Gupta Empire

320AD-550 AD
Empire Rajya King

Provinces Bhukti Uparika

District Vishyas Vishayapati or Ayuktas

(Nagara Srestin and prathama Kulika)

Tahasil Vithis Vithi

Village Grama Gramapati

Town Pura Purapala

Nagara Rakshaka
Mauryan Guptas
King King
Mantriprishad Manrti parishad Guilds
Amatyas officials
Adhakshayas -
Provincial level Provincial level ( Bhukti)
kumara/ nobles Uparika Guilds
Mahamattas -
District Level District Level (Vishya)
pradeshika Ayuktas
Rajuka Nagara Srestin (merchant) Guilds
Yukta pradhama Kulika (artisan)
Tahsil Tahsil (Vithis)
Gopa vithi Guilds
Stanika _
Village Village (Grama)
Gramika Gramika
grama Vrudhas grama vrudhas
• King wore titles like parameswara,
maharajadhiraja, paramabhattraka .etc.,
• Samudra Gupta declared him self a god
dwelling on the earth.
• Kingship was hereditary, but royal power
were limited.
• Guptas continued their traditional machinery
of bureaucratic administration but it was not
as elaborate as that of the Mauryas.
• Kings ruled according to Rajadharma and
with the advises of ministers.
Central Administration

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• Maha Mantri (Chief minister): stood at the
head of civil administration
• King’s Council
• It consisted of prices, high official and
feudatories.
• Ministers: 8to 9 ministers
• Sandhivgrahika: the foreign minister
• Maha-dandanayaka : Chief justice
• Among other imperial officers
• Maha-pratihara: chief of palace guards
• Maha-baladhikrta : Commander-in-chief
 Military department
•The Guptas did not possess a big army and
the feudatories supplied the troops.
•Maha-bladhikrita controlled staff or
subordinate officers of military department.
•The army was paid cash and officer-in-charge
of army stores called ranabhandagarika.

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• Revenue department:
• Proper survey and measurement of land as
well for the collection of land revenue.
• Gopasaramin or Akshapatadhikrita chief of
the department
• matters related accounts registers, recover
royal dues, to check misappropriation and
recover fines.
• Pustapala: record keeper

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Provincial administration

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• Uparikas were the high officers and the
personal staff of the Emperor
• Bladhikarnika: head of army or military
• Dandanayaka: chief justice
• Vinayashiti Stitithapaka: Law and order in-
change or police officer
• Tadayuktaka: treasury officers
District administration

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• District or vishya was under the control of
Ayukta or vishayapati.
• Their appointment was made by the provincial
governors
• District level Ayukta assisted by
• Ngara Srethin: Chief merchant
• Prathama Kulika: chief artisan
• Prathama Kayastha: chief scribe
• Pustapla: custodian of records
• dhruvathikarnika: land revenue in charges
• There was a municipal board for the
administration of town Adhisthanadhikarana
City administration
• Head of city administration: Purapla or
Nagara Rakshaka
• Avasthika: Superintendent of Dharmasalas

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Social conditions

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• The traditional caste system continued in
the period.
• The foreign elements in Indian society were
absorbed in the traditional social order.
• The sakas, Yavanas, pahalas etc. were
regarded as Ksahtriyas.
• The Hunas and Gurjaras later became the
Rajputs and were considered as part the
society.
• The connection between the caste and
occupation was not rigid.
• Land grants were given to the brahmans on
large scale.

• The term dvija was now beginning to be used

increasingly for the brahmans.

• Dvija" means "twice-born": the first birth is

physical, while the second birth is a
'spiritual' one.
•  
• Number of Increase in the number of sudra
and Untouchables castes also increased
largely due to
• the amalgamation of backward forest tribes
in to the settled varna society.
• A lot Guilds of craftsmen were transformed
into castes.

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• The position of the sudras improved in this
period
• they were now permitted to listen to the
epics and the Purans.

• They were also allowed to perform certain

domestic rites which naturally brought
fee to the priests.

