Each culture has its own 'Golden Age' a term that we used to refer to the cultural development in that era and the progress made in every field. This is a time in which the culture has an opportunity to prosper. There were many golden ages of Indian culture, but the most popular association took place during the Gupta Empire, The ancient Indian empire lasting from around 320 to 550 A.D. Let's explore the Gupta Empire in more detail, the accomplishments of the empire, and its downfall.
Two major political powers emerged after the dissolution of the Maurya Empire — the SATAVAHANAS and the KUSHANS. The SATAVAHANAS served to bring stability to the Deccan and the South. They established political unity and economic progress based on their trade with the Roman Empire in both regions. KUSHANS did the same thing in the north. Both these kingdoms came to an end in the middle of the third century CE. The ruins of the KUSHANS Empire led to the emergence of a new empire that established suzerainty over large areas of both the KUSHANS and the SATAVAHANAS. The Gupta's must have been Vaishyas. The Gupta Empire was not as vast as the Maurya Empire, yet it kept so many north India tied to the thread of political unity from 335 AD to 455 AD. The early kingdom of the Gupta dynasty was in Uttar Pradesh at the end of the third century BCE, as some of the earliest currencies and inscriptions have been found mainly in this state. The Gupta's spread their kingdom to the neighboring states by making the region center of power. The Gupta's were probably feudatories of the Kushans.
The foundation of the Gupta Empire was laid by SRIGUPTA (240–280 CE). He was succeeded by his son Ghatotkacha (280–319 CE). Chandragupta ascended the throne after Ghatotkacha. Chandragupta I married a Lichchivi princess who was probably from Nepal. This strengthened his power and also expanded the empire. Chandragupta I conducted the Gupta era in 319 AD as a memorial to his ascension. Chandragupta made fair use of the iron mines prevailing in his kingdom. He not only used it himself but also used it for trade. This led to the rapid growth of the empire. Samudragupta (335–380 CE), son and successor of Chandragupta I, expanded the Gupta Empire immensely. Ashoka believed in a policy of peace and non-aggression, while Samudragupta enjoyed violence and victory.
The court poet Harishen sublimely described the might of his king. In a long epigraphy it has been counted that Samudragupta conquered which people and which countries. This inscription is inscribed on the same pillar of Allahabad, which has the inscription of peace lover Ashoka. Samudragupta defeated the region of Ganga Yamuna Doab, the kingdom of the eastern Himalayas, the kingdom of the Vindhya region and the states of South India and merged it with his empire. Samudragupta's arms reached Kanchi in growing Tamil Nadu. Samudragupta is called Napoleon of India because of his bravery and fighting skills. Chandragupta I ruled until 380 CE, after which his son Chandragupta II became the king. The Gupta Empire reached its peak during the reign of Chandragupta II. He extended the empire's range with both marital relations and victory. Chandragupta conquered the western coastline, the famous center of commerce trade.
With this, Malwa and its main city Ujjain became prosperous. Chandragupta II assumed the title of Vikramaditya. The court of Chandragupta II was decorated with scholars like Kalidas and Amar Singh. During the time of Chandragupta, the Chinese traveler faxian came to India and wrote a detailed account of the life of the people here.
The Gupta period is called the Golden Age of Ancient India. This cannot be considered right in the economic field because many cities in North India fell during this period. But the Gupta's had a large amount of gold, the Gupta's issued the most gold currencies.
Samudragupta and Chandragupta II were both editors of art and literature. The coin issued by Samudragupta had a portrait of him playing the veena. There were nine great scholars in the court of Chandragupta II who were called Navratna. The best illustration of the Gupta art is the painting of Ajanta. These pictures look real and live. The Gupta period is remembered for the creation of cosmic literature. Mritchkatikam written by Shudraka in this year is considered to be the best among ancient plays. But the work which has the highest name of Gupta period is Kalidasa's work Abhigyanashakuntalam. It ranks among the 100 best literary works in the world. Abhigyanashakuntalam is the first Indian work translated into European languages. The Gupta period is notable about the plays of the Gupta period, first that all the plays are happy and secondly that the people of the upper classes speak Sanskrit and others Prakrit. During this period, there was huge progress in the creation of religious literature. The two great sages Ramayana and Mahabharata were almost completed by the fourth century AD. The Bhagavad Gita is an important part of this Mahabharata. During this period, the writing work of most of the Purana's was completed. Sanskrit grammar also developed in the Gupta period based on the texts of Padini and Patanjali.
There was unprecedented growth in the field of science and technology. Aryabhatiya is a famous book of this period in the field of mathematics. Its author Aryabhatta was a resident of Pataliputra. Aryabhatta introduced zero and introduced the decimal system. Aryabhata wrote Surya Siddhanta in which he described geometry, trigonometry and cosmology. Varahamihira wrote Brahatsamhita and contributed to astronomy and astrology.
The best example in iron craft is the iron pillar at Mehrauli in Delhi. It was built in the fourth century CE and since sixteen hundred years have passed since then there is no rust in it. This column is a testimony to the great technical skills of the craftsman. Chandragupta II's successor faced the Hunas invasion of Central Asia in the late fifth century CE. Initially, Skanda Gupta defeated Hunas but it could not last for long. Gradually the roots of the Gupta Empire weakened and finally the Gupta Empire collapsed around 450 AD, but this era left an indelible mark in the history of Indian culture.
BY- SHASHANK SHARMA
RAJDHANI COLLEGE, DU