1. Internal fighting and dissensions among the royal family led to its collapse.
2. In the sixth century CE, the Huns occupied Malwa, Gujarat, Punjab and Gandhara. As the Hun invasion weakened the Gupta.
3. Independent rulers emerged all over the north like Yasodharman of Malwa, the Maukharis of Uttar Pradesh, the Maitrakas in Saurashtra and others in Bengal.

1. Metallic preparations for the purpose of medicine and references to the use of mercury and iron by Varahamihira and others indicate that much progress was made in chemistry.
2. The Navanitakam was a medical work, which is a manual of recipes, formulation and prescriptions.
3. Hastyayurveda or the veterinary science authored by Palakapya attests to the advances made in medical science during the Gupta period.
4. Internal fighting and dissensions among the royal family led to its collapse.

1. The Jaina canonical literature at first took shape in Prakrit dialects. Sanskrit came to be the medium later.
2. Within a short time, Jainism produced many great scholars and by their efforts the Hindu itihasa and puranas were recast in Jaina versions to popularise their doctrines.
3. Vimala produced a Jaina version of Ramayana. Siddasena Divakara laid the foundation oflogic among the Jainas.

1. The highly formalised methods of vedic learning helped inspire the establishment of large teaching institutions such as Taxila, Nalanda and Vikramashila, which are often characterised as India's early universities.
2. Nalanda flourished under the patronage of the Gupta Empire in the fifth and sixth centuries and later under Harsha, the emperor of Kanauj.

1. The Gupta Empire was divided into provinces known as deshas or bhuktis.
2. They were administered by governors who were usually designated as uparikas.
3. The provinces of the Gupta Empire were divided into districts known as visayas, which were controlled by officers known as vishyapatis.

1. The social formation of feudalism was the characteristic of the medieval society in India.
2. Feudal features listed by historian R.S. Sharma are: royal grants of land; transfer of fiscal and judicial rights to the beneficiaries;
3. The grant of their rights over peasants, artisans and merchants; an increased incidence of forced labour; appropriation of surplus by the state;
4. A decline in trade and coinage; payment of officials through land revenue assignments; and the growth of the obligations of the samantas (subordinate or feudatory rulers).

1. The rock-cut caves continue the old forms to a great extent but possess striking novelty by bringing about extensive changes in the ornamentation of the facade and in the designs of the pillars in the interior.
2. The most notable groups of the rock-cut caves are found at Ajanta and Ellora (Maharashtra) and Bagh (Madhya Pradesh). The Udayagiri caves (Orissa) are also of this type.
3. The structural temples have the following attributes: (1) flat-roofed square temples; (2) flat-roofed square temple with a vimana (second storey); (3) square temple with a curvilinear tower (shikara) above; (4) rectangular temple; and (5) circular temple.

1. Trade items ranged from products for daily use to valuable and luxury goods. They included pepper, sandalwood, elephants, horses, gold, copper, iron and mica.
2. Guild is a society or other organisation of people with common interests or an association of merchants.
3. There are several references in several sources to artisans, traders and occupational groups in the guilds.
4. Guilds continued as the major institution in the manufacture of goods and in commercial enterprise.
5. The Narada and Brihaspati Smritis describe the organisation and activities of guilds.
6. They mention that the guild had a chief and two, three or five executive officers.
7. Guild laws were apparently laid down in written documents. The Brihaspati Smriti refers to guilds rendering justice to their members and suggests that these decisions should, by and large, be approved by the king.

1. Nitisara, written by Kamandaka, is a text like Arthasastra.
2. It emphasises the importance of the royal treasury and mentions various sources of revenue.
3. The many ambitious military campaigns of kings like Samudragupta must have been financed through revenue surpluses.
4. Gupta inscriptions reveal some details about the revenue department. The akshapataladhikrita was the keeper of royal records.

1. Seals and inscriptions mention military designations such as baladhikrita and mahabaladhikrita (commander of infantry and cavalry).
2. The standard term "senapat" does not occur in Gupta inscriptions, but the term could be found in some Vakataka epigraphs.
2. A Vaishali seal mentions the ranabhandagar-adhikarana, which is the office of the military storehouse.
3. Another Vaishali seal mentions the adhikarana (office) of the dandapashika, which, may have been a district-level police office.