Question

The Gupta empire granted tax-free agrarian land to which of the following?
1. Military Officials
2. Civil Officials
3. Brahmins
4. Court Scholars

Answer 1

Correct Answer - Option 3 : Brahmins

The correct answer is Brahmins.

• Gupta Empire:
  • The Guptas are believed to have been feudatories of the Kushanas.
  • The original kingdom of the Guptas comprised Uttar Pradesh and Bihar with their centre of power at Prayag (U.P).
  • The Guptas set up their rule over the fertile plains of the Madhyadesha, also known as Anuganga (the middle Gangetic basin), Saketa (Ayodhya, U.P), Prayag (U.P), and Magadha (mostly Bihar).
  • The Gupta empire granted tax-free agrarian land to the Brahmans.
  • The Guptas made good use of the iron ore reserves in central India and south Bihar and also took advantage of their proximity to the areas in north India which carried on silk trade with the Byzantine empire (eastern Roman empire).
  • The Gupta period in ancient India is referred to as the “Golden Age” because of the numerous achievements in the field of arts, literature, science, and technology.
  • It also brought about the political unification of the subcontinent.

• Administration of Gupta Empire:
  • All the power was concentrated with the king.
  • The king adopted the titles of such as Paramveshvara, Maharajadhiraja, and Parambhattaraka.
  • Kingship was hereditary but there was no firm of primogeniture.
  • The Gupta rulers had organized a huge army.
  • Forced labour or Vishti was also practiced in the Royal Army.
  • The king acted as the fountainhead and decided all disputes in general, punishments were light and mild.
  • A Council of Ministers and Civil Officials assisted the king.
  • The most important officers in the Gupta Empire were the Kumaramatyas.
  • The royal seal bore the imprint of Garuda.
  • Started in the Deccan by the Satavahanas, the practice of granting land and fiscal administrative concessions to the priests and administrators became regular affairs in the Gupta times.
  • A new office of Sandhivigrhaka was created during Samundra Gupta who was responsible for the peace and war.