After the death of Skandagupta, the sun of the Gupta dynasty set in motion. Although the names of Gupta rulers after Skandagupta are known from inscriptions and coins, it is difficult to determine the order of the successors of Skandagupta unambiguously.
Purugupta
The official genealogy names Purugupta after Kumaragupta, but Skandagupta does not. Probably Purugupta became the emperor after the death of Skandagupta. He was the half-brother of Skandagupta and the son of Pattamaharani of Kumaragupta. Purugupta was sitting on the throne in old age, so taking advantage of his weakness, the Vakataka king Narendrasen declared himself independent. An inscription indicates that Narendrasen had revived the lost power of his dynasty. Thus the Vakataka kingdom became independent again during the reign of Purugupta, the weak brother of Skandagupta. 'VasubandhuJeevanvritta According to Purugupta was a follower of Buddhism. It probably ruled till 467-473 AD. According to inscriptions Purugupta had two sons Budhgupta and Narasimhagupta.
Kumragupta II
The name of Purugupta's successor Kumaragupta II adds further complexity to the Gupta lineage. It was probably a son of Purugupta. An inscription inscribed on a Buddhist statue of Gupta era 154 (473 AD) from Sarnath has been found on which 'Bhoomi Rakshati Kumargupte' is engraved. Some historians do not consider it to be an independent ruler, 'Gopta of Purugupta. ' I agree. Kumaragupta II fought with the Vakatakas and after conquering the region of Malwa again included it in his empire and assumed the title of 'Vikramaditya'. This king of Vaishnava religion had assumed the title of 'Param Bhagavat'. It probably ruled for four years from AD 473 to 476.
Buddhagupta
Kumaragupta II was followed by Budhgupta, who according to the seal obtained from Nalanda was the son of Purugupta. His mother's name was Chandradevi. A record of its Gupta era 157 (477 AD) has been found from Sarnath, which suggests that it was ruling in 477 AD. Budhgupta inscriptions have been found from Eran (Madhya Pradesh) to Damodarpur and Paharpur (Bengal), in which the dates of the Gupta era have been given.
It appears that Budhgupta was a powerful ruler and the provincial rulers appointed by him were ruling from Bengal to Malwa. It is from this copper inscription that the ruler of Pundravardhan Bhukti was Brahmadatta.
According to the Eran article, Matruvishnu in eastern Malwa and Surashmichandra in Antarvedi (Ganga-Yamuna Doab) were feudatories of Budhgupta. In Damodarpur Copperlekh it is called 'Parambhattaraka Maharajadhiraj Having said. Its gold coins bear the title 'Srivikram ' Meets. 'King Budhgupta conquers the earth after conquering the earth' on the silver coins of Budhgupta ) get the currency note.
During the reign of Buddhagupta, the Gupta Empire began to decline due to the separation of the subordinate kingdoms from the empire. The Maitraka of Valabhi and the Parivrajaka rulers of Bundelkhand in the Kathiawar peninsula have vaguely mentioned the Gupta ruler as the supreme authority, indicating their rejection of Gupta subjugation.
Similarly, an inscription issued from the ancient city of Mahishmati of Buddhagupta's contemporary Maharaja Subandhu shows that he had established his independence. The coins of Budhgupta also indicate the process of the decline of the Gupta Empire. Its gold coins are very few, which suggests that the empire was weakened after Skandagupta due to internal weaknesses and wars of succession.
According to the Chinese traveler Hiuen Tsang, he was a Buddhist. He donated money to Nalanda Buddhist Monastery. According to the Sarnath article, a monk named Abhaymitra had built the statue of Gautam Buddha in 477 AD (Karitabhaymitrena statue Shakyabhikshuna , Its date on some of its silver coins is found in Gupta era 175 (495 AD), which suggests that he ruled from 476 to 495 AD.
Narasimhagupta 'Balaaditya'
After the death of Buddhagupta, his younger brother, Purugupta's son Narasimhagupta became the ruler. In the Bhitari inscription, the name of its mother is found as Mahadevi Chandradevi. Narasimhagupta with his name 'Baladitya Used the title. On one side of his coins is his picture and 'Nara' is written, then on the other side the king with bow and arrow, the figure of Garudadhwaj and 'Jayati Narasimhagupta' The stamp is engraved. Lakshmi seated on Kamalasana and the inscription 'Balaaditya' is inscribed on the reverse side.
