The Golden Age: Gupta Empire
ICSE Class 6 · History & Civics · Chapter 9
What this chapter covers
- Sources of Gupta history
- Gupta rulers
- Features of the Golden Age
- Administration and economy
- Religious life
- Scientific progress
- Art, architecture and literature
- Education
Key points
- Gupta history comes from inscriptions, gold coins, Fa-Hien's account, Sanskrit books, and temples, statues and paintings.
- Chandragupta I founded the empire in about 320 CE and married the Lichchhavi princess Kumaradevi.
- Samudragupta, praised on the Allahabad Pillar, was a great warrior, poet and musician.
- Chandragupta II (Vikramaditya) defeated the Shakas, made Ujjain a second capital and ruled in peace.
- The Gupta period is called the Golden Age because of peace, wealth, literature, science, art and learning.
- The empire was divided into provinces, districts and villages; farming and trade, run by guilds, made it rich.
- Gupta kings were devotees of Vishnu but respected Buddhism and Jainism too.
- Aryabhata showed that the Earth spins on its axis and explained eclipses; the Iron Pillar shows great metal skill.
- Stone temples, the Sarnath Buddha, Ajanta paintings and the works of Kalidasa are treasures of this age.
- Nalanda, started by Kumaragupta I, became a famous centre of learning.
Questions answered
Who wrote the poem on the Allahabad Pillar, and which king does it praise?
Harishena, the court poet of Samudragupta, wrote it. It praises Samudragupta.
Name two kinds of sources that tell us about the Gupta Empire.
Any two: inscriptions such as the Allahabad Pillar, gold coins, Fa-Hien's account, Sanskrit books such as Kalidasa's works, and temples, statues and paintings.
Why was the marriage of Chandragupta I to Kumaradevi important?
Kumaradevi was a Lichchhavi princess. The marriage gave the Guptas more land, power and respect.
Why is Samudragupta called "the Napoleon of India"?
He was a great warrior who won many battles and never lost one.
Name the people defeated by Chandragupta II. What did the Guptas gain from this victory?
He defeated the Shakas of western India. The Guptas gained Gujarat and Malwa, the ports of the Arabian Sea and the city of Ujjain.
Give three reasons why the Gupta period is called the Golden Age.
Any three: peace and order, wealth from farming and trade, great literature, progress in science, beautiful art and temples, and centres of learning.
Name the officers in charge of a province and a district in the Gupta Empire.
An uparika governed a province (bhukti), and a vishayapati was in charge of a district (vishaya).
Give two discoveries of Aryabhata.
Any two: the Earth is round and spins on its axis, eclipses are caused by shadows, a value of pi of 3.1416, and the length of the year.