Gupta Empire

By the fourth century AD, political and military turmoil destroyed the Kushan empire in the north and many kingdoms in southern India. At this time, India was invaded by a number of foreigners and barbarians or Mlechchhas from the northwestern frontier region and Central Asia. It signaled that emergance of a leader, a Magadha ruler, Chandra Gupta Chandra Gupta I managed to fight the foreign invasion and laid foundation for the great Gupta dynasty, the emperors who ruled for the next 300 years, to get the most prosperous era in Indian history.

Reign of Gupta emperors can truly be regarded as the golden age of classical Indian history. Srigupta I (270-290 AD), which was perhaps a minor ruler Magadha (modern Bihar) established Gupta dynasty with Patliputra or Patna as its capital. He was succeeded of his son Ghatotkacha (290-305 AD). Ghatotkacha was succeeded by his son Chandra Gupta I (305-325 AD) who strengthened his kingdom by matrimonial alliance with the powerful family Lichchavi were rulers of Mithila. His marriage to Lichchhavi princess Kumaradevi, brought an enormous amount of power, resources and prestige. He took advantage of the situation and occupied whole fertile Gangetic valley. Chandra Gupta I eventually assumed the title of Maharajadhiraja (emperor) in formal coronation.

Samudragupta (335 to 380 AD) succeeded his father, Chandra Gupta I. He was perhaps the greatest king of Gupta dynasty. Samudragupta expanded Gupta Kingdom by winning a series of battles before he was a master in northern India. Soon, he defeated the kings Vindhyan region (central India) and Deccan. He himself made no attempt to integrate the kingdoms south of the Narmada and Mahanadi rivers (southern India) in his empire. When he died his mighty empire bordered with Kushan of Western Province (modern Afganistan and Pakistan) and Vakatakas in the Deccan (modern southern Maharashtra). Samudragupta was a staunch Hindu and after all his military victories, he performed the Ashwamedha Yagna (Horse sacrifice ceremony), which is evident in some of his coins. Ashwamedha Yagna gave him the coveted title Maharajadhiraj, the supreme King of kings.

Vikramaditya (380 to 413 AD), son of Samudragupta is the legendary Emperor of India. More stories / legends attached to him than any other ruler of India. It was during his (and his son Kumar Gupta) reign, India were on top of prosperity and abundance. Although named after his grandfather Chandra Gupta, he took a title Vikramaditya, which became a synonym for sovereign of tremendous power and wealth. Vikramaditya succeeded his father Samudragupta (if there was another prince, and his older brother, who reigned briefly, and according to legends slayed by Shaka). He married Princess Kubernaga, daughter of Naga Chieftains and later gave his daughter in marriage Prabhavati with Rudrasena by powerful family of Vakatakas of the Deccan (modern Maharashtra). His most significant and well celebrated military achievement total destruction of Kshatrapas, the Shaka (Scythian) rulers Malawa and Saurashtra, western India (modern Gujrath and neighboring states). He scored a stunning victory over Kshatrapa rulers and incorporated these provinces in his growing empire. The cool courage he showed in the match with Shaka and killed their king in their own city entitled him to insult Shakari (destruction of Shaka) or Sahasanka. He has also been responsible for the era, popularly known as Vikram Deaths begins in 58 BC. This era has been used by large Hindu dynasties and still in use in modern India.

Vikramaditya was succeeded by his son could Kumar Gupta I (415 to 455 AD). He maintained his grip on the vast empire of his ancestors, which covered most of India except southern four states of India. Later, he was also performed Ashwamegha Yagna and proclaimed himself to be Chakrawarti, king of all kings. umargupta was also a great patron of the arts and culture, there is evidence that he was awarded a College of Fine Arts of large old university in Nalanda, the fluorinated in 5th to 12 century AD.

Skandagupta (455 to 467 AD) took the Gupta empire, and soon had to face with the fearsome enemy, the Huns (Hepthalites). He successfully repelled their early invasions and proved capable of king and administrator in times of crisis. Despite heroic efforts SkandaGupta, the Gupta empire did not long survive the shock it received from invasion by Huns and internal insurrection Pushyamitras. Although there was some kind of entity until the reign of the last king Budhagupta in the 6th century AD.

This period is considered the golden age of Indian culture. The high points of this cultural creativity are magnificent and creative architecture, sculpture and painting. The wall paintings of Ajanta Cave in the central Deccan considered among the largest and most powerful works of Indian art. The paintings in the cave represent the various lives of the Buddha, but also is the best resource we have in our daily life in India at that time. There are forty-eight caves making up Ajanta, most of which were carved out of rock between 460 and 480 and are filled with Buddhist sculptures. The rock temple at Elephanta (near Bombay) contains a powerful, eighteen foot statue of the three-headed Shiva, one of the major Hindu gods. Each leader is one of Shiva's roles: to create, maintain, and destroy. The period also saw dynamic building of Hindu temples. All these temples contain a hall and a tower.

The greatest writer of the time was Kålidåsa. Poetry in the Gupta age trend towards a few genres: religious and meditative poetry, lyric poetry, narrative histories (the most popular of the secular literature), and drama. The greatest mathematician Aryabhatta India also belong to this age group. The Panchatantra and the Kamasutra was written during this period. The Nalanda University in Bihar, came to fame in the Gupta rule.

Unfortunately, very few monuments built in the Gupta reign survive today. Examples of Gupta architecture found in the Vaishnavite Tigawa temple in Jabalpur (in Madhya Pradesh state) built in 415 AD and a temple on Deogarhnear Jhansi was built in 510 AD. Bhita in Uttar Pradesh state has a number of old Gupta temples, most are in ruins.

Because of extensive trade was the culture in India the dominant culture around the Bay of Bengal, profoundly and deeply affect the cultures of Burma, Cambodia and Sri Lanka. In many ways, was the period during and after the Gupta dynasty, the period of "Greater India", a period of cultural activity in India and surrounding countries building off the bottom of the Indian culture.