Narasimha Gupta's greatest success was probably the Huna-conquest. According to Hiuen Tsang, a Gupta king named Baladitya had defeated Mihirkul. Mihirkul was taken captive and brought to the capital, but he was freed at the behest of Rajmata. Possibly in this Hun conquest of Narasimhagupta, his feudatories (Maukhari Adityavarma and the later Gupta ruler Harshagupta) had cooperated.
Narasimhagupta is called 'Param Bhagavata' in the Nalanda inscription, but he was a follower of Buddhism. He was a Buddhist scholar Vasubandhu had taken his discipleship. He built a grand temple of bricks at Nalanda in which 80 feet high copper statue of Buddha was installed.
Vainyagupta
In relation to Vainyagupta, information is found from the Gunaidhara (Comilla, Bangladesh) copper plate of Gupta era 188 (507 AD). The Gunaidhara Copper-Danpatra mentions the donation of some neighboring land to a Buddhist monk by Maharaja Vainyagupta, revered at the feet of Mahadeva. This donation-immersion was done on the inspiration of a feudatory Maharaja Rudradatta and an Assamese general Maharaja Vijaysen was its messenger. He has got a seal from Nalanda, on which its title 'Maharajadhiraj ' Meets. Possibly it 'Dvadasaditya He also assumed the title of '.
Bhanugupta
A stone-pillar inscription of Bhanugupta has been found from Eran which dates back to 510 AD. In the Eran article, it has been called a brave and great king. In the same article, there is a mention of one of his generals named Gopraja, who was killed fighting against the Huns and his wife became sati in the fire-
Shri Bhanuguto Jagti Praveero, Raja Mahaparthasamotti Shoorah.
Tenath Saddhantvih Goprajo, Mitanugatyen Kilanuyah.
Kritva cha priya yudham sumhatprakasam, heaven goto divine Narendrakalpa.
Bhaktanurkta Ch Priya Ch Kanta, Bharyavalgnaugatagnirashim.
This the oldest evidence to mention the practice of Sati Is. Hemchandra Raychaudhuri estimates that after Budhgupta, Bhanugupt fought to end the Hun power that had been established in eastern Malwa, and ended the suzerainty of the Huns. But it is difficult to say anything with certainty in this regard. The Huns seem to have conquered Malwa because Dhanyavishnu, the younger brother of Budhgupta's feudal lord Matruvishnu, ruled under the suzerainty of the Hun king Toorman, which is mentioned in the Varaha-Pratima inscription of Eran.
Some historian Bhanugupta's 'King On the basis of the title, he is considered as the local ruler under the Guptas. Probably Bhanugupta was also killed in the war against the Hunas.
Kumragupta III
Narasimha Gupta was succeeded by his son Kumaragupta III on the throne of Magadha. Earlier it was mistakenly believed to be Kumaragupta II mentioned in the Sarnath inscription. According to the seals obtained from Bhitri and Nalanda, Kumaragupta III was the son of Narasimhagupta and the father of Vishnugupta. He introduced gold coins and 'Kramaditya Took the title. The high amount of adulteration in his gold coins suggests that the Gupta Empire was going towards rapid decline during his period.
Vishnugupta
After Kumaragupta III, his son Vishnugupta proved to be the last Gupta ruler, mentioned in an inscription from Nalanda. His title on the coins 'Chandraditya ' Meets. Vishnugupta was an incompetent and weak ruler. Under the leadership of Toman, the Huns captured a large area of Gwalior and Malwa. Vishnugupta probably ruled till 550 AD, but after that the Gupta Empire disintegrated.
Due to the Fall of the Gupta Empire
Gupta Empire from inception to nearly two centuries It continued to flourish and flourish under the successful patronage of the brilliant Gupta kings, but with the death of Skandagupta in 467 AD, the flourishing period of this vast empire also ended. Now various tendencies of disintegration and decline became active and many small kingdoms were established on the ruins of Gupta Empire.
In fact the disintegration of the Gupta Empire was no accident. The real reasons for this disintegration were the same as those applicable in relation to the destruction of any empire. Rameshchandra Majumdar is of the view that the same circumstances contributed to the destruction of the Gupta Empire, which were active in the decline of the first Mauryan Empire and later the Mughal Empire. Some of the fundamental reasons for the downfall of this vast empire were as follows- external invasions, inept and weak successors, feudal-federal organization of the empire, appointment on hereditary basis, privileges of provinces, influence of Buddhism, rise of new powers etc. P>
external attack
Gupta inscriptions show that during the last period of the reign of Kumaragupta, external attacks on the Gupta Empire started. It is clear from the Bhitari pillar inscription that Pushyamitra's attack proved to be catastrophic. Around the same time the invasion of the Huns also started. But till the time of Skandagupta Pushyamitra or the Hunas could not harm the Guptas. The Junagadh and Bhitari inscriptions show that Skandagupta had successfully driven out the Huns. The Gupta rulers did not make any concrete arrangements to secure the north-western frontier. After Skandagupta, the Huns started attacking again and according to the Jain writer Somdev, they had come to Chitrakoot. Raychaudhuri has received a currency from the Hun ruler Toorman from Kosambi. According to Hiuen Tsang, later under the leadership of Mihirkul, the pressure of the Huns increased and the Gupta emperor Narasimhagupta Baladitya defeated the Hun king and took him captive, but freed him on the request of Rajmata. Archival evidence shows that after Budhgupta, Hunas under the leadership of Toraman conquered Eran. During the time of Bhanugupta, an attempt was made to drive out the Huns, in which his commander Gopraja was killed.
Thus the Hunas had a big hand in making the Guptas weak, but the Huna invasion cannot be considered as the main reason for the decline of the Gupta Empire. Apart from this, there were many other reasons which made the decline of the Gupta Empire possible. In fact, the ineligible successors of this dynasty, internal differences, Yashodharman's meaningful-pride-pride and declaration of independence by feudal states and provincials proved to be the reason for the decline of Gupta Empire.
inept and weak successor
The immediate cause of the decline of the Gupta Empire was the incompetence and weakness of Skandagupta's successors. The early kings of the Gupta dynasty were visionary and powerful, but the later Gupta kings did not have valor and efficiency. In the then political environment when the empire was clouded by external and internal crisis, only the far-sighted and mighty rulers could save the empire. But the later Gupta rulers proved to be incompetent and weak, due to which the disintegration of the Gupta Empire became inevitable.
Evidence of internal strife in the Gupta dynasty from the very beginning. In the absence of definite rules of succession, there was internal bitterness among the princes of the Gupta dynasty. Due to internal conflicts, many times a calamitous situation had arisen in the Gupta Empire. When the power of the Gupta Empire was waning due to the invasion of the Huns and the rebellion of the feudatories, at that time the princes did not show mutual solidarity and created an atmosphere of discord and dispute which ultimately proved fatal for the empire.
