8th Standard, Social, History, CHAPTER-17
GUPTAS AND VARDHANAS
EXERCISES
I. Fill in the blanks with suitable words:
1. The Guptas began their reign from the place Magadha.
2. Chandragupta I was called Maharajadhiraja.
3. One of the great plays of Kalidasa is Abhijnana Shakuntala.
4. Vishakadatta’s literary work is Mudrarakshasa.
5. The literary work written by Sudraka is Mricchakatika.
6. The founder of Vardhana dynasty was Pushyabhuti.
II. Answer in brief the following questions:
7. Write about Chandragupta II.
Answer: Chandragupta II expanded the kingdom of Samudragupta and brought stability. He defeated the Sakas and made Western India a part of the Gupta Empire. He developed relationships with many Indian royal families through matrimonial alliance and became very influential. He earned the title of Vikramaditya. His reign is memorable more for the encouragement given to literature and art, rather than battles. The famous Sanskrit poet and dramatist, Kalidasa, belonged to this age. Meghadoota, Raghuvamsha, Kumarasambhava and Ritu Samhara are his lyrical contributions. Abhijnana Shakuntala is one of his noteworthy plays. Sudraka’s Mricchakatika and Vishakhadatta’s Mudrarakshasa are the other literary works of this period.
8. What were the reasons for the downfall of the Gupta Empire?
Answer: The reasons for the downfall of the Gupta Empire are as follows.
1 . The Gupta Empire was subjected to continuous attacks of the Huns and thus, declined soon.
2. The Guptas did not have a fully equipped large army. The vassal kings would fulfil the requirements during times of war. Hence, the vassals had become very powerful.
3. During this period, the trade that the Guptas had with the westerners collapsed. Consequently, their economic system suffered. The collapse of trade led to the decline of the trade centres. Pataliputra got reduced to the size of a village.
4. The local people, farmers and artisans began to be controlled by the landlords. In this way, society grew more and more complex.
9. Name the great scientists of the Gupta Age.
Answer: The great scientists of the Gupta Age are as follows.
1. Dhanwantari
2 . Varahamihira
3 . Bhaskara-I
4. Aryabhata
5. Charaka
6. Sushruta
10. How was the administration during the Vardhana rule?
Answer: The king’s rule was assisted by the council of ministers. The bureaucracy consisted of the Mahasandhivigraha (the negotiator), Mahabaladhikruta (military general), Bhogapati (tax official) and Doota. The kingdom had been divided into provinces. Land tax was the major source of income for the kingdom. Feudatory chiefs paid tribute to the king. The king gave them land, grants and in return, got the help of their armies. When the king became weak, the feudatory chiefs became independent. Land grants were given to other communities and religious people as well.
11. Write a note on Nalanda University.
Answer: Nalanda University is famous as an ancient university. Buddha had visited Nalanda. Mention has been made of the 25 metre tall bronze image of Buddha that Harshavardhana gifted to Nalanda. Kumaragupta had made contributions to a fine arts school here. Nagarjuna the Chief exponent of middle path, and Dharmapala were the other famous scholars who taught here. The Chinese traveller, Hiuen Tsang, visited this place and stayed for some time. He has given a detailed description of this place. There were stupas, chaityas, viharas, rest houses, benches here and there to sit and rest awhile, meditation rooms, lecture rooms and many other structures reveal the glory of this place. The Gupta kings and Harshavardhana have been the famous patrons of this place. An accidental fire destroyed many texts at Nalanda.
III Activities:
1. Collect details about the works of Kalidasa.
Answer: The famous Sanskrit poet and dramatist, Kalidasa, belonged to the Gupta period. Meghadoota, Raghuvamsha, Kumarasambhava and Ritu Samhara are his lyrical contributions. Abhijnana Shakuntala is one of his noteworthy plays.
Kalidasa, a classical Sanskrit writer from ancient India, authored several celebrated works, including three plays: Abhijnana Shakuntala, Malavikagnimitra, and Vikramorvashiya, two epic poems like Raghuvamsha and Kumarasambhava and two lyric poems are Meghaduta and Ritusamhara. His works are known for their mastery of language, elegant prose, and themes often revolving around romance, nature, and Hindu mythology.
2. Collect information and pictures of the scientists of the Gupta period.
Answer: The scientists of the Gupta period:
1. Dhanwantari: He was a famous scholar in the field of medicine. He was a specialist in Ayurveda. He is the father of Indian Medicine. His chief contribution to the medical field is the Ayurvedic dictionary.
2. Charaka: He was a medical scientist. His major contribution to the field of medicine is the Charaka Samhita.
3. Sushruta: He was a surgeon. He was the first Indian to explain the process of surgery. He has recorded that in those days, there used to be a separate wing to treat soldiers. Like modern surgeons Sushruta was a well-known surgeon of yester years and contributed significantly to the field of surgery.
4. Aryabhata: He was a famous astronomer and mathematician. He is the prominent scientist who come after Varahamihira. His contribution to Astronomy and Mathematics is highly significant.
This is the reason that the Aryabhata award is being presented by the Indian Government to great scientists. The first Indian satellite has been named after Aryabhata. He is believed to have invented ‘the zero’. He was the first Indian to master algebra. He reiterated the fact that solar and lunar eclipses happen not due to Rahu but solar eclipse is caused when the moon is between the sun and the earth. Lunar eclipse – when the earth is between the sun and the moon.
5. Varahamihira: He was a famous astronomer. He wrote a book on astronomy named Panchasiddhantika. In addition to this, he wrote Bruhat Samhita, Bruhat Jataka and Laghu Jataka. He was a scholar in many fields like astronomy, astrology, geography, metereology, etc.
