The Gupta dynasty has been a part of a proud place in the pages of Indian history for an all-round rise. The kings of this dynasty, by their indomitable enthusiasm, organization-talent, determination and ingenious mind and relentless efforts, built such a vast empire, which in its heyday spread from Gujarat in the west to Bengal in the east. The eradication of the tendencies of disorder led to the establishment of a strong innovative power in the Gupta era, which has been expressed in his inscriptions by the captivating phrases like Dharanibandh, Krsnaprithvijay and Nikhilbhuvanvijay. 'Parakramnk' and 'Sarvajocchheta' Samudragupta, 'Vikramnk' Chandragupta II, 'Mahendraditya' Kumaragupta and 'Kramaditya' Skandagupta-like talent-rich 'Asamudrakshitish' Gupta kings presented new ideals by the characteristics of their Digvijay and practical life, which over time were exemplary for generations. He freed India from foreign powers by eradicating the Kushanas, the Shakas and the infamous Hunas, which are evidence of his extraordinary military success.
Acclaimed by foreign writers, establishment of a happy and prosperous society, implementation of the concept of Greater India, meritocracy, religion-tolerance, development of economic resources, etc. His achievements will be remembered forever. Influenced by the Gupta developments in art, literature and various other areas of national life, many historians have compared this period with the vivid periods like Pericles, Augustus and Tang era.
historical source
The history of the Gupta dynasty comes from both literary and archaeological sources. Apart from this, important information about the Gupta dynasty kings is also obtained from the details of foreign travelers. Many religious and secular texts were written in the Gupta period, which are important from the point of view of making history at that time. Puranas, poetry, plays, smritis, epics are important in religious texts. Although the material related to the political achievements of the Gupta kings in these texts is scant, yet their usefulness in the history-making of this dynasty is undeniable.
Literary Source
mythology: The Puranas are notable among the religious texts which are written in the style of prophecy. The hereditary section of these Puranas is very important from the point of view of historical information. Matsya, Vayu and Vishnu Purana are certainly more useful in the structure of Gupta dynasty history. These Puranas help in determining the boundaries of the early history of the Guptas and their primordial kingdom and throws important light on the various aspects of the society and culture of the time. 'Kaliyugarajvritanta ’ contains the history of the dynasty of Kali Yuga and some historians consider it to be the origin of Gupta history.
memories: Most of the Smritis have attained their present form during the Gupta period. Information related to the social and religious system of this period is obtained from these texts. Narada, Parashara, Katyayan and Brihaspati Smritis give information about the social, economic and political history of the Gupta period.
epic: The epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata acquired their present form during this period, which provide important information for the making of Gupta history.
Buddhist texts: Tilsyapanti of a Buddhist monk Yeti Vrishabha sheds light on the popularity of Buddhism during the Gupta period. There is also an important book in which 700 BC. There is a representation of the dynasties of Indian history from AD to 750 AD. In this, many verses related to the Gupta rulers are scattered everywhere, which are mixed in the verses of many dynasties. Apart from this 'Vasubandhucharit ’ and ‘Chandgarbha-pariprichha’ are also useful from historical point of view.
Jain texts: 'Harivansh Purana' of Jinsensuri in Jain texts Although it is a later composition, it also mentions the Gupta rulers. In other Jain texts 'Kuvalayamala' Vimalakrit 'Ramayana of Jainism' etc. are important.
Cosmic Literature
Many secular texts were also written during the Gupta period, which gives important information about the society, governance and city-life of the time.
Candid's Policy: Kamandak's 'Nitisar' It is considered to be the creation of the period of Chandragupta I. It gives information about Gupta politics and administration. Compare this book with Kautilya's Arthashastra is done from.
Vatsyayana's Kama Sutra: Vatsyayana's Kamasutra is also often considered to be a Gupta period. In this book, interesting material is found about the costumes, jewellery, fragrant substances, vehicles, prasad and civic hall, garden, instrument and music etc. prevalent in the then society.
Compositions of Kalidas: Many historians consider Kalidas to be a Gupta personality. He had composed excellent texts like 'Ritusamhar', 'Kumarasambhava', 'Meghdoot', 'Raghuvansh', 'Malvikagnimitram', 'Vikramorvasiyam' and 'Abhijnanashakuntalam' etc.
Although the themes of Kalidasa's texts are love, nature and beauty, they also throw light on the Gupta administration, society and religion. It is estimated that he composed 'Kumarasambhava' on the occasion of the birth of Kumaragupta I.
