There are many literary sources to reconstruct the Age of the Guptas. In this
context explain the literary accounts of Fa-hien.
Answers
Answer:
Accounts of Fa-hien — Fa-hien, in his book Fo-Kwo-Ki (The Travels of Fa-hien) mentioned about life of the people and religious conditions that prevailed in the early years. According to Fa-hien, Magadha was a prosperous country with large towns, teeming with wealthy population. Pataliputra was a flourishing city with numerous charitable institutions, including a hospital endowed by benevolent citizens. According to Fa-hien, although the people were wealthy, they led simple lives, generally observing the Buddhist rules of conduct. Fa-hien has mentioned that Vaishnavism, Shaivism and even Buddhism and Jainism existed in the society. People, however,had no ill-will towards other sects. Fa-hien said that Hindu gods and goddesses were depicted on coins and also in sculptures and paintings. Fa-hien was pleased with the mildness of the administration. According to him, the penal code was mild and the offences were ordinarily punished by fines only. From his accounts, it can be inferred that the Gupta Empire was prosperous and governed on enlightened principles.
Answer:
Literary Source: Fa-hein visit to India.
Archaeological Source: Allahabad Pillar Inscriptions.
Explanation: