4. Evolutions in Gupta Period

The Śāthavāhanas and Kuṣāns emerged as the two large powers after the end of Mauryan Empire. Gupta Empire originated on the ruins of Kuṣān Empire. In the core spot of Indian history, the Gupta Empire inscribed its place as vital and unforgettable. Their original kingdom was at UP and Bihar at the end of third century CE. The first important ruler of the Gupta dynasty was Candragupta-I and he seems to have been a ruler of considerable importance because he started the Gupta era in 319-320 CE. which noted the date of his concurrence. A number of Gupta inscriptions came to be dated to this era.

Samudragupta (336-380 CE.), the son of Candragupta-I also known as Indian Napoleon by his bravery and generalship had enormously enlarged the Gupta Kingdom. Smudragupta was just opposite of what was to Aśoka (268-232 BCE.). The former believed in a policy of peace and non-aggression and the latter delighted in violence and conquest. As a result he has forcibly unified the greater part of India under his authority and it was felt in a much larger area than that of his forerunners.

Candragupta-II (380-415 CE.) and his reign saw the high watermark of the Gupta Empire. He extended the limits of the empire by marriage alliance and conquest. His conquests were famous for trade and commerce and it contributed to the prosperity of Malwa, and its chief city Ujjain. Candragupta-II adopted the title of Vikramāditya and is traditionally called Śākāri or the enemy of the Śākas. His court at Ujjain was adorned by numerous scholars including Kālidāsa and Amarasimha (Sharma R. S., 2008: 234.)

The successors of Candragupta-II were not so powerful and they were weak in the power of administration. As a result, they had to face continuous invasions by Hūṇas from Central Asia. This led the Gupta Empire to its decline.

The mercantile relations started during the period between 200 BCE. to 300 CE. which strengthened the economic base of the Mauryan era and the threshold period of Gupta empire (319-550 CE.) which contributed to several socio-cultural developments which benefitted to the regional kingdoms that flourished during 500 to 900 CE. This can be considered as the matrix of the urban social formation in India.

Among these historical phases, the period of Gupta dynasty deserves a prominent place in various facets of cultural developments. The peak of material exaltation in this period shows the mode of living of the people based on social and cultural progress.

Thapar explains that the description of the Gupta period as one of the classicism is relatively correct regarding the upper classes, who lived well according to the descriptions in their literature and representations in their art. The more accurate literal evidence that comes from archaeology suggests a less glowing lifestyle for the majority (2003: 282)