2017 · Q105
Which one of the following statements about the Gupta period in Indian History is not correct ?
General KnowledgeHistory of India
- ASanskrit language and literature, after centuries of evolution, reached what has been described as a level of classical excellence through royal patronage.
- BThe status of women was redefined. They were entitled to formal education and hence there were women teachers, philosophers and doctors. Early marriage was prohibited by law and they were giyen the right to property.
- CDecentralization of administrative authority was impacted by increased grants of land and villages with fiscal and administrative immunities to priests and temples.
- DLand grants paved the way for feudal developments and emergence of serfdom in India, resulting in the depression of the peasantry.
Explanation
Statements (a), (c) and (d) correctly describe the Gupta period: classical Sanskrit literature reached its zenith under royal patronage, land grants led to decentralization of administration, and those grants produced feudal developments and servitude-like conditions for the peasantry. Statement (b) is the incorrect one: the Gupta age is not credited with redefining women's status upward through formal education, legal bans on early marriage, or property rights — women's position in fact declined during this period. Hence (b) is the statement that is not true.