How do you justify the view that the level of excellence of... | UPSC 2017 GS1 Q1

QUESTION 1

GS1

10 marks

How do you justify the view that the level of excellence of the Gupta numismatic art is not at all noticeable in later times?

WRITE IN

7 min

150 words

What the examiner wants

Justify why the artistic quality of Gupta coins was not matched in the centuries that followed.

JustifyGive reasons and evidence that support the statement.

1Gupta excellence: high-purity gold dinaras, varied types (Samudragupta's lyrist and Ashvamedha, Chandragupta II's lion-slayer and archer, Kumaragupta's peacock/Kartikeya), fine portraiture, Sanskrit metrical legends≈30 words
2Coins as art and record: depict royal pursuits, deities (Lakshmi, Garuda), Indianisation of Kushana models≈30 words
3Later decline: debased gold under later Guptas, crude post-Gupta issues, scarcity of coins in early medieval India≈30 words
4Reasons: decline of trade and urban centres, land grants and feudal economy, political fragmentation≈30 words

Open in about 20 words and close in about 20.

Features of Gupta coinage with named typesEvidence of later declineEconomic and political reasonsConclusion

HoardThe Bayana hoard (Rajasthan, 1946) yielded over 1,800 Gupta gold coins, the richest source on Gupta coin types.Bayana hoard
ThinkerR.S. Sharma argued a 'paucity of coins' from c. 600–1000 CE reflects urban decay and feudalisation.R.S. Sharma, Indian Feudalism

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