feudal-federal confederation
The secret administration was federal in nature. Records show that feudalism had developed during the Gupta period and many feudal rulers ruled in their respective areas. The feudal lords of the Gupta period were privileged. उन्हें सेना रखने, भूमिकर वसूलने और यहाँ तक कि भूमिदान देने का भी अधिकार प्राप्त था। इसके बदले उन्हें एक निश्चित राशि सम्राट को भेंट करनी पड़ती थी और आवश्यकता के समय राजा की सैनिक सहायता करनी पड़ती थी।
सामंतवाद की यह प्रथा गुप्त साम्राज्य की स्थिरता के लिए घातक सिद्ध हुई। स्कंदगुप्त तक तो ये सामंत दबे रहे, किंतु जैसे ही गुप्तों की शक्ति कमजोर हुई, इन सामंतों ने स्वतंत्र शासकों जैसा आचरण करना आरंभ कर दिया। इतना ही नहीं, गुप्त शासकों की दुर्बलता का लाभ उठाकर अनेक सामंतों ने अपना स्वतंत्र राज्य स्थापित कर लिया जिसके परिणामस्वरूप गुप्त साम्राज्य का पतन हो गया।
गुप्त प्रशासन में ऊँचे-ऊँचे पद प्रायः वंशानुगत होते थे। हरिषेण, जो महादंडनायक के पद पर नियुक्त था, का पिता ध्रुवभूति भी इसी पद कार्य कर चुका था। उदयगिरि गुहालेख से पता चलता है कि चंद्रगुप्त द्वितीय का सचिव वीरसेन शैव आनुवांशिक रूप से इसी पद पर कार्य कर रहा था (अन्वयप्राप्त साचिव्यो व्यापृतसान्धिविग्रहः , करमदंडा लेख से स्पष्ट है कि कुमारगुप्त का मंत्री पृथ्वीसेन अपने पिता के बाद इस पद पर नियुक्त हुआ था। आनुवांशिक आधार पर नियुक्ति करने से कभी-कभी अयोग्य व्यक्ति भी इन पदों पर नियुक्त हो जाते थे जिससे प्रशासनिक शिथिलता आना स्वाभाविक था। इन पदाधिकारियों की सफलता पूर्णतया सम्राट की योग्यता पर निर्भर करती थी। सम्राट के दुर्बल होने पर इन पदाधिकारियों की अयोग्यता राज्य की एकता और स्थायित्व के लिए अधिक घातक सिद्ध हुई।
प्रांतपतियों के विशेषाधिकार
गुप्त अभिलेखों से पता चलता है कि राजकुमारों के अलावा सुयोग्य और विश्वस्त कर्मचारी भी प्रांतपतियों और सामंतों के पद पर नियुक्त किये जाते थे। ये प्रांतपति और सामंत अपने-अपने क्षेत्रों में सम्राट की तरह ठाट-बाट से रहते थे। उन्हें नृप, महाराज, उपरिक महाराज आदि उपाधियों को धारण करने का अधिकार भी प्राप्त था। प्रांतपति भी अपने क्षेत्रों में जनता से कर वसूल करते थे और अपनी सेना तक रखते थे। केंद्रीय शक्ति के दुर्बल होते ही इन कर्मचारियों का आचरण राज्य-विरोधी हो जाता था।
अग्रहार दान की प्रथा से भी गुप्तों को हानि उठानी पड़ी। अग्रहार भूमिदान में दानग्राही को उस भूमि पर सभी प्रकार का राजनैतिक और प्रशासनिक अधिकार प्राप्त हो जाता था, जिससे राज्य के भीतर राज्य की स्थिति उत्पन्न हुई। गया जिले के अमौना से प्राप्त एक ताम्रपत्र कुमारामात्य महाराजनंदन ने गुप्त संवत् 232 (551 ई.) में बिना गुप्त सम्राट का उल्लेख किये प्रवर्तित किया था। इससे स्पष्ट है कि इस तिथि के पूर्व गुप्त साम्राज्य का पतन हो गया था। यदि सामंती प्रथा और अग्रहार प्रथा को समाप्त कर सभी भुक्तियों एवं विषयों में सीधा नियंत्रण स्थापित करने का प्रयास किया जाता, तो यह गुप्त साम्राज्य के हित में होता।
आर्थिक कारण