'Meghdoot' is the best lyric poem in Sanskrit literature. In this, there is a live depiction of the splendor of the Gupta city of Ujjayini, the temple of Mahakal and its environment and there is a captivating description of the various parts of the social life of the citizens there. Some historians speculate that Chandragupta II may have been referred to in the play 'Vikramorvasiyam'. While the Raghuvansh epic describes the expansive qualities of the Prajarakshak emperor, Abhijnanashakuntalam mentions the ideals of kingship, mrigaya, means of entertainment, popular beliefs, festivals, vehicles, ornaments and materials for painting, etc. In Malavikagnimitram, there is a mention of village-city-distinction.
Vishakhaduttkrit Devichandraguptam: Vishakhadatta's composition 'Devichandraguptam' (political drama) although not available in its original form, but some excerpts from it are in the form of quotations from Bhoj-praised 'Sringarprakash ' and Gunachandra and Ramchandrakrit natya-darpan See you in Quotations from the play reveal that the Shaka ruler had defeated Ramgupta and Chandragupta II killed Shakraj and killed his elder brother Gupta ruler Ramgupta and performed his coronation by marrying his brother-in-law Dhruvadevi.
Shudrakrit Mrichhakatikam: 'Mrichhakatikam' is also important in the reconstruction of Gupta history. Mrichhakatik means - cart of soil. Mrichchhakatik is the love story between the Brahmin Charudatta and the courtesan Vasantasena. It also describes the lives of the courtesans and the dark exploits of the kutnis and states that 'The courtesan is like a kink in a shoe, which, once entered, comes out with great difficulty.' From this book, special information is available regarding the then city-government system and city-court.
Also Vajjika Composed 'Kaumudimahotsava', Amarsingh's composition 'Amarkosh', 'Chandragomin's 'Grammar', Somadevakrit 'Kathasaritsagara', Bhasa's composition 'Swapnavasavadatta', Rajasekhar's 'Poetry', 'Setubandh' (Ravan-Slaughter) strong> Texts like 'Ayurveda Deepika' are also useful in the construction of Gupta history.
archaeological source
Records and Testimonials: A large number of Gupta inscriptions have been found from different parts of India, which are in the form of pillar-inscriptions, rock-inscriptions and copper-inscriptions. These inscriptions provide considerable help in the historiography of the Gupta dynasty. If these inscriptions were not there, there would have been no information regarding poets like Harishena, Virasen and Vatsabhti.
The language of Gupta inscriptions is Sanskrit and these inscriptions are very important not only from the point of view of political history, but also from the point of view of ornamentation, verses and rasa. These inscriptions were engraved for various purposes. The places of receipt of inscriptions help in determining the empire-limit of the Gupta rulers. In some inscriptions, a poetic description of genealogy, historical events and achievements of rulers is found.
The Prayag of Prayag composed by Harishena sheds a beautiful light on the coronation of Samudragupta, his Digvijay and personality. This prose-verse mix (chumpu style) Sanskrit is an excellent example of language. His Digvijaya-yatra (Kritsnapruthvivijay) is described in the Shaivite inscription obtained from Chandragupta II's Udayagiri. The Bhitri pillar inscription of Skandagupta contains a poetic description of the installation of the statue of Vishnu, while the Junagadh inscription mentions the restoration of the famous Sudarshan lake in lyrical verses. Eran articles of Bhanugupta of 510 AD There is a mention of the death of the soldier Gopraja and his brother-in-law's sati, which is the first inscriptional evidence of the practice of Sati.
Some Gupta inscriptions have also been found in the form of donation cards, which are engraved on copper plates and have been found mostly from the Bengal region. Historically, the usefulness of these articles is undeniable. In these, there is a description of the rules related to charity during the Gupta period, which throws light on the socio-religious life of the time. The dates in the Gupta inscriptions are inscribed in the Gupta era and for the first time in the Junagadh inscription of Skandagupta, the Gupta-Samvat is mentioned.
Currencies: Gold, silver and copper coins of Gupta emperors have been found from various centers ranging from Gujarat in the west to Bengal in the east. Gold coins to be called 'Dinar ’, silver coins to ‘Rupaka’ And the copper-coins 'Mashak' was called The largest pile of Gupta gold coins has been found from Bayana in Rajasthan.
