Question

Describe the administrative structure during the Gupta period.

Answer 1

Instructions:

• The answer to this question requires mention about the division of the empire and the various officials.

Solution:
The king held the highest position. In fact, they practised the divine theory of kingship which meant that the king was the representative of God, and he was answerable only to God and no one else. The Gupta kings had considerable powers in all spheres of administration.
The Council of ministers or the Mantris assisted the king in taking care of the administration. He was assisted by a council of ministers or Mantris comprising princes, high officials, and feudatories.
The high-ranking officials were also known as dandanayakas and mahadandanayakas. The empire was bifurcated into provinces or bhuktis. Bhuktis were governed by their own governors known as uparikas. The provinces were in turn divided into districts or vishyas. The vishayas were governed by the vishypatis. The gramika or gramadhyaksha was responsible for the administration at the local level.