Gupta era represents an era of Indian history in which unprecedented progress was made in every field of civilization and culture and Indian culture reached its zenith. Political unity was established during this period of great emperors; Literature, science and art flourished, Indian culture spread widely. The policy of religious tolerance of the Gupta emperors led to the development of all religions and brought economic prosperity to the empire. Some historians, dazzled by the development of the Gupta period, have described this era as the Golden Age. All walks of human life had witnessed opulence and prosperity at this time. According to Barnett, 'Gupta period in the history of ancient India has the same importance as the Pericles era in the history of Greece. Smith compared this period with the Agilbethan and Stuart periods of British history.
Samudragupta Prakramank’)
Political Unity
Aryavarta interviewed political unity in the Gupta era. Political unity was established on a large scale for the first time after the Mauryas. In its heyday, this empire extended from the Himalayas in the north to the Vindhya Mountains in the south and from Bengal in the east to Surashtra in the west. These areas were under the direct rule of the Guptas, but the influence of the Guptas extended to South India. Many rulers of Dakshinapatha accepted his political subjugation. On the strength of their valor and valor, the Guptas had bound almost the whole of India in the thread of unity. Much of the country's material and moral progress was ultimately the result of the Gupta political conditions.
Rise of Great Emperors
Gupta period saw the rise of many successful and great emperors who established an umbrella rule through their conquests. Gupta Emperor 'Dharanibandh', 'Kritsnapruthvijay' inspired by the high ideals of 'Parakramnk' Samudragupta not only subdued the rulers of Aryavarta, but was successful in hoisting his victory flag till the Dakshinapatha. He controlled foreign castes like Shakas, Kushanas and forced the direct rulers also to obey his orders. Chandragupta II eradicated the Shaka Mahakshatrapas from western India and realized the title of 'Vikramaditya'. The beaches of the south were filled with his majesty. 'Kramaditya' Skandagupta was the last majestic ruler who protected the land of India from the barbaric caste like Huns.
Chandragupta II 'Vikramaditya' (Chandragupta II ‘Vikramaditya’)
Ideal Governance
The brilliant Gupta kings had created an ideal government which was liberal and philanthropic in every respect. Giving top priority to the interests of the people, Skandagupta got the dam of Sudarshan Lake rebuilt. Material and moral prosperity prevailed throughout the Gupta Empire, peace and order were established. A Chinese traveler like Fahien never had to face thieves and dacoits. He has openly praised the secret administration. In the secret administrative system, no one was given the death penalty, only the person who committed treason was mutilated again and again. Junagarh article shows that no one was poor, sad and suffering at that time , Poetically describing this peace and good governance, Kalidas has written that If the wind could not touch the clothes of the pur-beauties sleeping in the gardens, then who could have dared to steal their ornaments> ?
Economic Prosperity
The Gupta period is also considered a period of economic prosperity. Agriculture was the main source of livelihood of the people and the Gupta emperors encouraged the development of agriculture. Wells, rahats and lakes were constructed by the state for irrigation. It is known from the description of Kalidas that at this time paddy and sugarcane were cultivated in abundance. Along with agriculture, various types of industries and trade and commerce were also in advanced condition. Business activities continued to be conducted smoothly through categories and corporations. Pataliputra, Vaishali, Ujjayini, Dashpur, Bharocha etc. were the trading cities of this period. At this time India was traded with Arabia, Persia, Egypt, Rome, China and the island groups of South-East Asia. Trade was carried out by both land and water routes. Large ships were built for the water trade. Several paintings of ships are inscribed on the Borobudur Stupa, the monument in Java. In the words of the artist Ananda Kumaraswamy, 'Gupta period was the greatest era of Indian shipbuilding art while Indians established colonies in Pegu, Cambodia, Java, Sumatra, Borneo and had trade relations with China, Arabia and Persia.'
Teachings of Gautam Buddha
Natural Development of all Religions
Most of the kings of the Gupta dynasty were 'Param Bhagavata' and were Vaishnadharma followers, which led to the maximum progress of Vaishnavism during this period. Due to the policy of tolerance of the Gupta emperors, other religions like Buddhism, Jainism also developed naturally during this period. The Gupta emperors appointed followers of different religions to high administrative posts without any discrimination. Chandragupta II's secretary was Virasena Shaiva, while Aamrakardava was a high official in the Buddhist army. The Sanchi inscription shows that he donated a village and twenty-five dinars to the monastery named Kaknadbat. In the time of Kumaragupta, the Buddha Buddhamitra had established the statue of Buddha and during the period of Skandagupta, a person named Madra had made the stone-statues of five Jain Tirthankaras. The description of a Chinese traveler shows that Buddhism was in an advanced state. Many Jain idols of Gupta period have come to light from Mathura. There were Buddhist monasteries near Hindu temples and Jain statues near Buddha statues. Thus the Gupta period was an era of religious tolerance, due to which all religions were developing naturally.
