Chapter 7: The Gupta Era: An Age of Tireless Creativity
A pillar that has not rusted in 1,600 years, a poet who sent messages by cloud, an astronomer who said the Earth spins: welcome to the Gupta age. In this chapter we meet Samudragupta and Chandragupta II, read Faxian's account, see how the Guptas governed and traded, explore the classical age of learning and art, and look at the Pallavas, Vākāṭakas and Kāmarūpa.
In this chapter you will
- describe the rise of the Guptas and their great kings
- use sources like Faxian's account and inscriptions carefully
- explain why the Gupta period is called a classical age
- describe the Pallavas, Vākāṭakas and Kāmarūpa
Topics
- A New Power Emerges NCERT 7.1
The Guptas rose in the 3rd–4th centuries CE with their capital at Pāṭaliputra.
- Faxian's Account and Gupta Governance NCERT 7.2
Faxian praised Gupta cities and charity but also recorded the harsh treatment of chaṇḍālas.
- The Classical Age: Great Minds NCERT 7.3
Peace and patronage made the Gupta age a classical age of learning; Nālandā flourished.
- The Quest for Beauty and the Decline of the Guptas NCERT 7.4
Gupta art (Sārnāth, Ajanta, Udayagiri, Deogarh) set high standards of beauty.
- Meanwhile in the South and Northeast NCERT 7.5
The Pallavas ruled the south from Kānchīpuram and built temples; the Varmans ruled Kāmarūpa in the northeast.
Key words
- Praśhasti
- an inscription praising a ruler
- Regent
- someone who governs for a ruler who cannot
- Land grant
- land given by the king, recorded on copper plates
- Classical age
- a period of high achievement setting lasting standards
- Āyurveda
- India's traditional system of medicine
- Ghaṭikā
- a centre of learning in the south
- Iron Pillar
- a rust-resistant Gupta-era pillar in Delhi
Summary
- The Guptas rose in the 3rd–4th centuries CE; Samudragupta expanded the empire; Chandragupta II raised the Iron Pillar.
- Faxian's account, copper-plate land grants, alliances like Prabhāvatī Gupta's, and Indian Ocean trade show how the empire worked.
- Āryabhaṭa, Varāhamihira, Kālidāsa, Āyurveda and Gupta art made this a classical age; Hūṇa attacks weakened it.
- The Pallavas, Vākāṭakas and Kāmarūpa flourished alongside the Guptas.