• The practice of untouchbility became more

intense than the earlier period.
Position of women

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• Women were given a subordinate position
• Early marriages were encouraged and
practiced.
• The practice of sati gained approval of the
jurists
• No widow marriages
• Women were deprived of any right to property
except for stridhana in the form of jewellery
and garments made to the bride on the
occasion of her marriage.
• They were not entitled to formal education.
• Like sudras, women also allowed to listen to
epics and the puranas.
Only upper-class women entitled to receive
education
Devadasi system was prevailed in the society.
 (devadasi  is a girl “married” to a deity and
dedicated to worship and service of the
deity or a temple for the rest of her life)
• The Gupta age was an age of economic
prosperity.
• Agricultural : Officers, priests and temples
• Handicrafts Guilds
• Trade and commerce Guilds
• Agriculture:
• The state encouraged agriculture. State was
the exclusive owner of the land.
• The Persian water-wheel was use for irrigation.
• Water wheels were used to draw water from
the tanks, wells and channels.
•
• Rice, wheat and barley were produced.
• Sugar-cane, fruits, vegetables and other
crops were grown.
• Scientific methods were followed for
better and more agriculture production.
Trade and commerce (guilds)
There were several native professions such as
garlanders, washermen, carpenters,
blacksmiths, jewelers, goldsmiths, potters,
weavers, architects .etc.,.
Indian craftsmen produced fine quality cotton,
silk and woolen clothes.
Important cities and ports were connected by
roads.
Foreign trade took place with South East Asian
countries through Tamralipti, the sea-port in
Bengal.
•Guilds ( nigama, sreni ) continued as the
major institution in the manufacture of goods
and in commercial enterprise.

•Guilds remained almost autonomous in their

inter-organization.

•Kings also respected their laws which were

generally drafted by the guilds.

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• Each guild had a president called Srestin or
Prathama

• Guilds were organized for traders, bankers and

manual workers like weavers and stone cutter.

• Mining and metallurgy occupied the top

position.

• Ship building was another big industry which

was well developed in the period.
•
Land grants

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30
• There was a tradition of giving land grants to
the priests, temples and officers with free of
taxes, and
• some villages were granted to officials with
administration rights.
• Agrahara grants: Religious
• Devagrahara: secular
• The officials exploited village resources to a
great extent.
• land grants paved the way for feudalism
development in India.
 Decline of empire
• Huna invasions from Chandra Gupta II
• Decentralized administration
• Land grants
• Gulids
Dharma
Virtue, righteousness, and duty, esp. social
and caste duty in accord with the cosmic
order.
The principle of cosmic order.
Dharma  is the law (rule) that "upholds,
supports or maintains the regulatory order
of the society or universe".
Dharma constitutes foundation of all affairs in
the world.
Dharma insults ( man) against sinful thoughts
and actions.
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36
• The aim of dharma is establishing a code
of righteousness is to facilitate social
transactions.
• Dharma in Aryan society refers to the
rights, duties and responsibilities of an
individual belonging to a specific class
(varna).

• It also means the duties allotted or accepted

by an individual according to the system of
classes and the stages of life (varnashram37 ).
• Brahmachaya (Student Life)
• Grihasta (Household Life)
• Vanaprashta (Retired Life)
• Sannyasa (Renounced Life)
To fully control the mind and senses, and to
fix the mind on the Supreme.
• Rules of right conduct covering almost
every sphere of human activity such as
religion, rules regulating personal conduct
of individuals, as student, as a teacher, as a
house-holder, as a husband, as a wife, as
son, and including rules regulating of food
and like were prescribed.

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Source of Dharma
Dharma sutras enumerate three sources of
dharma
The Veda ( knowledge)
Tradition
Good Custom
Inner contentment
The Veda, tradition, and good custom, and inner
contentment these are said manifestly to be the
four fold foundation of Dharma.
The Veda
The Vedic texts are really revealed texts, divine
worlds gathered directly by the inspired bards
or the rishis.
Every rule of dharma must find its foundation in
the Veda.
In fact the Vedic texts contains little enough in
the way of rules of dharma.
The Vedas are not even include a single positive
principle which could be used directly as a
rule of conduct.
 Tradition
The Brahmanas
The Aranyakas
The Upanishads

Good custom: the way good people lived

Inner contentment
• we should prefer to say the approval of one’s
conscience really is a source of dharma.

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Tradition : any thing delivered orally from age to
age.
Society

needs

Clarifications (Brahmanas )

Usage or Practice
(Life style)

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Vedas : 1500-600B.C (1st Source )
2nd Source of Dharma
Brammanas : 900-600 BC
Arayakas: 800-600 B.C
Upanishads : 800-500 BC

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 Arayakas
800-600 BC
Their works on moral virtues
Based on Karma marga
( way of work)

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 Upanishads 800-500 BC
Philosophical texts dealing with topics like
Universal Soul, the individual self, the origin
of the world and the mysteries of nature.
They criticized rituals and lay stress on value
of right belief and knowledge.
The Upanishads mark the culmination of
Indian thought on the Vedic literature.

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• The Vedangas are written in the form of sutras
and the Vedangas helps us in the study or
interpretation of the Vedic literature.
• Kalpa Sutras are again divided into three
classes.
• Srauta Sutras: Rules of rituals and sacrifices.
• Griha sutras: deals with domestic ceremonies
and sacrifices to be performed by the
householder.
• Dharma Sutras: deals with laws, manners and
customs of people in general. 48