Gupta

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This article is about the surname Gupta. For the Gupta Empire, see Gupta Empire

The contribution of the Maurya and the Gupta Empire to the Indian culture and philosophy was enormous. Shown here is the approximate extent on the Gupta Empire in 400 CE.

Gupta (Sanskrit: Goptri meaning military governor) is one of the most common surnames in northern India.

Though the Indian caste system puts the Gupta clan under the category of traders and merchants, who are also known as Vaisyas according to the Vedic varnas, they have founded two of the most significant empires of ancient India, the Maurya Empire and the Gupta Empire. Guptas are related to other bania and khatri communities like the Aggarwals. However, their significant contribution to Indian mathematics, politics, culture, astronomy and literature gives them a unique place in Indian history.

[edit] History

The origin of the name Gupta dates back to 2000 BCE. Though the name Gupta is usually associated with traders and merchants, two of India's greatest empires, the Maurya Empire and the Gupta Empire, were both founded by persons named Chandragupta. The Maurya Empire, which was founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 321 BC, is regarded as the most powerful and largest empire in ancient India. The reign of the vaisya Gupta dynasty, which lasted from 250 to 550 CE, is known as the "Golden Age of India" because of the large achievements Indians made under the leadership of the Guptas. The peace and prosperity created under leadership of Guptas enabled the pursuit of scientific and artistic endeavors in India. Brahmagupta, an Indian scholar, made considerable contributions to fields of mathematics and astronomy. His famous works included the Brahmagupta's formula, Brahmagupta-Fibonacci identity, Brahmagupta theorem and Brahmagupta's problem. However, after the decline of the Gupta Empire in 500 CE, the Gupta community became largely involved in trading and by the end of the 20th century, most of the Guptas worked as merchants.

[edit] Guptas today

After the Islamic invasion of India, the Gupta community got involved in trading activities and increasingly merged itself with the Bania communities. As a consequence, the legacy, political and cultural influence of the Guptas gradually declined. However, along with the Aggarwals, they formed the bulk of India's merchant community. Today, most of the Guptas are well educated and form an integral part of the Indian upper- and middle-class society. Some of the richest Indians, like Lakshmi Mittal (Mittal Steel), Sunil Mittal (Bharti Telecom), Naresh Goyal (Jet Airways) and Sajjan Jindal (Jindal Steel) belong to the Gupta community.

Hinduism is practised by 99% of Guptas. Guptas are found throughout northern India, especially in Haryana, Delhi, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh. Hindi and its dialects are spoken by the majority of Guptas. Some Guptas, especially those settled in Punjab and Haryana mainly speak Punjabi. also Chandraguptra lead the fight in integrating culture

[edit] List of notable Guptas

Includes people closely related to the Guptas.

The extent of the Maurya Empire under the rule of Bindusara  It should be possible to replace this fair use image with a freely licensed one. If you can, please do so as soon as is practical.

• Ancient India
  • Chandragupta Maurya
  • Bindusara
  • Ashoka
  • Maharaja Sri-Gupta
  • Gupta
  • Chandragupta I
  • Samudragupta
  • Chandragupta II
  • Kumara Gupta I
  • Skandagupta
  • Brahmagupta

• 20th century onwards
  • Mahatama Gandhi^{[citation needed]}, Indian mass leader
  • Lakshmi Niwas Mittal, India's richest man
  • Badal Gupta
  • Dinesh Gupta
  • M K Das Gupta
  • Anil Gupta
  • S. P. Gupta
  • Rajat Gupta
  • Rohit Gupta
  • Dr. Sanjay Gupta
  • Shekhar Gupta

[edit] See Also

• • Forward Castes

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