The King
- Kings assumed titles such as maharajadhiraja, samrat, chakravarthi, parama – bhattaraka and parameshvara.
- They were also connected with gods through epithets such as parama-daivata (the foremost worshiper of the gods) and parama – bhagavata (the foremost worshiper of Vasudeva Krishna).
- Samudragupta is compared to Purusha (Supreme Being) in the Allahabad inscription.
- The divine theory of kingship was practiced by Gupta rulers.
- The concept that the king is the representative of God on earth and so he is answerable only to God and not to anyone
Ministers and other officials
- The term “Kumaramatya” occurs in six Vaishali seals.
- The “Kumaramatya” seems to have been preeminent among amatyas and equivalent in status to princes of royal blood.
- Harisena, composer of the Allahabad prashasti (inscriptions of praise), was a kumaramatya, sandhivigrahika and maha dandanayaka.
- He was the son of Dhruvabhuti, a Mahadanadanayaka.
Council of Ministers
- The various high-ranking functionaries included the sandhivigrahika or mahasandhivigrahika
- Minister for peace and war.
- High-ranking officials were called dandanayakas, and maha dandanayaka were high-ranking judicial or military officers.
Division of the Empire
- The Gupta Empire was divided into provinces know as ‘deshas’ or ‘bhuktis’.
- The uparika was directly appointed by the king.
- He, in turn, appointed the head of the district administration and the district board.
- Uparika carried on the administration “with the enjoyment of the rule consisting of elephants, horses and soldiers”, indicating his control over the military machinery as well.
- Lokpala here seems to refer to a provincial
- The provinces of the Gupta Empire were divided into districts which were controlled by officers known as
- Which was known as Visayas.
- The system of espionage included spies known as “dutakas”.