Varna : Vaishya
Language : Hindi
Regional Spread : All over northern India, especially Haryana, Delhi, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh.
Traditional Occupation : Mostly traders and merchants
Food Habits : Mostly vegetarian
Marriage Preference : Prefer matrimonial alliances within their own or related caste.
Related Communities : Guptas are related to other bania communities like the Aggarwals.
Chandragupta Maurya, Bindusara, Ashoka, Chandragupta I, Samudragupta, Chandragupta II, Kumara Gupta I, Skandagupta, Brahmagupta (mathematician and astronomer)
The origin of the name Gupta dates back to 2000 BCE. 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 vaishya Gupta dynasty, which lasted from 250 to 550 CE, is regarded as the "Golden Age of India".
The country prospered and made rapid progress at this time. There existed a peaceful atmosphere at this time and enabled the pursuit of scientific and artistic endeavors in India. Brahmagupta, an Indian scholar, made considerable contributions to fields of mathematics and astronomy. 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..
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 form a considerable part of India's merchant community. Today, most of the Guptas are well educated and have made their mark in all walks of life. The community has succeeded economically and form an integral part of the Indian upper- and middle-class society.