Who was Fa-hien? What did he say about India?

Answer
Fa-hien was a Chinese pilgrim who visited India on a religious
mission during the reign of Chandragupta II. He made careful
unbiased observations about the conditions at that time.
Fa-hien gave following accounts about India:
1. Magadha was a prosperous country with large towns and
wealthy population.
2. Pataliputra was a flourishing city with numerous charitable
institutions including a hospital.
3. People led a simple life, observing the Buddhist rules of
conduct even though they were wealthy.
4. Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Buddhism and Jainism were main
religions. People had no ill-will towards other sects.
5. Hindu Gods and Goddesses were depicted on coins and also
in sculptures and paintings.
6. The penal code was mild and the offences were ordinarily
punished by fines only.
Question 2
Who was the ruler when Fa-hien visited India? Name the three
places of pilgrimage that Fa-hien visited in India.
Answer
Chandragupta II was the ruler when Fa-hien visited India.
The three places of pilgrimage that Fa-hien visited in India were:
1. Mathura
2. Kannauj
3. Kapilavastu
Question 3
Name two dramas written by Kalidasa.
Answer
Two dramas written by Kalidasa were:
1. Abhijnanashakuntalam
2. Malavikagnimitram
Question 4
Why is the Gupta period known as the Golden Age of Indian
culture?
Answer
The Gupta period is known as the Golden Age of Indian culture
because of the high level of civilisation and culture of this period.
Along with the revival of Hinduism, the power of creativity was
unleashed in the fields of education, literature, arts, architecture
and science. This period also saw the extension of this influence
beyond India's frontiers.
Question 5
How was Samudragupta a bold and great conquerer?
Answer
Samudragupta was a bold and great conquerer as he defeated all
the rulers of his time and extended his empire from Brahmaputra
in east to rivers Yamuna and Chambal in the west and from
Himalayas in the north to Narmada in south. It is because of his
bravery and generalship that he is known as 'Napoleon of India'.
During his famous Deccan campaign he covered more than 3000
miles through dense forests. Though he defeated many powerful
rulers, he did not annex southern territories. He made the
southern kings accept his authority and allowed them to rule.
Question 6
Name the famous university that existed during the Gupta period.
In which present day state is it?
Answer
The famous university that existed during the Gupta period was
Nalanda University.
It is presently located at Nalanda in Rajagriha in Bihar.
Question 7
Name any two titles adopted by the Gupta rulers.
Answer
Two titles adopted by the Gupta rulers were:
1. Parameshvara
2. Maharajadhiraja
Question 8
During the Gupta period name the officer who (i) collected toll
tax; and (ii) the one who was incharge of a province or bhukti.
Answer
1. The officer who collected toll taxes was Shaulkika.
2. The officer who was incharge of a province or bhukti was
Uparika.
Question 9
Name any two famous literary figures of the Gupta Age.
Answer
Two literary figures of the Gupta Age were:
1. Kalidasa
2. Harisena
Question 10
What contribution did Aryabhatta make in the field of science?
Answer
Aryabhatta was a great astronomer and mathematician. The main
contributions he made in the field of science are:
1. He said that the earth moves around the sun.
2. He discovered the rule for finding the area of a triangle.
3. He calculated the exact value of pi which was equal to
3.1416. The credit for development of trigonometry should
actually go to him.
4. In his work Surya Siddhanta, he explained the exact causes
of solar and lunar eclipses.
5. He was well acquainted with the decimal system and use of
'zero'.
Structured Questions
Question 1
With reference to the sources of information about the Gupta Age,
write short notes on the following:
(a) Accounts of Fa-hien
(b) The Allahabad Pillar Inscription
(c) Nalanda University
Answer
(a) Accounts of Fa-hien — Fa-hien was the earliest Chinese pilgrim
who visited India on a religious mission during the reign of
Chandragupta II. During his stay in India, he went to Mathura,
Kannauj, Kapilavastu, Kushinagar, Vaishali, Pataliputra, Kashi and
Rajagriha. He gave unbiased details of that period. He gave
following accounts:
1. According to him, Magadha was a prosperous country with
large towns.
2. Pataliputra was a flourishing city with numerous charitable
institutions including a hospital.
3. People were wealthy but led simple lives following the
Buddhist rule of conduct.
4. Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Buddhism and Jainism were main
religions. People had no ill-will towards other sects.
 5. Hindu Gods and Goddesses were depicted on coins and also
in sculptures and paintings.
6. The penal code was mild and the offences were ordinarily
punished by fines only.
(b) The Allahabad Pillar Inscription — It is one of the important
epigraphic evidences of the Imperial Guptas. It is also known as
Prayag Prashasti and is written in praise of Samudragupta by his
court poet Harisena. It describes the reign of Guptas in ancient
India. It provides an impressive list of Kings and Tribal republics
that were conquered by Samudragupta. The inscription is also
important because of the political geography of India that it
indicates by naming the different Kings and people who populated
India in the first half of the 4th century AD.
(c) Nalanda University — It was the most renowned educational
institution of ancient India. It was located at Nalanda in Rajagriha
in Bihar. The University of Nalanda had imposing buildings. There
were at least eight colleges built by different patrons including
one by Balaputradeva, King of Sumatra. According to Hiuen Tsang
the whole university area was enclosed by a brick wall. The
Nalanda University provided various facilities to the students for
their studies. There were three great libraries called Ratnasagar,
Ratanadadhi and Ratnaranjak. There were more than 10,000
students and teachers. They came from Korea, Mangolia, Japan,
China, Tibet, Ceylon and various parts of India. The subjects of
study at Nalanda University were all the four Vedas, logic,
grammar, medicine, sankya, yoga, nyaya and the Buddhist works
of the different schools. Nalanda university was a post graduate
institution. Only the most brilliant were admitted to the university
through an admission examination in which hardly 20% students
qualified. It was destroyed by Mohammad-bin-Bakhtiyar Khilji, a
general of Mohammad Ghori.
