Religious Sources

Hindu Works Puranas like Vayu, Matsya, Vishnu, Bhagavat, Skanda,
Brahmana, and Markandeya Puranas, refer to Gupta rulers in one or two
lines and also have vague references to their territory. Kaliyugaraja-
Vrithanta gives us the history of the dynasty of the kali age, and it has been
considered as a genuine source for the Gupta history by some historians.
Buddhist Works The accounts of Chinese Buddhist pilgrims to India, viz.
Fahien (he visited during the reign of Chandragupta II), Hiuen Tsang though
he visited India during the reign of Harsha, he gives us information about the
popularity of Buddhism during Gupta period), and Itsing (he visited India in
about AD 675, but refers to the donation of some villages to Chinese
Buddhists at Nalanda monastery by the first ruler, Sri Gupta, of the Gupta
dynasty).
Tilsya Pannati of Yati Vrishaba, an Indian Buddhist monk of the Gupta
period, also contains some information about the popularity of Buddhism
during the Gupta period. Manjusri Mulakalpa has several verses relating to
the Guptas. But they are unfortunately scattered between verses relating to
the other dynasties and hence there is confusion.
Jaina Works Jinasena Suri’s Harivamsa Purana, though belongs to a much
later period, makes some references to Guptas.
One inscription each is generally attributed to the respective period of the
following Gupta rulers:
(i) Purugupta, (ii) Naraspta, (iii) Kumaragupta II, (iv) Vishnugupta, (v)
Vainyagupta, and (vi) Bhanugupta
Political History
Imperial Guptas
•
Early Guptas: Srigupta & Ghatotkacha Gupta
•
Chandragupta I: Vajjika’s Kaumudi Mahotsava gives detailed
account
•
Samudragupta: Harisena’s Allahabad Prasasti gives details of his
military campaigns
•
Chandragupta II: Visakhadatta’s Devichandra-guptam talks about
his reign; Supplemented by Mehrauli Iron Pillar Inscription
•
Kumaragupta I: Founded Nalanda Mahavidyalaya
•
Skandagupta: Junagarh Inscription narrates his achievements and
problems
•
Later Guptas: Visnugupta was the last Gupta
•
Hunas: Toramana and Mihirakula ruled NW India in early 6th century
List of Gupta Inscriptions
Ruler’s
Name
Number Names of Inscriptions Character
Samudragupta 4 Allahabad Stone Pillar
Eran Stone Pillar
Nalanda Copper Plate
Prasasti
Prasasti
Royal Charter
Gaya Copper Plate Royal Charter
Chandragupta
II
6 Mehrauli Iron Pillar
(Other five are private
records of donations)
Prasasti
Kamaragupta
I
14 Out of them, five are
official copper plates and
the rest (9) are private
records.
Skandagupta 5 Junagarh Rock
Bhitari Pillar
Indore Stone Pillar
Prasasti
Prasasti
Royal Charter
(Evidence of
subinfeudation)
Buddhagupta 7 Paharpur Copper Plate
inscription
Royal Charter
(Evidence of
state ownership
of land)
The Early Guptas
Srigupta and his son Ghatotkachagupta were nonentities assuming the simple
title of maharaja. As it is not known definitely where these Gupta kings ruled
and whether they owed allegiance to any paramount sovereign, it is better to
leave undecided the status of the first two Gupta kings.
Chandragupta I
The third ruler Chandragupta I, the son and successor of Ghatotkacha, was
definitely a strong ruler whose hands were sought by the Lichchhavis who
gave their princess Kumaradevi in marriage to him. This matrimonial alliance
with this ancient historic family no doubt enhanced the status of the obscure
Guptas. The Lichchhavi territory of north Bihar and the adjoining principality
over which the Guptas ruled were united under Chandragupta and the latter
was able to extend his dominion over Oudh as well as Magadha, and along
the Ganges as far as Prayaga or AllahabAD. Chandragupta I is usually
regarded as the founder of the Gupta era, which commenced on 26 February
AD 320 to commemorate his accession or coronation—an era which
continued in parts of India for several centuries.
Samudragupta
Chandragupta I was succeeded by his son, Samudragupta, who became the
ruler after subduing his rival, Kacha, an obscure prince of the dynasty.
ALLAHABAD PILLAR INSCRIPTION
Written by Harisena, it gives a detailed account of the conquests of his
royal master. This account contains a long list of states, kings and tribes
which were conquered and brought under various degrees of subjugation.
This list can be divided into four categories.
