Hinglish

Faxian's Account and Gupta Governance

Class 7 Social Science · Chapter 7: The Gupta Era: An Age of Tireless Creativity · NCERT Exploring Society: India and Beyond section 7.2

Learn

The Chinese pilgrim Faxian travelled across India in the early 5th century CE to visit Buddhist sites, learn from scholars and collect texts, and his travelogue survives. He describes numerous, happy people, rich cities in the Ganga plains, merchants running charity houses with free medicine, and care for the poor, orphans and the sick. But he also records the harsh treatment of the chaṇḍālas, treated as outcastes and made to live outside cities. One traveller sees only part of a society, so historians compare many sources before drawing conclusions.

The Guptas took grand titles like mahārājādhirāja, samrāṭ and chakravartin. They expanded by war, diplomacy and marriage alliances: Chandragupta II's daughter Prabhāvatī Gupta married a Vākāṭaka prince, and when he died young she ruled as regent, keeping Gupta–Vākāṭaka ties strong; an inscription calls her "mother of two kings". Rather than controlling everything from the centre, the Guptas divided the empire into provinces and granted land to local rulers, priests and chiefs, recording the grants on copper plates.

The main revenue was land tax, plus fines and taxes on mines, irrigation, trade and crafts. Trade was vibrant: textiles, spices, ivory and gems went to the Mediterranean, Southeast Asia and China across the Indian Ocean. On Socotra Island in the Arabian Sea, Brahmi inscriptions, Indian pottery and even a stūpa design show Indian traders were there for centuries, alongside Egyptians, Arabs, Romans and Greeks.

Explore: place events on the timeline.

  1. Faxian travelled in India around 405 CE. Put the marker there.
  2. Samudragupta expanded the empire around 350 CE. Put the marker there.

Remember

  • Faxian praised Gupta cities and charity but also recorded the harsh treatment of chaṇḍālas.
  • The Guptas ruled through grand titles, alliances like Prabhāvatī Gupta's, land grants on copper plates, land tax and Indian Ocean trade.

Quick check

Why must historians be careful with Faxian's account?

  1. it shows one traveller's view of part of society
  2. it is a fake
  3. it is in English
  4. it describes Rome
Answer

it shows one traveller's view of part of society. Comparing many sources gives a fuller picture.

Think about it

Why might the same source be read differently by two historians?

One answer

They may ask different questions, notice different details, or compare it with different evidence; the writer's own viewpoint also has to be judged.

Practice

Practise with fresh questions at three levels (easy, medium, hard), some answered hands-on, with hints and worked answers. Get 4 of your last 5 right to finish the topic.