Gupta Dynasty (338-92 BCE)
The Gupta Empire in India was one of the
world’s classical civilizations. It was established by Sri Gupta. He originated
from the lower caste family, and established the new administration in response
to manhandle by past regal rulers.
The Gupta Empire was kept the north
India politically united for more than a century. It was the new era of
imperial unity started again. The empire covered most of Northern India and
Eastern Pakistan, parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan and what is now eastern India
and Bangladesh. The capital of the Guptas was Pataliputra, present day Patna,
in the Indian state of Bihar.
Rulers of the Gupta Dynasty
As per the texts, there were no
conflicts in the rulers of the Gupta Dynasty till Samudra Gupta. However, the conflict
of opinion arises on immediate successor of Samudra Gupta. Some texts depict that
Chandra Gupta II as immediate successor of Samudra Gupta.
According to contemporary epigraphic
evidence, the immediate successor of Samudra Gupta was his worthy son Chandra
Gupta II. But of late, much has been made of evidence derived from later
literary works to prove that there was an elder brother of Chandra Gupta II,
Rama Gupta by name, who succeeded his father before Chandra Gupta II. This
literary evidence may be set forth here.
The earliest evidence invoked on the
subject is a passage of Bana’s “Harshacharita” stating merely that “Chandra
Gupta, in the guise of a female, killed the Saka king possessed of lust for
another’s wife at the very city of the enemy.”
Next, a work of dramaturgy named “Natyadarpana”
written by Ramachandra and Gunachandra makes citations from a dramatic work
named “Devichandraguptam” based on the following story “Rama Gupta, an impotent king, for the
sake of his subjects, was bent upon surrendering his queen, Dhruvadevi, to the
Saka chief invading his kingdom. Then, his younger brother, Prince Chandra
Gupta, resolved to save the situation, went to the camp of Saka chief disguised
as the queen, and killed him, as he came up to him. Chandra Gupta then killed
his cowardly brother, and married his widow, Dhruvadevi.”
Successors of Puru Gupta
A new light is thrown on the vexed
problem of the kings coming after Puru Gupta by inscriptions on seals of Vishnu
Gupta and Budha Gupta recently discovered at Nalanda. The Vishnu Gupta seal
traces the genealogy of the Gupta Kings as follows:
Ø Puru Gupta
Ø Narasimha Gupta
Ø Kumara Gupta
According to the reading of the
inscription borne by the seal of Budha Gupta, the Gupta genealogy is as
follows:
Maharaja Sri Ghtaotkacha
The only point to be settled about his
genealogy is the succession after Budha Gupta. It may be solved by a study of
three relevant inscriptions, viz., those on the Sarnath Budha Stone Image and
inscriptions on the Bhitari and Nalanda seals. It is possible to take the
Kumara Gupta of the Sarnath inscription to be different from the Kumara Gupta
of the seal without any violence to history or chronology, and to treat the
Kumara Gupta of the seal to be Kumara Gupta III. In that case, the genealogy
will stand as follows:
The imperial Gupta history after Budha
Gupta is somewhat uncertain, obscure, and confused. It can be traced only in
fragments through names of certain kings associated with it in some of the
records of the times. Recent excavations added to more names to the Gupta
rulers, namely Vainya Gupta and Bhanu Gupta. These names are brought to the
light in the Gunaigarh Copper-plate inscription found in Comilla in eastern
Bengal.
Based on above references we can assume
following list as Gupta rulers
Ø Ghatotkacha Gupta
I owe the genealogy and succession presented
here to the suggestions first made by Mr A Ghosh, M.A. of the Archaeological
Department in the I.H.Q., Vol. XIX.
Religions and Worships
Vaishnavism
Most of the Gupta emperors and the local
kings of the times called themselves Parama-Bhagavatas,
i.e., the worshippers of Bhagavata or Vasudeva. As worshippers of Vishnu, the
Gupta emperors introduced Vishnu Vahana, Garuda on the obverse of their coins
and goddess Lakshmi, Vishnu Consort, on the reverse and the also Chakra, Vishnu’s
Wheel.
Saivism
The prevalence of worship of Siva is
testified to in many inscriptions referring to his worship under various names
indicative of the different aspects of his divinity installed in appropriate
shrines. It is curious that two Ministers of the Vaishnava emperor, Chandra
Gupta II, were worshippers of Siva named Sambhu and Mahadeva-Sailesvarasvami.
