Gupta Empire (Gupta Dynasty)

Origin of the Gupta Empire

The Gupta Empire came to be knows as the Golden Age of Indian culture because this period produced some brilliant works in the field of architecture, sculptures and paintings.

The famous Ajanta caves are a cluster of 48 caves filled with Buddhist sculptures. There are several paintings as well which depict the various lives of Buddha.

Another area which had several historians amazed is the metal work done during this period. Copper statues of Buddha can be found in many places as well as the Iron Pillar at Delhi which stands proof to the exquisite metal craftsmanship then.

The Golden Age also saw the creation of several Hindu temples. Poetry flourished as well at this time and produced one of India’s greatest poets, Kalidasa.

Significant achievements were made in the field of music, education, mathematics, Sanskrit literature and drama. Some of the literature written in Sanskrit spread all the way to Persia, Egypt and Greece and became the basis for many Islamic literary works such as ‘Ali Baba and The Forty Thieves.’

Buddhism had opened up links between India and the rest of the world and many Chinese missionaries came to India to pay their respects at sacred places.

There were great advancements in science and mathematics. Aryabhatta introduced the numeral system which is used the world over even today. The decimal system too, was an invention of this period.

There were major discoveries and advancements in the field of medicine in this period. Several herbal remedies were discovered to treat a variety of illnesses. Even a primitive form of plastic surgery was developed for the treatment of injuries to the face.

There was economic prosperity and peace in the country. The Guptas allowed kings to remain as vassal kings. The Guptas did not believe in consolidating every kingdom into a single administrative unit.

The period of the Guptas however soon came to an end. A race of people called the Huns, from Central Asia migrated to India and started attacking the Gupta Empire. It was only a matter of time before the Huns took over Northern and Western India. The last of the Guptas perished but many of their achievements were well documented and passed on to other cultures and live on today.

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