Greatest Achievements Of The Gupta Empire example essay topic

Before the nearly 200 year reign of the Gupta's, Northern India was considered dead. In fact, many Indian priests actually believed that the end of the world was near. There was no official leader of India, all of the land was broken down into many small and unhappy kingdoms. There was absolute chaos. There were no laws and crime was so widespread it seemed like there would never be an end to it. It was as if there was no hope for India.

Then out of the darkness a light shone through. That light was the Gupta's. The Gupta Empire is the "Golden Age" of India... The Gupta's provided Northern India with many honest, caring and strong leaders.

Under their rule they were able to give India a time of uplifting prosperity, strong military, a thriving import-export business, an unbelievable new style of architecture and art and literature that will forever hold the standard for all other Indian art. It was a time of peace and equal rights and a time of great scientific, astronomy, mathematics and medical achievements - the most India has ever seen. The Gupta Empire was truly the "Golden Age" of India. The Gupta Empire lasted for about 200 years. The ruler's during the Gupta Empire really contributed to just how prosperous and peaceful the Empire was. Chandra Gupta's reign marked the very beginning of the great Gupta Empire.

It was he who gained the military strength needed to expand the empire. The Gupta miliary began with three armored cavalrymen, five foot soldiers, a chariot and one elephant and then expanded to become a powerful royal army. Chandra Gupta was given the name Maharajadhiraja, which meant "great king over kings", because during his reign India had gained some military control and the people were now becoming happier. However, after a 15 year reign he decided to pass the throne down to his son, Samdura Gupta. During Samdura Gupta's reign, India experienced one of the greatest military leaders of all time. Samdura Gupta conquered nine kingdoms in Northern India, then even more in Deccan, which is the central portion of India.

He would allow the defeated kings to keep their thrones as long as they give him tribute and homage. Even kingdoms that he had not defeated would pay him homage and give tribute to him. Samdura Gupta eventually had most of Northern India under his power. The Gupta Empire was now becoming bigger, stronger and more prosperous. After Samdura Gupta's powerful reign, Chandra Gupta II took over the throne.

Chandra Gupta's reign is still celebrated through songs and stories told in India. It has been said that Chandra Gupta's II made his Empire in India so rich that he actually "passed out pearls to the poor". His reign lasted for 39 years and during this time Northern India was "the most civilized and best governed region in the world". In addition to this, he brought ancient India to its highest state of culture. Chandra Gupta managed to extend the Empire, he overtook the Shakas, which former king Samdura Gupta tried to do but was unsuccessful. This defeat over the Shakas put the Empire at the top of it's prosperity, because they now had access to the Arabian Sea which had an ever- increasing import-export business that was making their kingdom extremely wealthy.

Now that the Gupta Empire had a growing import-export business, Northern India's prosperity continued to grow with it. The trade market continued to blossom after the defeat of the Shakas. Silks, linen, muslin, calico and wool were all produced in large quantities. Foreign demand was very high for all these things. India now started to bring in such luxuries as Chinese silk and ivory, because the Empire's wealth was one of the largest India had ever seen. All this would not have been possible if it were not for the greatest ruler of all the Empire, Chandra Gupta II.

It was during his reign that Northern India reached its peek of happiness. Fa-hsien, a Chinese monk who had visited India during Chandra Gupta II's reign was "struck by the peacefulness of the country and wondered at the mildness of the administration and the rarity of serious crime". He also wrote of "the peace and prosperity of the Empire. It's cities and towns were the greatest in India.

Taxation was light. The numerous people were rich and happy, and constantly strove to live righteously and do good works. Even the weather was ideal". Chandra Gupta II brought so much good to Northern India during his many years as king. Unfortunately, after his death the Empire slowly began to deteriorate However, Chandra Gupta II as well as the other kings of the Empire will always be remembered for the things they contributed to not just Northern India, but all of India. During the Gupta Empire architecture, art and literature flourished and paved the way for all other Indian masterpieces.

Gupta influence laid the foundation for later developments in temple design and construction. The Gupta's brought architecture to brand new levels, unifying the Buddhist and Hindu religion that before the Gupta Empire was separate. The Hindu Temple was built as a place for both faiths to join as one, this temple became the focus of social and religious life. Before this temple, most of the temples were made of wood, but during the Gupta Empire they began to construct their temples out of dressed stone. This style of temple was later then adopted by the Chinese. The Gupta's were very much dedicated to building amazing places of worship for their people.

