Agriculture
- The period from circa fourth century to eighth century was a period of great agricultural expansion. The vast areas of land were brought under cultivation and improvements were made in the existing methods of production to attain higher yield. One of the reasons for it was the practice of granting lands to brahmanas and secular officers in different areas. It helped in bringing virgin land under the plough. The spread of knowledge regarding the use of iron plough share, manure, irrigation and preservation of cattle wealth in backward areas also contributed to rural prosperity. It however brought no relief to peasants who continued to suffer tremendous tax burden.
- The crops cultivated during the Gupta period were paddy, wheat, barley, peas, lentils, pulses, sugarcane and oil seeds. From Kalidasa, we come to know that the south was famous for pepper and cardamom. Varahamihira gives elaborate advice on the plantation of fruit trees. During the Gupta period, the land was classified as detailed below
| Kshetra | Cultivatable land |
| Khila | Waste land |
| Aprahata | Jungle waste land |
| Vasti | Habitable land |
| Gapata Saraha | Pastoral land |
Different Kinds of Taxes
| Tax | Nature |
| Bhaga | King’s customary share of the produce normally amounting to one-sixth of the produce paid by cultivators |
| Bhoga | Periodic supply of fruits, firewood, flowers, etc., which the village had to provide to the king |
| Kara | A periodic tax levied on the villagers (not a part of the annual land tax) |
| Bali | A voluntary offering by the people to the king, but later became compulsory. It was an oppressive tax. |
| Udianga | Either a sort of police tax for the maintenance of police stations or a water tax. Hence, it was also an extra tax. |
| Klipta and Upakilpta | related to sale and purchase of lands. |
Mining and metallurgy
- This was one of the most flourishing industries during the Gupta period. Amarasimha, Varahamihira and Kalidasa make frequent mention of the existence of mines. The rich deposits of iron ore from Bihar and copper from Rajasthan were mined extensively during this period. The list of metals used apart from iron were gold, copper, tin, lead, brass, bronze, bellmetal, mica, manganese, antimony, red chalk (sanssilajata) and red arsenic. Blacksmiths were next only to agriculturists in importance in the society. Metal was used for the manufacture of various domestic implements, utensils and weapons. The improvement in the ploughshare, with the discovery of iron, for deep ploughing and for increasing cultivation happened during this period. The most important and visible evidence of the high stage of development in metallurgy is the Mehrauli Iron Pillar of Chandragupta II in the Qutb Minar Complex in Delhi, identified with Chandragupta II. This monolith iron pillar has lasted through the centuries without rusting.
Q. Who among the following is knowns for his work on medicine during the Gupta period?
(a) Saumilla
(b) Sudraka
(c) Shaunaka
(d) Susrutha
Answer: (d)
Q. The silver coins issued by the Guptas were called
(a) Rupaka
(b) Karshapana
(c) Dinara
(d) Pana
Answer: A
