Gupta Empire: Origin, Administration, Achievements and Decline for UPSC
Introduction After the fall of the Kushanas, northern India saw the emergence of the powerful Gupta dynasty. It is believed that the Guptas were once feudatories of the Kushanas and likely belonged to the Vaishya varna. The Gupta era is often called the Golden Age or Classical Age of Indian history due to its remarkable achievements in art and sculpture, literature, science and technology, medicine, political consolidation, and economic prosperity. sources Literary sources: the puranas like vayu,matsya,vishnu,bhagwata, skanda etc., throw light on the royal genealogy of the Gupta kings. Devichandraguptam and Mudraraksha were written by Vishakhadutta. Kalidasa's Abhigyanshakuntalam Meghdootam,Malvikagnimitram,raghuvamsam,ritusamhara, and kumarsambhava provide relatable information about society,polity and religion of gupta period. Sudraka's Mrichkatika describes the unstable political system of the Gupta period. Fahein, the Chinese traveller who visited India du...