Bhukti
Topic: Gupta Empire and the Classical Age · NCERT: Class 9, Ch 5 "State and Society up to 1000 CE"
Meaning
A bhukti was a province, a large unit of government, in north India from about 300 to 800 CE, especially under the Guptas. It was run by a governor, often called an uparika, who was appointed by the king. Each bhukti was split into smaller units called vishaya (or bhoga). These were further split down to vithi, which were groups of villages. In south India the equivalent of a province was the mandala or mandalam. The system shows how the Guptas spread power out to the regions instead of running everything from the centre.
Example
Gupta copper plates from Bengal, such as those from Damodarpur in the time of Kumaragupta I, name the Pundravardhana bhukti. They also name the vishaya offices under it, where officials and town leaders together handled land sales.
Don't confuse with
- Bhoga: another name for the smaller vishaya unit inside a bhukti, not for the province itself.
Related concepts
- Gupta administration
- Vishaya
- Kumaramatya
- Sandhivigrahika
- Damodarpur copper plates
- Gupta guild officials