Buddhism
Although the Gupta Emperors were
orthodox Hindus or followers of Brahminical religion, they were catholic enough
not to have enforced their personal religion as the official religion of the
empire. They encouraged wually the promotion of all religions, including
Buddhism and Jainism. Sanchi continued to be a great center of Buddhism. Kumara
Gupta I established a stupa for Budha Bhagavan.
Like Sanchi, Sarnath was another center of
Buddhism and noted for the two famous images of the Buddha bearing inscriptions
of the time of Kumara Gupta II and Budha Gupta. The Buddha is here called
Sasta.
Jainism
The Udayagiri cave inscriptions, which
were of the reign of Kumara Gupta I, mentions the construction of an image of
Jinavara Parsva. Another inscription records installation of a Jain image at
Mathura. The Kahaum Stone Pillar inscription of the time of Skanda Gupta
records an endowment in favour of Jainism, the fashioning of five stone images
of Adikartris or Tirthankaras in the niches of a pillar of stones “as high as a hill”.
Sculptures and Structures
Gupta Art receives adequate expression
in Monuments and Sculptures. These are altogether associated with one or other
of the distinctive religions them prevailing in the nation and are intended to
serve their interests. Only important illustrations might be considered here.
Saiva Sculptures
The temple of Bhitargaon in the Kanpur
is profusely decorated with carved brick-work, and brilliant terra-cotta
panels, illustrating Saiva themes. Of the same time, the famous temple at
Deogarh is decorated with sculptures and panels showing a high standard of art.
One of these, representing Siva as a Yogi, is one of the masterpieces of Indian
Art in the opinion of V.A.Smith.
Krishna Sculptures
The worship of Vishnu is also
represented in many a monument. One of the temples in the Udayagiri Hills,
which is built during Guptas, has some fine sculptures representing the
incarnation of Vishnu as Varaha and also the goddesses Ganga and Yamuna,
standing respectively on makara and kachchhapa. In the same region, at a place
called Pathari, a temple is found containing a massive relief on the nativity
of Krishna, showing how the new born babe lies by the side of the Mother,
watched by five attendants. It has been considered as the finest and largest
piece of Indian sculpture by Beglar.
Buddhist Sculptures
Buddhism has inspired some of the best
examples of Gupta Art in the form of images. Some of the best examples of Gupta
Art are found at Sarnath. In these images of Gupta Art has achieved its
complete emancipation from foreign influence, and a synthesis of different
artistic elements and traditions.
The Sarnath seated image of the Buddha
in the act of his preaching the first sermon is considered as one of the
masterpieces of Indian Art and of its Gupta style marked by its symbolism. Thus
the wheel and the two deer carved on its pedestal indicate respectively the
Dharma Chakra, and the Mrigadva, where the wheel was first turned. His hands
are shown in the position known as Dharma-Chakra-Pravartana-Mudra. Indeed,
there was a great development in the Mudras in the Buddhist Iconography of the
time.
Art and Architecture
The outstanding innovation introduced in
the field of Architecture was the use for the first time of dressed stone
masonry. Architecture, composed of stone masonry, was first seen in the
emergence of the Hindu temple.
The Satapatha Brahmana describes a Hindu
shrine as consisting of two sheds, ‘formed of pots and beams, and covered with
reeds and mats’. This kind of architecture is seen in the bas-reliefs of
Bharhut and Sabchi, showing fire-altars and shrines which were practically
unroofed, so that religious service and rituals were performed in the open air.
Growth of Temple Architecture
We may trace the evolution of the
structure of the Hindhu temple in its different stages: a leafy bower, a hut of
reed, a cella of wood and bricks. Eventually emerged in the Gupta period the
sactum of stone: the Garbha-Griha, a small cell with only one door way so as
not to intrude upon the inner darkness conductive to contemplation. The walls
of the interior were naturally devoid of ornament but not so was the exterior
of the temple. The outer side of the door way came to be richly carved, and to
the door was added a porch for shelter, which appeared as a pillared portico in
the Gupats Sculptures.
Literature
Sanskrit language and literature were at
its peak. Poets Kalidasa, Dandi, Visakhadatta, Shudraka, and Bharavi - all have
a place with this period. Numerous puranas and shastras were made and acclaimed
discourses on holy works showed up. Buddhist and Jaina writing which was
created before in Pali, Ardhamagadhi and other Prakrit dialects, started to
show up in Sanskrit.
0 Comments