WB solution - The rise and decline of the Guptas

Date: _____________ 11.The Rise and the Decline of the Guptas 1. Name the Following. R/U a) An important literary source that describes the genealogy of the Gupta kings. Puranas b) The Gupta ruler who was also a fine poet. Samudragupta c) The king who took up the title of Shakari. Chandragupta II d) A class of officials who served as a link between the king and the provincial administration. Kumaramatyas 2.Match the columns. U/AP Column A Column B 1. Bhuktis a. village Vishayapatis b. province Gramavriddhas c. district Column A Column B Bhuktis b. province Vishayapatis c. district Gramavriddhas a. village 3. Fill in the blanks.R Banabhatta wrote theHarshacharita. TheNalanda University is believed to be founded byKumaragupta. FaHien visited India during the rule of Chandragupta II. The Huns came from Central Asia and invaded India during the reign of Skandagupta. 4.Complete the following statements.U/AN The Allahabad Pillar inscription is a valuable source of history because it provides information on the reign of Chandragupta I and Samudragupta, The Gupta period was regarded as the Golden Age of Ancient India because accept relevant answers The Sonpat inscription and the Madhuben plate inscription provide a description of the chronology of Harsha’s time. The fact that the judiciary was more developedduring the Gupta period as compared to the earlier times is evidentbecause the civil and criminal laws were clearly demarcated. 5. Answer the followingquestions in detail.U/EV a) Samudragupta was one of the greatest rulers of the Gupta dynasty. Briefly explain the achievements of Samudragupta. Samudragupta’s South Indian expedition is better known as Dakshinapatha expedition. He defeated twelve rulers in this expedition. However, he did not annihilate and seize these kingdoms. He gave them back their kingdoms but asserted them to recognise his suzerainty. He fought against twelve rulers, defeated them and annexed their kingdoms. After these successful military campaigns, Samudragupta performed the asvamedhayajna .Samudragupta’s rule extended over Eastern Himalayan states and bordering states such as Nepal, Assam and Bengal. These regions were directly controlled by him. The forest territories situated in Vindhyas known as Atavikarajyas were brought under his control. The Shakas and Kushanas principalities in the West and Northwest were under his sway. The kingdoms on the East coast of the Deccan, as far as the Pallava Kingdom, recognised his overlordship. (Accept relevant answers) b) What were the factors that led to the downfall of the Gupta Empire? Skandagupta was succeeded by weak rulers. They could not save the Gupta Empire from the Huns. Further, the empire was destabilised 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. c) Chandragupta II consolidated the Gupta Empire.Justify the statement. Chandragupta II continued his father’s policy of military expedition. He used the policy of diplomacy and warfare to extend his territory. Further, he strengthened his position through matrimonial alliances. He married Kuberanaga, the daughter of a Naga chieftain of central India. He gave his daughter Prabhavati to the Vakataka prince in marriage. The greatest of the military achievements of Chandragupta II was his war against the Shakas. He performed the asvamedhayajna after a successful military campaign against Shakas and took up the title of Shakari or ‘destroyer of Shakas’. He also assumed the title of Vikramaditya . He supported great intellectual personalities such as Amarasimha and Kalidasa who was his court poet. Cultural development reached its zenith during his reign. 7.Classify the sources of history given below. (AN/AP) Puranas, , Accounts of FaHien, Allahabad Pillar inscription, Gupta coins, Mehrauli Iron Pillar inscription, Harshacharita, Madhuben plate inscriptionRatnavali. Literary Sources Archaeological sources Puranas Allahabad Pillar inscription Accounts of FaHien Mehrauli Iron Pillar inscription Harshacharita Madhuben plate inscription Ratnavali. Gupta coins 8. There are a variety of sources that help us to trace the history of the Gupta period. Justify the statement. AP/EV 9. On an outline map of India mark the ancient cities of Pataliputra, Mathura, Kashi, Prayag, KanaujU/AP (Refer Tb page no. 96 for answers)