india The Gupta Empire

The Gupta Empire: An Indian Golden Age The Gupta Empire, which ruled the Indian subcontinent from 320 to 550 AD, ushered in a golden age of Indian civilization. It will forever be remembered as the period during which literature, science, and the arts flourished in India as never before. Beginnings of the Guptas Since the fall of the Mauryan Empire in the second century BC, India had remained divided. For 500 years, India was a patchwork of independent kingdoms. During the late third century, the powerful Gupta family gained control of the local kingship of Magadha (modern-day eastern India and Bengal). The Gupta Empire is generally held to have begun in 320 AD, when Chandragupta I (not to be confused with Chandragupta Maurya, who founded the Mauryan Empire), the third king of the dynasty, ascended the throne. He soon began conquering neighboring regions. His son, Samudragupta (often called Samudragupta the Great) founded a new capital city, Pataliputra, and began a conquest of the entire subcontinent. Samudragupta conquered most of India, though in the more distant regions he reinstalled local kings in exchange for their loyalty. Samudragupta was also a great patron of the arts. He was a poet and a musician, and he brought great writers, philosophers, and artists to his court. Unlike the Mauryan kings after Ashoka, who were Buddhists, Samudragupta was a devoted worshipper of the Hindu gods. Nonetheless, he did not reject Buddhism, but invited Buddhists to be part of his court and allowed the religion to spread in his realm. Chandragupta II and the Flourishing of Culture Samudragupta was briefly succeeded by his eldest son Ramagupta, whose reign was short. In 380 AD, a younger son of Samudragupta, Chandragupta II, came to the throne. Like his father, Chandragupta is often called “the Great.” Under his rule, the Gupta Empire reached its zenith, and this is considered the golden age of India. His reign, like his father’s, was marked by religious tolerance and great cultural achievements. Poetry and drama flourished at the court of Chandragupta II, at his new capital of Ujjain. Hindu legend tells of a great king of Ujjain called Vikramaditya, who kept a group of unrivaled poets, known as the Nine Gems, at his court. The Vikramaditya of legend is almost certainly Chandragupta II. The poets at his court included Kalidasa, one of the greatest authors of Sanskrit poetry and drama. His plays are some of the most famous works of Indian literature, and continue to have an influence on playwrights to this day. Visual art also flourished in the reign of Chandragupta II. Hindu art reached new heights, as exemplified in the carved reliefs of the Dashavata Temple. Chandragupta II also patronized Buddhist art. The Ajanta Caves, decorated with images of the life of Buddha, provide a vivid example of Gupta-era Indian painting. Chandragupta II also sponsored work on medicine, mathematics, and science. One of the greatest thinkers of the time was Aryabhatta, who made great contributions