Progress of Literature and Science
In an atmosphere of peace, prosperity and order, literature, science and art flourished during the Gupta period. Sanskrit rose to the position of official language and vast Sanskrit literature was created. The great poet and playwright Kalidas was a figure of this era whose works are unique in Sanskrit literature. It was during this time that Amar Singh wrote the Amarkosh. The development of Indian philosophy also took place at this time and the famous philosopher Vasubandhu is a product of this period. Mathematicians, astrologers and astronomers like Aryabhata, Varahamihira, Brahmagupta were born in the Gupta period. Aryabhatta was the first to say that the Earth revolves on its axis and revolves around the Sun.
Artistic Achievements
Like literature and science, remarkable progress was made in the field of art and architecture during this period. There was a proper development of various aspects of art, such as Vastu, Idol, Painting etc. Dashavatara temple of Deogarh, Shiva-Parvati temple of Bhumra and Nachna-Kuthara, Buddha and Vishnu statues of Sarnath, Mathura, Ajanta paintings are certainly unique examples of Indian art. The paintings of the Ajanta caves are so lively, compassionate and heart-melting that they have been praised by all the art experts, both indigenous and foreign. Certainly they are the finest works of Indian art.
Historicity of Ramgupta
Rise of Greater India
Although Indians had established their colonies in various parts of Central and South-East Asia before the Gupta period, the spread of Indian culture in these colonies took place mainly during the Gupta period. . Funan, Kambuj, Malaya, Champa, Java, Sumatra, Bali, Borneo, Siam, Burma etc. were the Hindu states of this time. Khotan and Kucha were the main centers of Hindu culture in Central Asia. Many religious preachers also went to China during the Gupta period. Apart from this, Indian culture spread to Tibet, Korea, Japan and the Philippine Islands in the east. It is because of this cultural expansion that 'Greater India' emerged.
Question mark on the Concept of Golden Age
Thus, due to the unprecedented progress in almost all areas of civilization and culture, the Gupta period is referred to as the 'Classical Age' or 'Golden Age' of ancient India, but .s. Sharma, D.D. Many historians like Kosambi and Romila Thapar prove the concept of Golden Age to be baseless because it was an era of growth of feudalism, decline of cities, decline of trade and commerce and economic decline. The Gupta period can be considered as the Golden Age only in the context of the upper classes whose standard of living had reached a sufficiently high level and that too mainly in North India. 'For historians writing in the early twentieth century, the 'Golden Age' was a utopia that could exist only in the distant past. As a result, Hindu culture was firmly established in what historians working on the history of early India called the Golden Age. .
Gupta Administration and Economic Life
The period of Hindu Renaissance? (Hindu Renaissance Period?)
It is also difficult to consider the Gupta period as the period of Hindu renaissance. The best examples of Gupta sculpture The sculptures of Sarnath and the best examples of painting are the examples of Ajanta Buddhist art and the contribution of the Guptas in their construction was not even remotely. The astrological principles of Aryabhata and Varamihira are partly Indian. One of the five principles of Varahamihira was Roman and the other was Polish, propounded by the astrologer Paul of Alexandria. Therefore, the only evidence of Hindu renaissance is the works of Kalidasa, some of the Puranas and the coins and inscriptions which give evidence of the promotion of Vaishnavism and Shaivism by the Gupta kings. But Kalidasa's works are not a symbol of any intellectual renaissance but a developed form of the literary style which was emerging in the earlier times. The Puranas were also fully present in the Gupta period, only they were compiled in the Gupta period.
Religious Renaissance? (Religious Renaissance?)
The doctrines of Vaishnavism and Shaivism were also the result of an earlier development, not a religious renaissance. The fact is that the 'Hindu renaissance that is widely publicized was not in fact a renaissance, but it was to a large extent a symbol of Hindutva.' The ancient Indians did not call themselves 'Hindu' and the term was used by the Guptas. Long after the Arabs did it for the Indians. Hence the so-called Hindu Renaissance was neither a Renaissance nor a Hindu Renaissance.'
Social Life in Gupta Period
Reproduction of nationality? (Reintroduction of nationality?)
Gupta rulers did not reproduce nationalism either. The Gupta emperors other than Ramagupta have been credited with the restoration of nationality by fighting the Shakas and the Hunas, but none of the Gupta kings is directly described in any court drama or poetry. Kalidasa's Malakvikagnimitram is related to the Sungas, Visakhadatta's Mudrarakshasa to Chanakya and Chandragupta Maurya. He is mentioned only in the contemporary Puranas where he is included in the lower rank of kings. Only the Gupta kings are praised in their prasastis, especially Samudragupta's prashasti and inscriptions. The big temples of Deogarh, Bhumra, Nachna Kuthara, which are considered to be the relics of the Gupta period, are also doubtful because if the Gupta rulers had built such huge temples, then there must have been a magnificent palace for the royal family to live. But till now the remains of any Gupta palace have not been found. On the basis of the paintings of Ajanta, Ellora, the development of Gupta painting is beaten, that area was never under the direct control of the Gupta rulers. It is clear that in the 19th century, nationalist historians glorified the Gupta period only to prove the brilliance of the ancient era of Indian history. The truth is that 'the Guptas did not reproduce nationality, but nationality produced the Guptas.'
