Long Questions: New Empires and Kingdoms | NCERT Summary: UPSC PDF Download

Q1: What were the administrative arrangements after the fall of Gupta Dynasty?
Ans: Following the fall of the Gupta Dynasty, new administrative systems were implemented, including making administrative jobs hereditary. After the father, the mail was delivered to his son, and so on. Many offices could be held by one person. Harishena, who was also Mahadandanayaka and Kumar-Amatya, was the minister for war and peace. The key guys in the local administration had a say. The main banker or merchant of the city, NagaraShreshthi, the Sarthavaha or commercial caravan leader, chief craftsman, and head of the scribes were among the notable men. This administrative process indicates that a single person may have held multiple positions. The rules were relatively effective, but these great administrators grew in power and established their own kingdoms sooner or later.

Q2: How Guptas administered their kingdom? Explain briefly.
Ans: The administration had been greatly dispersed. With his council of ministers, the monarch governed at the top of the hierarchy. Provinces were established inside the kingdom. These were known as Bhuktis, and they were ruled by governors with the help of their officers. The Ayuktas administered these provinces, which were further divided into districts or Visayas. The villages, which were administered by the village elders, were at the bottom of the hierarchy. People were empowered enough at each level to make decisions that would make administration easier and more efficient.

Q3: What were the Prashatis and how did these help?
Ans: Prashastis was a type of inscription that meant "in praise of." They were composed in honour of the rulers. A "Prashasti of Samudragupta" is a good example. It's a Sanskrit poetry written around 1700 years ago by his court poet Harisena. The Ashokan pillar in Allahabad bears this inscription. The poet has lavished adulation on the king. He is described as being on par with God. It details his conquests. The ruler's ancestors are also mentioned in most Prashastis. Harisena mentions Samudragupta's great grandpa, grandfather, father, and mother in the prashasti.

Q4: Who was Pulakeshin II? Mention his main achievements, as described  in his prashasti.
Ans: Pulakeshin II and his Prashasti:

• The best known Chalukya ruler was Pulakeshin II. We know about him from a prashasti. This prashasti (inscription) was composed by Pulakeshin’s (II) court poet Ravikirti. This tells us about his ancestors, who are traced back through four generations from father to son.
• Pulakeshin II evidently got the Kingdom from his uncle. According to Ravikirti, he led expeditions along both the west and the east coast.
• Pulakeshin II checked the advance of Harsha. Harsha means happiness. The poet Ravikirti says that after the defeat, Harsha was no longer Harsha (happy).
• Pulakeshin II also attacked the Pallava king, who took shelter behind the walls of Kanchipuram. However, the successors of Pulakeshin II were not very capable and therefore the Chalukyas victory against their political rivals was short-lived. The Chalukyas gave way to new ruling dynasty, the Rashtrakuta.

Q5: How were the kingdoms of the northern India administered during the ages of the Guptas and the Harshavardhana?
Ans: Administration:

• The two main old administrative features are given as follows:
  • As in the case of earlier rulers, land revenue remained important for these i rulers (of the Gupta and Vardhan dynasties), and
  • The village remained the basic unit of administration.
• New Developments in administration: There were some new developments as well. These were:
  • Support of feudals or lords. Kings adopted a number of steps to win the support of the powerful, either economically or socially or because of their political and military strength.
  • Some important administrative posts were made hereditary. The poet Harishena (writer of Allahabad-prashasti) was made the chief judicial officer, like his father.
  • Sometimes, one person held many offices. For example, besides being a maha- danda-nayaka, Harishena was a Kumar-amatya, meaning an important minister, and a Sandhi-vigrahika, meaning a minister of war and peace.
  • Besides, important men probably had a say in local administration. These included the Nagara-shreshthi or chief banker or merchant of the city, the Sarthavaha or leader of the merchant caravans, the Prathama-Kulika or the chief craftsman, and the head of the Kayasthas or scribes.
• Rise of independent kingdoms: The above mentioned changes introduced in the administrative set up were reasonably effective but sooner or later, some of these powerful men grew strong enough to set up independent kingdoms.
• A New Kind of Army:
  • Some of these rulers maintained a well-organized army, with chariots, elephants, cavalry and foot soldiers. Besides, there were military leaders who provided the rulers with troops whenever they required them.
  • Feudal lords were not paid regular salaries. Instead, some of them received grants of land. They collected revenue from the land and used this to maintain soldiers and horses.
  • They also provided equipment for warfare to the kings. These men were known as Samantas.
  • Whenever the ruler was weak, Samantas tried to become independent.

