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Gupta Empire (320–550)

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Gupta Empire
320–550
Location of Gupta Empire
CapitalPataliputra
Dominant mode of productionFeudalism
GovernmentMonarchy
Area
• Total
3,500,000 km²


The Gupta Empire was a state in ancient India. It was the second attempt to unite India but was fragile due to a lack of centralization and quickly collapsed.[1]

History[edit | edit source]

The Gupta Empire began in the Ganges valley like the earlier Maurya Empire. Three successive warrior-kings, Chandragupta, Samudragupta, and Chandragupta Vikramaditya, expanded it across the northern Indian plain and then into central and southern India. The empire collapsed in the sixth century when the Huns invaded.[1]

Economy[edit | edit source]

The Gupta Empire was based on feudal land ownership and tribute. Peasants paid one-tenth to one-sixth of their harvest as taxes.

Agriculture was highly organized and irrigation was widespread. India participated in a global market with Arabia, Western Asia, and China and traded metals, gems, textiles, spices, salt, and exotic animals. Banks and money-lending were common, and guilds regulated work.[1]

Government[edit | edit source]

Village councils and courts managed local affairs, and local chieftains and princes had considerable autonomy. Many officials received land in exchange for administrative work and military service.[1]

Religion[edit | edit source]

Hinduism was the religion of the ruling class and upheld a traditional and metaphysical order based on caste and state. Buddhism applied to all classes and advocated for a moral lifestyle but was later corrupted to justify social inequality.[1]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Neil Faulkner (2013). A Marxist History of the World: From Neanderthals to Neoliberals: 'The Medieval World' (pp. 64–65). [PDF] Pluto Press. ISBN 9781849648639 [LG]