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was succeeded by his son, Skandagupta. During The prosperity created under the leadership of
his time, the empire was threatened by the the Gupta Empire, which covered much of the
Hunas. They were a nomadic tribe of Central Indian subcontinent from approximately 320-550
Asia. Skandagupta defeated the Hunas, but he CE, enabled the wide pursuit of scientific and
did not live for very long after that. After his artistic endeavors. This period became known as
death, the Hunas overran India, destroying the Golden Age of India because it was marked
towns and massacring people. They ended the by extensive inventions and discoveries in
glorious rule of the Gupta Dynasty. science, technology, engineering, art, dialectic,
THE GOLDEN AGE OF INDIA literature, logic, mathematics, astronomy, religion
The prosperity of the Gupta Empire produced a and philosophy. These discoveries crystallized
golden age of cultural and scientific advance- elements of what is generally considered Hindu
ments. culture.
FA HIENS'S ACCOUNT in India. He has Written an account on the different
Fa Hien was a Chinese pilgrim who visited India aspects of life under the Guptas. His account deals
during the reign of Chadragupta II. He spent six with Pataliputra, Gupta administration and the
years (AD 405-411) visiting Buddhist monasteries society, religion and culture of this period.
Administration Society
The king was the head of administration. Very Agriculture was the main occupation of the
often, to assert their supremacy over others, they people. Much of the revenue of the state came
assumed high-sounding titles. A council of from land. The caste system was rigid. Besides
ministers assisted the king in administrative the four main castes, many sub-castes had also
matters. come into existence. The ‘chandalas’ or
The empire was divided into provinces or untouchables were treated badly as they were
bhuktis. Princes were, very often, appointed as considered impure. They lived outside the town
governors of provinces. They were assisted by a and performed menial jobs for the higher castes.
group of officials called ‘Kumaramatyas’. Women led a restricted life. They were treated as
The provinces were further divided into districts inferior to men. They were married off early and
or vishayas. The ‘Ayuktas’ administered the numerous restrictions were placed on them. They
districts. There was also a district council in each received no education and were discouraged
district which helped in maintaining efficient from participating in social and political activities.
administration. Widows were looked down upon. In short,
The village was the lowest administrative unit. It women had no independent identity of their
was looked after by a council of village elders. own. Their life revolved around the male mem-
bers in their family.
The Gupta administration was fully decentral-
ised. The officials of the provinces and districts Trade
were independent of central control. The admin- During the early period of Gupta rule, both
istrative officials were paid in land grants instead internal and external (foreign) trade prospered.
of cash. This made them even more independ- India carried on flourishing trade with West Asia
ent. After the decline of the Guptas, they began and Southeast Asia. Tamralipti (Tamluk), a
to rule as independent rulers. port on the east coast, handled trade with
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