Feudalism, slavery, bonded labor, the practice of forced labor, untouchability, child marriage, sati, social tensions, etc. developed during the Gupta period and the peasants became financially hostage. Women became a part of property and completely subordinated to men. The caste system and caste system got complicated. फाह्यान लिखता है कि जनता समृद्ध थी, किंतु इसके विपरीत जीवन के संबंध में संभवतः कुछ ऐसा था जो उच्च वर्ग के लोगों को भी रूचिकर नहीं था क्योंकि इसी युग में वृद्ध लोगों द्वारा प्रयाग में गंगा और यमुना के संगम पर तथाकथित पवित्र वटवृक्ष से कूदकर आत्महत्या की प्रथा प्रारंभ हुई।
गुप्तकालीन कला और स्थापत्य (Gupta Art and Architecture)
कला और साहित्य इस काल के उच्च वर्गों के सुखी जीवन का परिचय देते हैं, किंतु निम्न वर्गों की दशा दयनीय थी। फाह्यान ने चांडालों की दुर्दशा के संबंध में लिखा है। अस्पृश्य वर्ग की अवनति हुई, सामाजिक तनाव बने रहे, वर्ग-विभाजित समाज को बनाये रखने के लिए धर्म को शस्त्र बनाया गया। यह आर्थिक समृद्धि का नही, आर्थिक विपन्नता का युग था। नगर उजड़कर गाँव बन गये, उद्योग-धंधे एवं व्यापार चौपट हो गये। यद्यपि गुप्तकाल की सबसे अधिक स्वर्णमुद्राएँ प्राप्त हुई हैं, किंतु उनमें सोने की मात्रा कम हो गई। मगध का महान् नगर पटना, जो चंद्रगुप्त मौर्य की राजधानी था, एक ग्राम बन कर रह गया था। गुप्तकाल की एक और राजधानी उज्जैन विश्व का वैसा महान् नगर नहीं बन सकी जैसी पटना मौर्यकाल में थी। बाद की राजधानी कन्नौज इससे भी कम महत्त्ववाली थी।
कोसम्बी का कथन है, ‘स्वामिभक्ति ने कृषक-दासों और आश्रितों को सामंतीय प्रमुखों के साथ एक शृंखला के रूप में निबद्ध कर दिया ।’ यही भाव धर्म में भक्ति सिद्धांत के रूप में विकसित हुआ। अनेक आद्य-प्रथाओं को ब्राह्मणीकरण के माध्यम से जिस प्रकार कथाकथित हिंदू धर्म में समाविष्ट करने का प्रयास किया गया, उससे गुप्तकाल की हिंदू पुनर्जागरण की परिकल्पना को ठेस पहुँचती है। यहाँ तक कि बौद्ध और जैन धर्मों में भी भक्ति का पुट पहुँच गया, जो सामंतीय व्यवस्था को प्रतिबिंबित करता है। बुद्धभक्त को बोधिचित्त के विकास के लिए स्वयं को समर्पित करना पड़ता था।
साहित्य और कला के क्षेत्रों की तथाकथित उपलब्धियों को भी एक भिन्न दृष्टिकोण से देखने की आवश्यकता है। कालीदास की कृतियों में साहित्यिक लालित्य द्वारा ध्वनित उच्चवर्गीय जीवन-मूल्यों एवं आस्थाओं को छिपाया नहीं जा सकता है। कला का संरक्षण अधिकांशतः सामंतों के हाथों में था- जनसाधारण की कलाकृतियों के दृष्टांत, जैसे मृण्डमूर्तियाँ, मिट्टी के बर्तन आदि या तो कम दृष्टिगोचर होते हैं या फिर इस तरह रूपांतरित होकर सामने आते हैं कि वे जनसाधारण के नहीं, अपितु समाज के विशिष्ट वर्ग के लिए बनाये गये प्रतीत होते हैं। इस प्रकार स्वर्णयुग की अवधारणा यथार्थ पर आधारित प्रतीत नहीं होती है और तथाकथित राजनीतिक एकता, हिंदू पुनर्जागरण कालीदास, भारवि, वसुबंधु, देवगढ़ भीतरगाँव, अजंता, बाघ जैसी उपलब्धियों के पीछे वे पिसे हुए लोग हैं, जिनके गीत गाने के लिए कोई हरिषेण, वत्सभट्टि या बाणभट्ट नहीं था।
परवर्ती गुप्त सम्राट और गुप्त राजवंश का अवसान (Later Gupta Emperors and the End of the Gupta Dynasty)
भारत में हूण सत्ता का उत्थान-पतन (Rise and Fall of Hun Power in India)