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Question 20 of 55 · Post-Mauryan & Gupta Age
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In the Gupta period, the 'Sandhivigrahika' was the minister in charge of:

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Answer: Option B — War and peace (foreign relations)

Detailed Solution

In the Gupta period, the "Sandhivigrahika" was the minister of war and peace, in charge of foreign relations and diplomacy.

About the Sandhivigrahika:

  • "Sandhi" means "peace" or "treaty", and "vigraha" means "war".
  • The Sandhivigrahika advised the king on making treaties, alliances and wars with other kingdoms.
  • He handled the relations with subordinate rulers (samantas) and neighbouring kings.
  • He often drafted royal documents, such as land grants, as they involved political relations.
  • The post was important in a period of many kingdoms and frequent wars and alliances.
  • The post is mentioned in several Gupta inscriptions, and continued under later dynasties, such as the Palas, Rashtrakutas and Chalukyas, as "Mahasandhivigrahika".

Foreign policy in ancient India:

The Arthashastra describes six types of foreign policy ("shadgunya"):

  • "Sandhi": peace or treaty.
  • "Vigraha": hostility or war.
  • "Asana": remaining neutral.
  • "Yana": preparing for or marching to war.
  • "Samshraya": seeking the protection of a stronger king.
  • "Dvaidhibhava": making peace with one king and war with another (double policy).
  • It also describes the "Mandala" theory, in which a king's neighbour is considered his natural enemy, and the neighbour's neighbour his natural friend.

Gupta foreign policy:

  • The Guptas used both war and diplomacy.
  • Samudragupta defeated many kings in the north and treated them differently: some were uprooted, while the kings of the south were defeated and then restored to their kingdoms as subordinates.
  • Frontier kings and tribal chiefs paid tribute and obeyed his orders.
  • Foreign rulers, such as the Shakas, the Kushanas and the king of Sri Lanka, sent gifts and sought his favour.
  • Chandragupta II used marriage alliances with the Nagas and the Vakatakas.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗Revenue was handled by other officials.
  • ✗Justice was handled by judicial officers.
  • ✗Religious affairs were handled by priests and other officials.

Quick tip

Remember: Sandhivigrahika = minister of war and peace (foreign relations); Arthashastra's six policies (shadgunya) = sandhi, vigraha, asana, yana, samshraya, dvaidhibhava.

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Post-Mauryan & Gupta Age — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Post-Mauryan & Gupta Age, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers the period after the Mauryas: the Shungas, Satavahanas, Indo-Greeks, Shakas and Kushanas, followed by the Gupta Empire, often called the classical age of India, and the reign of Harshavardhana. It includes art, literature, science and administration in these periods. Exams test the rulers and their achievements (Kanishka and the fourth Buddhist council, Samudragupta's Allahabad Pillar inscription, Chandragupta II and Fa-Hien), the Gandhara and Mathura schools of art, and Gupta scholars such as Kalidasa, Aryabhata and Varahamihira. Harsha's reign is usually tested with Hiuen Tsang and Nalanda University. Practise the post-Mauryan and Gupta age questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

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