The places of receipt of currencies help in determining the empire-limit of the Gupta rulers. Dates are also found engraved on many coins, which help in the determination of the rulers. Some specific events are also reported from these postures, such as the picture of Chandragupta I and Queen Kumaradevi on the face of a gold coin and 'Licchavayah' on the reverse. The word is engraved. This shows that during the time of this emperor matrimonial relations were established between the Guptas and the Lichchhavis and the Lichchhavis had an important contribution in the rise of the Gupta power. One of the coins of Samudragupta has a picture of an Ashwamedha horse, which is proof that he performed the Ashwamedha Yagya. The silver coins of Chandragupta II, molded on the model of Shaka-mudras, are proof of his Shaka-conquest.
The pictures of the rulers have also been inscribed on the postures of the Gupta rulers, which gives authentic knowledge of their physical appearance and personality. The veena type of mudras of Samudragupta is a strong proof of his being a lover of music. On some coins, Gupta rulers are depicted hunting tigers and lions, indicating that the Gupta emperors were lovers of Mrigaya. The purity and weight of the currencies also gives knowledge of the then prosperity and economic condition. The decrease in the quantity of gold in the gold coins of the later Gupta rulers in comparison to the gold coins of the Kushan period indicates the decline of trade and commerce in the later period.
Monument: The remains of many Gupta monuments, such as temples, pillars, sculptures and caves, have been found from different places, which are useful for the study of religion, society and art of the time. Among the temples of Gupta period, Shiva temple of Bhumra, Vishnu temple of Tigwa, Parvati temple of Nachnakuthara, Dashavatar temple of Deogarh, Brick temple of Bhitargaon, temple of Ladkhan and Darra temple are important, which are important in the architecture, carving art and religious of the time. Symbols of faith.
The tradition of spire-building in temples started in the Gupta period. The Dashavatar temple of Deogarh is the oldest archaeological example of a peaked temple. It seems from the archival evidence that the tradition of building peaked temples was becoming popular during the Gupta period. Malav Samvat 529 (472-73 AD) of Kumaragupta II के मंदसौर के लेख से पता चलता है कि मालवा के दशपुर में एक भव्य सूर्य मंदिर था जिसके उत्तुंग और विस्तीर्ण शिखर रात्रि में चंद्रमा की श्वेत किरणों से विशेष शोभा पाते थे जिससे नगर की शोभा द्विगुणित हो जाती थी।1
मौर्यकालीन स्तंभों की भाँति गुप्तकालीन स्तंभ भी प्रायः एक ही विशाल प्रस्तर-खंड को तराश कर बनाये गये हैं, जैसे- स्कंदगुप्तकालीन भितरी का स्तंभ एवं बुधगुप्तकालीन एरण का गरुड़ स्तंभ। मेहरौली का लौह-स्तंभ अपने ढ़ंग का गुप्तयुगीन विकसित तकनीक एवं कला का अद्वितीय उदाहरण है।
मूर्तियाँ : गुप्तकाल की अनेक वैष्णव, शैव, बौद्ध और जैन प्रतिमाएँ प्राप्त हुई हैं जो भारतीय तक्षण कला के विकास का परिचायक हैं। इन प्रतिमाओं से पता चलता है कि गुप्तकाल में सभी धर्म अपने स्वाभाविक रूप में विकसित हो रहे थे। कुछ मूर्तियों के पादमूल में लेख भी मिलते हैं जो ऐतिहासिक दृष्टि से अधिक उपयोगी हैं। कुमारगुप्त द्वितीय के काल की सारनाथ की बौद्ध प्रतिमा के अधोभाग में मिले लेख से ज्ञात होता है कि गुप्त संवत् 154 में अभयमित्र नामक भिक्षु ने पुण्यार्जन के निमित्त बुद्ध मूर्ति की स्थापना Had it. बुधगुप्तकालीन सारनाथ प्रतिमा के नीचे उत्कीर्ण लेख से पता चलता है कि अभयमित्र ने ही इस मूर्ति की स्थापना गुप्त संवत् 157 में धर्मार्जन हेतु की थी।
