Consider the following officials in the Ancient Indian period and their roles in the Gupta empire.
1. Uparika: Village Headman
2. Mahapratihara: Deputy Minister
3. Mahabaladhikrita: Army commander-in-chief
2 and 3 only
Incorrect Answer1, 2 and 3
Incorrect AnswerExplanation:
Statement 1: The Gupta empire was divided into provinces called bhuktis, administered by governors called uparikas, directly appointed by the king. The fact that the uparika had the title maharaja in three of the Damodarpur plates of the Gupta era indicates his high administrative status and rank. Goptri was another title for the governor.
Saurashtra was an important province of the Gupta empire. The Junagarh inscription of Parnadatta and Chakrapalita provides details of the repair to the Sudarshana lake that had flooded its banks by Chakrapalita, the son of Skandagupta’s minister and governor of Saurashtra, Parnadatta. This inscription highlights the provincial government’s role in initiating the repair of waterworks, as also the practice of the delegation of official responsibilities from father to son.
Statement 2 and 3: Officials connected with the royal establishment included the mahapratihara (chief of the palace guards) and the mahabaladhikrita (army commander-in-chief). The standard term senapati does not occur in Gupta inscriptions but is mentioned in some Vakataka records. The top layer of the administrative structure also included amatyas and sachivas who were executive officers in charge of various departments.
Learning: The provinces of the Gupta empire were divided into districts called vishayas under officers called vishayapatis. The Damodarpur copper plates of the reign of Kumaragupta I show that the vishayapati was helped in his administrative duties by prominent town members.
Administrative units below district level included settlement clusters called pithi, patta, bhumika, pathaka or petha. Village elders played an important role in village matters as indicated by the Damodarpur copper plate of
Statement 1: The Gupta empire was divided into provinces called bhuktis, administered by governors called uparikas, directly appointed by the king. The fact that the uparika had the title maharaja in three of the Damodarpur plates of the Gupta era indicates his high administrative status and rank. Goptri was another title for the governor. Saurashtra was an important province of the Gupta empire. The Junagarh inscription of Parnadatta and Chakrapalita provides details of the repair to the Sudarshana lake that had flooded its banks by Chakrapalita, the son of Skandagupta’s minister and governor of Saurashtra, Parnadatta. This inscription highlights the provincial government’s role in initiating the repair of waterworks, as also the practice of the delegation of official responsibilities from father to son.
Statement 2 and 3: Officials connected with the royal establishment included the mahapratihara (chief of the palace guards) and the mahabaladhikrita (army commander-in-chief). The standard term senapati does not occur in Gupta inscriptions but is mentioned in some Vakataka records. The top layer of the administrative structure also included amatyas and sachivas who were executive officers in charge of various departments.
Learning: The provinces of the Gupta empire were divided into districts called vishayas under officers called vishayapatis. The Damodarpur copper plates of the reign of Kumaragupta I show that the vishayapati was helped in his administrative duties by prominent town members. Administrative units below district level included settlement clusters called pithi, patta, bhumika, pathaka or petha. Village elders played an important role in village matters as indicated by the Damodarpur copper plate of
By: Abhishek Sharma ProfileResourcesReport error