गुप्त साम्राज्य के पतन का एक प्रमुख कारण परवर्ती काल की जर्जर अर्थव्यवस्था थी। हूणों के आक्रमण और अत्यधिक भूमि अनुदानों के कारण गुप्त साम्राज्य की आर्थिक स्थिति डावाँडोल हो गई थी। राजनीतिक अशांति के कारण व्यापार-वाणिज्य की भी हानि हुई। सामंती प्रथा के कारण भी केंद्रीय राजस्व की भारी क्षति हो रही थी, जिससे केंद्रीय कोष खाली हो गया। गुप्त सम्राट सैन्यशक्ति के लिए अपने सामंतों की सेना पर ही आश्रित थे, जिसके कारण सामंतों के ऊपर गुप्त सम्राट का कोई नियंत्रण नहीं रहता था। आवश्यकता पड़ने पर सामंतों की एकत्रित सेना में भी कोई तालमेल नहीं होता था। इसके अलावा सामंत सेना के सैनिकों की निष्ठा अपने स्वामी सामंत के प्रति होती थी और वे अपने स्वामी के हित का ही ध्यान रखते थे।
बौद्ध धर्म का आलिंगन
कुछ इतिहासकारों के अनुसार गुप्त साम्राज्य के पतन का कारण परवर्ती गुप्त शासकों द्वारा बौद्ध धर्म का आलिंगन था। इन इतिहासकारों का मानना है कि आरंभिक गुप्त शासक वैष्णव धर्मानुयायी होने के कारण ही धरणिबंध तथा कृत्स्नपृथ्वीजय के आदर्श से प्रेरित थे। बौद्ध धर्म का अनुयायी होने के कारण परवर्ती गुप्त नरेशों ने बौद्ध संस्थाओं और विहारों को अत्यधिक धन दान दिया, जिससे राजकोष खाली हो गया। इन नरेशों की शांति और अहिंसा की नीति से सैनिक शक्ति कुण्ठित हो गई और गुप्त साम्राज्य का पतन हो गया।
किंतु यह मत पूर्वाग्रहपूर्ण प्रतीत होता है क्योंकि इसी काल में सबसे पहले बड़े पैमाने पर मंदिरों के निर्माण का दावा किया जाता है। सही तो यह है कि इस काल में ब्राह्मणों को सबसे अधिक भूमिदान दिये गये, किंतु पता नहीं किन कारणों से इनकी चर्चा नहीं की जाती है।
नवीन शक्तियों का उदय
गुप्त साम्राज्य आंतरिक-विच्छेद तथा बाह्य आक्रमणों से दुर्बल हो चुका था। प्रांतीय क्षत्रप तथा सामंत प्रायः स्वतंत्र शासकों की भाँति व्यवहार कर रहे थे। कुछ ही दिनों में यशोधर्मन ने सम्राट के विरुद्ध विद्रोह कर विजयों का सिलसिला आरंभ कर दिया। यशोधर्मन के सैन्य-अभियान से गुप्त साम्राज्य को भारी आघात पहुँचा। उसने गुप्तों की गिरती हुई शक्ति का लाभ उठाया और गुप्तों के अधिकांश क्षेत्रों पर अधिकार कर लिया। मंदसौर के स्तंभ-लेख से पता चलता है कि जिन प्रदेशों के ऊपर गुप्त नरेशों ने अपने प्रताप से शासन नहीं किया था, उन प्रदेशों पर भी उसने अपना आधिपत्य स्थापित कर लिया था। नरसिंहगुप्त बालादित्य ने मिहिरकुल को पराजित कर गुप्त साम्राज्य की साख को बचाने का सफल प्रयत्न किया। बाद में मौखरियों तथा परवर्ती गुप्तों की उभरती शक्ति और कुछ सीमा तक बंग तथा गौड़ का राजनीतिक शक्तियों के रूप में उत्थान अधीश्वर गुप्तों के पतन में सर्वाणिक महत्त्वपूर्ण कारक थे।
इस प्रकार लगभग तीन सौ वर्ष तक शासन करने वाले गुप्तवंश के अधःपतन में उत्तराधिकारियों की दुर्बलता, आंतरिक झगड़ों, सामंत-संघीय संगठन, बाह्य आक्रमण, राजनीतिक भूलों, सामंतवादी व्यवस्था और अनेक नवीन शक्तियों के उदय जैसे अनेक ऐतिहासिक कारकों ने महत्त्वपूर्ण भूमिका निभाई जिन्होंने गुप्त साम्राज्य को अतीत की वस्तु बना दिया।
गुप्त प्रशासन और आर्थिक जीवन
गुप्त युग का मूल्यांकन
Partition of India:Causes and Circumstances
आंग्ल-सिख युद्ध और पंजाब की विजय
प्राक्-गुप्त युग में भारत की राजनैतिक दशा
ब्रिटिश अफगान नीति:लॉरेंस से रिपन तक
Revolt of 1857:Causes and Spread
रामगुप्त की ऐतिहासिकता