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Suvarnabhumi (Burma or Myanmar), Yavadvipa Art and Architecture
(Java) and Kamboja (Kampuchea or Cambodia). The finest examples of painting, sculpture and
Broach, Sopara and Kalyan were the parts on architecture of the period can be found in Ajanta,
the western coast, handling trade with Africa, Ellora, Sarnath, Mathura, Anuradhapura and
Arabia, Iran and the Mediterranean countries. Sigiriya. The basic tenets of Shilpa Shasrta
Goods exported from India included spices, (Treatise on Art) were followed everywhere
pearls, ivory, perfumes, textiles and precious including in town planning. Stone studded
stones. golden stairways, iron pillars (The iron pillar of
The end of the Gupta period saw a decline in Dhar is twice the size of Delhi’s Iron Pillar),
trade. Towns, too, had begun to decay. Perhaps intricately designed gold coins, jewellery and
this was because of the invasion of the Hunas metal sculptures speak volumes about the skills of
from Central Asia. It may also have been due to the metalsmiths. Carved ivories, wood and lac-
environmental changes in the Ganga delta. work, brocades and embroidered textile also
Religion thrived. Practicing vocal music, dance and seven
Gupta kings knew that the well-being of the types of musical instruments including veena (an
empire lie in maintaining a cordial relationship Indian musical stringed instrument), flute and
between the various communities. They were mridangam (drum) were a norm rather than
devout Vaishnava (Hindus who worship the exception. These were regularly performed in
temples as a token of devotion. In classic Indian
Supreme Creator as Vishnu) themselves, yet that
style, artists and literature were encouraged to
did not prevent them from being tolerant towards
meditate on the imagery within and capture its
the believers of Buddhism and Jainism. Buddhist
monasteries received liberal donations. Yijing essence in their creations. As Agni Purana-
observed how the Gupta kings erected inns and suggests, “O thou Lord of all gods, teach me in
rest houses for Buddhist monks and other pil- dreams how to carry out all the work I have in
grims. As a pre-eminent site of education and my mind.”
cultural exchange Nalanda prospered under their Literature
patronage. Jainism flourished in northern The Gupta kings were great patrons of Sanskrit
Bengal, Gorakhpur, Udayagiri and Gujarat. literature. Some of the finest poetry and dramas
Several Jain establishments existed across the in Sanskrit were written at that time. Kalidasa
empire and Jain councils were a regular occur- lived during the reign of Chandragupta II. His
rence. famous works include Meghaduta, Raghu-
vamsha, Ritusamhara, Kumara-Sambhava and
the famous play, Abhijnana shakuntalam.
There were other great writers too. Sudraka
wrote Mrichchhakatike. Vishakhadutta authored
Mudrarakshasa and Devichandraguptam.
Panini’s Ashtadhyayi was an excellent work on
Sanskrit grammar. Another popular work today,
the Panchatantra, was also written during the
Gupta period.
Caves at Ajanta
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