Harishena, Vasubandhu and Asanga were the court poets during the reign of Smaudragupta.

The nine gems during the reign of Vikramaditya were: � Kalidasa, the most notable among all of them. � Vetala Bhatta � Varahamihira � Vararuchi � Amarasimha � Dhanvantari � Kshapanaka � Shanku � Ghatakarpura

Statement 1 is correct: The taxation system of the Guptas was much more lenient than that of the Mauryas. Statement 2 is incorrect: Ujjain (M.P.) was considered as the second capital of the Guptas.

Samudragupta was not only a talented military leader but also a great patron of art and literature. He was a firm believer in Hinduism and is known to have worshipped Lord Vishnu. He attacked the Malwas, the Yaudheyas, the Arjunayanas, the Maduras and the Abhiras, all of which were tribes in the area.

Statement 1 is wrong: The Dasavatara temple, dedicated to Vishnu, at Deogarh, Jhansi shows a transitory state from flat roof temples to the Shikhara style. Statement 2 is correct: In sculpture, purely indigenous patterns were adopted by the Guptas—instead of the Kushana period Buddha with shaven head, we have the Buddha with curly hair now, and transparent drapery was used along with various mudras (postures).

During the Gupta period, Srenis (traders unions or guilds) had immense powers. Not only did they perform economic functions but also judicial and executive ones. Some of them even issued seals and coins and had their own militia (called Srenibala, in the Kalachuri inscriptions). Narada and Brihas¬pati smritis lay down the rules for merchants.

The most important metal of the Gupta age was iron. The blacksmith acquired the second most important place in the village economy. The iron pillar (of Chandra Gupta-II) is a fine example of iron workers of Gupta period. The caste system became rigid during this period. Manu, for instance, had put several restrictions on the woman and the shudras.

Kumaragupta I (Mahendraditya) was the ruler of the Gupta Empire from 415-455 CE. He retained, intact, the vast empire, which extended from North Bengal to Kathiawar and from the Himalayas to the Narmada. However during the last days of his reign, the Gupta Empire was threatened by the rebellion of Pushyamitras of central India and invasion of the White Huns. However, Kumaragupta was successful in defeating both threats and performed Ashvamedha Yajna (horse sacrifice) to celebrate his victory. He issued new coins with images of Lord Kartikeya. Note: It is statement 2 which helps a student to arrive at the right answer as the reign of Skandagupta (which is a distracter here) too witnessed threats from the Huns.

Prabhakar Vardhan was the first king of the Vardhana dynasty with his capital at Thaneswar. After Prabhakar Vardhan's death in 606 CE, his eldest son, Rajyavardhana, ascended the throne. With the commencement of the 7th century, Harshavardhana (606-647 A.D.) ascended the throne of Thaneshwar and Kannauj on the death of his elder brother, Rajyavardhana. By 612 Harshavardhana consolidated his kingdom in northern India.

The art of painting that reached its zenith during the Gupta period is manifested at Bagh caves (Gwalior, M.P.) and Ajanta caves (Maharashtra).

In the Gupta Empire, a number of taxes had to be paid to the king. These were: Bhaga (1/6th of produce); Bhoga (taxes in kind fruits, wood, flowers, etc.); Kara (periodic tax on farmers); Uparikara (extra taxes); Udianga (probably water tax); Sulka (modern customs tax); Klipta and Upaklipta (purchase and sales taxes).

Samudragupta was considerate of other religions and allowed Sri Lanka's Buddhist king Sirimeghvanna to build a monastery at Bodh Gaya. But it should be noted that Samudragupta was a firm believer in Hinduism, not in Buddhism, and is known to have worshipped Lord Vishnu. Guptas were supportive of thriving Buddhist and Jain cultures as well, and for this reason there is also a long history of non-Hindu Gupta period art.

Nalanda (Rajagriha, Bihar) was founded by Kumaragupta (A.D. 450) and was famous for its tests. There was free education. It had 10,000 students, 1,500 teachers and 300 classrooms, and a big three-storey library. I-Tsing (A.D. 675) records a donation by Sri Gupta, for the University.

Some important scholars/works of the period are: (a) Vishnu Sharma — wrote Panchatantra, a collection of moral stories. (b) Harisena — author of Prayag (Allahabad) prasasti (inscription)—gives account of Samudragupta's campaigns. (c) Vishakhadutta - wrote Mudra Rakshas (on Mauryas and Nandas) and Devichandragupta (on Chandragupta-II and Dhruva Devi). (d) Dandin - Dasakumaracharita (stories of 10 princes).

The central administrative system of the Gupta era comprised the Mantri/Sachiv (modern Chief Minister), Bhatasvapati (commander of infantry and cavalry), Kataka (commander of elephants), Dandapasadhikaran (police chief), Kumaramatyas and Ayuktas (provincial heads).