Their temples were considered masterpieces. The variety of pillars, halls and temples all built from solid stone were new to India and is now considered one of the Gupta Empire's best achievements. The largest university was built during the Gupta Empire, the University at Na landa, which was a university of fine arts. It could accommodate 10,000 people and was the most famous institution of India, bringing people from all over the world to study there. The Gupta Empire not only started an architectural revolution, but also began a new form of art and literature.

"The Gupta period is one of the most important epochs in the development of Indian culture. Their lavish patronage of art and literature saw the evolution of a classical style which was to become the standard for subsequent developments". Gupta art began a "revolution" of new style. Their art achieved freedom and expression never seen before in Indian art. The finest paintings of ancient Indian art cover the walls at the temples of Ajanta and Ellora in Maharashtra which truly expressed the life of the times with colorful images of love, feasts, dancers and men and woman living in perfect harmony. The paintings in these cave / temples revealed more detailed human characteristics, expression and moods unlike other Indian art before the Gupta Era.

These caves gave the world their first glimpses of Indian painting, and "the finest examples of Hindu art". Drawings were not the only form of art the Gupta's encouraged. Poets, artists and musicians were all given money to produce beautiful works of art, which they did. Kalidasa, the most famous of all poets began writing during the Gupta Empire, and today is referred to as the Shakespeare of India.

He was the greatest Sanskirt (India's official language) poet in all of India, who wrote some of the most outstanding Indian books, plays and poems including the "Maghaduta" or "Cloud Messenger", which is universally recognized as one of the best pieces ever wrote of Sanskirt poetry. Kalidasa is a symbol of the literacy achievement in this period. One of the most famous books ever written during the Gupta Empire was a combination of literature and art, it was called The Kamasutra - The art of love. Some of the greatest works of Indian poetry and drama were produced under the Gupta's, whose goal was to entertain the people and to stir the audience. Therefore, poetry and literature were a large part of the royal court life. Special poems were written to be recited at court gatherings to help the king decide on a punishment.

The Gupta Empire is known for being the most peaceful era in India's history. There was an extremely low crime rate, everybody felt safe. The Gupta civilization was much more gentle and humane than in the times before it. There were no harsh laws or punishments. There were no longer any executions. Instead criminals were fined, either heavily or lightly, depending on the crime committed.

The king was considered the judge and he decided on the punishment for the criminal. If anyone felt that the king was unfair he could appeal directly to the king and based on the information provided the king may change his mind. The people of the Gupta Empire were respected by the king and their words were valued very much, in and outside the court. This is why the kingdom was generally very peaceful.

The Gupta Empire was not only a period of great prosperity, Indian culture and peace, it was also a period of great intellect and scientific achievement. During the Gupta Empire much progress was made in the field of science, astronomy, mathematics and medicine. Many scientific achievements were made in the Gupta Empire, some of which we still use today. Aryhabhata, an Indian astronomer believed that the earth was a sphere that rotated around the sun and he also figured out that the solar year had 365 days. This brilliant astronomer also gave the first explanation of a lunar eclipse, which he said was "the shadow of the earth falling on the moon". Gupta mathematics also had a large impact on the rest of civilization because "they developed the concept of zero in the use of math, and also the decimal system based on the number 10".

Under the Gupta's, Indian math was the most advanced in the world. Medical intellect also grew under Gupta rule. They developed herbal concoctions to treat different types of illnesses. They knew the importance of fresh air and light to good health. They also knew the importance of the spinal cord and a little of how the nervous system worked.

They knew forms of plastic surgery and were able to repair noses, lips and ears. They even discovered a vaccine for small pox. This knowledge from the Gupta's was passed down threw the years and by the eighteenth century all Indian doctor's knew and were teaching plastic surgery to the Europeans. Great advances in science, astronomy, math and medicine occurred in the Gupta Empire. These achievements provided India and the rest of the world with more knowledge and a better understanding than any other period before it. The Gupta Empire was a wonderful period of amazing leaders, from Chandra Gupta to Chandra Gupta II almost 150 years later.

These strong leaders began the "Golden Age" of wealth, new astounding achievements in architecture with the new style of temple that expanded around the globe, art with bright, new, bold colours and images never portrayed in Indian art before the Empire and literature with a new language of poetry and writing. The Empire was also the most peaceful time in India's history. The people had a sense of safety and security with a new justice system. The greatest achievements of the Gupta Empire were the discoveries in the field of science, astronomy, mathematics and medicine that are still used all over the world.

All of these accomplishments contributed to making the Gupta Empire the "Golden Age" of India. Never had India experienced so much prosperity and brilliant achievements that helped to shape their culture before the Empire. This period will always be remembered and cherished as the "Golden Age" of India's history and will never be forgotten.

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