RISE AND DECLINE OF GUPTA EMPIRE

THE RISE AND DECLINE OF THE GUPTAS

EXTRA QUESTIONS:

Q1. Who was the founder of the Gupta dynasty?

Ans. Sri Gupta

Q2. Who was the father of Chandragupta I?

ANS. Ghatotkacha

Q3. What is the meaning of Maharajadhiraja?

ANS. The great king of kings.

Q4. How did Chandragupta I strengthen his empire?

He consolidated his place by a matrimonial alliance by marrying Kumaradevi, a Licchavis princess.

Q5. What do the Puranas tell us about the Guptas?

ANS. The Puranas throw light on the royal genealogy of the Gupta kings.

Q6. Who visited India during the rule of Chandragupta II?

ANS. The Chinese traveller, Fa-hsien.

Q7. Where are the inscriptions related to  the  Gupta  dynasty  found?  What information do  these  inscriptions  provide?

ANS. Inscriptions such as the Mehrauli Iron Pillar inscription and the Allahabad Pillar inscription provides information on the reign of Chandragupta I and Samudragupta, respectively.

Q8. What information do we get from the Gupta coins?

ANS. Gupta coins impart significant facts about the titles and the sacrifices carried out by the Gupta Rulers.

Q9. What is known as Dakshinapatha expedition?

ANS. Samudragupta defeated twelve rulers in his South Indian expedition, known as Dakshinapatha expedition.

Q10. Why was Samudragupta also known as Kaviraja?

ANS. as he was a fine poet.

Q11. What do the coins issued by Samudragupta portray him as?

ANS. Playing the Veena which shows his inclination towards music.

Q12. Where did Samudragupta extend his rule?

Ans. Samudragupta’s rule extended over Eastern  Himalayan  states  and  bordering  states  such  as  Nepal,  Assam  and Bengal.  These territories were directly administered by him.  The forest territories situated  in  Vindhyas  known  as  Atavika  rajyas  were  brought  under  his  control.

The  Shakas  and  Kushanas  principalities  in  the  West  and  Northwest  were  within the sphere of his influence.The kingdoms on the East coast of the Deccan, as far as the Pallava Kingdom, recognized his suzerainty.

Q13. What were the reasons of the decline of Gupta empire?

Ans. Skandagupta was succeeded by weak rulers. They could not save the Gupta Empire from the Huns. Further, the empire was destabilized by the rise of the feudatories. Many of the feudatory states declared themselves independent. Trade and commerce was affected by these circumstances. The state revenue was also affected by the growing practice of giving land revenues for religious and other such purposes. By 6th century CE, the glory of the Gupta Empire completely vanished.

Q14. What do you know about Kumaragupta?

Ans. He was the son and successor of Chandragupta II. His reign was marked by general peace and prosperity and issued a number of coins and his inscriptions are found all over the Gupta Empire.

He also performed an asvamedha sacrifice. He laid the foundation of the Nalanda University.

Q15. Who succeeded Samudragupta? What was the title he assumed?

ANS. Chandragupta II ; Vikramaditya.

Q16. What was Samudragupta’s policy of military expedition that he adopted?

Ans. He used the policy of diplomacy and warfare to extend his territory, strengthened his political power through matrimonial alliances.

Q17. Whom did Chandragupta II marry?

Ans. He married Kuberanaga, a Naga princess of central India.

Q18. Whom did Chandragupta II give his daughter in marriage?

ANS. He gave his daughter Prabhavati in marriage to the Vakataka prince.

Q19. What does ‘Shakari’ mean?

ANS. ‘Enemy of Shakas’.

Q20. Who were his court poets?

ANS. Amarasimha and Kalidasa were his court poets.

Q21. To which dynasty did Harshavardhana belong?

Ans. To the Pushpabhuti Dynasty.

Q22. What are the important sources that help in reconstructing the history of Harshavardhana?

ANS. The sources of information are:

-          Harshacharita written by Banabhatta, the court poet of Harsha

-          And the travellogues of Hsuan Tsang, the Chinese traveller who visited India during his reign.

Q23. Name the plays written by Harsha.

Ans. The plays written by Harsha were Ratnavali, Nagananda and Priyardarshika .

Q24. Name the inscriptions that describe the chronology of Harsha’s time.

Ans. The Madhuben plate inscription and the Sonpat inscription describe the chronology of Harsha’s time.

Q25. Who were known as  Kumaramatyas?

Ans. A class of officials was known as Kumaramatyas.

Q26. FILL IN THE BLANKS

a.       The provinces in the Gupta Empire were known as Bhuktis which governed by Uparikas chosen from among the princes.

b.      Bhuktis were subdivided into Vishayas or districts, which were governed by Vishayapatis.

c.       The Gramas or villages in the district were under the control of village headman or Gramikas.

d.      The village elders were known as Gramavriddhas.

Q27. Explain the military conquests of Harsha.

ANS. Harsha fought against rulers of Valabhi and made it a part of his territory. Regions such as modern Rajasthan, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha came under his direct control. The subsidiary states such as Kashmir, Sind, Valabhi and Kamarupa recognized his rule. As a result, Harsha controlled the whole of North India. However, his military campaign was brought to a halt by the Chalukyan ruler, Pulakesin II, who defeated him.

Q28. How did Harsha ascend the throne?

ANS. Prabhakaravardhana was the first ruler of Pushpabhuti dynasty. He was succeeded by his elder son, Rajyavardhana. His sister, Rajyasri, had married Grihavarman, the Maukhari ruler.

The ruler of Malwa, Devagupta in confederation with Sasanka, the ruler of Bengal, killed Grihavarman. On hearing the news, Rajyavardhana attacked the king of Malwa and defeated him.

However, he was deceitfully killed by Sasanka on his way to the capital.

Harsha succeeded his brother and decided to take revenge of the assassinations of his brother and brother-in-law. In his first military expedition, Harsha drove out Sasanka from Kanauj. He made Kanauj his new capital. This made him the most powerful ruler of North India.