The first one includes the 12 states of Dakshinapatha with the names of
their kings, who were captured and then liberated and reinstated. They
were Kosala, Pistapura, Kanchi, Vengi, Erandapalli, Devarashtra,
Avamukta, Dusthalapura, Mahakantara, Kurala, Kothura and Palakka.
The second one contains the names of the eight kings of Aryavarta who
were exterminated.
The third one consists of the rulers of forest states who were reduced to
servitude and the chiefs of the five pratyantas or border states, and also
nine tribal republics that were forced to pay all kinds of taxes, obey his
orders and come to perform obeisance. The five border states were
Samtata (East Bengal), Davaka (Assam), Kamarupa (Assam), Nepala, and
Kartipura (Kashmir). The nine tribal republics were the Malavas,
Arjunayanas, Yaudheyas, Madrakas, Abhiras, Prarjunas, Sarakinakas,
Kavas, and Kharaparikas.
The fourth one includes the Daivaputra Shahanushahs (Kushanas), Saka
Murundas and the dwellers of Sinhala and all other islands who offered
their own person for service to Samudragupta.
Aryavarta Campaigns It is certain that the campaigns in the Aryavarta,
undertaken with the purpose of the extermination of their kings, generally
preceded the subjugation of the adjoining territories.
Several factors were responsible for the conquest of the Naga kingdoms.
Geo-political factors were the foremost. In the fourth century AD the Nagas
were, apart from the Guptas, the greatest power in the Aryavarta region.
Therefore, in any scheme of the Gupta expansion, the first stage was to be
dominated by the struggle against the Nagas.
Religious differences also played a role. The Guptas were great devotees
of Vishnu, whereas most of their rivals, the Nagas, the Vakatakas, the Hunas
and the Maitrakas were staunch Saivites.
However, the most important factor which led Samudragupta to launch a
campaign against the Nagas was the opportunity provided by the internal
disturbances in the Bharasiva and Vakataka states, which followed the deaths
of Bhanaga of the Bharasivas and Pravarasena I of the Vakatakas.
Samudragupta, exploiting this situation, launched a vigorous campaign
against the Nagas and destroyed them.
After the destruction of the Nagas, a trial of strength with the Vakatakas
became an unavoidable eventuality. The Vakatakas, though a power of the
Deccan, were dabbling in the politics of the Aryavarta, a fact which no
imperial aspirant of the north could feel very happy about. Samudragupta
defeated the Vakatakas which brought down their status significantly. After
Pravarasena I no other king of the Vakataka family assumed the title of
samrat, or any other imperial title for that matter.
Sometime later Samudragupta paid attention to the south-eastern part of
the Ganga basin, i.e. modern West Bengal. Throughout the ancient period
Tamralipti enjoyed a unique position as a port for access to the East Indies,
Malay peninsula, Indo-China and Ceylon. Further, it was connected by land
routes with the principal cities of Bengal and other parts of eastern India.
Being alive to the economic necessities of his empire, he could not have
delayed for long the conquest of Bengal.
Campaigns against Tribal and Border States The question whether the
states enumerated in the 3rd category (tribal states, border states, etc.)
accepted the overlordship of the Gupta emperor voluntarily or whether he had
to undertake military expeditions against them, has been left unanswered by
Harisena. At the beginning he tried to cultivate friendship with the tribal
peoples of the Punjab and Rajasthan, who being situated beyond the Naga
kingdoms, were his natural friends; and later on, when he became the
undisputed master of Aryavarta, he reduced his erstwhile friends to the status
of his subordinate allies. Maybe, in some cases he had to exert pressure.
Dakshinapatha Campaigns Samudragupta, during his reign of more than
two decades, invaded India south of the Vindhyas perhaps more than once.
Nature had divided peninsular India into several small compartments with
poor communication between them. Consequently the empire-builders of the
Ganga valley could only rarely establish their authority over it on a secure
footing. But at the same time, they could hardly resist the temptation of
helping themselves to the immense wealth which the people of the south had
accumulated through maritime trade. And the interaction of these two factors
determined their policy towards the south—the policy of sending plundering
expeditions to it without annexing it. Hence, Samudragupta too adopted the
same policy, often obtaining what he wanted.
Relations with the Island States The necessities of maritime trade with
the East and South-East Asia gave a trans-oceanic orientation to the political
outlook and policies of the early Gupta rulers. The island rulers of Ceylon
and many other islands entered into diplomatic and friendly relations with
Samudragupta.