Economic Life of Northern India (Gupta Period) – Review

Summary

Sircar reviews S. K. Maity’s ‘Economic Life of Northern India in the Gupta Period (A.D. 300–550)’. The monograph consists of nine chapters covering topics such as sources, land system, revenue, agriculture, industry, trade, labour, corporate economic life and currencyfile:///home/oai/share/563033-1-398-185-288.pdf#:~:text=There%20are%20altogether%20nine%20chapters,the%20author%20discusses%20the%20information. It includes appendices on Varahamihira’s texts, land sale records and gold content of Gupta coinsfile:///home/oai/share/563033-1-398-185-288.pdf#:~:text=Currency%2C%20Exchange%20and%20Money,13%29%2C%20a%20list%20of. Sircar praises the book’s exhaustive research and recommends it to studentsfile:///home/oai/share/563033-1-398-185-288.pdf#:~:text=Reviews%20255%20This%20lictle%20book,of%20Gupta%20history%2010%20particular, though he notes minor misprints and emphasises that many issues remain controversialfile:///home/oai/share/563033-1-398-185-288.pdf#:~:text=There%20are%20some%20misprints%20here,even%20though%20the%20author%E2%80%99s%20treatment. He illustrates this by discussing Maity’s interpretation of the land measure Pravartavapa as a sub-division of Kulyavapa; evidence from Orissa suggests Pravarta equalled ten Kulyas, raising questions about Maity’s viewfile:///home/oai/share/563033-1-398-185-288.pdf. Sircar also comments on Maity’s discussion of the civic board comprising Nagarasresthin and othersfile:///home/oai/share/563033-1-398-185-288.pdf#:~:text=Certain%20Bengal%20inscriptions%20of%20the,along%20with%20a%20few%20other. He concludes that the monograph is valuable but interpretations should be tested against further evidence.