a triangle
- explains how solar and lunar eclipses are formed
- Decimal system and use of ‘0’
Why did gupta culture flourish?
Cupta culture flourished as the political stability allowed the people to pursue various arts.
What style were the temples built in?
Nagara style
SN on vishnu temple
Also known as the Dashavatara Temple
Is built on a 1.5 high metre platform
Exterior is docorated with scenes from the Ramayana
Entrance and pillars are adorned with various paintings and carvings
unfortunately the idol of the deity inside is missing.
It is locally known as the Sagar Marh which means temple on the tank due to the water pool cut into the rock in front of it.
What materials did the Gupta period use to build their temples?
Solid material like brick and stone while others used perishable materials like wood
SN on literture during the Gupta period.
Began writing important works known as the puranas -
Vishnu Purana, Vayu Purana, Shiva Purana, Varaha Purana
Many famous writers like Kalidasa, Harisena, Bhasa
There were stories related to different gods and the ways to please them
Smritis were known as law books.
What were known as law book??
Smritis.
