Gupta Empire
The Gupta Empire was an Indian empire which lasted from around 320 to 550 AD. It managed to unify large parts of the Indian subcontinent. The time of the Gupta Empire is traditionally referred to as India's Golden age.
Gupta Empire | |
|---|---|
| c. 240–c. 579[1] | |
 | |
 Gupta empire at its peak | |
| Status | Empire |
| Capital | |
| Common languages | Sanskrit (literary and academic); Prakrit (vernacular) |
| Religion | |
| Government | Monarchy |
| Maharajadhiraja | |
• c. 240 – c. 280 | Gupta (first) |
• c. 540 – c. 550 | Vishnugupta (last) |
| Historical era | Classical India |
• | c. 240 |
• | c. 579[1] |
| Area | |
| 400 est.[11] (high-end estimate of peak area) | 3,500,000 km2 (1,400,000 sq mi) |
| 440 est.[12] (low-end estimate of peak area) | 1,700,000 km2 (660,000 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• 5th century | 75,000,000[13] |
| Currency | Dinara (gold coins) Rupaka (silver coins) Karshapana (copper coins) Cowries |
| Today part of | |
Plenty of information about this dynasty can be found through coins, inscriptions, monuments, and Sanskrit writings. The Gupta rulers were great conquerors and administrators. Eventually, provincial revolts and invaders from Central Asia weakened broke up the empire, but many of their cultural and intellectual achievements were saved and transmitted to other cultures and live on today. Fa Hien visited India during the reign of Chandragupta II and stayed in this country for several years.
People lived a simple life. Goods were affordable and all round prosperity ensured that their requirements were met easily. Gold and silver coins were issued in great numbers which is a general indicative of the health of the economy. Trade and commerce flourished both within the country and outside. Silk, cotton, spices, medicine, priceless gemstones, pearl, precious metal and steel were exported by sea.[source?]
Gupta dynasty
The Gupta dynasty lasted from around 240 to 579.
Some of its main rulers were:
Administration
The Gupta Empire was divided into 26 provinces. These were called Bhukti, Desha, or Rajya. Each province had smaller parts called Vishaya (districts), ruled by officers called Vishayapati. The Vishayapati was helped by a local council called the Adhikarana. This council had four members: the head of the city, a trade leader, a top artisan, and a government writer. A smaller area inside a district was called a Vithi.[14]
The Gupta Empire had trade links with the Sassanids and Byzantines. The social system followed four main caste system (varna system).[15] The Guptas used many different gold and silver coinages across their empire. This showed their wealth. Some were also trying to unify the empire by using the same coins over the empire.
Further reading
- Karls, Farah. World History The Human Experience.
Gupta Empire Media
South Asia historical AD375 EN
South Asia historical AD450 EN
Queen Kumaradevi and King Chandragupta I on a coin of their son Samudragupta 350 380 CE
Standing Buddha in red sandstone, Art of Mathura, Gupta period c. 5th century CE. Mathura Museum
Gold coins of Chandragupta II
Silver coin of the Gupta Emperor Kumaragupta I (Coin of his Western territories, design derived from the Western Satraps).*Obv: Bust of king with crescents, with traces of corrupt Greek script.*Rev: Garuda standing facing with spread wings. Brahmi legend: Parama-bhagavata rajadhiraja Sri Kumaragupta Mahendraditya.
An 8 gm gold coin featuring Chandragupta II astride a caparisoned horse with a bow in his left hand
Dharmachakra Pravartana Buddha at Sarnath from the Gupta era, 5th century CE
.jpg)
References
- ↑ Goyal, SR. History of the imperial Guptas. p. 367.
- ↑ Sharma, R.S.. Rise and Growth of the Gupta Empire. India’s Ancient Past (2007-01-25)Oxford University Press. p. 242. ISBN 978-0-19-568785-9.
- ↑ Sharma, Tej Ram. A Political History of the Imperial Guptas (1989)Concept Publishing Company. p. 39. ISBN 978-81-7022-251-4.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Goyal, S. R.. History Of The Imperial Guptas (1967). p. 210–213.
- ↑ Raychaudhuri, Hemchandra. Political History of Ancient India (2006)Cosmo Publications. p. 496. ISBN 978-81-307-0291-9.
- ↑ Mookerji, Radhakumud. The Gupta Empire (1989)Motilal Banarsidass Publ.. p. 52. ISBN 978-81-208-0089-2.
- ↑ Hans T. Bakker. The rise of Ayodhya as a place of pilgrimage. Indo-Iranian Journal 24 (2) (1982). p. 105. doi:10.1163/000000082790081267.
- ↑ Sharma, Tej Ram. Personal and geographical names in the Gupta inscriptions (1978)Delhi : Concept.. p. 112.
- ↑ Bakker, Hans T.. The Alkhan: A Hunnic People in South Asia (in en) (2020-03-12)Barkhuis. p. 73. ISBN 978-94-93194-00-7.
- ↑ pg.17 : Gupta Empire at its height (5th-6th centuries) connected with the development of Mahayana Buddhism with the development of Tantric Buddhism.Ganeri, Anita. Buddhism (2007)London : Franklin Watts. p. 17. ISBN 978-0-7496-6979-9.
- ↑ Turchin, Peter. East-West Orientation of Historical Empires. Journal of World-Systems Research 12 (2) (December 2006). p. 223. doi:10.5195/JWSR.2006.369.
- ↑ Taagepera, Rein. Size and Duration of Empires: Growth-Decline Curves, 600 B.C. to 600 A.D. Social Science History 3 (3/4) (1979). p. 121. doi:10.2307/1170959.
- ↑ Angus Maddison. Growth of World Population, GDP and GDP Per Capita before 1820 (2001). p. 238.
- ↑ Vidya Dhar Mahajan (1990), pp. 530–531
- ↑ Sen, Sailendra Nath. Ancient Indian History and Civilization (1999)New Age International. p. 235. ISBN 978-81-224-1198-0.
Other websites
- Frontline Article on Gupta Period Art Archived 2008-12-04 at the Wayback Machine