गुप्तकालीन गुहा लेख : गुहा गृहों से भी गुप्तों के इतिहास-निर्माण में सहायता मिलती है। गुप्तकालीन तक्षणकारों ने अत्यंत कुशलता और धैर्य से शिलाखंडों को तराश कर गुफाओं के निर्माण में निपुणता प्राप्त कर लिया था। ब्राह्मण गुफा का उत्कृष्ट उदाहरण उदयगिरि गुफा की दीवार पर उत्कीर्ण लेख है जिसे चंद्रगुप्त द्वितीय के संधि-विग्रहिक सचिव वीरसेन शैव ने शिव के प्रति भक्ति के कारण निर्मित करवाया था’ (भत्या भगवतः शंभोः गुहामेतामकारयत्) , यह ब्राह्मण गुहामंदिर का प्राचीनतम् उदाहरण है। इसमें प्रतिमा-स्थापना के निमित्त एक गर्भगृह है जिसके समक्ष स्तंभयुक्त मण्डप है।
बौद्ध गुफाओं के उदाहरण अजंता और बाघ से मिले हैं। अजंता की गुफा संख्या 16, 17 और 19 गुप्तकाल की मानी जाती हैं, जो कला और स्थापत्य की दृष्टि से महत्त्वपूर्ण हैं। इन गुफाओं में ब द्ध श्रमण निवास करते थे, इसलिए इनमें गौतम बुद्ध, बोधिसत्त्व की प्रतिमाएँ अधिकता में मिलती हैं। इन चित्रों से गुप्तकालीन चित्रकला के सिद्धांतों और निर्माण-विधि को समझने में सहायता मिलती है।
विदेशी यात्रियों के विवरण
समय-समय पर भारत आने वाले विदेशी यात्रियों के विवरणों से भी गुप्तकालीन राज्य और प्रशासन के संबंध में महत्त्वपूर्ण सूचनाएँ मिलती हैं ।
फाह्यान:चीनी यात्री फाह्यान चंद्रगुप्त द्वितीय के काल में भारत आया था। उसने पश्चिम में पुष्कलावती से लेकर पूरब में ताम्रलिप्ति तक विभिन्न ऐतिहासिक केंद्रों में रुककर स्थानीय प्रथाओं, धार्मिक विश्वासों और परंपराओं, जलवायु, वनस्पति आदि का वर्णन किया है। मध्य देश की जनता का वर्णन करते हुए उसने लिखा है कि यहाँ की जनता सुखी और समृ द्ध थी, चोर-डाकुओं का कोई भय नहीं था। लोग मदिरा, माँस, लहसुन एवं प्याज का सेवन नहीं करते थे। उसने भारतीयों की दान-परायणता और अतिथि-सत्कार की मुक्त-कंठ से प्रशंसा की है।
ह्वेनसांग: 7वीं. शताब्दी ई. में सम्राट हर्षवर्धन के काल में भारत आने वाले चीनी यात्री ह्वेनसांग के विवरण से भी गुप्तों के संबंध में जानकारी मिलती है। उसने बुद्धगुप्त, कुमारगुप्त प्रथम, शक्रादित्य तथा बालादित्य आदि गुप्त शासकों का उल्लेख किया है। उसके विवरण से पता चलता है कि शक्रादित्य कुमारगुप्त ने नालंदा के विश्वविद्यालय की स्थापना की थी और बालादित्य हूणों का विजेता था।
इत्सिंग: सातवीं शताब्दी के अंतिम चरण में इत्सिंग नामक चीनी यात्री भारत आया था। उसने लिखा है कि नालंदा के विश्वविद्यालय के भवन गगनस्पर्शी थे। यह विश्वविद्यालय अंतर्राष्ट्रीय शिक्षा का केंद्र बन गया था। सांस्कृतिक इतिहास के निर्माण की दृष्टि से इस चीनी यात्री के विवरण भी उपयोगी हैं।
अल्बरूनी: महमूद गजनवी के साथ भारत आने वाला अल्बरूनी गणित, ज्योतिष, खगोलशास्त्र के साथ-साथ अनेक शास्त्रों और भाषाओं का ज्ञाता था। इसका पूरा नाम ‘अबू रेहान मुहम्मद अहमद अल्बरूनी’ was. वह भारतीय छंदशास्त्र और संस्कृत व्याकरण का प्रशंसक था। उसके अनुसार हिंदू अच्छे दार्शनिक, ज्योतिषी और खगोलशास्त्र के मर्मज्ञ एवं महान् गणितज्ञ होते हैं। वह भगवद्गीता से विशेष प्रभावित था।
इस प्रकार साहित्यिक और पुरातात्त्विक दोनों ही स्रोतों से गुप्तकालीन इतिहास के पुनर्निर्माण में सहायता मिलती है। कालीदास और विशाखदत्त की कृतियाँ, शिलाखंडों पर उत्कीर्ण हरिषेण, वीरसेन एवं वत्सभट्टि की अमर पंक्तियाँ तथा तत्कालीन देवालय, गुफाएं गुप्तकाल का मनोरम दिग्दर्शन कराती हैं।