Question 2
With reference to the Age of Guptas, answer the following
questions:
(a) Explain the extent of Samudragupta's Empire based on the
information given in the Allahabad Pillar Inscription.
(b) Explain how Chandragupta II expanded his empire.
(c) Briefly mention any four observations of Fa-hien about
Chandragupta II's reign.
Answer
(a) According to The Allahabad inscription, the empire of
Samudragupta extended from Brahmaputra in east to rivers
Yamuna and Chambal in the west and from Himalayas in the north
to Narmada in south. He further extended his empire upto the
Chambal river by defeating the Naga kings of Mathura, Gwalior
and Ahichhatra.
(b) Chandragupta II expanded his empire by conquering the
territories of Sakas of Malwa, Gujarat and Saurashtra. For this he
was given the title 'Sakari'. Chandragupta II entered into
matrimonial alliance as a part of foreign policy, he married
Kuberanaga of the Naga family. The Nagas were a powerful ruling
clan and this matrimonial alliance helped the Gupta ruler in
expanding his empire. The marriage of Chandragupta's daughter,
Prabhavati with Vakataka ruler, Rudrasena II helped him to
establish his political influence in the Deccan.
(c) Four observations of Fa-hien about Chandragupta II's reign
were:
1. Magadha was a prosperous country with large towns and
wealthy population.
2. Pataliputra was a flourishing city with numerous charitable
institutions including a charitable hospital.
3. Although people were wealthy yet they led simple lives,
observing the Buddhist rules of conduct.
4. Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Buddhism and Jainism were main
religions. People had no ill-will towards other sects.
Question 3
With reference to the administrative system of the Guptas,
answer the following questions:
(a) Explain the position and powers of the king during the Gupta
Age.
(b) Describe briefly the administration of villages during the Gupta
period.
(c) According to the Allahabad Pillar which kinds of rulers were
there? How did Samudragupta deal with them?
Answer
(a) During the Gupta period, Monarchy was the prevailing form of
government. Theory of the divinity of kings became popular. The
Gupta Kings were compared to different Gods such as Yama,
Varuna, Indra, Kubera and also Vishnu as they were preservers
and protectors of the people. They enjoyed a large number of
powers which covered the political, administrative, military and
judicial fields. They were the commanders-in-chief of the army.
The kings appointed all the governors and important military and
civil officers and they all worked under the guidance and control
of the king. The king was the source of all honours and titles. All
land in the country was the property of the king. He could
construct dams, give shelter to foreigners, impose, recover and
remit taxes and give justice. All unclaimed property went into the
coffers of the king.
(b) The village administration was managed by the village
headman. The small towns or villages were called vithis. Leading
local elements participated in the administration of the village. No
land transaction could be effected without their consent and this
may have been also true of other important affairs. Thus, villages
in the Gupta period were managed from grassroot level.
(c) The Allahabad Pillar Inscription of Samudragupta describes
four different kinds of rulers and tells us about Samudragupta's
policies towards them:
1. The nine rulers of Aryavarta were uprooted and their
kingdoms were made a part of Samudragupta's empire.
2. The twelve rulers of Dakshinapatha (South India), who
surrendered to Samudragupta after being defeated, were
liberated and allowed to rule again over their kingdoms.
3. The inner circle of neighbouring states, including Assam,
Coastal Bengal, Nepal and a number of Gana Sanghas in the
north west paid tribute, followed his orders and attended his
court.
4. The rulers of the outlying areas submitted to him and offered
their daughters in marriage.
Question 4
With reference to the picture given alongside, answer the
following:
(a) Identify the temple given in the picture. Where is it located? To
which God is this temple dedicated?
(b) Mention the architectural features of this temple.
(c) Briefly describe the educational institution set up during this
period.
Answer
(a) The given temple is Dashavatara Temple (also called Vishnu
temple). It is located in Deogarh.
This temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu, the God of preservation,
who is shown asleep on the coil of the giant serpent called
Sheshnaga.
(b) The architectural features of Dashavatara temple are:
1. It was built of stone and bricks on a 1.5 metre high platform.
2. Four stairways outside the platform provide access to the
temple.
3. Its exterior is decorated with scenes from Ramayana. The
entrance and pillars were adorned with countless paintings
and carvings.
 4. It was the first North Indian temple with a Shikhara or tower,
although a part of it has disappeared.
(c) The educational institution set up during this period was
Nalanda University. It was the most renowned educational
institution of ancient India. It was located at Nalanda in Rajagriha
in Bihar. The University of Nalanda had imposing buildings. There
were at least eight colleges built by different patrons including
one by Balaputradeva, King of Sumatra. The Nalanda University
provided various facilities like libraries to the students. There
were three great libraries called Ratnasagar, Ratanadadhi and
Ratnaranjak. There were more than 10,000 students and
teachers. They came from Korea, Mangolia, Japan, China, Tibet,
Ceylon and various parts of India. The subjects of Study at
Nalanda University were all the four Vedas, logic, grammar,
medicine, sankya, yoga, nyaya and the Buddhist works of the
different schools. Nalanda university was a post graduate
institution. Only the most brilliant were admitted to the university
through an admission examination in which hardly 20% students
qualified. It was destroyed by Mohammad-bin-Bakhtiyar Khilji, a
general of Mohammad Ghori.