The Gupta Empire - Government

The Gupta system of government did share some similarities with the Mauryan setup but was on the whole a different style of government. Like the Mauryan system the Gupta kings were the center of the administration. The empire was divided into several provinces each of which had viceroys who were appointed from amongst the members of the royal family. The provinces were further sub-divided into a series of districts. Each district had its own administrative centre. The local administration of the district was free to make decisions on governing the area, essentially free from central control, except in matters which may have dealt with central policies. The highest officer in a district was known as the kumaramatya and he was the link between centre and the district. Unlike their Mauryan predecessors, the Gupta kings were not concerned with every nuance of local administration leaving such matters to the kumaramatya.

Villages were organized under rural bodies which consisted of the headman and village elders. In the cities there was a council which had several officers like the President of the City corporation, the chief representative of the guild of merchants, a representative of the artisans and the chief scribe. The Gupta system of urban and rural administration was based on encouraging as much local participation unlike the

Mauryan system where royally appointed councils were the norm.

A significant change that had taken place was the increasing trend of paying salaries in land grants rather then in cash. Land grants usually gave the beneficiary hereditary rights over the land, although technically the king retained the right to repossess the land if he was unhappy with the conduct of the beneficiary. Brahmins were usually granted tax free lands which was another concession to an already privileged class. Land grants undermined the authority of the king as more and more land was taken away from his direct control. Also since the beneficiaries of land grants were usually Brahmins or government officials the king was not really able to exercise the repossession option fearing political backlash. The government revenue essentially came from land as commercial activity was no longer as big a contributor as it once was. Land revenue came from a variety of sources, like direct tax on the land as well as a tax on the produce of the land.

The Guptas also had a fairly good judicial system. At the bottom, were various councils which were authorized to resolve disputes that arose. Examples of these were the village assembly or the trade guild. Hence justice was usually available in the place a person lived or worked. The king presided over the highest court of appeal and he was assisted by various judges, ministers and priests etc, their presence dependent on the nature of the case. The judgment were usually made based on legal texts, social customs or specific edicts from the king.

The Gupta system of government did share some similarities with the Mauryan setup but was on the whole a different style of government. Like the Mauryan system the Gupta kings were the center of the administration. The empire was divided into several provinces each of which had viceroys who were appointed from amongst the members of the royal family. The provinces were further sub-divided into a series of districts. Each district had its own administrative centre. The local administration of the district was free to make decisions on governing the area, essentially free from central control, except in matters which may have dealt with central policies. The highest officer in a district was known as the kumaramatya and he was the link between centre and the district. Unlike their Mauryan predecessors, the Gupta kings were not concerned with every nuance of local administration leaving such matters to the kumaramatya.

Villages were organized under rural bodies which consisted of the headman and village elders. In the cities there was a council which had several officers like the President of the City corporation, the chief representative of the guild of merchants, a representative of the artisans and the chief scribe. The Gupta system of urban and rural administration was based on encouraging as much local participation unlike the Mauryan system where royally appointed councils were the norm.

A significant change that had taken place was the increasing trend of paying salaries in land grants rather then in cash. Land grants usually gave the beneficiary hereditary rights over the land, although technically the king retained the right to repossess the land if he was unhappy with the conduct of the beneficiary. Brahmins were usually granted tax free lands which was another concession to an already privileged class. Land grants undermined the authority of the king as more and more land was taken away from his direct control. Also since the beneficiaries of land grants were usually Brahmins or government officials the king was not really able to exercise the repossession option fearing political backlash. The government revenue essentially came from land as commercial activity was no longer as big a contributor as it once was. Land revenue came from a variety of sources, like direct tax on the land as well as a tax on the produce of the land.

The Guptas also had a fairly good judicial system. At the bottom, were various councils which were authorized to resolve disputes that arose. Examples of these were the village assembly or the trade guild. Hence justice was usually available in the place a person lived or worked. The king presided over the highest court of appeal and he was assisted by various judges, ministers and priests etc, their presence dependent on the nature of the case. The judgment were usually made based on legal texts, social customs or specific edicts from the king.