Administrative system of Gupta Empire.
Administrative system of Gupta Empire.
Administrative system of the Gupta era.
Or, discuss the system of governance of the imperial Guptas.
Administrative system of Gupta Empire.
Historical source of information: -
(a) Puranas are a significant element in the history of the Gupta kings. For example - Vayu Purana, Matsya Purana, Bhagavata Purana, Vishnu Purana - etc.
(b) The book ''Kamandaka-Nitisara'' written by Shikhar, the prime minister of Chandragupta II.
(c) The play ''Mudrarakshasa'' written by Visakha Dutta.
(d) The accounts of foreign tourists such as Fa-Hien, Itzing - etc.
(e) Various inscriptions, such as - Allahabad inscriptions, Udayagiri cave inscriptions, Bhitari inscriptions, Sanchi inscriptions - etc.
(f) Coins issued by the Gupta kings.
1. Central rule, king and king's power:-
The imperial system of the Mauryas is seen in a modified state in the Gupta administration. Although both monarchy and republic were prevalent in the Gupta administration, monarchy was the main one. The king was the supreme ruler of the state. The Gupta emperors believed in the divine power of the king. They held the titles of Maharajadhiraja, Parameshwara, Samrat - etc. The Allahabad inscription mentions Samudragupta as being equal to the gods Kubera, Indra, Varuna - etc.
The kingship was hereditary and the power of the king was unlimited. He was the supreme ruler of the military, judiciary, and administrative departments. Determining state policy, making laws, and conducting wars were among the responsibilities of the king. Provincial governors and high-ranking royal officials were appointed and dismissed by the king.
2. Cabinet:-
The king used to take advice from the cabinet on matters related to governance. The cabinet was formed by the princes, high-ranking officials and feudal lords. However, the decision-making power was only with the king. The function of the cabinet was to advise the king. In some cases, the cabinet ruled the state as the guardian of the minor king.
Kalidasa has mentioned three types of ministers. Namely - Foreign Minister, Revenue Minister, Justice Minister. The ministerial post was hereditary in some cases. The highest official in the administration was the Prime Minister.
3. Judicial system:-
The king or emperor was the supreme judge. High-ranking officials also participated in the judicial work in the central court. In rural areas, the royal servants performed the judicial work with the help of representatives of the Gram Sabha. Jury system was prevalent in some parts of South India.
According to Fa-Hien, the penal system was liberal in the Gupta era and there was almost no provision for capital punishment or corporal punishment. But this description of Fa-Hien is not correct. Because capital punishment and slaughter are mentioned in the Mudrarakshasa. There is a mention of severe punishment in the Junagadh inscription of Skandagupta.
4. Military organization: -
All the Gupta emperors from Chandragupta I to Skandagupta were skilled warriors and imperialists. The military forces of the Gupta emperors consisted of infantry, cavalry, elephants, and navy. In addition, the feudal lords also helped with troops during the war. The high-ranking military positions were - Mahadandanayaka, Mahasandhi-Vigrahik, Mahasenapati, Mahavaladhikrat - etc. The main weapons of war were - arrows, bows, swords, spears, axes - etc.
In addition, a strong navy of the Gupta emperors is also mentioned. The Gupta empire spread on both the western and eastern coasts. It is known from the Allahabad inscription that Samudragupta dominated Sinhala and many other islands. It was with the help of a strong navy that the Gupta emperors were able to subjugate those regions.
5. Provincial administration: -
In the Gupta era, the provincial administration was a small version of the central administration. The provincial governor was at the top of the provincial administration. For the convenience of administration, the Gupta empire was divided into several parts, namely - Bhukti, Desha, Rashtra and Mandal. Bhukti in the northern region and Mandal in the southern region were general divisions. Bhukti was divided into several districts. The southern mandals were divided into Nadu and Kottam. The administration of the country and the sub-district was entrusted to the royal officials called Gopatri and Uparika Maharaja respectively.
The ruler of the district was the Vishyapati or Ayukta. To help the Vishyapati, royal officials with titles like Nagarasreshthi, Kulika, Swarthavaha, Pradhan Kayastha were appointed.
6. Revenue system:-
There was no special difference between revenue and police administration. Almost the same type of officials administered these two departments. Notable among them were Upanika, Dasaparadhika, Dandika, Gaulamika, Rajuka, etc.
The taxes that were prevalent in the Gupta Empire were -
(a) Bhaga or land tax which was one-sixth of the produce.
(b) Bhutapratya or excise duty. This tax was levied on goods.
(c) The practice of free labour or ''bisti'' for government work was prevalent.
(d) Additional taxes or ''malla kara'' were levied during wars or foreign invasions.
In addition, during the Gupta period, the state and the village councils jointly owned land and the consent of the state was required for the transfer of land.
7. Local autonomy:-
In the Gupta era, in the densely populated cities, an institution known as ''Nigam Sabha'' conducted municipal administration. The ''Nigam Sabha'' was formed with elected representatives like Nagarsreshthi, Pustapan, Swarthabaha etc. The head of the urban administration was called ''Pura-pal'' or ''Nagar Rakshak''.
On the other hand, the villages were largely autonomous. An employee called ''Gramik'' conducted all the administrative work of the village on the advice of the village leaders.
Finally, it can be said that although no sign of originality is admitted in the Gupta administration, it was for the welfare of the people. However, the historian Rakhaldas Bandopadhyay has admitted the originality of the Gupta administration. The kings were not arbitrary even though they had all the powers. The Gupta administration was well-structured and well-controlled and the central administration was strong. Dr. Majumdar mentioned the generosity of the Gupta regime, the prosperity of the common people, and the moral values.
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