History & Civics
Imagine a meeting between Fa-hein and Harisena. Write down the discussion between them about religion in Gupta period. How would they had conversed with each other due to the barrier of language the two had?
Answer
Fa-hien was the earliest chinese pilgrim who visited India on a religious mission. He met Harisena, a poet in the court of Samudragupta. Harisena told him that the Gupta Kings are followers of Hinduism and worship hindu gods like Vishnu, Lakshmi, Narashimha, Vamana. But there is great religious tolerance in the society and the main religions that are flourishing are Buddhism, Jainism, Shaivism. The Gupta kings are great patrons of religion. They built many temples and supported religious institutions of all kinds. They also promoted religious tolerance and did not discriminate against any particular religion. The common people have a great deal of freedom to practice their religion in their own way.
Fa-hien was a translator. He learned Sanskrit and translated a large number of Sanskrit Buddhist texts into Chinese. Hence, he would have conversed with Harisena in Sanskrit overcoming the language barrier.
Related Questions
With reference to the Age of the Guptas, answer the following questions:
(a) Explain the extent of Samudragupta's Empire based on the information given in the Allahabad Pillar Inscription.
(b) Explain how Chandragupta II expanded his empire.
(c) Briefly mention any four observations of Fa-hien about the reign of Chandragupta II's reign.
With reference to the administrative system of the Guptas, answer the following questions:
(a) Explain the position and powers of the king during the Gupta Age.
(b) Describe briefly the administration of villages during the Gupta period.
(c) According to the Allahabad Pillar, how many types of rulers existed during Samudragupta's reign? How did Samudragupta deal with them?
With reference to the picture given alongside, answer the following:
(a) Identify the temple given in the picture. Where is it located? To whom is this temple dedicated?
(b) Mention the architectural features of this temple.
(c) Briefly describe the famous educational institution set up during this period.
What role did the Gupta Kings play in promoting religion? Do you think that the religion followed by the rulers gained prominence? Give reasons to support your answer.