Who has argued that the Gupta and post-Gupta periods saw a decline in the money economy?

Correct option is B

The correct answer is (b) R. S. Sharma

Explanation:

• Eminent historian R. S. Sharma extensively argued that the post-Gupta period witnessed a significant decline in the money economy.
• In his work Indian Feudalism, he highlighted the paucity of coins in the post-Gupta era as evidence of shrinking trade and increasing reliance on localized agrarian economies.

Information Booster:

• R. S. Sharma associated the decline in coins with the emergence of a feudal socioeconomic structure characterized by land grants and closed village economies.
• This theory is a cornerstone of the 'Indian Feudalism' debate in Indian historiography.

Additional Knowledge:

R. S. Tripathi (Option a)

• He was an Indian historian known for his works on ancient Indian history, but he is not the primary proponent of the 'decline of money economy' thesis.

Radha Kumud Mookerjee (Option c)

• A prominent nationalist historian known for works like Indian Shipping, but he did not formulate the thesis of post-Gupta monetized decline.

D. C. Sircar (Option d)

• He was a renowned epigraphist and historian who actively criticized and opposed R. S. Sharma's theory of Indian Feudalism and the supposed decline of trade.

None of the above/More than one of the above (Option e)

• This is incorrect as R. S. Sharma is the exact scholar associated with this argument.

So the correct answer is (b)