Administrative System (AD 300 - 750)

In the Mauryan period, the political authority was concentrated in the hands of the king. But, the Gupta administration was decentralized in nature. It means that feudatories i.e. local Kings and smaller chiefs ruled a large part of their empire.

The pompous titles such as maharajadhiraja, parambhattaraka, parameshvara, etc were adopted by the imperial Guptas. These lesser rulers adorned their names with titles like raja and maharaja.

The kingship was normally hereditary. The king was the focus of administration. Princes, ministers and advisors assisted him. The princes were also made the viceroys of the provinces. Provinces were known as desha, rashtra or bhukti and their head was called uparika.

The provinces were divided into a number of districts called pradesha or vishaya. The administrative head of the vishaya was known as vishayapati. The vishayas were further divided into villages. The village headman called gramadhyaksha looked after the affairs of the village with the help of village elders.

The artisans and merchants took an active part in the town administration during the Gupta period. The Gupta bureaucracy was less elaborate as compared to that of the Mauryas. The high level central officers under the Guptas were called the kumaramatyas. Important functionaries like mantri, senapati were all recruited from that cadre.

Administrative posts were not only hereditary but often several offices were combined in the hands of the same persons as in the case of Harisena, the composer of the Allahabad pillar inscription of Samudragupta. He has been described as a mahadandanayaka (chief judicial officer) as well as a mahasandhivigrahika (minister for war and peace). The ruler himself often appointed high-ranking officers but the hereditary nature of the post must have weakened the royal control over the administration.

During the Gupta period land taxes increased considerably. The land tax called bali varied from 1/4th to 1/6th of the total produce. Two new agricultural taxes that appear in Gupta inscriptions are uparikara and udranga. However, their exact nature is not clear. In addition, the peasants had to meet the demands of the feudatories. They also had to feed the royal army when it passed from the villages. The villagers were also subjected to forced labour (vishti).

The judicial system was far more developed under the Gupta rulers than in earlier times. For the first time civil and criminal laws were clearly demarcated. Disputes connected with various type of property were considered in civil law. Elaborate laws were laid down about inheritance. Theft and adultery fell under criminal law. The king upheld the law and tried cases with the help of the brahmanas. The guilds of merchants and artisans were governed by their own laws.

Harsha governed his empire on the same lines, as did the Guptas. But during his period the administration became more decentralized and the number of feudatories grew further. In Harsha’s time the officers and the religious persons were paid mainly in land. It encouraged the system of feudalism which grew much more in the post-Harsha period.

In the empire of Harsha law and order does not appear to be so well maintained. Hsuan Tsang was twice robbed of all his belongings during his travels in India. On the other hand Fa Hien had to face no such difficulty during Gupta period.