What Achievements Made the Gupta Empire a Golden Age?
The main achievements of the Gupta Empire were in the fields of war, sculpture, painting, literature and architecture. This has led many people to describe the era as India’s “golden age.”
The Gupta Empire existed from about 320 A.D. until about 550 A.D. Its first ruler was Chandragupta I, but it was his son, Samudragupta, who gave the empire some of its greatest achievements in the field of war. He expanded the territory of the empire extensively and is regarded alongside other historical conquerors such as Napoleon and Alexander the Great.
Other achievements by the Gupta Empire center on the arts and the sciences. It was a time when the creation of sculpture, painting and literature flourished. The fields of mathematics and astronomy were advanced through renowned scholars. For example, the scholar Aryabhatta calculated that a solar year was 365.358 days, which is very close to the figure that is now known to be correct. In addition, the famous book the “Kamasutra” was written by Vatsyayana during this period. Popular plays were also written, including those by the historically important Indian poet Kalidasa.
Examples of great paintings include those that depict the various lives of the Buddha that were found on the walls of the Ajanta caves in southern India.