Q6: Discuss the position of the ordinary people in India in this period, being studied in this chapter (i.e., chapter II).
Ans: Position of the Ordinary People of India:

• Literary sources of this period (such as plays and accounts provided by foreign travels) give us glimpse of the lives of ordinary people of India. For example Kalidas (a great Sanskrit poet and writer of the Gupta period) is known for his plays (dramas) depicting life in the King’s court. An interesting feature about these plays is that the ruler and most Brahmins are shown as speaking Sanskrit, while women and men other them the ruler and Brahmins used Prakrit.
• The most famous play of Kalidasa Abhijanans Shakuntalam, is the story of the love between the king named Dushyanta and a young girl named Shakuntala. We find an interesting and impressive description of the plight (condition) of a poor fisherman in this play. This character of the play (i.e., the fisherman) found a costly ring, which the king (Dushyanta) had given to Shakuntala, but which had been accidentally swallowed by a fish. When he went to the palace with that ring, the gatemen (of the palace) accused him of theft and the chief police officer was rather rude. However, the king was happy when he saw the ring and sent a reward for the fisherman. Then the police officer and the gatemen decided to take a share of the reward, and went along with the fisherman to have a drink.
• During the reign of Chandragupta II, the Chinese Buddhist pilgrim Fa Xian noticed the plight of those who were treated as untouchables by the high and mighty people of the Indian society of those days. They were expected to live on the outskirts of the city (capital city-patliputra was referred by Fa Xian). He writes, “If such a man enters a town or a market place, he strikes a piece of wood, in order to keep himself separate, people, hearing this sound, know what it means and avoid touching him or brushing against him”.

Q7: Describe the assemblies that took place in southern kingdoms.
Ans: The Pallavas' inscriptions mention a number of municipal assemblies. Rich and powerful landowners and merchants, it appears, were in charge of these gatherings. Sabha was a Brahmin landowners' assembly. It served a variety of functions and was organised into subcommittees that handled irrigation, agricultural development, road construction, and local temples, among other things. In locations where the landowners were not Brahmins, there was a village assembly. The Nagaram was a mercantile organisation.

Q8: What does the Prayag Prashasti lists about Samudragupta?
Ans: Many of the prashastis written mention the ruler's ancestors. The Prayag Prashasti focuses on Samudragupta's military victories and achievements. Apart from that, it establishes Samudragupta's genealogy. This is the precise information we have at our disposal. These inscriptions also provide information about his state policy, which can be deduced from accounts of his conquered territories' practises. They also reveal details about his court and the individuals who attended. Samudrgupta is also equal to God in this prashasti. This Prashasti had a lot of big sentences in it.

Q9: Give an account of Samudragupta as a warrior.
Ans: Samudragupta as a warrior:

• Samudragupta was a brave ruler of Gupta dynasty.
• He uprooted nine rulers of Aryavarta. Their Kingdoms were made a part of his empire.
• Twelve rulers of Dakshinapatha surrendered to him after being defeated. He then allowed them to rule again.
• The rulers of Assam, Bengal, Nepal etc. paid tributes and followed orders of Samudragupta. They attended his court from time to time.
• The rulers of the outlying areas of the subcontinent, perhaps the descendants of the Kushanas and Shakas, and ruler of Sri Lanka who surrendered before him and offered their daughters in marriage.

Q10: Discuss two important ruling dynasties in south India of Harsha’s period of north India.
Or
Describe some of the main achievements of the Pallavas and the Chalukyas.
Ans: The Pallavas and the Chalukyas:

• The Pallavas and Chalukyas were the most important ruling dynasties in south India during this period (i.e. the Harash’s reign in north India). The Kingdom of the Pallavas spread from the region around their capital, Kanchipuram to the Kaveri delta, while that of the Chalukyas was centred around the Raichur Doab, between the rivers Krishna and Tungabhadra.
• The Pallavas and Chalukyas frequently attacked one another’s areas, particularly they attacked the capital cities, which were prosperous towns.
• Aihole, the capital of the Chalukyas, was an important trading and commercial centre. Initially, this town developed as a religious centre, with a number of temples.
• During the days of Pulkashin II, the Chalukyas defeated Harsha of Kanauj and Thaneswar. But this victory was short lived.
• Ultimately, both the Pallavas and the Chalukyas gave way to new rulers belonging to Rashtrakuta and Chola dynasties.